extracting audio from DVD

The older post on this topic mentioned DVD Decrypter and others. This time, for some reason, that method did not work. Perhaps because of some mistake in the sequence of steps, I suppose, the resulting file was a VOB file and not an mp2 file. Anyway, the file was not being opened by any of the AC3 decoding methods like WinAmp plugin etc.

So, this time, I tried just copied the VOB files to the hard disk and opening them with VirtualDubMod, extracting the audio stream using Streams -> Stream List -> Save wav. That wav was opened using Soundforge, using AC3 codec. Slightly buggy, since each VOB file's wav data had the duration info of the entire program chain, and so had some sort of repeating audio after the first 25 minutes or so which had to be cut out. But otherwise OK.

wavegain for normalizing

Useful for people who want all the songs in their self-mastered album to sound similar in volume:
http://www.rarewares.org/others.php#wavegain

Simple commandline utility with a GUI frontend that creates batch files for use with the utility. Drawback is that it does not do what I do with SoundForge - normalize to arbitrary RMS values applying limiter/compressor transparently. It does have a -6 dB limiter option, but the way it works seems to be very different from what I'm used to - a much softer limiter, perhaps...

fring

Cool Edit Pro and Skype stopped working on the desktop - perhaps it was after installing DRM Removal from Giveaway of the day. Using SoundForge instead of CEP, and fring on the QTEK mobile. At first, fring seemed to have issues with sound. Sometimes it needs checking with the "fring test call" - the mic doesn't work. A bit tinny, but reasonably OK except for a nearly 1 second lag. Mainly quick and convenient, till the laptop comes back.

Edit: Confirmed that the DRM Removal was the reason for the CEP errors. Removed DRM Removal, CEP started working again. But Skype still has errors on startup.

wavelab loudness normalization - recommended settings

I had earlier given the recommended settings for SoundForge. A request from A, if I could send him recommended settings for wavelab -

I read up about loudness units LUFS and then replied,

I would recommend the following (this is for radio broadcast):

1. Save each section which has a specific loudness as a separate file - for example announcements with music as a separate file, parts with only talking as a separate file, song as a separate file.

2. Normalize each file with the settings below, and then stitch them together to make the final file.

3. Settings - 

Loudness to achieve = -12 LUFS

Reference: Loudness of entire file

Remove DC offset (checked)

Max peak level = -0.1 dB

Softness 0

Other values no change from the screenshot. 

lots o'work

1. DVD encoding going on in the background while I do audio work. DVDIt had some PAL-NTSC problem or something of that kind. Also, quality of the Matrox encoder is poorer than the 2-pass encoder which ships with NeroVision Express which I've got bundled with the DVD writer! So, Matrox DV export, taken to NeroVision Express, write to hard disk folder. Repeat for next episode when ready. Finally use DVDShrink in Re-Author mode to put all the files together in one DVD.

2. Interesting use for the "scientific filter" in SoundForge - 15,500 Hz noise due to interference from CC TVs in Mandir in live recordings easily removed - 15500 to 16500 band stop applied - 4th order or something. Another surprising use was to cut 5 kHz to 16 kHz in one of the Africa interviews. The noise vanished, leaving the voices surprisingly untouched. Sibilants are present above 16k also, and the rest are below 5k...

Mostly routine

Most of the time spent in "routine" work of preparing audio material and so on.

1. The old Satellite Pro's floppy drive seems to have given up the ghost. So, I can't rely on typing on that and carrying stuff across on a floppy.

2. Some notes on noise reduction and an interesting result in one case.

For some interviews recorded in the field (in Africa) noise reduction was desirable in some cases. Cool Edit Pro, 69%, followed by noise gate in SoundForge at a threshold just enough to cut off the residual noise. Followed by RMS normalization, of course. In some cases, noise reduction not desirable, as when the background noise is either not constant, or very low, or as in one case, the background noise is very loud, being recorded while travelling in a van. In this case, the noise acts as a sort of prop for the voices - gives the feel of being on location.

3. A problem with the Submit button on our playlist subscription page. The first problem was that after adding the search bar, the form with the submit button was document.form(1) and not document.form(0) as was written in the validation javascript. Some other problem still persists....

4. Must try to get the google analytics javascript to work on "external links" - so that we can do our audio on demand with Coral Cache...