newbie - ion usb turntable - 78s to MP3 - stacking

"David F. Cox" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:nq68k.14870$E41.3961@text.news.virginmedia.com
> I am a group newbie and a self-confessed ignoramus.
>
> I have a small collection of 78 rpm records bought second
> hand decades ago that I am trying to share.
>
> I have bought an ion usb turntable (all I can afford).
> and am using Audacity.
>
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/davidfcox/html/78s.html
>
> Any references to on-line how-to guides appreciated.
>
> I have a mission to save old 78 recordings, particularly
> old gospel, skiffle, blues, jazz, big band for which more
> modern media does not seem readily availiable.
>
> If possible I would like to move towards collecting
> multiple wav recordings together with a view to
> "stacking" them. That is intelligently adding the signals
> together to improve the S/N ratio.
> Stacking is a technique that was (is?) used in oil
> exploration, where the inputs from multiple geophones
> located a distance apart are added together to improve
> S/N ratio.

Not the same thing for a turntable, since the noise source (The LP) is
plagued with random noise, but rather the noise is mechanical and highly
repeatable in nature.

If you want to improve the noise from old recordings, there are computer
programs that can be highly effective at noise reduction.

"Arny Krueger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:vP2dncreTtFRa_3VnZ2dnUVZ_orinZ2d@comcast.com...
> "David F. Cox" <[email protected]> wrote in
> message news:nq68k.14870$E41.3961@text.news.virginmedia.com
>> I am a group newbie and a self-confessed ignoramus.
>>
>> I have a small collection of 78 rpm records bought second
>> hand decades ago that I am trying to share.
>>
>> I have bought an ion usb turntable (all I can afford).
>> and am using Audacity.
>>
>> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/davidfcox/html/78s.html
>>
>> Any references to on-line how-to guides appreciated.
>>
>> I have a mission to save old 78 recordings, particularly
>> old gospel, skiffle, blues, jazz, big band for which more
>> modern media does not seem readily availiable.
>>
>> If possible I would like to move towards collecting
>> multiple wav recordings together with a view to
>> "stacking" them. That is intelligently adding the signals
>> together to improve the S/N ratio.
>> Stacking is a technique that was (is?) used in oil
>> exploration, where the inputs from multiple geophones
>> located a distance apart are added together to improve
>> S/N ratio.
>
> Not the same thing for a turntable, since the noise source (The LP) is
> plagued with random noise, but rather the noise is mechanical and highly
> repeatable in nature.
>
> If you want to improve the noise from old recordings, there are computer
> programs that can be highly effective at noise reduction.

I was thereabouts at the dawn of such programs. As a general point of
information the noise in seismic recordings is also highly mechanical and
repeatable. Most of the recordings I was dealing with contained propellor
noise from the ships engines. The other main source of noise was multiple
echos. This occurs between rock layers, but is most severe as the signal
reflected from the sea bed and back from the sea surface. In the worst case
the original signal looked like a sine wave with noise to signal ratios of
80dB (as I recall). I go back to TIAC computers with 4K of 32 bit memory
that sorted that problem out.

Another question that bothered my over-active brain was could the fact that
there is crosstalk between the current groove and the previous and the next
be used, in extremely desperate cases, to fill in lost signal? It is another
form of distortion, a much reduced version of the seismic echo problems.

David F. Cox

David F. Cox <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>Another question that bothered my over-active brain was could the fact that
>there is crosstalk between the current groove and the previous and the next
>be used, in extremely desperate cases, to fill in lost signal? It is another
>form of distortion, a much reduced version of the seismic echo problems.

No, it's much more of an issue with LPs than with 78s, and for the most part
it's only lower frequency stuff that leaks.

Most 78s were cut constant pitch.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

"David F. Cox" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:2j88k.14933$E41.13860@text.news.virginmedia.com...

> Another question that bothered my over-active brain was could the fact
that
> there is crosstalk between the current groove and the previous and the
next
> be used, in extremely desperate cases, to fill in lost signal?

What do you mean by "lost signal"?

Peace,
Paul

"Paul Stamler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:JKi8k.71096$102.36926@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> "David F. Cox" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:2j88k.14933$E41.13860@text.news.virginmedia.com...
>
>> Another question that bothered my over-active brain was could the fact
> that
>> there is crosstalk between the current groove and the previous and the
> next
>> be used, in extremely desperate cases, to fill in lost signal?
>
> What do you mean by "lost signal"?
>
> Peace,
> Paul

I meant signal lost by damage. I have learned I am off-beam again as far as
78s are concerned. I remembered hearing the next track during lead-in and
have now learned that this only applies to vinyl.

It appears that the world has moved on considerably since my last look at
the situation a few years ago. Most of the tracks I most wanted to share
have now been uploaded by others. The innovations I wanted to explore have
been explored. This is all good.

The one record I most wanted to upload I cannot find, and I have not so far
found it on the Net. To add to my misery I have found one site that tells me
that no such recording exists.

Thanks to all that have responded - I have learned a lot in a very short
space of time.

David F. Cox

"David F. Cox" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:VWp8k.15497$E41.9578@text.news.virginmedia.com...
>
> The one record I most wanted to upload I cannot find, and I have not so
far
> found it on the Net. To add to my misery I have found one site that tells
me
> that no such recording exists.

And the recording is...?

Peace,
Paul

Paul Stamler <[email protected]> wrote:
>"David F. Cox" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:VWp8k.15497$E41.9578@text.news.virginmedia.com...
>>
>> The one record I most wanted to upload I cannot find, and I have not so
>far
>> found it on the Net. To add to my misery I have found one site that tells
>me
>> that no such recording exists.
>
>And the recording is...?

It was made on the grassy knoll.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."