tape noise at beginnings/endings of tracks

[danijel]

i am doing a compact cassette transfer for a CD re-release.
i gently suppressed some noise, but, of course, there's lots left in.

how should i treat the noise at beginnings/endings of tracks? instinct tells me to leave 2 seconds of pure noise before the first track, and to fade it out with the last reverb tail, but there is probably some norm on this issue?
oh, it's a classical guitar recording.

thank you!

[peeder]

I would prefer a clean entry, trim to signal with very fast fade-in. Fading out on a sustain is OK. But when I hear noise first of all, I think, "this is going to be disappointing."

[Han]

Adobe Audiotion (Cool Edit Pro) has a very good hiss remover.

[tms8707056]

Depending on the first part of the musical performance a fast fade in will not work. It depends on the signal to noise ratio. For example, if the beginning is quiet then a fast fade will pummel the listener with noise that is louder than the first note. This would obviously emphasize the noise over the music.

Typically, at least in pro level classical recordings made with very low noise, common practice is to fade the audio in such a way that allows the room to open up without being noticed before the music begins. This is desirable because you want true digital silence between tracks on a CD and a fast fade would be very noticeable (even for ambient room noise picked up by the many different open mics). Again this is dependent on the attack of the very first note. A strong fast attack will accept a short fade where a slow or soft attack will not.

If it is a soft attack I would fade the noise in so that once it is noticeable the music begins. This would direct the listeners attention away from the noise and to the music where it belongs. Most non-audio types will not notice noise unless it is just god awful and drowning out or competing with the music. In that case you should retrack if possible, or get more aggressive with your noise reduction.

If you post a clip of the first part of the song (without noise reduction), I'm sure that we could help you out with how to approach this.

[springer]

I find that using CoolEditpro to remove any signal right up to the first note makes my mixes sound much more professional.
- Zoom into the area
- Select the area (right up to the first note beginning)
- Transform->Amplitude->Amplify->cut->OK

If there is noise in the recording the human brain doesn't notice it as much WITH music as without... That's why it sounds great when you take out the noise when there is silence.

Good luck!

[danijel]

thanks everyone!
you're (all) right about introducing noise along with first note's attack, if it's percussive and loud enough. fortunately, these were spanish songs, so they all start pretty straight except one where i took out some more noise from the first couple of notes, so the noise comes in gradually.
mission accomplished!

[hrn]

First of all be sure that you have a cassette player of high class transfering it. At least you have to clean the heads and demagnitize it. Also, be sure that the heads are in the right position.

Think about the option to remaster it in the computer. Probably some EQ-ing and soft limiting can make wonders. I have done it myself.

Hans