rarebird wrote:
I've recently purchased this software, so I'm still in the learning curve. Thank goodness for MP3 players to test the sound before committing to CD! I record my vinyl in Golden Record, and edit in Wavepad. Obviously, I am trying to get the most natural, cleanest sound, so I have a few settings questions:
Should I use the High Bypass filter in Golden, while recording, Wavepad while editing, or both?
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The correct term to use is "highpass", not High Bypass! Use it or don't use it, depending upon which sounds best. This filter simply cuts out the frequencies below 150 hertz. If you get a hollow, booming sound indicating too much bass response, then use the filter. My guess is that you not use this filter.
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I use the Pop Filter in Golden, and it seems to work well. The Noise Reduction, however, seems to cause "dropouts" in quiet passages. Anyone else notice this?
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If you prefer to have noise in the "quiet" passages, then by all means don't use the noise reduction :-)
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Is it best to Normalize in Golden, Wavepad or both?
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Use WavePad.
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I usually need to Amplify in Wavepad to bring the sound to comparable levels to my existing CDs. Should this be done in addition to Normalizing? Is there a specific order in which they should be done?
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You should normally use "amplify" only to correct the volume level of certain selected portions that are too quiet, _not_ for an entire file. Use "normalize" for this purpose. Use Batch Processing to bring one particular file in conformance, volume-wise, with other files. You will have to experiment with the Batch Processing regimen to understand how it works.
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I'm pretty impressed by the software so far, but I think the user's manual could go to a great deal more depth...
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Welcome to the club!!
I agree that NCH software (at least the limited amount of it that I own) generally does a commendable job, although supplementation is in order for the more advanced user.
Unfortunately, this lack of detailed information is characteristic of NCH help files, in general. They do not issue either .pdf manuals or a beginner's tutorial. The information which they provide is skeletal and generally insufficient for novice users. As you have also discovered, you are not going to find much help here in this forum, since it is mostly the "blind leading the blind" sort of thing, due to the way in which it operates. I could go on and on and on about this subject.......
Anyone
(aka Musikone) 
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Thanks for any help!
-Mike