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Old 2009-01-05, 11:38 AM
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Re: What computer hardware/software to use to get cassete to computer?

Quote:
Originally Posted by zeek View Post
I'm not saying what your using is bad or wrong, but for the degree of editing I do, I couldn't make due with what the alesis has to offer

I'm working on a show right now and there are a few, maybe 4 instances where the volume spikes intensly. There are multiple left and right channel dropouts that need spliced/patched, and I have to crossfade 4 tape flips. It needs a good eq, some light compression, and the stereo image needs centered and widened. With all of these, I used a phase scope, and FFT meter, and a spectral meter in the audio montage utility of wavelab. I fix in montage, set my plugs, do one render and it's totally cleaned up. I also have the luxury of the undo button where your tweaks are in the transfer and permanent. If you don't like it after your done, your stuck doing another transfer. I can render and undo 10 times in the same time span it would take you to retransfer if I needed to with no ill effect to the files or tapes ect ect.

Not sure how using the alesis would be better (for me) than using a cheaper korg MR-1 that can double as a field recorder, and transfers in DSD coupled with wavelab and UAD cards for my needs.

If you want to d a down and dirty EQ then be done, the alesis looks great. I guess it just depends on what degree you want to go to. Just laying all the options on the table
Agree, faced with the type of process you're outlining above, the Alesis lacks some of these capabilities; it won't fix a single-channel dropout, as the crop facility crops both channels at once. EQ, limiting, normalization and compression it will do, but widening or centering/moving the stereo stage; not.

I disagree that I would need to 'retransfer' if I didn't like what I'd applied to one track; My approach would be transfer cassette, then make a copy of the transferred track on the HDD, and if needed revert to the copy as the 'raw' transfer.... But I'm coming at it from a different angle to you; most of what I transfer is the tapes I recorded myself over the years; which generally have consistent levels, have been in good storage and are free from dropouts etc. Most of my transfers are just a case of "transfer tape to Alesis; make track splits; fade at any tape flips; join/fade any split tracks over the tape flips; normalize to peak level" and I'm done. Generally no EQ, limiting, compression or anything.

Yup, I agree it looks as though you need something more than the Alesis offers; but it might still be a good option for the OP. If his tapes are free from major defects such as the volume spikes, etc.....
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