By nangsa Sabtu, 26 Maret 2011 0 comments

Audio Cleaning Lab from Magix is a good way to clean up old recordings, and this latest version includes new features that will appeal to both beginners and more experienced users.

Unlike programs such as Rescue Your Video and Tapes (click here to read our review) it's software-only, with no kit to connect your tape or record player, so you have to connect these yourself to the computer's sound inputs.

To help first-time users the program starts by launching into its new Intelligent Start window that lists common tasks such as Restore Vinyl and Clean Tape. You are then prompted to start recording the record or tape before moving onto the next two steps, Cleaning and Mastering.

Cleaning focuses on the removal of specific flaws, such as scratches or hissing noises, while Mastering provides an equaliser and other controls that can be used to improve overall sound quality.

There are many different options, but Audio Cleaning Lab remembers the task you chose in the Intelligent Start window and will automatically offer suitable preset options such as ‘tape hiss removal' or ‘remove crackling' for vinyl recordings – the latter worked a treat on an old 12in version of Chain Reaction by Diana Ross.

There is also a more advanced option available called Spectral Cleaning. This displays audio files as a ‘spectrogram' in which different frequencies are shown in different colours. Major flaws will show up in a different colour from the rest of the recording, allowing the user to isolate those flaws and remove them without affecting other frequencies in the recording.

This was a bit tricky, but if you have time on your hands to go through some trial and error on your saved recordings it will work better.

Fortunately, the basic preset options were more straightforward and should cope with the more general crackling and hissing noises that tend to affect old records and tapes, making Audio Cleaning Lab a good investment for anyone that has a big collection of old recordings they want to preserve in digital format.

Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/review/2036771/magix-audio-cleaning-lab-deluxe#ixzz1HkRmRBRS
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