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Recently on another thread, I mentioned that I was having problems with a ground loop on my computer after having to replace my power supply with a cheaper, less powerful one. Since then, I have had problems with a humming and buzzing noise in all of my transfers.
I tried to resolve the problem with a cheap ground loop isolator I got off of Amazon, but it seems to suck the low end and a noticeable portion of the mids right out of the signal, so I have had to return to using the Harmonic Reject filter and my own personal "Humbuster" preset. Additionally, I have been experimenting with using the Spectral Subtraction option in the CNF to try and get the hum out like that.
This is my current workflow. I am hoping that I am doing things in the right order:
1. I capture at 24/48 through the internal sound on the motherboard. I was previously using an M-Audio Fast Track Pro, but the drivers were locked down to 24/44.1 in Windows 10, not to mention that they were not meant to be used there and M-Audio has no intention of continuing development of drivers for a more or less dead product. I was capturing at 24/96, but I found that 24/48 was a much better fit for my computer.
2. Following capture, I take the complete WAV file into xxxxxxxx. I still don't feel sure enough in my abilities to use DC8's tools right now, but I will give it another go soon...
3. I bring the declicked WAV back into DC8. The first thing I do is run it through the Harmonic Reject filter with the "Humbuster," using the "Keep Residue Mode" to fine-tune it. Basically I increase the attenuation until I'm just barely hearing parts of the music bleeding through.
4. I run the CNF, using Spectral Subtraction with 40 for attenuation. For a lot of early needle drops, I was cranking the attenuation up to 75, especially when I was using it to try and remove the buzz/hum. It kinda worked, but the lower end sounded artificial and lifeless, so I backed down to 40. I also raised the threshold using the same technique I used for the Humbuster filter, basically backing off when I heard it catching things like cello strokes.
5. I place my markers, which is made easier because I can see the quiet passages between tracks. To double check, I also consult Discogs.com.
6. I normalize to -1.0 dB.
7. I go from 24/48 to 16/44.1 using Master Quality and either Triangular or Noise.
8. Finally I quantize for CD and chop the file up, after which I encode them for .m4a in LameXP. I usually have to change the file extension because otherwise iTunes won't upload them to iCloud Music Library.
The end result is not bad, but unfortunately, the hum/buzz is only greatly diminished, not eliminated altogether.
I welcome any suggestions on how I might improve the process. The results are good, but I always feel like I could be doing better, like there's something I'm missing...
P. S.: I know that the screenshots are from a demo of DC10, but these techniques were developed in and will be used again in DC8 once the DC10 demo times out.
I tried to resolve the problem with a cheap ground loop isolator I got off of Amazon, but it seems to suck the low end and a noticeable portion of the mids right out of the signal, so I have had to return to using the Harmonic Reject filter and my own personal "Humbuster" preset. Additionally, I have been experimenting with using the Spectral Subtraction option in the CNF to try and get the hum out like that.
This is my current workflow. I am hoping that I am doing things in the right order:
1. I capture at 24/48 through the internal sound on the motherboard. I was previously using an M-Audio Fast Track Pro, but the drivers were locked down to 24/44.1 in Windows 10, not to mention that they were not meant to be used there and M-Audio has no intention of continuing development of drivers for a more or less dead product. I was capturing at 24/96, but I found that 24/48 was a much better fit for my computer.
2. Following capture, I take the complete WAV file into xxxxxxxx. I still don't feel sure enough in my abilities to use DC8's tools right now, but I will give it another go soon...
3. I bring the declicked WAV back into DC8. The first thing I do is run it through the Harmonic Reject filter with the "Humbuster," using the "Keep Residue Mode" to fine-tune it. Basically I increase the attenuation until I'm just barely hearing parts of the music bleeding through.
4. I run the CNF, using Spectral Subtraction with 40 for attenuation. For a lot of early needle drops, I was cranking the attenuation up to 75, especially when I was using it to try and remove the buzz/hum. It kinda worked, but the lower end sounded artificial and lifeless, so I backed down to 40. I also raised the threshold using the same technique I used for the Humbuster filter, basically backing off when I heard it catching things like cello strokes.
5. I place my markers, which is made easier because I can see the quiet passages between tracks. To double check, I also consult Discogs.com.
6. I normalize to -1.0 dB.
7. I go from 24/48 to 16/44.1 using Master Quality and either Triangular or Noise.
8. Finally I quantize for CD and chop the file up, after which I encode them for .m4a in LameXP. I usually have to change the file extension because otherwise iTunes won't upload them to iCloud Music Library.
The end result is not bad, but unfortunately, the hum/buzz is only greatly diminished, not eliminated altogether.
I welcome any suggestions on how I might improve the process. The results are good, but I always feel like I could be doing better, like there's something I'm missing...
P. S.: I know that the screenshots are from a demo of DC10, but these techniques were developed in and will be used again in DC8 once the DC10 demo times out.
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