Mike Hirst - Digital Audio: Resources

The links on this page list practical tutorials and downloadable resources written by Mike Hirst which relate to working with archive audio. The MLA North East link has a Video tutorial which can be downloaded in three different formats. The next link leads to six articles describing the processes used in creating audio files for web delivery for the FARNE project. The final link is for a tutorial using the Open Source audio project 'Audacity' To record And edit archive audio

Optimizing audio for oral history archives

These resources relate to the practical workshop session delivered by Mike Hirst as part of the Sound Editing training day run by MLA North East, in conjunction with the Oral History Society North East, 15th March, 2005. This short video tutorial gives a quick overview of the techniques used to optimizing archive audio content using Adobe Audition software. This is very much a personal approach with emphasis on getting the best qualities out of digitised audio content without detracting from the inherent qualities of the analogue original. It is assumed that the analogue original (open reel tape, cassette, disc or other medium) has been digitised and saved as a wav file. Whilst it is possible to use the software to remove unwanted artifacts (hiss, crackle, pops, background noise, etc.), this approach concentrates on boosting the original content (spoken word or music) to make it stand out from the negative qualities introduced through degradation of the original medium or poor quality equipment used in making the original recording.

http://www.mlanortheast.org.uk/nemlac/page.php3?342

Audio Technical Notes

The articles which follow describe the processes used in creating audio files for web delivery for the FARNE project.

In creating the audio files for the project the following steps were taken:

  1. Playing the original tapes using an AKAI GX 4000DB tape deck
  2. Digitizing the analogue signal using soundMAX integrated digital audio
  3. Reducing the background noise using fft filters
  4. Editing using Cool Edit Pro
  5. Creation of Mp3 files
  6. Encoding for the Internet using RealNetworks Helix Producer plus 9

In the six articles each of these processes is described in detail.

N.B. Cool edit Pro as refered to in the articles is no longer available. The software was acquired by Adobe Systems Incorporated, from it's original developers Syntrillium Software, in May 2003. The software has been repackaged and is now sold as Adobe® Audition™. This is essentially the same complete multi-track recording studio and digital signal processing software for Windows®-based PCs, redesigned so that it can be integrated as part of Adobes impressive Audio/Video range (Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects, etc). The wide range of filters remains the same. All processes described in the following articles can be achieved using the upgraded software.

http://www.asaplive.com/FARNE/About.cfm?ccs=333

Using Audacity To Record And Edit Archive Audio

Tutorial re-written using notes prepared for practical training and CD-rom delivery.

The original eight articles have been edited to create a single linear html page formated for print.

Subjects covered in the tutorial are listed below

  1. What is Audacity
  2. Installing Audacity and other software
  3. Tape Playback
  4. Setting up the soundcard and other hardware
  5. Analogue to digital conversion
  6. Recording archive audio with Audacity
  7. Editing archive audio with Audacity
  8. Pre-dynamic Eq and other advanced techniques

http://mikehirst.netfirms.com/tutorial/a4a.html