Need Help Filtering Tape Hiss

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Jason Stillwell
Posts: 498
Joined: 6 Jul 2001 12:01 am
Location: Caddo, OK, USA

Need Help Filtering Tape Hiss

Post by Jason Stillwell »

I am converting some tapes to CDs, and there are at least a couple of stubborn tracks that I am really having trouble cleaning up the sound on. I am using GoldWave and Cool Edit 96. If one or more of you who are familiar with the noise reduction tool on at least one of these programs could help me out and email me your noise filter settings for these two songs, I'd really appreciate it. Here is a page with links to 30-second MP3 samples of each.

Thanks in advance for your help.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jason Stillwell on 05 June 2003 at 11:17 AM.]</p></FONT>
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Tommy Mc
Posts: 564
Joined: 29 Feb 2000 1:01 am
Location: Middlesex VT

Post by Tommy Mc »

Jason, I downloaded the first of the two samples. I converted to .wav, and made a couple copies. I took one and ran it through DePopper, and the other processed it with Cool Edit Pro. Both came out similar. To my (amateur) ear, the problem is not so much hiss, as drop-out.
Before the music starts, there is some hiss....easily removed with either program. But throughout the sample, I hear the high's cycling loud then soft. I think what you may be calling hiss is really the highs from the cymbols, but dropping out. I'm thinking dirty playback head, degaussing, or tape deterioration.
I've had this happen on some old reel to reels, and had some luck using Cool Edit to select the dropout areas, and boosting the highs there. Awefully laborious....hope I'm wrong and somebody else has a better idea.