What is the best format to import a Vinyl record into Audio Cleaning Lab 4 for cleaning up scratches and clicks? I want to copy some of my records so I can play them with with my Fiio audio player.
@DBazzz I would suggest WAV with CD quality (44.1 khz, 16 bit). This is basically much more than a vinyl record can deliver but it is a very common quality that every player should be able to play. Since FLAC uses a lossless compression it is a good format to save storage space. This will not reduce the quality of your recording.
Only use lossy compression formats like MP3, OGG or AAC if you are finished with your cleaning and want to create small files for your audio player. Save the high quality audio files as a backup in case there are better cleaning tools available in the future and you want to redo the cleaning process.
Thanks for the quick response and information. I have a couple more questions if you have time.
There are two methods to change the recording level when recording vinyl. The big bar on the main tab when clicking on the vinyl tab and then when clicking on "Settings" another dialog box opens up with an"Audio Input" box that opens up another input slider, "Input and Level Automation" that seems to be more sensitive to the levels. I get more errors with "Level too Low" and can see the blurred Red on the main tab flashing with "Level too High" when I raise the input level. Which is the best and how critical is the level? Is an occasional flash with too high or too low acceptable or should it never happen?
It looks like the the program creates a project file with a .VIP extension and the individual .WAV files. Is it better to open the individual .wav file or the project file? Also what is a .HFS and a HFO file? Are they needed or can they be deleted?
@DBazzz If I remember correctly both volume meters should show exactly the same levels. It might be that one meter gets updated a little more often per second and looks more sensitive.
It's very important that the loudest part of the vinyl record you want to transfer doesn't go over 0 (zero) dB. It needs to stay slightly below it, maybe up to -1 dB. So you need to test the loudest sections first and set the volume slider accordingly. Then everything should be set correctly.
Going over 0 dB will cause clipping in the recording. All information above 0 dB will be lost.
On the other hand, if you set the volume of the loudest parts too low, for example to -18 dB, the quiet sections of the vinyl recording will be recorded with even lower volume.
If you later want to hear everything loud and clear and need to boost the volume of the recording, you would need to boost it by about 17 dB to get from -18 dB to the desired -1 dB.
This will also boost the quiet noise floor in the recording and will make it much louder. That's why it is good idea to record at a loud level.
If you later want to use audio effects that will bring the volume level of your recording over 0 dB you can always lower the volume beforehand. Lowering the volume will also lower the volume of the noise floor.
Always load the VIP files. This is your project file which saves all your edits. Don't delete the other help files. They are often needed and save information like the graphical waveform to reduce loading times.