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The CD Prep Menu
This menu contains the tools that help you prepare for the final stages of your restoration project. The CD Prep Menu does everything but copy your files to CD.
Quantize for CD Audio
This feature moves a marker to a multiple of 2,352 Bytes to provide compatibility with CD data grouping so that glitch-less indexing can occur. This feature is particularly useful when chopping a large (continuous concert type) .wav file into pieces for transfer to CD-R. If you have a .wav file open, merely click on this menu item and the file will be properly quantized.
Using Quantize on a Single File (Tutorial)
This command breaks long .wav files into smaller .wav files as defined by the locations of your various markers. This command will remain grayed out until your file has markers placed.
The Chop File Into Pieces Dialog Box
If you’ve chosen to record a full album length file onto the hard drive and are now ready to break the large file into the smaller “song” files, this feature, used in conjunction with either your markers (manually finding the beginning and ending of your “songs”) or with the Find and Mark Silent Passages tool (automatically finding the song tracks by the silence in between two songs…described below) allows you to accomplish this task. It allows you to choose from any or all of the following options:
DCArt10/DC Forensics10 includes a feature, which will automatically find and mark the silent passages of your .wav file. This is particularly useful when you desire to process an entire vinyl record album (or tape) in one shot through the various Diamond Cut filter and/or effect algorithms, and then break them up into separate .wav files at the end of the process. You have the ability to select the detector system’s threshold of silence, and its time duration for the silence. After you have invoked this feature, you will see all of the markers moved to the quiet area between cuts. You can move the markers manually, if you are not satisfied with the separations that were automatically determined by the program. After this has been completed, you can chop the file into pieces, and separate .wav files will be created.
The “Find and Mark Silent Passages” feature will also be found to be useful for identifying long silent sectors of surveillance recordings automatically. This can save a lot of time for the Forensics examiner who must deal with very long recordings, most of which contains no conversation.
The Find and Mark Silence Controls
A more versatile system is available in the Forensics version of this software called the “Remove Silence Tool”. For details, refer to that section of this User’s Manual.
Gain Normalize
The “Gain Normalize” feature searches an entire .wav file looking for the peak signal level and established that value as its 0 dB reference point. It can be used in fast edit mode or classic edit mode in the source window. Then, it adjusts the overall gain applied to the file so that the overall level is below that value. This will provide the best signal to noise ratio and a reasonable volume balance for each "cut" on your final master. Gain Normalize should be applied before burning a CD-ROM or making your final tape.
Important Note:
In Classic Editing mode, Gain Normalize will search the entire file for the peak and adjust the gain based on that peak. It will ignore any selected area. In Fast Edit mode, Gain Normalize will abide by a selected area, find the peak there and adjust the selected area only with the appropriate gain normalization.
Normalized Gain Scaling
It allows you to scale the gain of a .wav file to values other than 0 dB (full-scale output). The range of adjustment provided is +/- 20 dB, which corresponds to a gain factor range of +/-10X. If you apply gain scaling above 0 dB, some portion(s) of the .wav file will be clipped. This could be useful in a situation wherein a single transient pulse or two are dominant in the .wav files amplitude, and "clipping" it is irrelevant to you. Sometimes, forced clipping (above 0 dB) can provide a useful or interesting effect (sometimes called “overdriving”). If you apply scaling below 0 dB, all resultant signals shall be below full-scale output. Normalize Gain Scaling can be performed separately on each channel depending on whether L/R or L or R channels are chosen. Performing Normalized Gain Scaling on each channel separately can improve the stereo balance of some recordings.
Note 1: Both the “Gain Normalize” and the “Normalize Gain Scaling” functions will query you “Do you want to save UNDO information for this operation?” If you say yes to this, the process will take about twice the amount of time that’s required if you choose to answer no.
Note 2: The CD Prep functions can be performed in either the fast edit or the classic edit mode. When using the classic edit mode, some of these functions are only supported for use in the Source Window.
This menu contains the tools that help you prepare for the final stages of your restoration project. The CD Prep Menu does everything but copy your files to CD.
Quantize for CD Audio
This feature moves a marker to a multiple of 2,352 Bytes to provide compatibility with CD data grouping so that glitch-less indexing can occur. This feature is particularly useful when chopping a large (continuous concert type) .wav file into pieces for transfer to CD-R. If you have a .wav file open, merely click on this menu item and the file will be properly quantized.
Using Quantize on a Single File (Tutorial)
- Bring up desired .wav file in the Source Workspace
- Click on the CD prep menu item.
- Click on Quantize for CD Audio
- Bring up desired .wav file in the Source Workspace
- Place markers at all of the locations at which you desire to break the file into individual .wav files. These are usually placed at the silent portions of a recording, between cuts.
- Click on the CD prep menu item.
- Click on “Quantize for CD Audio”. All of the markers shall be moved into the proper positions for CD quantization.
- Chop file into pieces using the command by the same name.
This command breaks long .wav files into smaller .wav files as defined by the locations of your various markers. This command will remain grayed out until your file has markers placed.
The Chop File Into Pieces Dialog Box
If you’ve chosen to record a full album length file onto the hard drive and are now ready to break the large file into the smaller “song” files, this feature, used in conjunction with either your markers (manually finding the beginning and ending of your “songs”) or with the Find and Mark Silent Passages tool (automatically finding the song tracks by the silence in between two songs…described below) allows you to accomplish this task. It allows you to choose from any or all of the following options:
- Preserve Original File: After you’ve ‘broken up” your main .wav file, do you still want to keep it as a master? This option give you that choice.
- Create Play List: This launches the Play List editor, which allows you to set up your CD’s track playing order. It allows you to add, audition or remove specific titles. The play list also allows you to export your cue sheet for other CD burners in the .cue format. For more info on the playlist, refer to the earlier chapter on the File Menu.
- Open Files after Chopping: In most cases, you’ll want to audition your “cuts” for accurate beginnings, endings, volume continuity, etc. before actually burning your CD. This checkbox automatically opens your new “cuts” so that review process can take place.
- File Naming: This will list the base name of your Master .wav file and then you can choose whether the resulting “chopped” pieces will be named with letter or number suffixes.
- Directory for Resulting Files: Allows you to choose a storage location (or facility) for your resulting files.
DCArt10/DC Forensics10 includes a feature, which will automatically find and mark the silent passages of your .wav file. This is particularly useful when you desire to process an entire vinyl record album (or tape) in one shot through the various Diamond Cut filter and/or effect algorithms, and then break them up into separate .wav files at the end of the process. You have the ability to select the detector system’s threshold of silence, and its time duration for the silence. After you have invoked this feature, you will see all of the markers moved to the quiet area between cuts. You can move the markers manually, if you are not satisfied with the separations that were automatically determined by the program. After this has been completed, you can chop the file into pieces, and separate .wav files will be created.
The “Find and Mark Silent Passages” feature will also be found to be useful for identifying long silent sectors of surveillance recordings automatically. This can save a lot of time for the Forensics examiner who must deal with very long recordings, most of which contains no conversation.
The Find and Mark Silence Controls
A more versatile system is available in the Forensics version of this software called the “Remove Silence Tool”. For details, refer to that section of this User’s Manual.
Gain Normalize
The “Gain Normalize” feature searches an entire .wav file looking for the peak signal level and established that value as its 0 dB reference point. It can be used in fast edit mode or classic edit mode in the source window. Then, it adjusts the overall gain applied to the file so that the overall level is below that value. This will provide the best signal to noise ratio and a reasonable volume balance for each "cut" on your final master. Gain Normalize should be applied before burning a CD-ROM or making your final tape.
Important Note:
In Classic Editing mode, Gain Normalize will search the entire file for the peak and adjust the gain based on that peak. It will ignore any selected area. In Fast Edit mode, Gain Normalize will abide by a selected area, find the peak there and adjust the selected area only with the appropriate gain normalization.
Normalized Gain Scaling
It allows you to scale the gain of a .wav file to values other than 0 dB (full-scale output). The range of adjustment provided is +/- 20 dB, which corresponds to a gain factor range of +/-10X. If you apply gain scaling above 0 dB, some portion(s) of the .wav file will be clipped. This could be useful in a situation wherein a single transient pulse or two are dominant in the .wav files amplitude, and "clipping" it is irrelevant to you. Sometimes, forced clipping (above 0 dB) can provide a useful or interesting effect (sometimes called “overdriving”). If you apply scaling below 0 dB, all resultant signals shall be below full-scale output. Normalize Gain Scaling can be performed separately on each channel depending on whether L/R or L or R channels are chosen. Performing Normalized Gain Scaling on each channel separately can improve the stereo balance of some recordings.
Note 1: Both the “Gain Normalize” and the “Normalize Gain Scaling” functions will query you “Do you want to save UNDO information for this operation?” If you say yes to this, the process will take about twice the amount of time that’s required if you choose to answer no.
Note 2: The CD Prep functions can be performed in either the fast edit or the classic edit mode. When using the classic edit mode, some of these functions are only supported for use in the Source Window.