Ideas for Version Seven

[Dan McDonald]

Here's one I'd like to see if it's possible:

In spectrum analyzer, have it adjustable in terms of which frequencies you see in the scope - that is, you limit the sampling to specific areas, so that you can see those areas more closely. For example, if I want to figure out the number of generations of an audiotape, I might just care about the range of 50-70 Hz.

I don't know if that's too complicated, but if it were possible to tell the spectrum analyzer a lower and upper bound to analyze, it seems like it would cut down on the work it has to do. You get some of that by adjusting the resolution, but this would be more of a fine-tuning.

I find I can't get the spectrum analyzer to work on the output of any of the filters if I'm trying to get very fine resolution. I have to lower the quality to avoid having the computer freeze. This is with a P4 with 2gig Ram. At first I thought it was because I was using 24-bit files, but I switched to 16-bit and got the same thing until I reduced the resolution I was asking for.

[Tone Deaf]

Speaking as a novice to this software, I find that it has a very steep learning curve. The manual adds to the problem. It is similar to a trying to work with a 25,000 piece jigsaw puzzle that someone has removed the corner pieces.

For example, it is reasonable to assume that people trying to restore old recordings will be working with monophonic sound. Yet, the word does not appear in the Index.

The word does appear in the Glossary of Terms in the Useful General Information Section, but like all of the other entries there, no page reference is given.

The Function Finder Table, starting on Page 353, shows ?Convert Monophonic Wave file to Stereo? can be found in the Filter Menu.

After finding the Filter Menu, starting on Page 111, you have to go all the way to Page 174 to realize that the answer actually lies under the heading of ?File Conversion.?

Therefore, my recommendation is to spend a little time making the manual more user friendly.

[Robin Hinkley]

Redo function in Edit menu

I'd like to see 'Redo' offered in conjunction with 'Undo' in the Edit menu. It would be very useful in classic mode editing. I mentioned this awhile back but it hasn't shown up in production. Thanks.

[Dan McDonald]

If possible, the ability to read in WMA files would be nice. Sometimes people put historical material on websites. I like to use these when I'm teaching, but I try to clean them up before I do so. Right now, I have to record these while playing them, then clean them up. It'd be nice if it were possible to just read them into DC7 or to have a convert process in batch file. Sometimes these run an hour long, so having to play the whole thing before having it to listen to and find clips is rather tedious. If it's not possible, that's ok, but if it is, that'd be great. Seems like more websites are running wma files these days - I guess so that people can put them in their windows-based mp3 players.

P.S. - with an internet search yesterday, I actually found some free software to convert wma files to wav or mp3, so it's not a big deal for me any longer; others may still need this though, and it would be nice if DC7 could do it.

Dan

[Tone Deaf]

I am unable to comment on what technical improvements are needed in the new software version because I am just now trying to learn the present version.

I notice that the other people are suggesting technical enhancements to the program. They may well be needed (I?m not savvy enough to know). The people making these suggestions are obviously professionals who are deep into this field. However, speaking as one who is new to audio processing, I can tell you that one thing absolutely needed is a more user friendly manual.

I previously gave the example of trying to look up Mono.

Here is another one.

I just recently had a go-round when I realized that there was a click in one spot on a song. What is the first thing a new person does when he/she runs into a problem? They go to the Index. Do you realize that the Index does not contain the words ?Click,? ?Clicks,? or ?Removing Clicks??

A few days later, I realized that the Index does contain the word ?Declicking.? It refers you to Page 272. The information on Page 272 concerns declicking a vinyl LP record. Even though a person may not be working with a vinyl record, no doubt the information could be useful in a general way.

A few days after that, I notice that the Table of Contents contains listings for declicking on Pages 79, 80, 81, and 277. There might be more. That?s the problem of trying to do an Easter Egg hunt through the Table of Contents ? a person might very well miss one or more listings.

I am not into word processing, but those who are tell me that it is not hard to get the software to automatically print out an Index. Actually, the user gets more words than he/she needs. The problem is weeding out the words they don?t want indexed.

The way I view the suggestions that are being made in this thread is that the developers will end up with a very sophisticated product that a relatively few highly qualified individuals will enjoy using. What they won?t have are the growing numbers of new users that they could have.

What is holding this product together now are the advanced users who are willing to spend their own time to take a new user by the hand and lead him/her through the maze of procedures. They get nothing for doing this. The people who are putting money in their pockets are the ones who should be bending over backwards to ease the way for the new users.

- - - - - -

Holy cow! I just saw a reference to ?De-Click using the Impulse Filter? on Page 294. It was in neither the Index nor the Table of Contents. With all of these listings for declicking, a person would think that there should be some overall advice concerning which should be used in which situation(s) or, as an alternative, which should be tried first, second, etc.

[Walter]

DC-User Manuals

Thanks for the great information and tutorials.
They are the most complete and easiest to understand
of any other programs that I own.
Try some of the information supplied with sound cards,
word processors,video editors,and others.

Thanks for a great job.

Walter :"NOVICE"

[TomC]

Help file

OK, here's my suggestion:

The help file (DC6.hlp) needs some serious work.

My pet peeve is that once you find a feature in the help file that solves your problem, there is absolutely no info on where to find that feature, at least it isn't obvious. One must search each menu option, then look at the other options.

This could be as simple as adding:

Filter/EQ/Paragraphic Equalizer...

to the help item.

Tom

[Menchi]

Tutorial enhancment, and ear "training"

I mentioned the following suggestion when I first joined the forum some time ago, so forgive me if it has already made the wish list, or someone elso has also suggested it ...

I would like to see sample sound files as follows:

Each file would contain an example of a specific sound defect.
The manual or help file would indicate what filter could be used to remove the defect. In this way would could use the filter, ( and play around with various settings ) and hear the file before and after filtering

This would provide "training" for our ears and memory so we could recognize specific sound defects when we first hear the music we want to restore.

[Ringmaster]

After I finish all of my processing, including continuous noise, sometimes there are small remaining small clicks in the silent section between tracks. I've often wished I could sample these, and filter them out.

[Brian]

It would be nice to be able to control our audio "machine" directly from Live 7/Forensics - like the video boys can do with their video machines in their editing suites. This link gives an example of a universal controller that should handle most of the tasks we use.

http://www.contourdesign.com/shuttlepro/

I imagine they make the code to drive it available to 3rd party developers so it might not be too involved to add it as an option.

Just a thought.

Happy Holidays!

[Doug]

Hey Brian,
no mean to spoil the party, but "generic" versions of those already exist...I got one with my video card, and it allows me to control 5 applications incl. the video card...that includes DC6. All I had to do was tell the computer how to react to each of the 20+ (or so) remote buttons when in "DC6 mode" and what shortcuts I wanted them linked to in DC6. ie, play, rewind - even starting DC6 up and shutting it down at the press of a button!

Quite neat really. All it does is to link remote buttons to keyboard shortcuts in a chosen program. I would think the one you posted is the same...thus, no additional code required. It is only likely that a few additional keyboard shortcuts are required if there are some shortcut functions missing that you want to do remotely.

[Craig Maier]

Ringmaster,


Have you tried the Noise Gate in the Dynamics Processor for removing between cut noise? I find that it works quite well. There are already a few presets there so -- give it a try and let us know if that does it for you.

[Dan McDonald]

Hey Craig -

I've often thought it would be nice to be able to sample clicks also. Is that not feasible? It seems like it would be nice to be able to grab a section and say "I mean these kinds of clicks" and the INF could figure out the best setting. Of course, I tend to be lazy, but that would be pretty nice sometimes.

Dan

[Doug]

Dan I like that Idea..."I give up, so you decide!"

I guess it depends on how the algorithm works.

[TimG]

Shuttle scuttlebutt

It would be nice to be able to control our audio "machine" directly from Live 7/Forensics - like the video boys can do with their video machines in their editing suites.

Brian,

I have a ShuttlePRO? and my son & I use it for NLE in the video realm of our multi-media business. I just programmed it for DC6 with some of the Hot Key assignments, but without the scrub and shuttle functionality, its real benefit is a bit limited.