F A N D A N G O R E C O R D I N G
About sound restoration
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F A N D A N G O R E C O R D I N G
About sound restoration |
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The purpose of sound restoration process is quite obvious. The real question is: to what extent can this process restore the freshness of a song? Are there any other advantages to this? There is no short answer. First of all, let's consider the example of an old tape: it's only going to get worse in time, and it's exhibiting a lot of noise and lack of details. Or take an old LP, a lot of cracks, scratches, clicks, thumps and noise. Having them restored and burnt on a CD is definitely an advantage; the CD won't degrade in time like an analog tape. The following are some mp3 samples of restoration. The second sample -Sugar foot stomp - is from a very old and almost destroyed vinyl recorded in 1945 in Manitoba by Mr. Alan Parkin from Toronto and his band on 78 format. Eugene Smith-Amy - the original and Eugene Smith- Amy restored Sugar foot stomp - the original and Sugar foot stomp restored There is a difference between transfer and audio restoration; transferring from analog to digital does just that, maintaining the sound problems from the original source. When it comes to sound restoration, we are listening to the source and decide what is the best way to convert it, having in mind the processes required for restoration. Basically the sound restoration process deals with noise, crackles, scratches, hiss, hum and clicks removal and brings back some of the shine of the recording. The project is loaded in the workstation through high quality mastering-grade A/D converters (Lynx Aurora). If needed, high-end preamps will be used for warmth or some harmonic enhancement. The removal of the unwanted problems is performed using Restoration Suite for Powercore and Waves Restoration suite, programs based on advanced algorithms; they are made to preserve the original sound in the best possible way. The next step is the harmonic enhancement of the material, so it helps the ear to get the perception of the original sound. This is done through sophisticated programs, and the result is quite spectacular. The harmonic enhancement is needed as the removal of noises, crackles, scratches, clicks, thumps does affect to a certain extent the audio part. EQ just doesn't do it in this case, it will be applied at a later stage, in mastering.
Once the project is cleaned, it's going to be prepared like a mixdown for burning on CD; in plain English, it will be re-mastered through the steps outlined on Mastering page. There are a couple of studios in Toronto who are doing sound restoration; the most important thing to consider when choosing the place is the experience of the engineer, the tools he uses and the extent to which he was exposed to different styles of music, so he can re-master and help recreate the right musical atmosphere. |
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Questions, info, contact: florinb@fandangorecording.com or call 416 579 5569. Copyright©2001 Fandango Recording Toronto, at Leslie and Lawrence |
