@Gerald-Shantz

Hi,

This is getting more complicated, it would seem, than necessary.

Then when I play these tracks onto my computer software, I can adjust the volume of each amplifier separately, to create an MP3 file. 

How are you doing this? Which program? Why are you using MP3 for an intermediate format? You should not be using that as you are losing quality right away. MP3 is used as a final format. At least create a wave file.

Are you recording different things with each mic? Like one singer with one mic and a different singer with another mic? If so, then you are getting 1 singer on the left channel and the other on the right channel. They need to be mixed. This is a different problem with a different solution.

I think that we need to better understand your entire process. Also, it would be helpful if you could upload a sample file to a file sharing site so that we can understand what you are working with.

Then I import this MP3 file which has 2 separate tracks into my editing program which still has both tracks separately displayed as a wave form.

No, you cannot have 2 separate tracks in an MP3 file. You just have left and right channels for stereo. MP3 files are not multitrack. When you import into most video programs, you see a combined single waveform for a stereo object, on one track, never on two tracks. This is normal. In SFACL4, you clicked on Stereo to see both left and right channels on track 1 which is what you'll normally see by default in audio editing programs, including SFP. In SFP, when you import a stereo file, it shows left and right channels as 1 and 2, not tracks. SFP is much more sophisticated than SFACL and does allow you to work extensively on each channel (L&R) separately. Normally, you don't have to.

SFACL gives you limited access to the channels as I pointed out. If you need to adjust the volume of one of the channels, use the Stereo Enhancer that is under Mastering. I've shown you how to do this, twice.

To trim, you normally want to trim both channels, not each separately. To do this, you just have to do what we showed you. You say that you want to trim some of the beginning. Move the playback marker to where you want to trim. Press Z and the part at the left will be trimmed.

If you want to trim part at the right, then move the playback marker to where you want to trim. Press U and the part at the right will be trimmed.

For the above, there is no need to create a range.

If you want to trim part out of the middle, then that is different. You need to make to cuts or use the range mode as I outlined in the other post.

If you want the gaps to close up, you have to be in ripple mode which is under Options, Ripple objects.

CLEANING

De-noising is under Cleaning. The DeNoiser that comes with SFACL has presets that you can use. However, you can also have the DeNoiser listen to your file at a location where there is only noise, and take a noise sample. The DeNoiser will reduce the volume of what has been determined as noise.

Normally, noise that is recorded on a stereo file is the same for both channels, so you don't need to denoise the left and right channels separately. Do you need to do this?

John CB

@Gerald-Shantz

Hi,

Further to the above, and what may be a bit confusing to you, is that SFACL has multi-track capability. Each track can be mono or stereo. Each track can be a completely separate file. SFACL can have up to 8 tracks. For your file, you only need 1 stereo track.

The image below shows 2 stereo tracks. Each track has a completely different recording.

When this is played back, both songs play at the same time.

Sound Forge Pro does not have multi-track capability so you can't do what is shown above. When you import a stereo file, you see what looks like tracks 1 and 2, but they are not. They are channels 1 and 2, or left and right.

So for you, in SFACL, just import your file onto track 1, turn off track 2, and make sure that Stereo is on.

Thus you have 1 track with left and right channels.

John CB

@Gerald-Shantz

Hi Gerald

. . . . my perception . . . .

Can clarify if your perception is actually how the recordings are made, ie to tape, or is this just an analogy of how you perceive the process working?

If your perception, then what equipment are you using to record the vocals etc, or are the audio files provided by someone else?

John EB

@johneb and @johnec

Wow! I can see how ignorant I was. But that was all that I knew. As for MP3 vs wave, I knew that wave took approx. 10 times more file space, and I knew that there are losses for that kind of compression, but since none of this is professional, discarded the losses in my mind. Since these recordings were done in the 60's, and hard drive space was expensive, I just took the shortcut. 😊 As for the recording, I had a small Shure mixer and a "good" Sony reel to reel deck. Like I said, nobody including me was educated much less professional. A friend copied the files from 7" reels to cassette, and now that some of the people involved have passed away, others wanted a CD for posterity. All I have to work with is the cassette version, and knowing this had much to be desired, I figured I'd do my best with what I had. Which was my SF 7.0. Needless to say, what I was able to do with that was considered great for us seniors. SF 7.0 seemed to fit my paradigm of how things worked, until the SF 7 noise editor rolled over on me because of Sony's fear of someone actually using their software on a different computer. 😬

So this is all new to me and very educational, and I'm immensely grateful to everyone for their help and patience.

Considering everything, would there be any benefit to "importing" the MP3 files into SFACL4 as a wave? I can also see that I need to learn the use of the different SFACL tool, which shouldn't be very difficult. Just a different approach.

Gerald

P.S. I tried to attach a small MP3 file, but after an hour of a "spinning" icon, I gave up. Not sure what this program needs.

@Gerald-Shantz

Hi

Thanks for the clarification.

. . . . copied the files from 7" reels to cassette . . . benefit to "importing" the MP3 files into SFACL4 as a wave . . . .

Good question given the dubious quality of cassette recordings. I would assume the hiss level is quite high relative to the actual voices, is this correct?

If so, then as @browj2 mentioned previously, you may need a better de-hisser/voice de-noiser than SFACL has.

John EB

@Gerald-Shantz

Hi Gerald,

John EB were in our twenties in the seventies and now we're in our seventies in the twenties.

One of the main uses of SFACL is for importing/recording audio from vinyl, cassettes, CD's amongst other sources. I have digitized many cassettes over the years and I'm still wading through the material. The important part was to get the transfer to digital before the cassettes disintegrated.

Currently, I have a on-going project of interviews with my wife's grandparents that were recorded on cassette many years ago. I'm removing pauses, superfluous comments, etc., and also getting specific parts out separately to be used in a video presentation. Of course, the material had to be cleaned first, volume adjusted along the timeline, and so on.

If you still have more cassettes to do, why not just import straight into SFACL?

There is an automatic (if you turn it on) cleaning done for cassettes. You can tweak, remove, and add to the cleaning effects. I have found that the program can do some amazing work on poor audio.

Once cleaned and mastered, you can ID any songs on the timeline and export to MP3 and or burn to CD.

As for more cleaning tools, many of us here got the Accusonus tools that ended up free when they closed down. I see that the link no longer works, but they still may be available somewhere. These are a good alternative to the iZotope. Let me know if you're interested.

SFACL has spectral cleaning which helps detect and show specific disturbances in the audio material so that you can treat them. See pages 157/158 in the manual. This is simple to use and powerful, helping get rid of any glitching sudden noises. This is probably the greatest feature of SFACL.

John CB