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Audio Sweetening
When we say "Audio
Sweetening" or "Audio Enhancement", we simply mean making your audio sound better. We split the tools in our software products into basic categories, with Audio Enhancement and Noise Reduction being two of them. The Audio Enhancement tools share equal billing with
Noise Reduction because in many cases, once the noise is removed, the result sounds a little hollow...with Audio Enhancement, new life is breathed into your audio files. Unlike
Audio Archival, the goal here is to make the material sound as
good as it possibly can. We're not so worried about the
"true" sound from a historical perspective...rather,
what makes our ears happy. With Audio Enhancement, not
only are we removing noise, but we're applying a series of
filters to boost low and high end; we're using tube simulators
to stimulate stale sounding phrases. We could also add
echo or reverb or compression and expansion to help make
something audibly better. The sky is the limit and,
because each set of ears is different, no two people will make
the same file alike.
Audio
Sweetening Specific Tools
Now that the noise is gone, the real
enhancement can begin. DC SIX and DC Millennium offer
tools designed specifically to make your audio sound
better. They include:
| SubHarmonic
Synthesis |
This cool new intelligent
synthesizer creates sub harmonic frequencies that have
been lost over time. Helps build lush new low end
using a cool new algorithm. |
| Overtone
Synthesis |
We take care of the high
end as well with this intelligent synthesizer which
recreates high frequencies that have been lost over
time. Helps build virbrant new high
end. |
| 20 Band
Graphic Equalizer |
The 20 Band Graphic
Equalizer is an IIR based extension of the 10 Band
Graphic Equalizer.
It exhibits twice the selectivity compared to the
10-band equalizer, since each band is calibrated with
half its bandwidth.
It is quite useful where greater selectivity is
required in order to “tweak” your audio signal
frequency distribution, but it is a little more
difficult to use compared to the general purpose 10-band
equalizer. Its
amplification and attenuation range is +/- 12 dB as
indicated by the numerical readouts located below each
slider control. It
has the following frequency band center frequency
values:
22Hz, 31Hz, 42Hz, 63Hz, 88Hz, 125Hz,
177 Hz, 250Hz, 350Hz, 500Hz, 710Hz, 1 KHz, 1.4KHz, 2KHz,
2.8KHz, 4KHz, 5.6KHz, 8 KHz, 11KHz, 16KHz |
| Paragraphic
Equalizer |
This
unique equalizer combines the flexibility of a
parametric equalizer with the ease of use associated
with a 10 band graphic.
The actual frequency response of the filter is
graphically controlled and/or displayed.
Virtually any frequency domain transfer function
that you can dream of can be created with this filter.
Many presets are provided to facilitate many
unusual equalization situations.
It
differs from the graphic equalizer in that three
parameters are adjustable for each band:
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Frequency:
(Hertz -
10 to 20 KHz_
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Amplitude:
(attenuation or gain - +/- 20 dB)
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Octaves:
(Q or bandwidth - 0.05 to 3.0)
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| Reverb |
The
Reverb effect is used to add a realistic room sound to a
recording. The reverb is capable of simulating different
size rooms, with different kinds of reflective surfaces
and decay times. The reverb filter lets you control the
overall room size, decay time, early reflection level,
and mix between the original material and reverb sound.
Reverb can be useful when dealing with recordings, which
are completely “dead” as originally mastered.
As with the various other filters, the reverb
effect can be applied globally or selectively (using
sync mode) to a Wave file.
The reverb effect can also be used to convert a
monophonic recording to a simulated stereophonic
recording. |
| Echo |
The
Echo
Effect
is
a digital simulation of the old magnetic tape delay
lines (sometimes called “Tape Delay Echo Chambers”)
that were popular in the early 1950’s and throughout
the 1960’s. These
devices worked on either of the following basic
principles. One method varied the distance between the recording and the
playback head producing a variable time delay, a portion
of which could be fed back to the system’s input.
A second method used a variable speed motor
driving the tape media with the recording and playback
head positions being fixed, producing similar overall
results. The
Echo Effect contains two independent delay lines,
which can be used in a number of different modes
providing it with a great deal of flexibility compared
to the old analog systems.
Because it performs its function utilizing
digital techniques, it does not suffer from the noise
and distortion buildup associated with the older analog
systems. However,
if the so-called “retro” sounding echo chamber
is
desired, you can use the Echo Effect in conjunction with
the Virtual Valve amplifier in the Multifilter. |
| Virtual
Valve Amplifier |
The
Virtual-Valve Amplifier
is
a computer simulation of a number of vacuum tube
amplifier circuits.
Its effect is to add "tube-warmth" to
the sound of a recording.
This is sometimes desirable to apply to purely
digital recordings.
It can also be used to add subtle harmonics to
very old recordings.
A harmonic exciter is also included with the
Virtual Valve Amplifier.
It is important to note that the Virtual Valve
amplifier is using real tube circuits, and real tube
non-linear device characteristics to produce its effect.
The wide range of adjustability of this algorithm
will allow you to create an amplifier that runs the
gamut in sonic performance from "grit-guitar"
to "high-end audiophile."
The
Virtual Valve Amplifier (VVA) produces a variety of
sounds associated with valve (electron tube) based
amplifiers. The
effects run the range from a subtle “tube warmth”
sound to extreme effects like “guitar amplifier
overload” or “fuzz box.”
The SIX VVA accomplishes these effects
through the use of actual electron tube circuits, which
are simulated by your computer.
The electronic models of the various tube
amplifier circuits have been derived from the
“large-signal” transfer functions of the various
tubes and output transformers you can choose from. This
data has been derived from extensive bench measurements
of tube amplifier circuits under varying operating
conditions. As
such, the effects will sound literally as would be heard
if you were to process a signal through a physical
electron tube amplifier. |
| Dynamics
Processor |
The
dynamics processor provides you with the ability to
control the dynamic signal content of the audio envelope
of a Wave file. Included
are downward expansion/noise gating, ALC, and de-essing.
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| Punch and
Crunch |
Punch
& Crunch is a multi-channel dynamic compressor or
expander. It
allows you to modify the dynamics of a piece of audio in
a very natural sounding manner.
In some cases, you may want to restore lost
transient response by applying the expander mode, but in
some other cases you may want to compress the signal in
order to produce more “broadcast presence.”
Punch
and Crunch is a four band dynamic expander (Punch)
and compressor
(Crunch)
and automatic level control (ALC).
It is useful for a number of applications such as
the following:
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Adding
dynamic range or “Punch” back into severely
compressed radio broadcast or vinyl recordings.
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Adding
“dial presence”
or “Crunch” (compression) to radio broadcasts,
without suffering the “pumping” effect found in
conventional wide-band dynamic compressors.
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Decreasing
the dynamic range of classical music so that it can
be more “listen-able” in restaurant or
automotive environments by applying the compressor
function.
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Improving
the signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range of old
78-RPM recordings by using Expander mode.
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Improving
the intelligibility of forensics recordings.
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Special
Effects creation.
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| Hundreds
Of Factory Presets |
All of our software
products contain a ton of presets...these may not be
exactly perfect for your application, but they're
provided to "get you in the
ballpark". |
General Record
Restoration Techniques
Normally the first step in an Audio
Enhancement process is to remove noise. In the world of
old records, there are basic steps that one should take to
secure the best recording and establish a good working
system. Tape Enhancement has several different
categories that we'll outline below.
The
process of restoring your records can be just about as complicated
as you'd like it to be. There are numerous steps suggested by
the true audiophiles...most of us choose the ones we find most
important and throw the rest out with the bathwater. We'll
list all of these here as mini-topics...feel free to launch as many
as you care about. We'll first concern ourselves with removing
the noise, cleaning the record and getting our system dialed
in. This is fairly similar in all cases.
Tape Restoration Techniques
Like record restoration, there are countless
articles and opinions on how to best preserve and archive your
precious and slowly dying audio tape collection. The
following hints are mostly agreed upon and safe to try.
Choosing The Tools
Audio Mentor $29 |
DC Millennium $59 |
DC EIGHT $159 |
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New! |
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Handy Wizard Interface
Makes The Whole Process Of Going From Vinyl or Tape to CD
Easy. |
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Realtime changing of
filters...listen to the noise disappear while the file
plays! |
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Make Your Own CDs |
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Includes MP3, WMA
Support |
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Realtime Restoration and
Enhancement |
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Free Technical Support |
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More
Info? |
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Remove Clicks, pops,
hiss, surface noise |
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Realtime changing of
filters...listen to the noise disappear while the file
plays! |
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Run Multiple Filters
Simultaneously |
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Record in 8, 16 or 24
bit |
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Perfect For the Serious
Hobbyist |
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Batch File Processing
(work on multiple songs simultaneously) |
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Full Enhancement
capabilities- Make any audio file sound better |
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4-band Dynamic
Compressor and Expander |
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Free Technical Support |
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More
Info? |
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Our Newest Edition!
Everything In SIX, SEVEN,
Millennium and Mentor PLUS:
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Big Click Filter |
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Direct Spectral Editing |
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Improved Tune Library |
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Subharmonic Synthesizer |
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Overtone Synthesis |
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FLAC, Vorbis and
Broadcast Wave support |
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New CD and DVD Drive
support |
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Main screen waveform
scrubbing support added |
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Free Technical Support |
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More
Info? |
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Screen Shot
One
of the more popular sweetening tools in our products is the
Virtual Valve Tube simulator. This mathematically
simulates 10 different popular vacuum tubes and creates a
wonderful warming effect on sterile digital recordings or
dull, lifeless classic recordings. You'll be amazed at
the level of control you have over each tube as you apply it
to your favorite recordings.
An Educated Taste Test
How much of a difference can the Enhanced Audio
products make in your audio life? Why don't you try them for
yourself? We have demos and Getting started tutorial guides
for both products listed below. Download both the demo and the
Getting Started Tutorial guide...the tutorials don't take a great
deal of time, but they give you a fantastic idea just how powerful
our products are.
| DC
EIGHT (NEW) | 10 day free
trial of our latest and greatest. You won't need 10 days
to decide that this is simply the most powerful audio editing
audio restoration and audio enhancement product you've ever
seen. Only $ 159 |
| Audio
Mentor | This cool new wizard
takes you by the hand and leads you through the complete
restoration process...from hooking up your turntable or tape
deck, to spitting out a completely enhanced CD, MP3 or WMA
file. Only $29 |
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DC
Millennium Try and Buy
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$59 never bought so much
power. See for yourself...with the new DC
Millennium Try and Buy demo, you get 10 days to put this
powerful product through its paces before a credit card
is needed to unlock it. This is a fully working
demo so you'll get a pretty good idea just how helpful a
product like this will be in your audio
restoration/enhancement projects. When you decide
that you're ready to buy, just simply go to
Help/Register...punch in your credit card and you
receive an unlock code in minutes. That means that
you can purchase DC Millennium 24 hours a day 7 days a
week. We've also included a very cool Getting
Started Guide so your 10 days won't be spent
learning...you'll be getting results 30 minutes after
you start. Just go to the Diamond Cut directory
and look for the PDF.
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| DC
Millennium Getting Started Guide |
You'll need this to guide
you through your first sessions with Millennium!
It's a PDF that makes things easy. |
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DC
SIX | This demo will allow you to sample the world's best audio
restoration/enhancement and editing product. It will
only record 1 minute of material and save has been disabled,
but if you want a taste test of excellence...you'll get it
here.
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DC
SIX Getting Started Guide
| Easily navigate this product with a quick step by step tutorial that's completely "hands-on" and easy to read.
If you don't want the PDF to load into your explorer window, just
right click on the link to the left and select Save Target As... |
We've provided Record Restoration Quick Start guides for both DC
SIX and DC Millennium.
The Getting Started Guides are in PDF form and only depend on you using the demo versions of both products. These tutorials do not take a great deal of time, but they are jam-packed with info and perfect for
quickly learning both products. By now, you've probably decided on either a $59 or $199 investment...depending on the feature set you liked the best. Just download either of the Getting Started Guides along with the demos and you'll be ready to start real 45 Record Restoration.
These are PDF files and best viewed with Adobe Acrobat. This is a free software product that you can download at www.download.com
Example Files
This is a typical old recording of a 78 RPM record. We used a variety of filters to remove the clicks, pops, hiss and other disturbances. With
78 Record Restoration, the goals are similar to any other record restoration...to make your file sound authentic, yet noise free and clean.
78 RPM With Noise Cleaned
78 RPM
Note: On some machines, you may notice a hesitation at the beginning of your MP3 files when you click on them. If you just let it play and then listen to it again, the hesitation will go
away. If you're using a dial-up...it's probably best to download this files and listen once you've downloaded.
Will I Need Anything Else?
Each and every system is different. You've also got to know what it will take to make your ears happy. For example...Sound Blasters are very popular sound cards...unfortunately, popularity doesn't make them good...just popular. There are potentially many
products that could help you...depending on the scale of the restoration project you want to undertake. We've created a page that outlines many of these product categories, plus the individual products that we recommend. Just click here to go
there.
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Personal
Forensics Investigation
$99 Evaluation
Maybe you have a
cell phone recording, maybe it was a digital recorder...you hear
muffled voices in the background. What are they saying? Not knowing
has been eating at you and you need answers. You've seen advanced
forensics tools on television, but you know nothing about audio and
even less about clarifying a spoken voice on a recording. |
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DC
EIGHT
$159
This
new flagship product offers features that any restoration enthusiast
would love with no fat. We don't try to be all things to all
people, but if you want the world's best audio restoration...stop
lookin. |
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DC
8 Software Training DVD
$39
Our resident
software guru comes into your home via our DVD and walks you through
tips and tricks for maximizing the quality and speed of your
restoration results. You'll be amazed at what you can learn in
2 hours. |
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Better
Audio Restorations Training DVD
This
detailed introduction to the Zen of Audio Restoration features a
beginner's guide to restoration
software.
Make the most of your restoration software
$39 |
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DC
LIVE/Forensics
There is simply no
better Audio Forensics product on the market. You can pay
thousands more, but if you're clarifying noisy recordings or even
running live audio surveillance, DC LIVE/Forensics is the best in
the business. $1499
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Advanced
Forensics Concepts Using DC LIVE/Forensics DVD
The in depth
walkthrough covers all of the great new features of
DC/LIVE/Forensics 7.5. $59
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Audio
Mentor
New Price $29!
This intelligent
wizard helps any user instantly achieve spectacular results.
Mentor takes you by the hand and gets you from the Record or Tape to
CD in several painless steps.
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Learning
The CNF DVD
Go "under the
hood" of the continuous noise filter. This in depth
training course will help any level user achieve better results with
this powerful filter.
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Computer
Transfer Preamps
New thinking for
your vinyl restoration. These preamps give you the most
accurate reproduction off of your record that is available...at a
price you won't believe |
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Automatic
Forensics Adaptive Filter VST Plug-In
Now you can get one
of DC LIVE/Forensics most powerful automatic adaptive filters and
plug it into the software of your choice. This cool new VST
plug automatically removes noise so that you can find a voice buried
beneath the muck. Only $399 |
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Virtual
Valve Tube Simulation VST Plug-In
Add real tube sound
to any music file an instantly add the warmth and depth that only
real tubes can provide. This new VST Plug In is useful in so
many ways that you'll instantly find it your favorite plug-in.
Only $99
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