[Elecraft] optimizing recorded audio

[David Gilbert]

I fully agree, Jim.  I don't know why anyone would want to run their 
audio through two different compression schemes, or artificially alter 
the timing.  KT0NY's approach almost guarantees that his recorded clips 
will sound different than his mic voice, which is a sure fire source of 
potential confusion and possible error in a contest.  It's a great way 
to slow down your rates.

I record my voice clips to the computer, use Goldwave to make sure all 
the separate files (CQ, report, etc) are at the same volume, and trim 
dead spots.  I keep a couple of reference recordings handy for 
comparison any time I need to generate audio clips for a different 
contest ... that way I am able to maintain the same gain and compression 
settings on my K3 all of the time.

73,
Dave   AB7E




On 4/21/2011 5:20 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
> On 4/21/2011 4:51 PM, Tony Estep wrote:
>> I have been using Audacity
> Yes, that's good software. I use Adobe Audition, which I bought because
> I'm a pro sound engineer. Gold Wave is another one.
>
>> First, compress it. Use moderate or light compression and repeat until you
>> notice some compression, but stop before it's really dense.
>>
>> Then use the effect called "leveller." This will selectively compress voice
>> peaks and is extremely effective at making the audio punchy without seeming
>> to change the natural sound.
> This is NOT a good idea if you're using compression in the K3 (and you
> should be using about 10dB) -- if the K3 is set right for your live mic,
> it will be quite excessive on your pre-recorded material.  Excessive
> compression and leveling brings up room noise, which I hear FAR TOO MUCH
> of during contests. It IS very important though to get the recorded
> level right, and to use the same mic with your computer that you use
> with the K3.
>
>> Finally, go to "change tempo." This can make your recording play faster or
>> slower without changing pitch. Don't change the beats, but rather trim the
>> time length of your recording. A little bit goes a long way. For example,
>> when I recorded my call the clip was about 3 seconds long. Cutting it to 2.6
>> seconds got rid of inter-syllabic pauses etc and made it sound urgent but
>> didn't introduce any unnatural sound.
> Time compression tends to make voices sound artificial. Time
> compression, or talking too fast with poor articulation, can make it
> difficult for others to copy your call. This happens FAR too often
> during contests!  A better way is to record each message, listen to it
> carefully, and do it again until you like it. I've learned to record
> each phrase or word quickly but with good articulation with pauses
> between each, then edit out the pauses. To do that, get the waveform on
> the screen and carefully remove parts of the longer pauses between words
> by highlighting the dead space with your mouse and hitting delete.
> Moderation is the key -- don't remove ALL of the blank space, only part
> of it. Listen and repeat if necessary.
>
> 73, Jim Brown K9YC
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