DartPro 98 Knowledge Vault:

Find in this Page:

QUESTIONS:

    General Questions:

  1. Where can I buy DART DartPro 98?
  2. Is there a demo version of the software? Does the demo have any restrictions on its use?
  3. Which operating system(s) can be used with DART DartPro 98?
  4. I'm using Windows 3.1 (3.x). Can I use DartPro 98?
  5. I'm using Windows 95. How do I install the software?
  6. I'm using Windows 98. How do I install the software?
  7. I'm using Windows NT 4.0 Server/Workstation. How do I install the software?
  8. I'm using Windows 2000. How do I install the software?
  9. What are the computer requirements for using DartPro 98?
  10. Do I have to have a CD-R or CD-RW drive to run the DartPro 98?
  11. Is there any other special hardware or equipment that's needed to take full advantage of DartPro 98?
  12. Is there any other special software that's needed to take full advantage of DartPro 98?
  13. I'm not sure how to begin. Is there any kind of tutorial or method for helping me get started?
  14. How long will it take to restore my audio and finish a CD?
  15. Can I play or record MIDI (*.mid) files with DartPro 98?
  16. Can I play or record MPEG3 (*.mp3) files with DartPro 98?
  17. Can I speed up or slow down an audio track?
  18. What is the difference between the unlockable version and the boxed version of DartPro 98?
  19. What are the differences between DartPro 32 and DartPro 98? [Top]

    Downloading, Installing or Unlocking a DartPro 98 Demo:

  20. How do I download the demo version of DartPro 98?
  21. What are the restrictions of the demo version of DartPro 98?
  22. What do I do after downloading the DartPro 98 demo file?
  23. How do I 'unzip' and Install the demo of DartPro 98?
  24. What does "Unlock" mean?
  25. How do I unlock (purchase) the demo to make it a full version of DartPro 98?
  26. How much does it cost to purchase a copy of DartPro 98?
  27. How do I upgrade from DartPro 32 to DartPro 98?
  28. If I delete my copy of DartPro 98, or buy a new system, how do I get a new unlock code? [Top]

    Recording Audio with DartPro 98:

  29. How do I connect my turntable or stereo system to my PC's soundcard?
  30. How do I control, or adjust, my soundcard's input signal level?
  31. Can I record audio directly to MP3 format?
  32. How do I start recording a new file?
  33. What parameters should I set when recording a new file?
  34. What do I do in the record window once I've set my record parameters?
  35. How long of an audio file can I record?
  36. Can I cut longer recordings into shorter pieces?
  37. How do I get, or 'read', tracks from my audio CDs? [Top]

    Editing Audio with DartPro 98:

  38. What's my first step in restoring audio with DartPro 98?
  39. How do I use the editing tools in DartPro 98?
  40. What is a 'block'?
  41. How do I select a block of audio to work on?
  42. What is a "Source" file? How do I create one?
  43. What is a "Destination" file? How do I create one? [Top]

    File Menu Items:

  44. New - What does this do?
  45. Open - What does this do?
  46. Save As - What does this do?
  47. Rename - What does this do?
  48. Delete - What does this do?
  49. Close - What does this do?
  50. Open Audio Tree - What does this do?
  51. Create undo file - What does this do?
  52. Open undo file - What does this do?
  53. RAW to WAV - What does this do?
  54. WAV to RAW - What does this do?
  55. File info - What does this do?
  56. Register - What does this do?
  57. File history - What does this do?
  58. Exit - What does this do? [Top]

    Edit Menu Items:

  59. Undo - What will "Undo last edit" do to my audio?
  60. Mute - How can I mute selected areas from my audio?
  61. Cut - How can I delete, or cut, selected areas from my audio?
  62. Copy - How can I copy selected areas from my audio?
  63. Paste - How can I paste selected areas from my audio?
  64. Go To - How can I go to a selected areas within my audio file?
  65. Select local block - What does this do?
  66. Select modified area - What does this do?
  67. Find bits - What does this do?
  68. Bit editing - What does this do?
  69. Group bit editing - What does this do?
  70. Set/Remove markers - What does this do?
  71. Set/Remove click markers - What does this do?
  72. Set/Remove frame - What does this do? [Top]

    Group Menu Items:

  73. What is 'grouping'? Why would I use it?
  74. How does grouping work? [Top]

    Toolbox Menu Items:

  75. What is "Scale"? What does it do and how does it work?
  76. What is "Maximize"? What does it do and how does it work?
  77. What is "Reverse"? What does it do and how does it work?
  78. What is "Add"? What does it do and how does it work?
  79. What is "Subtract"? What does it do and how does it work?
  80. What is "Mix"? What does it do and how does it work?
  81. What is "Mono/Stereo"? What does it do and how does it work?
  82. What are the "Smart editing" tools? What do they do and how do they work?
  83. What is "Equalize"? What does it do and how does it work?
  84. What are the "Filters"? What do they do and how do they work?
  85. What are the "Sample Rate" tools? What do they do and how do they work?
  86. How and when do I use the Find Pattern Function?
  87. How and when do I use the Spectrum or Spectral View?
  88. How and when do I use Unpack?
  89. How and when do I use DirectX? [Top]

    Restore Menu Items:

  90. How and when do I use DeClick?
  91. How and when do I use Retouch?
  92. How and when do I use DeHiss?
  93. How and when do I use NoisePrint?
  94. How and when do I use DeNoise?
  95. How and when do I use DeHum?
  96. How and when do I use Duplicate?
  97. How and when do I use Test?
  98. How and when do I use MyFilter?
  99. How and when do I use Filter Builder?
  100. How and when do I use Real-Time? [Top]

    Options Menu Items:

  101. How should I assign my settings in the 'Preferences' menu?
  102. How should I assign my settings in the 'Hardware' menu?
  103. How should I assign my settings in the 'Colors' menu? [Top]

    Making an Audio CD from a Playlist in DartPro 98:

  104. What's a 'playlist'?
  105. How do I use CD-Recorder V3 to create a playlist?
  106. Where do I find my files to add?
  107. Can I save a playlist to work on it later?
  108. How do I adjust the order of songs on the CD?
  109. Can I adjust the gap time (silent section) between songs? If so, how?
  110. Can I add text info, such as artist, title, etc., to my CD (CD+Text)?
  111. How do I remove songs from a playlist?
  112. How do the different playback modes ('Loop', 'Samp', and 'Norm') work?
  113. How do I burn the audio files from my playlist to a CD?
  114. What speed of CD burning should I select?
  115. When should I delete my original recorded files from the hard drive? [Top]

    Troubleshooting and Problems:

  116. Why do I get the message, "Unable to find known CD Recorder," when writing to a CD?
  117. What is "ASPI"? Why does the program mention that there is a problem with it?
  118. Why do I get the message "Protection check failed" when starting the program?
  119. When I try using "Write to CD", I get an illegal operation error. What do I do?
  120. When I try to convert from a MIDI file to a WAV file, I get no input. What do I do?
  121. When I'm in the Read Track window, and I click on Change, the program crashes. How do I fix this problem?
  122. After installing the latest update for DartPro 98, I don't have a shortcut to CD-Recorder 4 Basic in my 'Start' / 'Programs' folder. What's going on? How do I fix this?" [Top]

ANSWERS:

    General Questions:

  1. Where can I buy DART DartPro 98?

    You can purchase DART DartPro 98 at our online store, located at http://www.dartpro.com/Products/Cart.asp or by using one our many resellers. Our official resellers link can be found at http://www.dartpro.com/products/ResellerLinks.asp. [Top]

  2. Is there a demo version of the software? Does the demo have any restrictions on its use?

    There is a demo version of DartPro 98 that you can download for free. It has a few restrictions on its use, but you can run it for as long as you would like. The restrictions on the demo are:

    1. You can only record up to 2 minutes of audio.
    2. You are not able to write to a CD using the demo version of DartPro 98.
    3. You cannot use audio files created in the demo outside of DartPro 98. [Top]

  3. Which operating system(s) can be used with DART DartPro 98?

    DartPro 98 is designed to run under Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT or Windows 2000. At this time, there are no plans to support any other operating systems. [Top]

  4. I'm using Windows 3.1 (3.x). Can I use DartPro 98?

    No, you cannot run DartPro 98 if you use Windows 3.1 (3.x). It has been designed for, and runs only under, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000. [Top]

  5. I'm using Windows 95. How do I install the software?

    • To install DART DartPro 98, insert the setup CD-ROM into your drive. In Windowstm 95, the installation procedure will launch automatically, but only if the automatic insertion feature for your CD-ROM is active.
    • To install DART DartPro 98 manually, go to the Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs and choose SETUP.EXE on your CD-ROM drive.
    • The DART DartPro 98 installation program will start, pausing only to ask in which directory you would like to install the program (we suggest that you use the default values) and the CD drive (or "CD installation path") where the setup CD is located. [Top]

  6. I'm using Windows 98. How do I install the software?

    • To install DART DartPro 98, insert the setup CD-ROM into your drive. In Windowstm 98, the installation procedure will launch automatically, but only if the automatic insertion feature for your CD-ROM is active.
    • To install DART DartPro 98 manually, go to the Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs and choose SETUP.EXE on your CD-ROM drive.
    • The DART DartPro 98 installation program will start, pausing only to ask in which directory you would like to install the program (we suggest that you use the default values) and the CD drive (or "CD installation path") where the setup CD is located. [Top]

  7. I'm using Windows NT 4.0 Server/Workstation. How do I install the software?

    • To install DART DartPro 98, insert the setup CD-ROM into your drive. In Windowstm NT, the installation procedure will launch automatically, but only if the automatic insertion feature for your CD-ROM is active.
    • To install DART DartPro 98 manually, go to the Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs and choose SETUP.EXE on your CD-ROM drive.
    • The DART DartPro 98 installation program will start, pausing only to ask in which directory you would like to install the program (we suggest that you use the default values) and the CD drive (or "CD installation path") where the setup CD is located. [Top]

  8. I'm using Windows 2000. How do I install the software?

    • To install DART DartPro 98, insert the setup CD-ROM into your drive. In Windowstm 2000, the installation procedure will launch automatically, but only if the automatic insertion feature for your CD-ROM is active.
    • To install DART DartPro 98 manually, go to the Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs and choose SETUP.EXE on your CD-ROM drive.
    • The DART DartPro 98 installation program will start, pausing only to ask in which directory you would like to install the program (we suggest that you use the default values) and the CD drive (or "CD installation path") where the setup CD is located. [Top]

  9. What are the computer requirements for using DartPro 98?

    The following are really more recommendations than requirements, as the program can run (albeit much slower) on a system with less power than the one described below. However, digital audio programs can be very taxing on a system, so the better computer you use, the better the software will run. As with most things computer-related, your mileage will vary. Here's what we suggest:

    Recommended CPU: 200MHz or better
    System Software: Microsoft Windows 95®, 98®, NT 4.0®, and Windows 2000®
    Memory: 16 MB RAM or higher
    Hard Disk Space: 1.2 GB Disk
    Sound Card: 16 Bit Windows compatible (for analog recording & MIDI rendering).
    CD-R or CD/RW: SCSI or EIDE CD-R or CD-RW drive (for writing music CDs). [Top]

  10. Do I have to have a CD-R or CD-RW drive to run the DartPro 98?

    You don't actually HAVE to have one of these to use the software. However, you'll get very little use out of the program if you can't burn CDs (that is what it's made for, after all). There are users who run DartPro 98 simply for the restoration filters (DeClick and DeHiss) and for the ability to convert MP3 files to WAV files or MID files to WAV files.

    Getting the best out of the software, though, requires a CD-R or CD-RW device. [Top]

  11. Is there any other special hardware or equipment that's needed to take full advantage of DartPro 98?

    Not really. As long as you have the external gear (turntable, cassette player, microphone, etc.) and a computer with soundcard, you should be ready to go. Of course, if you have a CD-R or CD-RW drive, you'll be able to get even more out of the product. [Top]

  12. Is there any other special software that's needed to take full advantage of DartPro 98?

    No. As long as you're using a supported operating system, a supported CD-R or CD-RW drive and a functioning soundcard, then you should have everything you need. [Top]

  13. I'm not sure how to begin. Is there any kind of tutorial or method for helping me get started?

    We offer a few different methods to guide you on your way to restoring your audio collection, or simply making CDs from MP3 files.

    • The online Help system: Located within the program itself (under "Help" / "Contents"), the online Help system can answer many basic questions on features, use of the program, and other often used functions (such as recording audio, using the DirectX plug-ins, or writing an audio CD). This should be your first line of defense when you need to find out more about how to get the most from the software.
    • The Guided Tour: All CD versions of the DartPro 98 include a multimedia tutorial designed to show you how to use the basic functions of the program. You can play sections related to specific topics, or view the entire 20-minute presentation. NOTE: 'Unlockable' versions of DartPro 98 (including demo trial versions) don't include the Guided Tour, as the file size would be very prohibitive for most users.
    • Web-based Help: The Knowledge Vault you're reading right now is another excellent place to find answers you're searching for on DartPro 98. You can see answers by topic or simply browse and read.
    • DART Forums: We offer several online forum discussions groups for letting you exchange ideas and get help from other DART software users. You may find an answer to your question, be able to answer someone else's questions, or just find it interesting reading. Plus, the forums (like this FAQ) are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. DARTech support professionals, who can address many different topics, moderate the forums. [Top]

  14. How long will it take to make my own finished CD?

    The best answer we can give for this is...it depends. If you simply want to make a copy of an existing audio CD, it can take anywhere from 148 min. and go down from there (148 minutes comes from a 1x read and 1x write for all tracks, with NO editing or cleaning taking place. If you'd like to do some sort of editing or cleaning to 1 or more audio tracks, this will increase the amount of time it will take. Much of this is a subjective decision. You'll simply have to decide for yourself how far you'd like to take a particular project. Some will be happy with little or no changes, some may want to do more extensive work. [Top]

  15. Can I play or record MIDI (*.mid) files with DartPro 98?

    The included CD-Recorder V3 allows you to convert MIDI (*.mid) files that you've recorded, or downloaded from the Internet, into the WAVE format. This is necessary to put this type of audio onto a standard audio CD. You can also play MIDI files with this software, but you cannot record it, in the conventional sense. [Top]

  16. Can I play or record MPEG3 (*.mp3) files with DartPro 98?

    The included CD-Recorder V3 allows you to convert MPEG3 (*.mp3) audio files that you've recorded, encoded, or downloaded from the Internet, into the WAVE format. This is necessary to put this type of audio onto a standard audio CD. You can also play MP3 files with this software, but you cannot record or encode them, in the conventional sense. [Top]

  17. Can I speed up or slow down an audio track?

    Depending on what you might mean by "speed up" or "slow down", we can (or can't) do this. If you want to change the pitch of a track (make a song in the key of D flat into a song into a song in B flat), then no. There is no preset tool for changing pitch in terms of semi-tones. There is also currently no method for changing the time a file takes to play without changing the pitch. This would mean that if you wanted to change a file that was 1 minute into a file that was 30 seconds, the pitch WOULD be changed to achieve this. That being said, you can actually (with practice) change the pitch of a file to a desired level, albeit with an associated change in the time (length) of the file. [Top]

  18. What is the difference between the unlockable version and the boxed version of DartPro 98?
    The boxed version of DartPro 98 comes with an online guided tour and manual (on the CD) but the unlockable version does not. Also, if you delete and reinstall an unlockable version, on the same computer or a different computer, you'll have to get another (different) unlock code before it can be run again. If you are a registered user of an unlockable version you can also obtain a new unlock code via our Web page, on the DartPro 98 Registered User Unlock Menu (more details on this are available in the next section). [Top]

  19. What are the differences between DartPro 32 and DartPro 98?

    DartPro 98 is a more professional program and is used in re-mastering, professional restoration and recording studios, while DartPro 32 is more geared towards the advanced home user or audio hobbyist. You can still use DartPro 98 at home, it is all a matter of how professional you want to be in restoring, mastering, or simply recording your music. For a complete checklist of all the differences between DartPro 32 and DartPro 98, visit the Comparison Chart on our Website.

    DartPro 98 has all of the features of DartPro 32 plus:

    • A De-Hum utility
    • Direct-X support
    • Real-Time tools
    • An Unpack utility
    • MP3's and Midi conversion
    • Improved Equalizer
    • Automatic RPM Conversion
    • Smart Tools
    • Noise Print Shaping abilities
    • Many other minor improvements throughout the program [Top]

    Downloading, Installing or Unlocking a DartPro 98 Demo:

  20. How do I download the demo version of DartPro 98?

    1. Go to the DartPro homepage. (On this Website under the "Home" button.)
    2. Go to the Products section by clicking on the button called "Products" on the top bar of the Webpage.
    3. Click on the Downloads button on the left part of the screen.
    4. Click on the picture of the DartPro 98 box.
    5. At the bottom of the screen, click on the "Download Now!" link. [Top]

  21. What are the restrictions of the demo version of DartPro 98?

    With the Demo Version of DartPro 98

    1. You can only record up to 2 minutes of audio.
    2. You are not able to write to a CD using the included CD-Recorder.
    3. You cannot use audio files created in the demo outside of DartPro 98 [Top]

  22. What do I do after downloading the DartPro 98 demo file?

    1. The DartPro 98 demo is in a "zipped" (*.zip) format. This means it is compressed and packaged, and to use the demo you must unzip the file first.
    2. If you do not have an unzip utility, we HIGHLY recommend that you download WinZip(r), which is free, from www.winzip.com.
    3. After downloading and installing WinZip(r), you should be able to unzip the downloaded demo file and move on to the next step, unzipping and installing the DartPro 98 demo. [Top]

  23. How do I 'unzip' and install the demo of DartPro 98?

    1. Open WinZip from the start menu or via the icon on your desktop.
    2. Follow the WinZip "Wizard" instructions to unzip the DartPro 98 setup files.
    3. After unzipping DartPro 98's setup, you are ready to run the setup file that will install it.
    4. To install DartPro 98, open up the Windows Explorer. Browse to the directory folder where you unzipped the DartPro 98 setup files, and locate the file called "setup.exe."
    5. Double click on "setup.exe" and follow the onscreen instructions to install DartPro 98.
    After you finish installing, you are ready to use the DartPro 98 demo! [Top]

  24. What does "Unlock" mean?

    Unlockable software means that you can download the full version of the software, but it has limitations on it. To be able to use the full version, you must unlock the software by purchasing an unlock code that is unique to your system. After purchasing the unlock code, you will be able to use the software as if you purchased the CD. [Top]

  25. How do I unlock (purchase) the demo to make it a full version of DartPro 98?

    Note: The demo version of DartPro 98 has some restrictions. To lift these restrictions, you must unlock the demo by purchasing the unlock code.

    1. After downloading and installing the DartPro 98 demo, start the program and go to "Help", then to "Unlock".
    2. Write down your Code Entry and Computer ID numbers. These numbers are found in the "Help" menu under "Unlock." Make SURE that you only hit "Register Now" to close the window, as opposed to hitting "OK" (without inputting a valid unlock code) which will cause the CodeEntry number to change, thus invalidating an unlock string you are given.
    3. There are two ways of unlocking the program to make it a fully functioning version:

      A. On this Website, in the Products section.

      - Or -

      B. Contact us at:

      • Email: Info@DARTPro.com
      • Toll Free: (800) 799-1692 (In the US only), 9AM-5PM CST, Mon.-Fri.
      • Telephone: (952) 844-0217, 9AM-5PM CST, Mon.-Fri
      • Fax: (952) 844-9025
    4. To unlock your Demo on via our Website, go to the Products section.
    5. Click on the "Unlock Demos" button on the left-hand side of the page.
    6. Now, click on the DartPro 98 box graphic, and you will be taken to the "Unlock DART DartPro 98" page.
    7. After reading the application's features and system requirements, click on "Unlock Now!" at the bottom of the screen.
    8. Follow the instructions on the "Unlock DART DartPro 98" page, and use the Secure Registration and Purchase Form to purchase your unlock code.
    9. When you have finished entering your information into the form, click on the Submit button and your unlock code will be displayed on the screen.
    10. Write down your unlock code.
    11. Open the Demo version of DartPro 98.
    12. Click on "Help" in the menu bar, and select "Unlock."
    13. Now enter your new unlock code into the field labeled Unlock Code and click OK.

    You have now successfully unlocked DartPro 98, and you are ready to use all of the features! [Top]

  26. How much does it cost to purchase a copy of DartPro 98?

    You can unlock your demo version of DartPro 98, or purchase a CD copy of DartPro 98 for the price of $399.95 (CD version price does not include standard shipping cost of $8 US / $15 Int'l). [Top]

  27. How do I upgrade from DartPro 32 to DartPro 98?

    Depending on how much you paid and when you purchased DartPro 98, you may be entitled to a free, or discounted, upgrade. To upgrade from DartPro 32 to DartPro 98, you may contact us at DARTECH support, or call us at:

    (800) 799-1692 or (952) 844-0217

    You can also download the demo version of DartPro 98 and unlock it on this Website in the Products section. [Top]

  28. If I delete my copy of DartPro 98 or buy a new system, how do I get a new unlock code?

    To get your new unlock code, you should go to the DART DartPro 98 Registered User Unlock Menu and follow the directions on screen. Please be sure to have your new code entry and computer ID numbers ready (they can be found in the help menu under "unlock"). [Top]

    Recording Audio with DartPro 98:

  29. How do I connect my turntable or stereo system to my PC's soundcard?

    The first step you'll need to take to get started recording is to set up your sound card's connection to the "outside world." There are many different types of soundcards and audio cards on the market, so the information we provide here can only give you general guidelines on how your connections will be made. Please be sure to refer to your sound device's printed or online documentation when setting up to record from its inputs. More information on soundcard troubleshooting, as well as links to many major manufacturers' Websites, can be found in the support area of our Web page (www.dartpro.com).

    • You will need to have a stereo patch cable, sometimes called a "Y" cable.
    • One end of the cable will be a single 1/8" DIN connector that plugs into the computer.
    • The other end will need to have Dual female RCA connectors to plug into the stereo.
    • A typical computer soundcard has the following types of physical inputs/outputs available:
      * One 1/8" DIN input jack for a microphone (Mic)
      * 1/8" DIN "Line In", or similar audio (music) input jack
      * 1/8" DIN "Line Out", or similar audio output jack
      * An 1/8" DIN output (or outputs) to the speakers
    NOTE: Some soundcards now feature an additional input and/or output for digital signals (signals already converted from analog to digital). DartPro 98 can also record from these inputs, assuming that you have set up the digital output to input (and vice versa, if necessary) from your external digital device (CD player, DAT machine or stereo receiver with digital output). You must also be certain that your soundcard has selected the digital input as being "active". Check your soundcard documentation for more info on setting this up.

    Don't be too concerned if you don't see all of the possible input/output types available. The only ones that you NEED to have are the speaker output and the Line Input. Check your soundcard's documentation for more information on which jacks do which functions. Some users don't always get printed information, and in that case, your soundcard manufacturer's Website will also be a good resource for information.

    Plug the single DIN connector on the patch cable into the audio input plug-in on the computer sound card. (See Fig. 1 below.)

    (FIGURE 1)

    On the back of the stereo, choose one of the following to connect to the PC (the PC will appear as just another component to the stereo):

    • "Aux. Out" (for Auxiliary), or "Line Out", or "Tape2", or "Tape Out", etc.
    • Each one will be labeled as either an input or output, along with: L (Left) or R (Right) (See Fig. 1 above).
    • Pick one of these output pairs (L /R is one pair).
    • Plug the dual-end RCA connectors into the output pair (L /R).
    • Match the color coding on the cables and receptors for L & R. These are usually red and white, but can be red and black. [Top]

  30. How do I control, or adjust, my soundcard's input signal level?

    After DART DartPro 98 is installed, you must set your input recording volume:

    • Double-click on the icon next to the clock that looks like a speaker. This will bring up the "Volume Control". If you don't see this control, you may also be able to access by going to "Start" / "Programs" / "Accessories" / "Multimedia" or "Entertainment" / "Volume Control"
    • Click on the "Options" menu and select "Properties."
    • Under "Properties" select "Adjust volume for" as "Recording" and make sure all of the volume controls are selected/checked on the bottom of the "Properties" dialog box. Click on "OK."
    • Now the "Recording Control" Dialog box will appear. Make sure that the proper line is selected (Usually "Line-In" or "Line"). The proper option must be selected or you will not be able to record any of the input. To select the proper line, you must make sure the correct "Select" option box is checked.
    • Use the vertical slider to adjust the input level of the source you are recording from to the proper volume. The proper volume would be when the DART DartPro 98 can record a soundfile and there is no clipping of the sound while recording. [Top]

  31. Can I record audio directly to MP3 format?

    Currently, no. This version of DartPro 98 doesn't include the capability to record, or encode, audio information into the MPEG3 (MP3) format. However, there are several free players available on the Internet that CAN encode audio to MP3. Just a few examples are: WinAmp, Xing, RealJukebox, and MusicMatch. [Top]

  32. How do I start recording a new file?

    NOTE: First, make sure that all of your audio connections are sound and that you've adjusted your input level on your soundcard with the directions given above. If you don't have these items taken care of first, the following steps will not yield a useable recording.

    Unless the audio you want is on an existing audio CD, you should record from your external audio source as if it were a vinyl record, cassette, or other similar analog source. If you want to get tracks from an audio CD, use the "Read Track" function described below.

    Within DartPro 98, select the "Record" menu item and then hit "Record", or simply hit the "R" key on your keyboard. A dialogue box appears asking you to name the new file that will be recorded and in what hard drive and/or folder you'd like it to be saved. We HIGHLY suggest having a folder on your system that does nothing but store your audio (for example, "C:\My Audio"). Select the folder where you want to save the file, type in the name you want your new recording to have and then click on "Save". [Top]

  33. What parameters should I set when recording a new file?

    You should now be in the "Record" dialogue box. You need to select the correct Sample Rate, Channel Type, and number of bits you want to use when recording your new file.

    • Sample Rate: We suggest that if you are recording from a record, LP, or tape that you use 22KHz Sample Rate. However if you are recording from a Mini-Disc, DAT Tape, or any high fidelity audio source you should select the 44Khz Sample Rate.
    • Channel Type: Unless you are recording from a mono source (only one channel, no left or right output), you should probably leave "Stereo" selected. Stereo means that thee are two pieces of an audio recording, one channel represents the left output, and the other channel represents the right output.
    • Number of Bits: Finally, select the number of bits (8 or 16). Selecting 8-bit gives you less quality than 16; however, it will be half the size of a 16-bit sound file. [Top]

  34. What do I do in the record window once I've set my record parameters?

    1. Now that your decibel level is where you want it, and you've set your parameters, you can start recording the input. Start the audio source that you'll be recording and click the "Record" button in the record dialog box. You are now recording everything that you hear from the audio source.
    2. When the music from the source stops playing or you want to stop recording, click the Stop button in the record box and stop your audio source. Next click on "OK".

    You should now see your audio file in the file list box (in the middle portion of the file panel). [Top]

  35. How long of an audio file can I record?

    You can record any file up to the amount of empty hard drive space that you have in your system. The software currently 'caps' recordings at 2GB in length. This means that you can record 2048MB of data. At 44.1kHz, 16-bit stereo (CD format for audio), this would amount to roughly 200 minutes of audio data. You can, of course, also record more tracks, but we will always have to work with whatever empty hard drive space is available. [Top]

  36. Can I cut longer recordings into shorter pieces?

    Yes, this feature is available in the included CD-Recorder V3 software, which can be accessed from DartPro 98 by clicking on the CD icon in the icon menu. Just use the following 'Unpack' process in CD-Recorder to break longer recordings into smaller pieces.

    1. Select the recorded file that you want to Unpack.
    2. Go to the toolbox menu and click on "Unpack."
    3. You will then see a dialog window containing the following controls:
      • Minimum Separation time (in seconds): You have to set this according to the smallest amount of silence between your songs. It gives the program a base to begin looking for silences beyond what you specified.
      • Detection Threshold: The selection (anything between 1 and 1000) should be made in accordance with the recording level and intensity of background noise. If the threshold is too low detector may fail to localize silences between subsequent tracks; if it is too high silent parts of the recording may be mistakenly classified as breaks.
      • The "Find" button: In case there is a piece of silence at the beginning of the recording, even if it is fairly short, you can press the "Find" button situated next to the detection threshold box and the value of the threshold will be adjusted automatically.
    4. After making the necessary selections, you are ready to Unpack. Click the Process button.
    5. You should now see the Verify Cuts dialogue Box with the following items:
      • Total number of cuts proposed: This is the total number of cuts that the program suggests. NOTE: You may have some tracks that you don't want. After making the cuts you can just delete these. Sometimes it is better to accept all of the cuts (unless they are in the middle of a song) and just delete the files that you don't want in your playlist.
      • Cut No.: When you select the Cut number, you can listen to the cut by clicking Play. If you decide you do not want that cut, click Reject.
      • Change: This allows you to change the file name prefix of the tracks you are separating.
      • Playing Time (seconds): This is the length of time (seconds) in between each song.
      • Process: Click Process when you are satisfied with your cuts and selections, and the program will begin to unpack your songs.
      • Cancel: Click Cancel if you are unsatisfied with your cuts and the program will not do anything to your original sound file. After clicking cancel, you can try the Unpack utility again with a higher or lower threshold, respectively.
    6. After making all of the necessary selections and you are happy with your cuts, you can click on "Process" to unpack your sound file.

    When the Unpack utility is complete, you should see all of your tracks, separated and named with the correct track number following the file name prefix. [Top]

  37. How do I get, or 'read', tracks from my audio CDs?

    1. If the audio track you want is on an existing audio CD, click on the "Read Track" button (it is the button that looks like a CD with music notes on it).
    2. Select the tracks that you want to record. If you are not sure which track you want, you can listen to the CD using the controls near the bottom of the dialogue box.
    3. After selecting the track that you want, click on the "Add" button. If all you are doing is copying the entire CD, you can click on the "Add All" button.
    4. Before you begin to copy tracks from your CD, you should select the correct read speed of your CD-ROM drive from the drop down list labeled "Read Speed."
    5. You may want to change the file name prefix if you are recording from multiple sources so you don't get confused about which file is which. To do this, click on the "Change" button, type in the appropriate name, and click "OK."
    6. The program will now begin copying the CD tracks you have selected.
    7. Repeat these steps until you have all of the songs you want to record. [Top]

    Editing Audio with DartPro 98:

  38. What's my first step in restoring audio with the DartPro 98?

    This will vary, depending on how familiar you are with the program, and how the audio has to be edited to make it sound better. In some cases, you won't need to do much; other times, you may have to do quite a bit. Generally, the first step would be to listen to your recorded audio and be sure that there are no clipped sections, and to determine which, if any, of the restoration tools needs to be used. You may also decide, after listening to your newly recorded file, that you only need to do some EQ (equalization) or perform other edits than aren't necessarily concerned with our restoration filters (like Fade In or Fade Out, EQ, etc.). [Top]

  39. How do I use the editing tools in DartPro 98?

    Accessing the different tools is usually accomplished by selecting the tool you want to use from the appropriate menu. These menus are described in the manual, the online Help system, and this Knowledge Vault. Some of the tools are pretty much self-explanatory, and others are more complicated. It is recommend that you use the resources above to learn more about each tool and what it does, if you're not sure. It may also be useful simply to record a "dummy" file that you can use to test out a tool and see what it does. In many cases, simply 'playing around' with a particular editing tool will instantly show you what kind of effect it will have. [Top]

  40. What is a 'block'?

    A "block" is a selected area of audio. This can be as little a sample, or as big as the entire recorded file. Blocks are often used to assign areas of audio to be deleted, or to run the restoration filters on a specific area of a file. You can select a block of audio by holding down your Control Key ("Ctrl") and left-clicking on the image of the waveform then moving your mouse. You should see the area that you are highlighting turn gray. Any gray section on the audio waveform defines a block. You can change the beginning and end point of a block after it has been selected by placing your mouse cursor over the boundary you wish to change. You should see it change to a "side-to-side" icon, which indicates that the position can be moved forward or backward. Simply left-click and drag the mouse to the new location for the boundary you're working on (either front or back). [Top]

  41. How do I select a block of audio to work on?

    • To select a block of audio, hold down the control key ("Ctrl") and click the left mouse button where you want to begin selecting.
    • Without releasing the mouse button, move the mouse over the wave file until you reach the spot you want your selection to end.
    • Now, release the mouse button, and your selection will be highlighted. You can adjust your selected audio by clicking on the ends of the selection and moving the provided cursor left or right. [Top]

  42. What is a "Source" file? How do I create one?

    A "Source" file is generally your original recorded audio file. When using many of the tools available in DartPro 98, you are sometimes asked to select the "Source" file. This is the file that will 'feed' the filter. In other words, if you needed to run DeClick, the source file would be the audio file that had the clicks/pops in it.

    You can select which open audio file will be your source file by clicking on the red "S" in the upper left hand corner of the soundfile's window. There will also be a blue "D" next to the "S". [Top]

  43. What is a "Destination" file? How do I create one?

    A "Destination" file is generally the edited version of your original audio "source" file. When using many of the tools available in DartPro 98, you are sometimes asked to select the "Destination" file. This is the file that will hold the results produced by a given filter. In other words, if you needed to run DeClick, the destination file would be the audio file that had been run through the filter and had the clicks removed.

    You can select which open audio file will be your destination file by clicking on the "D" in the upper left hand corner of the soundfile's window. You can also set which file will be the destination within the filters themselves. There will be a portion of the filter that asks you to select the name of the destination file (that will be created) as well as where it should be saved. It is recommended that you select a filename that relates in some way to the original recorded "Source" file. For example:

    If your original recorded file is named "Track 1.wav", then a good name for a destination file that came from that source file would be "Track 1_DeClicked.wav". By default, the name of any destination file will be "Result.wav". [Top]

    File Menu Items:

  44. New -- What does this do?

    When you choose this option, a new (empty) file is created. [Top]

  45. Open -- What does this do?

    This option can be used to open an existing file (a soundfile or a detection file). The file select dialog, shown after choosing the Open command, allows you to inspect a list of available files, audition a soundfile prior to loading it (Play) and get basic information about a soundfile (Info). Additionally, it provides means for deleting files (Delete).

    When convenient you can open or delete several files at once. [Top]

  46. Save As -- What does this do?

    You can use this item to make a copy of the soundfile in the active window. A file select dialog will allow you to choose a name under which the soundfile will be saved. [Top]

  47. Rename -- What does this do?

    You can use this item to rename a file. [Top]

  48. Delete -- What does this do?

    This item can be used to delete any file from the disk. For your convenience, each time a soundfile <*.wav> is deleted the corresponding detection file <*.det> (if any) is also removed. [Top]

  49. Close -- What does this do?

    Use this option to close open files. When a file is closed the corresponding window is removed from the DartPro 98's clipboard. [Top]

  50. Open Audio Tree -- What does this do?

    The audio 'tree' is a family tree of a given root soundfile (i.e. the set of all soundfiles obtained by renovating the same archive recording). It allows you to review and compare different variants of processing in an easy and efficient manner.

    In order to display an audio tree:

    • Choose the Open Audio Tree option from the File menu and select the appropriate <*.sfm> database file

      Or

    • Press the AUDIO TREE button situated on the toolbar and proceed as above. Then, press the ENTER key or click on the OK button.

    A representation of a typical audio tree is shown below. It consists of the 'root' soundfile 'filename00.wav' and its derivative soundfiles - two obtained directly from the root file ('filename01.wav', 'filename04.wav') and two other ones obtained by further processing the file filename01.wav ('filename02.wav', 'filename03.wav').

    Filename00.wav

    Filename01.wav
    Filename02.wav
    Filename03.wav
    ( Filename04.wav

    The 'check' mark shown on the left hand side of the soundfile 'filename04.wav' indicates that this file is already opened, and the 'smile' sign displayed on the right side of 'filename03.wav' means that the corresponding results were considered satisfactory.

    After selecting any soundfile from an audio tree (click on the corresponding line so that it becomes highlighted), you can:

    • Play it (click on the PLAY button located inside the Audio tree dialog)
    • Get information about it (click on the INFO button)
    • Open it (click on the OPEN button)
    • Delete it (click on the DELETE button)

    If you are satisfied with the results of renovation, you can 'approve' the corresponding soundfile(s) using the 'smile' sign. The number of smile distinctions awarded to one soundfile can range from zero (no distinction) to three (a really BIG smile) and changes cyclically while you keep pressing the SMILE button.

    When you conclude your work with an audio tree, you can close the dialog or minimize it. In the second case, the updated version of the minimized audio tree will be brought back each time you choose the Open audio tree command from the File menu, or click on the AUDIO TREE button situated on the toolbar. This is especially convenient when comparing current results with the already existing ones. You will not be able to open a new audio tree unless you close the previous one (use the CLOSE button for this purpose). [Top]

  51. Create Undo File -- What does this do?

    Whenever needed, you can save the current contents of an opened (active) file in an undo file. When you choose Create undo file, from the File menu, DartPro 98 creates a backup file called "filename.und" (where 'filename' is whatever you have named the file, "track01.und" for example)

    NOTICE: When opening a file, DartPro 98 neither loads its copy into memory, nor creates a backup file on the hard disk. This means that all operations on audio files, like editing or preprocessing, are performed directly on the data stored on the hard disk (otherwise, handling huge audio files would be very time- and space-consuming). We therefore recommend you create an undo file prior to any 'large scale' operation performed directly on an original soundfile - just in case something goes wrong. [Top]

  52. Open Undo File -- What does this do?

    Whenever needed, you can open an existing undo file (made by Create undo file) by using the Open undo file command (after choosing this command the contents of an active file is replaced with the contents of the corresponding undo file). You can select from any existing undo file, which will have a *.und file extension ("track01.und", for example).

    NOTICE: When opening a file, DartPro 98 neither loads its copy into memory, nor creates a backup file on the hard disk. This means that all operations on audio files, like editing or preprocessing, are performed directly on the data stored on the hard disk (otherwise handling huge audio files would be very time and space consuming). We therefore recommend you create an undo file prior to any 'large scale' operation performed directly on an original soundfile - just in case something goes wrong. [Top]

  53. RAW to WAV - What does this do?

    The uncompressed, and unformatted, string of bytes (for 8-bit sampling) or 'words' (for 16-bit sampling), representing the values of consecutive signal samples, is usually referred to as the 'raw' PCM audio file. When augmented with a header, containing basic information about the recording (sampling rate, sampling resolution, number of channels, number of samples) RAW files become WAV files (WAV stands for a standard Windows format called WAVE). DartPro 98 allows you to convert RAW audio files into WAV files and vice versa.

    RAW to WAV Conversion:

    Input file: *.raw ("track01.raw", for example)

    Output file: *.wav (default) - ("track01.wav", for example)

    Processing mode: global

    In order to change a raw PCM soundfile into a wave file, choose the RAW to WAV command from the File menu. A dialog will appear allowing you to select recording details, such as the sampling rate, sampling resolution and number of channels. If you import a raw soundfile from an unknown source, you may need to experiment with record settings in order to find the appropriate ones - to audition results, press the Preview button.

    Fast Format Conversion:

    If the files you want to convert from one format to another are very large (think of one hour of recording, for example), the processing times may be excessive and, in fact, unnecessarily long. You should be aware that all the system is doing after adding the header to the input file (RAW to WAV), or depriving it of the header (WAV to RAW), is copying its content to the output file. If you are ready to sacrifice the first 44 bytes of your original raw data (the loss is comparable to loosing a single hair - provided you are not completely bald...), check the Fast format conversion box in the Preferences dialog available from the Options menu. Working in the fast conversion mode, DartPro 98 will do the job almost immediately. When performing the RAW to WAV conversion the system will simply change the extension of the selected RAW file to WAV and replace its first 44 bytes with a wave header. Similarly, if the WAV to RAW conversion is requested, DartPro 98 will change the file extension to RAW and set the bytes comprising a header to zero (otherwise you would hear a loud click at the beginning of the soundfile when playing it back).

    Notice: The system does not support raw PCM files. For this reason, if you perform the fast WAV to RAW conversion, the original wave file will vanish from the screen. If the converted soundfile is registered, it will be also removed from the corresponding audio tree. [Top]

  54. WAV to RAW - What does this do?

    The uncompressed, and unformatted, string of bytes (for 8-bit sampling) or 'words' (for 16-bit sampling), representing the values of consecutive signal samples, is usually referred to as the 'raw' PCM audio file. When augmented with a header, containing basic information about the recording (sampling rate, sampling resolution, number of channels, number of samples) RAW files become WAV files (WAV stands for a standard Windows format called WAVE). DartPro 98 allows you to convert RAW audio files into WAV files and vice versa.

    WAV to RAW Conversion:

    Input file: source soundfile (*.wav) - ("track01.wav", for example)

    Output file: *.raw (default) - ("track01.raw", for example)

    Processing mode: global

    Conversion of WAV soundfiles into RAW files is much easier and amounts to removing the file header. The WAV to RAW option, available from the File menu, is used for this purpose.

    Fast Format Conversion:

    If the files you want to convert from one format to another are very large (think of one hour of recording, for example), the processing times may be excessive and, in fact, unnecessarily long. You should be aware that all the system is doing after adding the header to the input file (RAW to WAV), or depriving it of the header (WAV to RAW), is copying its content to the output file. If you are ready to sacrifice the first 44 bytes of your original raw data (the loss is comparable to loosing a single hair - provided you are not completely bald...), check the Fast format conversion box in the Preferences dialog available from the Options menu. Working in the fast conversion mode, DartPro 98 will do the job almost immediately. When performing the RAW to WAV conversion the system will simply change the extension of the selected RAW file to WAV and replace its first 44 bytes with a wave header. Similarly, if the WAV to RAW conversion is requested, DartPro 98 will change the file extension to RAW and set the bytes comprising a header to zero (otherwise you would hear a loud click at the beginning of the soundfile when playing it back).

    Notice: The system does not support raw PCM files. For this reason, if you perform the fast WAV to RAW conversion, the original wave file will vanish from the screen. If the converted soundfile is registered, it will be also removed from the corresponding audio tree. [Top]

  55. File info - What does this do?

    In order to obtain information about an active soundfile, choose the File info command from the File menu or click the INFO button situated on the toolbar.

    The contents of the information window depends on the type of soundfile.

    The basic set of details, displayed for all WAVE files, includes:

    • The number of channels (mono/stereo)
    • The sampling rate (in "KHz")
    • The sampling resolution (in "bits")
    • The length of the file (measured in bytes)
    • The playing time (in seconds)

    When a file is registered as a 'root' soundfile (use the Register button situated inside the File info dialog for this purpose), you have a chance of typing in some more details (recording source, sound card, contents of a soundfile) and comments which will be displayed in the information window.

    The DartPro 98 librarian, called the Soundfile Manager, supervises all restoration experiments that involve 'root' soundfiles, as well as files derived from root files called 'derivative' soundfiles. In particular, the Soundfile Manager adds 'birth certificates' to the information windows of all renovated soundfiles. These 'birth certificates' contain:

    • generation information - the name of the source soundfile
    • processing details - processing tool, the values of processing parameters
    • information about the processing mode - music or music&speech
    • some statistical data - total number of interventions, processing time / real time ratio [Top]

  56. Register - What does this do?

    If you register the original archive soundfile as a 'root' soundfile, the DartPro 98 librarian, called the Soundfile Manager, will help you to organize and keep track of all renovation experiments involving that file. Soundfile Manager creates and updates special database files "rootname.sfm" which contain information about all files derived from a given root file, and form a 'family tree' called an audio tree. By evoking an audio tree, you can easily review and listen to the results obtained for a particular root soundfile.

    When a file is registered as a root soundfile, you have a chance of typing in some more details (recording source, sound card, and contents of a soundfile) and comments, which will be displayed in the information window each time you click the INFO button.

    WARNING: If you change a soundfile's name to "rootname00.wav" outside the Soundfile Manager, the database file "rootname.sfm" will not be created, i.e., the corresponding soundfile will remain unregistered. [Top]

  57. File History - What does this do?

    This provides a list of recently opened files, which can be easily accessed by clicking on a file's name in this list. [Top]

  58. Exit - What does this do?

    You can use this item to close the program. [Top]

    Edit Menu Items:

  59. Undo - What will "Undo last edit" do to my audio?

    Undo basically removes the last edit that was made to the selected file. If you cut out a section of audio, for example, that section would be put back in place...just as if the edit has never happened. Be aware that at this time, there isn't "multiple Undo" support in DartPro 98, and you won't be able to recover anything but the last edit made. This feature has already been added to the list of items to implement in the future. [Top]

  60. Mute - How can I mute selected areas from my audio?

    The Mute command available from the Edit menu can be used to erase a portion of the signal, i.e., to set the data in the selected area to zero.

    Be aware that local muting may introduce discontinuities at both edges of a selected block, usually heard as clicks. To avoid discontinuity problems use the Smart mute tool available from the Toolbox menu. [Top]

  61. Cut - How can I delete, or cut, selected areas from my audio?

    First, select the block of audio you want to delete.

    Then, after you highlight the block, go to the Edit menu and click Cut.

    This will temporarily store the block of audio that you remove into a holding area, known as the paste buffer. [Top]

  62. Copy - How can I copy selected areas from my audio?

    First, select the block of audio you want to copy.

    Then, after you highlight the block, go to the Edit menu and click Copy.

    This will temporarily store the block of audio that you copy into a holding area, known as the paste buffer. [Top]

  63. Paste - How can I paste selected areas from my audio?

    First, Copy or Cut the block of audio you want to paste.

    Depending on how you want to paste the information, there are 4 different paste commands you can choose.

    1. Paste insert: a tool that inserts the audio at the point you specify.
    2. Paste over: a tool that acts as a mixing effect, because you can paste audio over itself.
    3. Paste fill: a tool that lets you select a block of audio and paste your data only into that block.
    4. Save paste buffer: a tool that saves the information, that you are waiting to paste, into a wave file so that you can use it later. [Top]

  64. Go To - How can I go to a selected areas within my audio file?

    You can use these commands to move the cursor to specific locations:

    New Position: If you would like to jump to a prescribed position, choose New Position (G) and type in a new cursor coordinate: sample number (if the time axis is calibrated in samples) or time (if the axis is calibrated in units of time). In order to change the method of calibration, check or uncheck the "Time scale in seconds" box in the Preferences dialog available from the Options menu.

    Time can be specified in two different ways - by giving a number of hours, minutes and seconds separated by colons (a digital clock notation) or seconds only. This means you can write either 1:06:40.25 or 4000.25, whichever is more convenient - DartPro 98 will accept both notations.

    Apart from fixing an absolute position of the cursor you can set its relative position within the soundfile, i.e., position expressed as a percentage of the overall file length. To achieve this, enter a positive number smaller than 100.0 and follow it with the percent sign, e.g. write 27.5%. Relative positioning can be used in a very similar way as clicking on the overview strip; it works irrespective of the adopted method of axis calibration.

    Beginning of Block: In order to set the cursor at the beginning of the selected area (block), choose Beginning of the block from the Go To menu or press F11 on your keyboard.

    End of Block: In order to set the cursor at the end of the selected area (block), choose End of the block or press F12 on your keyboard.

    Using "Go To" to scroll through markers:

    To move the cursor to a given marker, or click marker, choose Go to / New position (G), and type in 'm followed by the marker label, e.g., 'm1'. This will move the cursor to the marker labeled 1 and 'mb' will move it to the click marker labeled B.

    Next Marker: To move the cursor to the next marker (in time), use the Go to / Next marker command or press the ">" key on your keyboard.

    Previous Marker: To move the cursor to the previous marker (in time), use the Go to / Previous marker command or press the ">" key on your keyboard. [Top]

  65. Select local block - What does this do?

    The Select local block command can be used to mark the fragment which is played after choosing Play local from the Play menu (to change the length of this fragment adjust the Local play time in the Setup dialog available from the Options menu). [Top]

  66. Select modified area - What does this do?

    Use the Select modified area command to mark the block modified when editing a detection file. Detection file editing is discussed within this FAQ. [Top]

  67. Find bits - What does this do?

    DartPro 98 allows you to browse through a detection file, which is created by the DeClick process. Find bits looks for sequences of set bits of a specified length. You can use this option, for example, to search for detection alarms covering at least a certain number of samples in a row.

    To find a sequences of bits:

    1. Position the cursor at the beginning/end of the area you want to search.
    2. Select the Find Bits command from the Edit menu or press the CTRL+F keys.
    3. Type in the minimum length of a sequence or use the up/down arrows to change the currently displayed value.
    4. Press the FORWARD (right arrow) /BACKWARD (left arrow) button to initialize search in a chosen direction. If the search is successful, the detection window becomes centered at the nearest sequence of a specified length. If no such sequence can be found in a given direction, an appropriate message appears on the screen.
    5. When finished, press the Close (check button) to close the Find bits dialog.

    Once opened, the Find bits dialog can be used as many times as needed and can remain on the screen while editing sound and/or detection files.

    Notice: By default, all binary signals displayed in an active binary window are searched when you choose the Find bits command. If you want to inspect a selected binary signal only, uncheck the Ignore bit settings in 'Find bits' box in the Setup dialog accessible from the Options menu. [Top]

  68. Bit editing - What does this do?

    Whenever you renovate a recorded soundfile using DartPro 98's DeClick function, a special compressed binary detection file is created (with the same name and extension (*.det) as the recorded "source" soundfile). This 'detection file' contains information about decisions made by the outlier detector - a device that isolates and removes impulsive disturbances due to clicks, pops and record scratches.

    Detection files appear on the screen after running the DeClick process or can be loaded (provided that they already exist) using the Open command accessible from the File menu.

    • The upper part of the detection window is used to display detection alarms - all 'set' bits mark samples 'flagged' by the outlier detection and scheduled for reconstruction.
    • The lower part of the detection window is reserved for large-scale interventions, namely to mark large chunks of the material that ought to be replaced.
    • For a mono soundfile, the information shown in the detection window consists of two binary signals (i.e., signals taking only two values - zero and one) which can be viewed synchronously with the restored 'destination' soundfile.
    • For stereo soundfiles, four binary signals are displayed - the first two refer to the left channel, and the remaining two refer to the right channel.
    • The boxes situated on the left side of the window are used to select bits for the purpose of editing (which, among others, is the way of correcting DART Pro mistakes).
    • The green boxes placed on the right side of the detection window, display the values of signal bits at the current cursor position (if the box is lit, the corresponding bit equals one).

    Please read the manual sections on Editing signals in binary windows and on perfecting the renovated sound signals in order to get more information about the means and purposes of bit editing.

    The following modes can be used when editing a binary detection file with your left mouse button. Make sure to click on the numbered box (1, 2, 3 or 4) before trying to set, or clear, bits!

    Set bits mode: When you use this mode, any selections you make within the binary detection file with your mouse will cause bits to 'set' (be set to 1) automatically. This basically forces the outlier detector to run in areas that it may not have before and overrides its previous settings for this area.

    Clear bits mode: When you select this mode, any selections you make within the binary detection file with your mouse will cause bits to 'clear' (be set to 0) automatically. This basically forces the outlier detector to NOT run in areas that it may have tried to fix before.

    Normal mode: This returns you to the normal editing mode for DartPro 98. You will not be able to set bits, or clear bits, when this mode is engaged. [Top]

  69. Group bit editing - "What does this do?

    This function basically works the same as the regular bit editing function, with the exception that it will ONLY work on and with blocks of data. These functions will not have any impact outside of selected block. You can still switch to 'Set bits mode', or 'Clear bits mode' (described above) to work on bits outside of a selected block.

    Set bits in selected block: Sets the selected block of bits to "1", which forces it through the Reconstruct/ReTouch process.

    Clear bits in selected block: Sets the selected block of bits to "0", which forces them to NOT to be included in the reconstruction/ReTouch process.

    Toggle bits in selected block: Switches the status of a selected block of bits back and forth from 'set' to 'clear'. [Top]

  70. Set/Remove markers - What does this do?

    Markers can be used in the same way as bookmarks - you can place them anywhere in a soundfile to distinguish certain areas of interest (e.g., areas requiring further processing) or to provide a quick way of jumping to specific locations. Markers are distinguished by green vertical lines displayed in soundfile windows (along with the corresponding labels) and on the overview strip. There is no upper limit to the number of markers (labeled with consecutive numbers) that can be associated with a single soundfile.

    To set a marker:

    1. Position the cursor anywhere in an active soundfile window.
    2. Choose the Set/Remove marker command from the Edit menu.
    3. Select the marker label. Each time you enter the Set/Remove marker dialog, the first free label is shown in the Label box. If you choose a number that is assigned to an existing marker, this marker will be automatically removed when inserting the new one.
    4. Click the Set button. The green marker lines (temporarily hidden under the yellow cursor lines) will be added to the active soundfile and to the overview strip.
    5. Press the Close button to close the Set/Remove marker dialog.

    In order to remove a marker, proceed as above but instead of choosing the Set command in step 4, click the Remove button. If you want to remove all markers, use the Remove all button in the same dialog.

    To move to the area where a given marker was placed, open the Set/Remove marker dialog, select the marker label and click on the Go to button. Alternatively, choose the Go to new position (G) command available from the Edit menu and type in 'm' followed by the marker label (e.g., after typing 'm1' you will jump to the marker labeled 1).

    To move cursor to the next or previous marker use the Go to next/previous marker command from the Edit menu or press the ">" or "<" key. [Top]

  71. Set/Remove click markers - What does this do?

    Click markers are temporary 'soundmarks' which can be placed anywhere in a soundfile and which may help to precisely localize disturbances. Each time you set a click marker, a pulse is added to the sample at the cursor position (negative pulses are added if the sample value is positive and vice versa). Based on listening tests, you can adjust the amplitude of the pulse so as to make the resulting click audible but weak enough to prevent it from screening the disturbance you are trying to spot.

    Click markers are not permanent and do not corrupt the soundfiles they are added to - click pulses are kept in a separate buffer and inserted only at the time of playing back the corresponding fragments. As a consequence, there is no need to remove click markers prior to closing or saving a soundfile.

    Click markers are distinguished by red vertical lines displayed in soundfile windows (along with the corresponding labels) and on the overview strip. Up to eight click markers, labeled A through H, can be associated with a single soundfile.

    To set a click marker:

    1. Position the cursor anywhere in an active soundfile window.
    2. Choose the Set/Remove click marker command from the Edit menu.
    3. Select one of the eight marker labels. The list of all labels shows up when you click the Label arrow in the Set/Remove click marker dialog. Letters associated with the already existing markers are displayed with the 'check' mark next to them. If you choose such a checked letter to label a new click marker, the previous one will be automatically removed. Each time you enter the Set/Remove click marker dialog, the first free label (if any) is shown in the Label box.
    4. Press the PLAY button situated inside the dialog to play the fragment where the click marker will be inserted. If necessary, use the arrows in the Amplitude box to adjust the magnitude of the click. Use Play local from the Play menu to audition the same fragment without the click.
    5. Click the Set button. The red click marker lines (temporarily hidden under the yellow cursor lines) will be added to the active soundfile and to the overview strip.
    6. Press the Close button to close the Set/Remove click marker dialog.

    To remove a click marker: proceed as above but instead of choosing the Set command in step 4, click the Remove button. If you want to remove all markers, use the Remove all button in the same dialog.

    To move to the area where a given click marker was placed: open the Set/Remove click marker dialog, select the marker label and click on the Go to button. Alternatively, choose the Go to new position (G) command available from the Edit menu and type in 'm' followed by the marker label (e.g., after typing 'ma' you will jump to the click marker labeled A). [Top]

  72. Set/Remove frame - What does this do?

    Frames can be used to isolate disturbances difficult to spot by other means. When looking for an extraneous sound one usually tries to find the smallest segment of a soundfile where the disturbance is localized. One of the possible ways of doing it is to play a selected portion of the sound material gradually shrinking the search area by decreasing the size of the block (when using the Play block command) or increasing the time resolution (when using the Play window command). Unfortunately, as the auditioned fragment becomes shorter and shorter one finds it more and more difficult to judge whether or not it contains the disturbance - exactly as when attempting to analyze an image displayed for a very short period of time.

    An alternative approach, which we call 'framing', amounts to localizing the disturbance at the very beginning and at the very end of two longer, partially overlapping segments, respectively. If the disturbance is present in both fragments of a soundfile it must be contained in their common area and - bingo! - We've got it.

    To set a frame:

    1. Position the cursor so that the disturbance can be heard when the Play local command is used. Please note that the resolution of the frame-based search will increase when the local processing time is decreased. If necessary, use the Preferences dialog available from the Options menu to adjust the local processing time.
    2. Choose the Set/Remove frame command from the Edit menu.
    3. Move position of the upper play buffer in the Set/Remove frame dialog so that the disturbance remains audible and is located at the very end of the buffer.
    4. Move position of the lower play buffer in the Set/Remove frame dialog so that the disturbance remains audible and is located at the very beginning of the buffer.
    5. Click the Set button. The common (shaded) area of two buffers will be distinguished with a light blue frame displayed in the corresponding soundfile window. A similar mark (but in dark blue) will be also added to the overview strip.

    Each time you open the Set/Remove frame dialog the common area of the upper and lower play buffers will be centered on the current cursor position. If so convenient you can adjust position of the cursor either inside the dialog (click anywhere inside the buffer display area) or outside the dialog (use any available way of changing the cursor position). In order to simultaneously shift both play buffers leftward or rightward, change the cursor position and press the Center button - the center of the common area will be moved to the new cursor position. Finally, note that you can change the time resolution and/or the amplitude scale of all displayed plots without closing the Set/Remove frame dialog.

    To remove a frame: invoke the Set/Remove frame dialog and press the Remove button. Note that since only one frame can be placed in a given soundfile window, when a new frame is added the previous one is automatically cancelled.

    In order to position the upper/lower play buffers appropriately use the control buttons situated inside the Set/Remove frame dialog:

    Left arrow (only): Moves the buffer leftward
    Right arrow (only): Moves the buffer rightward
    Single triangle: Plays contents of the buffer
    Dual triangle (pointing in): Plays in a short succession the contents of the upper and lower buffer, respectively.
    Dual triangle (pointing out): Plays the contents of the common area of two buffers.

    NOTICE: Frames are not permanent, i.e., the frame is not restored when the corresponding soundfile window is closed and opened again. However, you can save the current position of all frames by saving a group of soundfiles (choose Save as from the Group menu). [Top]

    Group Menu Items:

  73. What is 'grouping'? Why would I use it?

    At any time, any given collection of opened files can be saved as a group of files. When saving such a group, DartPro 98 creates a configuration file, "groupname.dgr", which contains information about the current system status including the list of opened files, the source/destination assignment, synchronization details, cursor, marker and frame positions, resolution and scale settings etc. Because of this, whenever you open an existing group, you will find everything in exactly the same order as at the time of saving. You might find group saving/opening facilities particularly useful when working on complex projects requiring long and multistage processing. [Top]

  74. How does grouping work?

    The Group menu contains several items for handling groups of files.

    New - this command saves and closes the currently open group of files and creates a new (empty) one with a default name "NoName.dgr". You can use New to clear the entire DartPro 98 desktop without the need to close open windows one by one. Using New has the same effects as quitting DartPro 98 and starting it again, except that all current system settings are preserved (i.e. they are not changed to the default ones).

    Open - this command saves and closes the currently open group of files (if any) and opens a new (existing) group.

    Save - use this command to save a group of open files under a current group name.

    Save as - use this command to save a group of open files under a new group name.

    WARNING: The file "groupname.dgr" is a configuration file only, i.e., it does not store information about the contents of the files comprising a group. For this reason, if you delete or modify any of the files after saving a group, you will not be able to retrieve a group in its original form. [Top]

    Toolbox Menu Items:

  75. What is "Scale"? What does it do and how does it work?

    Scaling allows you to amplify (turn up the volume) or attenuate (turn down the volume) a selected block or the entire sound file. The scaling 'factor' controls the level of amplification or attenuation. For example, scaling factors set below one (0.5, for example) result in signal attenuation and factors greater than one (1.5, for example) cause signal amplification. Be careful when you amplify the sound, because parts of the audio that may be "sticking out" before scaling could clip if the scaling factor is set too high. To avoid this mishap, you can use 'Find maximum gain' and the program will set a limit so that no clipping will occur after scaling the file. [Top]

  76. What is "Maximize"? What does it do and how does it work?

    Maximize is much like scaling in that it amplifies the volume of an audio file. Sometimes called "Normalize", maximize raises the volume of the sound file to its highest point without clipping the audio. A benefit of using this function is that sometimes there are imbalances in a sound file's volume, and using maximize could "balance out" the entire file. [Top]

  77. What is "Reverse"? What does it do and how does it work?

    "Reverse" means to play a song backward, much like forcing an LP to run in reverse. If you perform Reverse on a file, and listen to the results, it will be pretty clear what it does.

    This option allows you to reverse an entire signal or a fragment. This is especially useful in certain instances. For instance, you may derive superior results through reverse-time that are superior to what can be achieved through normal processing. Sometimes, when you are DeClicking a sound file, you may get better results after a regular DeClick, by reversing the sound file and then DeClicking again. This is because, the shape of a wave file at the beginning of a noise disturbance like a click could sometimes be more defined when it is reversed. Therefore, the program will recognize more noise disturbances, and the quality of the result file that was reversed will probably transcend the quality of the file where reverse was not used.

    Reversing can also be used for more recreational purposes, such as revealing hidden backwards messages embedded within songs and music. These types of messages where especially popular among the counter-culture groups of the 1960's and 1970's. [Top]

  78. What is "Add"? What does it do and how does it work?

    This option can be used to combine (by adding) the contents of the destination soundfile with the contents of the source soundfile (if either the source or the destination soundfile is not specified an error message is generated). If the added soundfiles do not have the same length, the output file is trimmed to the shorter one. Whether or not a block of samples is selected, the difference is evaluated for an entire soundfile. [Top]

  79. What is "Subtract"? What does it do and how does it work?

    This option can be used to compare (by subtracting) the contents of the destination soundfile with the contents of the source soundfile (if either the source or the destination soundfile is not specified an error message is generated). If the compared soundfiles do not have the same length, the output file is trimmed to the shorter one. Whether or not a block of samples is selected, the difference is evaluated for an entire soundfile. [Top]

  80. What is "Mix"? What does it do and how does it work?

    Mixing is used when you what to combine two files together. You get the effect of two sources of music playing simultaneously.

    To Mix two files together:

    1. Open a file and designate it as the source file.
    2. Open the second file and designate it as the destination file.
    3. Open the toolbox and click on the Mix function.
    4. You can adjust the volume settings for the two files and audition the mix before you process.
    5. Click Process when you are satisfied with your results. [Top]

  81. What is "Mono/Stereo"? What does it do and how does it work?

    Split: This is used to separate, or 'Split' the channels of a stereo recording into two mono sound files, containing the left and right channels of the original file. This is especially useful when you want to work with only one channel of a stereo recording.

    Unite: This is used to combine, or 'Unite', two mono files in to one stereo file. The resulting file contains the information of the mono files in the left and right channels (one mono file goes to the left channel and the other file goes to the right channel to form a stereo file).

    Convert to Mono: This allows you to convert a stereo sound file into a mono sound file by mixing the left and the right channels.

    Convert to Stereo: This allows you to convert a mono sound file to a mono sound file by mixing the left and the right channels.

    Convert to Stereo: This allows you to convert a mono sound file to a stereo sound file by duplicating the mono track. [Top]

  82. What are the smart editing tools? What do they do and how do they work?

    Muting and cutting are perhaps the simplest means of eradicating short-lived audio artifacts. Both techniques are extremely simple - after selecting a block of samples that contains a disturbance, one may attempt to either mute, or remove, the unwanted part of the signal. If the selected fragment is sufficiently short, and if block boundaries are chosen appropriately, chances are the disturbance will be removed - the effect owed to the inertia of our auditory system and high redundancy of audio signals. The success of the local muting/cutting techniques depends critically on a careful selection of block boundaries. Local muting may introduce discontinuities at both block edges usually heard as clicks. Cutting may also introduce discontinuities (if signal values at both block edges don't match). Additionally, it may disturb the periodic structure of the processed signals leading to audible distortions of another kind. Basically, local muting and cutting are trial and error techniques - sometimes many attempts ought to be made before an entirely satisfactory solution to the problem at hand is found. The smart editing tools make the search faster - by performing it in an intelligent way, and the results easier to evaluate - by using the previewing option.

    Finally, Smart mute, Smart cut and Crossfade cut are useful tools for localizing short-lived disturbances difficult to spot by other means. If after muting/cutting a specific fragment of the signal the disturbance is not audible it must be contained inside the selected block.

    Smart mute: If problems with signal discontinuity can be handled properly local muting may be a fast and efficient way of eradicating disturbances. The simplest way of avoiding clicks due to local muting is by positioning both block edges at signal zero-crossings. Smart mute is a tool that automatically searches for signal zero-crossings and adjusts the left/right boundaries of a selected block accordingly. If, despite adjusting the block edges the results are not satisfactory you can enforce smooth signal transitions at both sides of the block by local fading.

    To use Smart mute, proceed as follows:

    1. Select a block containing this part of a signal you would like to mute. Do not worry about the positions of block edges at this stage - you can mark blocks on condensed signal plots if needed.
    2. Evoke the Smart mute dialog by choosing the Smart mute command from the Toolbox menu.
    3. Adjust the left (left arrow) and/or right (right arrow) block edges by moving them to the nearest zero crossings situated to the left or right of the current position (the search is limited to 500 ms on the left and right side of each block edge). Apply local fading if necessary by selecting a non-zero fade time.
    4. Press the Preview button to evaluate the results. The audio file remains unmodified at this stage of processing - the actual signal samples are replaced with zeros during the playback only (virtual muting). Use the Preferences dialog available from the Options menu to change the local audition time, if necessary.
    5. If the results are satisfactory press the Process button; otherwise, return to Step 3 above and try to differently position block edges. Please note that for long recordings cutting may be a very time consuming operation as it involves rewriting the entire audio file.

    Local muting of stereo signals can be a bit tricky. Due to the offset differences between stereo channels it is usually impossible to find 'double' zero-crossings, i.e., the points at which both signals change their signs simultaneously. For this reason if a disturbance is present in both audio tracks try to mute it in each channel separately (use the Left and Right radio buttons to switch between stereo channels). If you select both channels at once by clicking the Both radio button, the Adjust block function will be disabled, i.e., you will be able to use the local fading only.

    At any time you can reduce the size of the Smart mute dialog by pressing the MINIMIZE button situated in its upper right corner. The reduced size dialog contains the search forward/backward, preview and close buttons only. Use the MAXIMIZE button to switch back to the full size dialog.

    NOTICE: You can leave the Smart mute dialog without closing it to activate another soundfile (by clicking on it), select an entirely new block or move the boundaries of an existing block (by dragging them to a new position).

    Smart cut: Local cutting of an unwanted audio material may be an efficient tool for elimination of disturbances. If the removed fragment is sufficiently short and the signal on its right hand side is a "natural continuation" of the one observed on its left hand side our auditory system can be easily fooled - the disturbance is lost without a trace.

    Smart cut is a tool that is capable of localizing such "natural continuations", saving a lot of time and effort. Select the crossfade time, to enforce smooth transition of one signal into another.

    To use Smart cut, proceed as follows:

    1. Select a block containing the part of a signal you would like to eliminate. If a signal has strong periodic components, try to make the block width commensurate (equal) with the signal period or its multiplicity.
    2. Evoke the Smart cut dialog by choosing the Smart cut command from the Toolbox menu.
    3. Adjust the left and/or right block edges position (the search is limited to 500 ms on the left and right side of each block edge). When you decide to move the right block boundary to the left (left arrow) or right (right arrow) of its current position the signal just preceding the left block boundary will serve as a reference and vice versa. Use the Accuracy setting to increase or decrease accuracy of the fit.
    4. Press the Preview button to evaluate the results. The audio file will remain unmodified at this stage of processing - the selected signal samples are simply skipped during the playback (virtual cutting). Use the Preferences dialog available from the Options menu to change the local audition time, if necessary.
    5. If the results are satisfactory press the Process button; otherwise, return to Step 3 above and try to differently position block edges. Please note that for long recordings cutting may be a very time consuming operation as it involves rewriting the entire audio file.

    At any time you can reduce the size of the Smart cut dialog by pressing the MINIMIZE button situated in its upper right corner. The reduced size dialog contains the search forward/backward, preview and close buttons only. Use the MAXIMIZE button to switch back to the full size dialog.

    NOTICE: You can leave the Smart cut dialog without closing it to select an entirely new block or adjust the boundaries of an existing block.

    Crossfade cut: To avoid signal discontinuity at the joining edge, the signals observed at both sides of the removed fragment can be crossfaded into each other.

    To use Crossfade cut, proceed as follows:

    Select a block containing this part of a signal you would like to eliminate. If a signal has strong periodic components try to make the block width commensurate with the signal period or its multiplicity.

    1. Evoke the Crossfade cut dialog by choosing the Crossfade cut command from the Toolbox menu.
    2. Select the crossfade time so as to enforce smooth transition of the signal on the left side of the block into the signal on the right side of the block.
    3. Press the Preview button to evaluate the results. The audio file will remain unmodified at this stage of processing - the selected signal samples are simply skipped during the playback (virtual cutting). Use the Preferences dialog available from the Options menu to change the local audition time, if necessary.
    4. If the results are satisfactory press the Process button, otherwise return to Step 3 above and try to differently position block edges. Please note that for long recordings cutting may be a very time consuming operation as it involves rewriting the entire audio file.

    At any time you can reduce the size of the Crossfade cut dialog by pressing the MINIMIZE button situated in its upper right corner. The reduced size dialog contains the search forward/backward, preview and close buttons only. Use the MAXIMIZE button to switch back to the full size dialog. [Top]

  83. What is "Equalize"? What does it do and how does it work?

    1. Select the source file that you want to equalize.
    2. Open the Toolbox menu and select Equalize.
    3. Use the Preview processing function by clicking the Play Result button and making the necessary adjustments.
    4. When you are satisfied with the equalization you can click the Process button. [Top]

  84. What are the "Filters"? What do they do and how do they work?

    Lowpass filter: Used to remove high frequency components of the signal, starting from a desired cutoff frequency.

    Highpass filter: Used to remove all low frequency components of the signal, up to a desired cutoff frequency.

    Bandstop filter: Used to remove from the analyzed signal the middle, or "mid", frequency components. These are the frequencies between the high and low cutoff frequencies. This is basically the reverse of the Bandpass filter.

    Bandpass filter: Used to remove from the analyzed signal both the low frequency components and the high frequency components. In other words, it only allows frequencies between the lower and higher cutoff frequency values to pass. So, if you set the low at 200Hz and the high at 3500Hz, you would ONLY have the portions between those values left over after processing. This is basically the reverse of the Bandstop filter.

    Notch filter: Designed to remove the components contained in a very narrow frequency band centered at a given notch frequency. It is very useful in removing narrow band interference due to the power supply or electrical coupling.

    How to use these filters:

    Depending on what type of frequency you want to suppress, you will use one of these filters.

    1. Open up the sound file that you want to work with.
    2. Select the appropriate filter.
    3. Make the appropriate adjustments to the settings and audition the settings using real time processing.
    4. When satisfied with the settings, click on the "Process" button. [Top]

  85. What are the "Sample Rate" tools? What do they do and how do they work?

    Resample: Used when you want to change the sampling rate of a sound file. For example, you might have a file that is in 22kHz and you may want to change it to 44kHz. You can use the resample tool to do this. Since all CD players "read" audio signals with a 44.1kHz speed you have to convert all audio files to this standard rate prior to putting it on a CD. The other standard output rates are, among others, 48kHz (the rate used in a DAT equipment) and 32kHz (the radio frequency). The procedure for sample rate conversion implemented in DART Pro has two important features:

    • It provides truly professional resampling quality and, at the same time, is extremely fast (we bet you will not find a faster one elsewhere).
    • It is not constrained to standard sampling rates, i.e., it can be used to convert any input rate to any output rate

    When the output/input resampling ratio r is greater than one (upsampling) the output audio file is r times longer than the input one. If r is smaller than one (downsampling) the output file is r times shorter than the input file. For obvious reasons downsampling is faster than upsampling (think of the number of input/output operations in each case). When downsampling is performed the bandwidth of the signal is reduced accordingly, that is, some high-frequency signal components are removed. This means that downsampling an audio signal r times and then upsampling it r times will not restore the original recording (downsampling is not a reversible operation). Since bandwidth reduction may result in audible sound distortions you should use this tool with caution.

    NOTICE: The bandwidth of many old recordings is limited to 10kHz which means they can be "safely" sampled at the rate of 22kHz. In cases like this consider recording and restoring the audio signal at a lower rate of 22kHz prior to upsampling it to a CD rate of 44kHz. There are at least two advantages of doing this:

    1. DeClicking is usually more effective at low sampling rates - at high rates clicks are less sharp and hence more difficult to detect and isolate. The same, to some extent, concerns denoising - since noise dominates the high-frequency portion of the signal spectrum, fast sampling decreases the overall signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio, which makes the restoration task more difficult.
    2. Since resampling is less time consuming than declicking or denoising (dehissing) the "restore at lower rate and "upsample" scheme works considerably faster than the "restore at higher rate" scheme.

    Time synchronization: Comparing the resampled audio signal with its original version is a bit tricky - since both files differ in length the 'ordinary' synchronization, which does not take into account the sampling rates of displayed files, will fail to locate fragments of the recordings with identical contents. To help you compare several variants of the recording with different sampling rates a special time synchronization feature was added to the Options dialog available from the Setup menu. When the Time sync box is checked and synchronization is switched on the cursors in all displayed windows are automatically time-aligned. This means that if the Play local command is used the same portion of the audio material will be played back irrespective of the corresponding sampling rates. Similarly, when a block of samples is selected in an active window the appropriately scaled (contracted or extended) blocks will be marked in the remaining windows.

    NOTICE: When time synchronization is on and the compared files have different sampling rates, the time-aligned cursors have different relative positions within each window (unless placed exactly in the center of an active window). To put them exactly one over another, i.e., along the same vertical line, press the TAB key.
    Change speed: Use this option to change the speed at which a soundfile is played back. Since the system just modifies the file header (all signal samples remain unchanged), speed adjustments can quickly be made.

    Many sound cards allow you to precisely tune the sampling frequency over a wide range of speeds - even though the recording rate is usually limited to a certain number of standard frequencies. Should the card be unable to support a declared playing speed the system will issue an appropriate message each time you attempt to play the corresponding audio file.

    Speed adjustments can serve different purposes. Since speeding up an audio file raises the pitch and slowing it down lowers the pitch you can make someone sound like Donald Duck or you can make your poodle sound like a bulldog. But seriously ... speed adjustment is a very useful tool should you have to deal with audio material recorded or played back at nonstandard rates (check also Adjust RPM rate).

    Adjust RPM rate: Whenever possible old records should be played back using an original equipment, namely a phonograph working with an appropriate speed, usually expressed in terms of the RPM (revolutions per minute) rate. The most frequently encountered rates include 33.33 RPM (modern LP's), 45 RPM (singles) and 78.26 RPM (most older laterals produced up to mid fifties). Occasionally you may come across records that require less typical speeds such as 78.8 RPM (Edison Laterals), 80 RPM (Edison Diamond Disks), 125 RPM (Brown Wax Cylinders) and several other unusual rates.

    Since the original equipment may be very difficult to find you may be forced to use another phonograph with a different turntable speed than required. DART Pro 98 offers you a special tool for automatic correction of audio data collected under such nonstandard conditions. Suppose, for example, that you want to restore recordings from an old 78-RPM vinyl record but you don't have a phonograph capable of playing it back with the appropriate speed. Here's what you can do if you have at your disposal a 33.33 RPM phonograph which was in common use prior to the invasion of CD players (check out your attic!):

    1. Play the record back with a speed of 33.33 RPM and sample it at a standard rate of 22050 Hz.
    2. Use the Adjust RPM rate utility to correct the speed and the sampling rate of the recording obtained at step 1.

    If your computer is sufficiently fast, you don't have to store the preliminary results of step 1 on your hard disk. If you use the Adjust RPM rate utility in the real-time mode (after choosing the Real-time command from the Restore menu) DartPro 98 will make all due adjustments 'on the fly', i.e., the program will operate directly on the samples collected at the input of your audio card.

    The Adjust RPM rate dialog is easy to use. All you have to do is give details (RPM rate) of the recording technique you used to obtain the nonstandard audio data and specify the appropriate sampling parameters (RPM rate, sampling frequency) you would have used had the original equipment been available. Then press the Process button.

    NOTICE 1: The choice of an appropriate stylus is another important decision that affects the record transfer. The trial and error method is perhaps the best one to advice. Elliptical styli usually yield satisfactory results, e.g. you may try a 0.7 mil elliptical stylus to transfer modern LP's and a 3.0 mil truncated elliptical stylus to transfer 78 RPM laterals.

    NOTICE 2: Playing back a record at a lower speed than required is sometimes a good way of avoiding skipping due to the groove tracking problems. The Adjust RPM rate utility will allow you to easily correct all nonstandard recordings obtained in this way.

    Trim length: Trim length allows you to speed up audio data of a single song or an entire compilation without audibly changing the sound of the music (changing the speed by more than 5% may damage the quality of an audio file). This is used when you have a number of songs that you want to write to CD, but you pass the limit by a minute or so. Trim length will speed up the audio just enough so that you can fit all of the songs on the CD that you want without audibly distorting the sound files.

    Suppose there are exactly 3 minutes left on your recordable CD and the recording you would like to include is 3 minutes and 5 seconds long ... The easiest way to cope with such a situation is to 'shorten' the material while keeping the original sampling rate unchanged. Of course, all length alterations affect the pitch of the audio signal. However, if the changes are not significant, e.g., if the new length does not differ by more than +/- 5% from the old one, pitch variations remain practically unnoticeable.

    The Trim length dialog allows you to freely adjust the length of the recording by means of specifying the new length expressed in time units, bytes or as a percentage rate. If the attempted changes are not cosmetic, i.e., they exceed the +/- 5% safety margin, the red 'safety alert' light is turned on to warn you of possible hazards.

    CD Format: CD Format converts the selected "source" file into 44kHz and 16 bit. The source file's original sample rate or bit depth are not taken into account, as this function converts whatever it is given to the standard CD audio format which allows the new to be written on to CD. [Top]

  86. How and when do I use the Find Pattern Function??

    Find Pattern is a great tool to use when trying to detect noise disturbances throughout a file. Noises like thumps, clicks, pops, and scratches are commonly identical in their waveform and repetitive throughout the audio file. Find pattern can be used to locate these disturbances so superior restoration can be achieved.

    To use the Find Pattern function:

    • Select a block of audio, at least 50 samples and no more than 500 samples that you want to locate throughout the audio file.
    • Click on the Toolbox menu and click on Find Pattern.
    • When the find pattern dialogue box opens, click on the Get button to load the pattern in to memory.
    • Adjust the accuracy factors according to how discriminating you want the find pattern function to be when looking for identical bits.
    • Use the arrows to search for the next available identical audio bit in the sound file.

    NOTE: You can work with the audio file while the find pattern dialogue box is still open. Minimize the dialogue box when you need to work with the audio file. [Top]

  87. How and when do I use Spectrum or Spectral View?

    WARNING! The following sections on spectral information can get quite detailed and scientific. So, if you're not sure that you need to use this capability, or if none of this makes sense, you're probably in the wrong place. This is not for an area for beginners! These tools can be very useful, but can also be difficult to learn and use if you're new to audio or measurement tools and techniques.

    General Spectrum information:

    Spectral graphs of the audio information can be viewed in two different ways: using a full size spectral analysis dialog (with a 512-point graphic display) or using a reduced size dialog (with a 128-point display).

    The extended, full size dialog allows the following choices for spectral estimation:

    • FFT (fast Fourier transform) or AR (autoregressive)
    • Selection of the scale (linear or logarithmic)
    • The mode of display (automatic normalization or automatic updating).

    The full size window also allows for precise reading of the plots (the value of the spectral density function for a particular frequency). The reduced size dialog can be used for fast spectrum previewing.

    You can switch between the two dialogs at any time by pressing the MINIMIZE/MAXIMIZE button, situated in the upper right corner of each window. Whenever you select the Spectrum command (available from the Toolbox menu) or press the SPECTRUM button (situated on the toolbar) a spectral analysis dialog will be shown. The last-used spectral form, or type, will be shown automatically (i.e., if you close the reduced size dialog and press the SPECTRUM button the small dialog will appear again).

    The material for spectral analysis is always taken from an active soundfile. If the Auto switch is on (i.e., the analyzer works in the automatic update mode), the processed fragment is centered around the current cursor position and spectral graphs are redrawn each time you change position of the cursor within an active soundfile or switch between different soundfiles. If your computer is fast enough, you can even watch the spectrum changing while the soundfile is played back (for slower machines problems with skipping may occur).

    When a block of samples is marked in an active soundfile, and the Auto box is unchecked (and only in this case), DartPro 98 will display an average spectrum of a selected portion of the audio material each time you press the Update button. Finally, when you press the SPECTRAL VIEW button (situated between the Update button and the Close button), DartPro 98 will display a spectral panorama of the signal centered on the current cursor position. A spectral panorama, often called an evolutionary spectrum (as it shows how the signal spectrum evolves in time), is a sequence of spectral graphs corresponding to different time instants.

    Spectral Estimation:

    Spectral frequency analysis techniques can be broadly classified into 2 'flavors':

    • Non-parametric: Fourier analysis based methods (periodogram approach)
    • Parametric: model based methods (autoregressive approach)

    DartPro 98 offers users both methods of frequency analysis.

    Non-parametric estimates - the periodogram approach:

    The basis for this method is the Fourier transform of the analyzed sequence - the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm is used for the purpose of transform evaluation. The Periodogram approach can yield very 'bumpy' spectral plots, especially if the analyzed signal is noise-like. On the other hand, this approach guarantees high spectral resolution and the ability to distinguish between the closely spaced frequency components.

    By default, the spectral analysis is performed on a block of 1024 samples centered at the current cursor position. You can change the size of the analysis frame by picking another value from the Frame list placed inside the FFT group.

    In order to improve consistency of spectral estimates, it is recommended that the Fourier transforms be weighted prior to periodogram evaluation - the Goodman-Enochson-Otnes (GEO) window is used for this purpose. If the Windowing box is not checked, the results of spectral analysis may be overly sensitive to the position and size of the analysis frame. Without windowing, they may also be inconsistent with the results of parametric analysis, especially in the region of high frequencies.

    Parametric estimates - the autoregressive approach:

    Parametric spectral evaluation techniques are model based. This means the parameters of the mathematical model of the analyzed time series are the basis for spectrum estimation. DartPro 98 adopts the so-called autoregressive (AR) model for this purpose. The Burg lattice algorithm is used for estimation of autoregressive coefficients.

    The parametric approach yields spectral graphs that are smooth and, therefore, easy to interpret. Since the number of resonant peaks this method is capable of distinguishing depends on the number of model coefficients (at least 2k parameters are needed to match spectrum with k peaks), it is important to make the right choice of the order of the adopted AR model.

    • Low order models may yield spectral plots that do not reflect all details of the true spectrum.
    • On the other hand, if the order of the AR model is too high, the corresponding graphs will tend to show spurious peaks.

    To choose the preferred order of autoregression:

    • Select from the available Order values (4, 8, 12, 16 or 20) from the list in the AR section. "12" should be fine in most cases.
    • If you want DartPro 98 to make this decision for you, choose Auto from the top of the list. The applied procedure of automatic order selection is based on the Akaike's information criterion (AIC).

    Since the parametric approach gives satisfactory results even if the analyzed data segments are relatively short, the default size of the analysis frame was set to 256 - you can change it by choosing another value from the Frame list placed inside the AR section.

    Which approach is better?

    There is no clear-cut answer to this question. Each of the two approaches described above has both advantages and limitations. Due to a large number of degrees of freedom, the nonparametric estimates form pretty ragged patterns, which may be difficult to interpret. The plots obtained using the parametric approach are smooth and, therefore, easy to analyze. On the other hand, a periodogram, as with all FFT-based methods, yields "unprejudiced" spectral estimates, in the sense that the number of resonant peaks is not limited a priori. In contrast with this, the results of parametric analysis may strongly depend on the order of the adopted model.

    DartPro 98 allows you to use both methods of spectral analysis simultaneously - the plots are superimposed. Whenever you want to inspect the results of either parametric or nonparametric analysis, uncheck the corresponding boxes (FFT or AR, respectively) in the extended spectral dialog.

    In most cases, the superimposed plots stay in a good agreement. Whenever discrepancies occur remember that:

    • Only the dominant periodogram peaks correspond to spectral resonances.
    • The graphs obtained using the parametric approach tend to show too many spectral peaks if the order of autoregression is too high; if the order of the AR model is too low, some resonances might be overlooked.
    • The AR estimates have a tendency to better match spectral peaks (resonances) than spectral valleys (anti-resonances).
    • Both approaches may give different and/or dubious results if the processed signal is not locally stationary, e.g., if you analyze a fast speech transient - we recommend you use short analysis frames in all such situations.

    Spectral Graphs:

    Scale:

    The vertical scale used to display spectral graphs may be linear or logarithmic (default). In the latter case, you can set the dynamic range of display by means of adjusting the "spectral floor", i.e., the lowest amplitude level (in decibels) displayed in the graph - use the Min list situated in the Scale section for this purpose. The logarithmic scale is usually preferred to the linear one, as it is better matched to the sensitivity characteristics of our auditory system.

    NOTICE: Remember that a difference of ten decibels in the logarithmic scale is equivalent to a difference of one order of magnitude (ten times) in the linear scale.

    Readings:

    DartPro 98 can yield precise reading of the displayed spectral plots. The value(s) of the spectral density function(s) for a particular frequency (marked with a gray vertical line) is/are listed in the Info window situated in the upper right corner of the graphic display. The frequency readings are provided just below the display area, inside the Spectral graph group.

    To change the position of the frequency marker:

    • Locate the pointer anywhere inside the plot area and press the left mouse button. Clicking and dragging the mouse will allow you to sweep the available frequency range (from zero to half of the sampling frequency).
    • For fine-tuning, use the right mouse button. Pressing this button when the pointer is on the left/right hand side of the frequency marking line will move the line by one pixel to the left/right (which corresponds to decreasing/increasing the frequency coordinate by the 1/1024th of the sampling frequency)

    If convenient, you can change position of the Info window by means of dragging it and dropping at a new location. Finally, if all that you need is qualitative evaluation of spectral graphs you can remove the Info window and the frequency marker by un-checking the Info box in the Spectral graph group.

    Automatic updating:

    When the Auto box is checked all spectral plots are automatically updated each time you change position of the cursor within a soundfile, switch between different soundfiles or modify spectrum settings. This also means that spectral graphs will be continuously updated when an active soundfile is played back.

    If your computer is not fast enough, automatic updating may create some problems, e.g., skipping may occur during playback or the system may react too slowly when browsing through the soundfiles. Should anything like this happen, simply uncheck the Auto box and the plots will be redrawn only when you press the Update button. Finally, remember to uncheck the Auto box each time you want to perform spectral analysis of a segment (block) of data.

    Automatic normalization:

    Theoretically, the power spectral density function can take any positive value, i.e., it has no "natural" upper limit. For this reason only the relative normalization of spectral graphs can be performed, i.e., normalization with respect to the locally observed maximum value of the density function. When the Normalize box is checked, the highest point of all displayed graphs is assigned the value 100% (for a linear scale) or 0 dB (for a logarithmic scale); the values corresponding to the remaining points are then adjusted proportionally.

    If you wish to compare two (or more) spectral graphs, automatic normalization is NOT the best idea. In all such instances, uncheck the Normalize box while viewing a particular spectral graph - this graph will be further regarded as a 'reference' one. From this point on, all spectral plots will be scaled with respect to the reference plot - until you check the Normalize button again. Please remember that if normalization is switched off, some graph points may fall out of the viewing range.

    Left/right channel selection:

    If both channels of an active stereo soundfile are displayed, the corresponding spectral graphs are superimposed. In order to view plots for the left or right channel, move to the toolbar and switch the LEFT/RIGHT buttons appropriately. [Top]

  88. How and when do I use Unpack?

    Use the 'Unpack' process to break longer recordings into smaller pieces.

    1. Select the recorded file that you want to Unpack.
    2. Go to the Toolbox menu and click on "Unpack."
    3. You will then see a dialog window containing the following controls:

      • Minimum Separation time (in seconds): You have to set this according to the smallest amount of silence between your songs. It gives the program a base to begin looking for silences beyond what you specified.
      • Detection Threshold: The selection (anything between 1 and 1000) should be made in accordance with the recording level and intensity of background noise. If the threshold is too low detector may fail to localize silences between subsequent tracks; if it is too high silent parts of the recording may be mistakenly classified as breaks.
      • The "Find" button: In case there is a piece of silence at the beginning of the recording, even if it is fairly short, you can press the "Find" button situated next to the detection threshold box and the value of the threshold will be adjusted automatically.

    4. After making the necessary selections, you are ready to Unpack. Click the Process button.
    5. You should now see the Verify Cuts dialogue Box with the following items:
      • Total number of cuts proposed: This is the total number of cuts that the program suggests. NOTE: You may have some tracks that you don't want. After making the cuts you can just delete these. Sometimes it is better to accept all of the cuts (unless they are in the middle of a song) and just delete the files that you don't want in your playlist.
      • Cut No.: When you select the Cut number, you can listen to the cut by clicking Play. If you decide you do not want that cut, click Reject.
      • Change: This allows you to change the file name prefix of the tracks you are separating.
      • Playing Time (seconds): This is the length of time (seconds) in between each song.
      • Process: Click Process when you are satisfied with your cuts and selections, and the program will begin to unpack your songs.
      • Cancel: Click Cancel if you are unsatisfied with your cuts and the program will not do anything to your original sound file. After clicking Cancel, you can try the Unpack utility again with a higher or lower threshold, respectively.

    6. After making all of the necessary selections and you are happy with your cuts, you can click on "Process" to unpack your sound file.

    When the Unpack utility is complete, you should see all of your tracks, separated and named with the correct track number following the file name prefix. [Top]

  89. How and when do I use DirectX?

    If you have installed other audio software that can run as a DirectX plug-in, you can access that software for use in DartPro 98 by accessing this menu. The window will show a list of all available DirectX plug-ins found on the system, from any manufacturer.

    DirectX technology, designed by Microsoft for the Windows family of operating systems, allows you to create and run multimedia applications (called 'Plug-Ins') on any Windows-based PC, no matter what the hardware.

    To access DirectX Audio Plug-Ins installed on your computer:

    1. Select the wave file for processing.
    2. Choose the DirectX command from the Toolbox menu.
    3. Click the desired item on the list of available Plug-Ins.

    NOTICE: DirectX Audio Plug-Ins are based on the Microsoft's DirectX specification. Any developer can write plug-ins for DART CD-Recorder using the DirectX Software Development Kit (SDK) available from Microsoft - for more information see: http://www.microsoft.com/directx. [Top]

    Restore Menu Items:

  90. How and when do I use DeClick?

    To remove the clicks and pops from an audio file, you need to use the DeClick feature of DartPro 98.

    1. Select the source file that you want to clean up (by clicking the "S" in the upper left corner of audio file's window).
    2. Go to the "Restore" menu item and left-click on "DeClick", or simply hit "F2" on your keyboard.

      Within the DeClick dialog window, you can use the following options to control the filter:

      • Smoothing: This filter is used to smooth/reconstruct the signal in the first stage of the noise canceling procedure. Selecting greater values of the smoothing factor may result in a sound that is relatively clean, but muffled and dull. Un-checking the smoothing box will turn off smoothing. We recommend that you keep the smoothing at its default values until you are more familiar with how it works.
      • Postfiltering: Postfiltering is effective in reducing tape hiss and surface noise. It can provide considerable rates of noise suppression on silent parts in the recording, and still retain sharpness and freshness of the original sound in its louder parts where the noise is less audible. Un-checking the Postfiltering box will turn off Postfiltering. We recommend that you keep Postfiltering at its default values until you are familiar with how it works.
      • Outlier Detector: The outlier detector is a device used to localize impulsive disturbances throughout your sound file. Setting the detector at low values could cause the file to sound like there more clicks than before or make the music sound like it is clipping, because too low of a detection threshold would set off too many false alarms. On the other hand, when relatively large values of detection threshold are adopted, the detector may become to "tolerant" and fail to isolate small noise pulses. Un-checking the detection threshold will turn of the device. However, if smoothing and Postfiltering are unchecked as well then the resulting file will be identical to the original one.
      • Maximum Length of Detection Alarms: The maximum length of detection alarms, which can be chosen in the range <1,100>, determines the maximum number of samples in a row that can be scheduled for reconstruction in the automatic detection mode. We recommend you use the default value of 50.

    3. You may want to change the name of your new file, and you can do this by clicking on the "Change" button. When the dialogue box pops up, enter the name you want to use, and click Save.
    4. You are now ready to DeClick. Click on the Process button.
    5. After the processing is complete, your file will be created with the resulting changes.

    You can now play the new file to make sure it is to your liking. [Top]

  91. How and when do I use ReTouch?

    NOTE: Please read the manual sections on Editing signals in binary windows and on perfecting the renovated sound signals in order to get more information about the means, and purposes, of bit editing.

    "To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer."

    DartPro 98, along with any automatic restoration system, is not error-proof, especially if the processed audio material is 'difficult' (large number of clicks and scratches, low signal to noise ratio).

    All decisions made by the outlier detector are stored in a detection file "filename.det" associated with the renovated soundfile "filename.wav". Detection files are automatically loaded on the screen upon completion of the restoration and are available for inspection. More importantly, as a user, you have the power to overrule verdicts of the detector, i.e., you can force the system to accept some fragments of the material 'as is', as well as to replace some other ones.

    For mono recordings, detection alarms are shown in the upper part of the detection file, labeled 1 - all set bits mark samples which were classified as outliers and scheduled for reconstruction. The lower part, labeled 2, is reserved for large-scale interventions. For stereo recordings, four binary signals are displayed - the first two referring to the left channel and the remaining two associated with the right channel.

    If you want to correct the renovated soundfile in a fast and efficient way, try the following steps:

    1. Using a combination of Play all, Play window and Play local, identify and mark as precisely as possible, the 'trouble area'.
    2. By means of visual inspection, try to localize those fragments of the renovated signal, which might be the source of audible distortions.
    3. After spotting those fragments of the signal which were mishandled by the system, make the necessary changes in the binary detection file and choose the ReTouch command from the Restore menu. Alternatively, change the detection threshold and perform local run (DeClick window or block) of the restoration program.
    4. If you are satisfied with the results, move on to another 'trouble area'.

    If you want to DeClick the signal in the 'manual mode', i.e. without running DeClick prior to using ReTouch, proceed as follows:

    1. Choose the Duplicate command from the Restore menu (DartPro 98 will create a destination soundfile identical with the source soundfile and an empty detection file).
    2. Mark fragments scheduled for replacement in the detection file and run ReTouch. [Top]

  92. How and when do I use DeHiss?

    To remove the tape hiss or other high frequency hiss from an audio file, you need to use the DeHiss feature of DartPro 98.

    1. Select the source file that you want to clean up (by clicking the "S" in the upper left corner of audio file's window).
    2. Go to the "Restore" menu item and then left-click on "DeHiss", or simply hit "F4" on your keyboard.

    Within the DeHiss dialog window, you can use the following options to control the filter:

    • Gain: The gain value determines the amount of noise the program will attempt to reject from an audio file. This is the most important "knob" you have when using DeHiss (you can pick one of the five standard gain values from the gain list; for fine tuning use the slider). The best results are obtained, of course, if the assumed noise intensity matches the true one. If you set the noise intensity at a too low level the renovated signal will contain an audible residual noise; if the level is too high the sound may become dull, muted and/or distorted. Be aware that since the gain is expressed in logarithmic units, even small changes in its value may cause significant changes in the renovation results.
    • Smoothing range: A special spectral smoothing technique is used to reduce the residual noise. If the degree of smoothing is too low the renovated signal will sound rough and/or mechanical. In extreme cases it will be corrupted by a specific disturbance called "musical noise" - a random combination of different tones as if someone was casually striking different piano keys. If the smoothing range is too large the restored signal may sound hollow and lifeless.
    • Frequency carving: Lowpass filtering is perhaps the simplest way of reducing broadband noise. Even though DeHiss suppress the high frequency components of the processed sound you will usually get improved results if some extra attenuation is forced in the range of high frequencies. The degree of high frequency attenuation should be chosen in accordance with signal characteristics, e.g., to preserve rich sound of some musical instruments (a church organ, for example) you have to use this tool with caution. On the other hand, without frequency carving the renovated signal may sound mechanical and/or the residual noise may be too emphasized.

    Your choice for the frequency carving value will depend on two things:

    1. Sampling frequency: You can safely use large and very large rates for 44.1KHz recordings, but in most cases you should pick small or normal rates for the 22.05KHz files.
    2. Noise level: Large rates are advisable for very noisy audio files.
      • Frame size: In the course of processing, the signal is divided into the partially overlapping analysis frames. Longer frames yield more uniform renovation results - use them when the signal to noise ratio is small. For high and moderately high signal to noise ratios try shorter frames as short frames will help you preserve freshness and liveliness of the original sound. Use shorter frames to process speech signals and longer ones to deal with songs and instrumental music.
      • Overlay: You can use this parameter to control the degree of frame overlapping. By decreasing overlays you can speed up the renovation algorithm - at the price of a slight deterioration (if any) of the restoration quality. Since short overlays may occasionally produce buzz-like artifacts we recommend you use the longer ones for high quality restoration.

      General DeHiss guidelines: The following two guidelines, summarizing the detailed discussion carried out above, should help you use the DeHiss interface in a rational way.

      • In order to achieve greater noise reduction, try to increase the noise reduction gain/weight (first choice) and/or to increase the remaining processing parameters.
      • In order to make the restored signal sound more natural, fresh and lively try to decrease the noise reduction gain (first choice) and/or to decrease the remaining processing parameters (except overlay).
      • Instead of trying to tune DeHiss using the whole recording (which may be very time consuming for large soundfiles), you may consider ePrint command (available from the Restore menu) or pressing the Select button situated at the top of the DeNoise dialog.
      • Press the Take button placed inside the NoisePrint Manager dialog. After evaluating the noise characteristics, DartPro 98 will create a temporary noiseprint ID file. The noiseprint curve will be displayed at the top of the Test DeNoise dialog, shown beneath the NoisePrint Manager dialog.

    Managing Noiseprints:

    Using the NoisePrint Manager dialog you can add a newly created noiseprint (Anonymous) to the DartPro 98 archive of noiseprints (Add), remove it from an archive (Remove) or assign it a new nickname (Rename). If the noise sample is at least half a second long DartPro 98 saves its fragment and allows one to listen to it each time the corresponding noiseprint is retrieved from the archive (use the Audition button for this purpose).

    To transfer noiseprints from one computer to another, use the Export and Import buttons.

    The procedure for noiseprint extraction is extremely efficient and works satisfactorily for even very short reference noise samples. For this reason you will not observe a dramatic improvement of the restoration quality when the size of the noise snapshot is increased. Obviously, however, the noiseprinting procedure is more reliable with longer noise samples.

    NOTICE 1: DartPro 98 will not allow you to use a noiseprint, which doesn't match the processed audio file in terms of the sampling rate or sampling resolution. However, it will accept using a mono noiseprint when processing a stereo soundfile and vice versa.

    NOTICE 2: Information about all noiseprints (any number of noiseprints can be collected) is stored in the configuration file "dartwin.npl". The noiseprint archive can be damaged if this file is deleted or corrupted outside DartPro 98.

    Modifying a NoisePrint:

    You can use the Test DeNoise dialog to modify an existing noiseprint. To change the shape of the noiseprint curve, drag the plot nodes up or down, which is equivalent to increasing or decreasing noise attenuation in selected bands. To insert a new node, click on the plot using the left mouse button. To remove an existing node click on it using the right mouse button. After pressing the SHIFT key you will be able to drag the entire plot upwards or downwards. If you wish to extend changes to frames of all sizes press the Extend button.

    When dealing with stereo recordings you can separately modify noiseprints of the left and right channels after pressing the Left and Right buttons, respectively. If you click the Left+Right button the average: (left+right)/2 noiseprint will be displayed - in this case all changes will affect both channels simultaneously.

    After finishing the noiseprint modification press the Set button - otherwise the introduced changes will not be preserved when you close the Test DeNoise dialog. For your convenience the details of the original noiseprint proposed by the system can be restored at any time by pressing the Reset button.

    NOTICE: If there is no material for the noiseprint evaluation, try using a "typical" noiseprint curve available after pressing the Default button. [Top]

  93. How and when do I use DeNoise?

    Since DeNoise is not based on a standard noise model, you have to noiseprint an archive recording prior to choosing this option. If no reference noise snapshot for a noiseprint evaluation can be indicated, you can use a noiseprint extracted from another audio file - provided it was previously added to the DartPro 98 criminal record of notorious noiseprints...

    In order to use DeNoise, proceed as follows:

    1. Indicate the source soundfile by clicking the corresponding SOURCE button.
    2. Choose the DeNoise command from the Restore menu.
    3. Select a noiseprint that can be used in the course of signal renovation. If the NoisePrint command was used just prior to choosing DeNoise, the last taken/inspected noiseprint will appear at the top of the DeNoise dialog. To take a new noiseprint, modify spectral characteristics of an existing noiseprint or to change noiseprint to another (registered) one, press the Select button to evoke the NoisePrint Manager dialog. When done, press the DeNoise button to return to the DeNoise dialog.
    4. Adjust the five renovation parameters (weight, smoothing range, frequency carving, frame size and overlay) and select the range of processing (all, window, block).
    5. If desired, change the name of the destination soundfile (for unregistered source soundfiles only).
    6. Click the Process button to start processing.

    For additional information, read the online Help topics listed below:

    "Noiseprinting an audio file"
    "Adjusting renovation parameters"
    "Selecting the range of processing" [Top]

  94. How and when do I use DeHum?

    A typical hum, or buzz, consists of harmonically related sinusoidal signals - a number of tones with frequencies that are integer multiples of the basic frequency, called the "fundamental". AC power mains are the most common source of harmonic noise. In this particular case, the fundamental frequency is equal to 60 Hz (US) or 50 Hz (Europe). Electric appliances working in the background, switched on accidentally or intentionally (as in the case of some forensic recordings), constitute another group of typical buzz sources.

    Using DeHum and Test - DeHum

    Hum-like disturbances can be eliminated using a comb filter - a collection of notch filters to suppress the fundamental frequency along with the dominant harmonics. To tune the comb filter appropriately, use the Test DeHum dialog available from the Restore menu. The window situated in the upper part of the dialog displays local spectrum of the source signal around the cursor position and/or the spectrum of the signal obtained by comb filtering. Spectral plots can be obtained using two different methods - parametric (AR) and nonparametric (FFT). You can change the amplitude of displayed plots by adjusting the minimum spectral floor level (in dB) and resolution - by choosing the range of analyzed frequencies (maximum frequency).

    The three radio buttons in the Show group allow you to display spectrum of the source signal (Source), spectrum of the results of processing (Result) or both spectral plots at once (Both). Finally, if the input signal is stereo, you can use radio buttons combined in the Channel group to display spectrum obtained for the left channel only (Left), the right channel only (Right) or both channels at once (Both).

    In order to remove hum, you have to turn into a detective for a while. Since hum is a combination of harmonically related sinusoidal signals, it introduces a number of sharp spectral peaks, which are clearly visible on spectral plots. The black vertical lines superimposed on spectral plots mark center frequencies of the narrow-band signal components, which will be removed by the comb filter. After placing the cursor over any of these lines, you will be able to drag the entire structure to a new position. By changing the fundamental frequency (Frequency), the number of notches (Multiplicity) and their relative bandwidth (Bandwidth), you can tune the comb filter to suppress all dominant harmonic noise components. To perform fine tuning around the selected frequency (+/- 10%), press the Fit button.

    If the 'Show result' or 'Show both' option is switched on the results of filtering will be not shown until you press the Apply button - this button turns red each time the results require updating.

    The DeHum tuning procedure can be summarized as follows:

    1. Find a fragment of the recording dominated by hum, preferably containing the hum only. Place the cursor in the middle of the corresponding area.
    2. Localize the dominant harmonic noise components by visual inspection of spectral plots of the analyzed signal. The fundamental frequency usually corresponds to the highest narrow-band spectral peak. Harmonics correspond to sharp peaks localized at frequencies that are integer multiplies (x1, x2, x4, etc.) of the fundamental frequency, which results in a characteristic comb-like structure. To identify the harmonic noise components, start from the lowest spectral floor (-100dB) and the highest resolution available (i.e., the smallest value of the maximum frequency setting). If necessary, gradually raise the floor and decrease resolution until the entire comb structure of harmonic noise is revealed.
    3. Select the fundamental frequency (Frequency), the number of harmonics (Multiplicity) and their location (Odd/Even/All), to match the resonant structure of the noise. Since harmonic components scheduled for canceling are marked with black vertical lines, all you have to do is align these lines with the corresponding spectral peaks. Instead of changing the Frequency setting, you can place the cursor over any of the black notch markers and drag the entire structure to a new position. To hide notch markers "behind" the plot, click the right mouse button; to bring them forward, click the right mouse button again. When you finish tuning the harmonic reject filter 'by hand', press the Fit button to enforce fine frequency tuning. Fine-tuning is confined to a narrow frequency band (+/- 10%) around the selected fundamental frequency.

    4. Choose the relative bandwidth of filter notches. Start from the small bandwidth (5%) and gradually increase it to the point the hum is not audible. Remember that the recovered signal may deteriorate if the bandwidth is too large, so your choice must be a reasonable compromise between the degree of hum suppression and the degree of signal distortion. Prior to carrying out listening tests, you can tune the bandwidth of notch filters using visual inspection. To check spectral plots of the signal at the output of the comb filter, click the Result radio button localized in the Show group and press the Apply button. If the bandwidth is chosen appropriately, all spectral peaks corresponding to the removed components should disappear from the spectral plots. To inspect both the input and output spectra, click the Both radio button.
    5. Perform audition tests. If the results are satisfactory, press the DeHum button to evoke the DeHum dialog and start processing. Otherwise, return to Step 2 above.

      NOTICE: There are no free lunches ... On some occasions, removal of hum may result in an audible reverb (echo) effect. To minimize this effect, try to limit the number of eliminated harmonics and/or reduce the relative bandwidth of notch filters.

    Linear phase:

    When notches comprising the comb structure are very narrow (i.e., if the corresponding filters have a very small relative bandwidth), the effectiveness of dehuming is not as potent at the beginning of the recording, due to long-lasting transient effects. In cases like that, check the Linear phase box to enforce filtering in two directions. Linear phase (i.e., shape preserving filtering) is also strongly recommended when processing is restricted to a local area. [Top]

  95. How and when do I use Duplicate?

    Duplicate is simply another way of saying, "make an exact copy of this file". When running Duplicate, you'll simply be asked for a new file name and location to save the duplicate of the source file. Using this function is a good way to protect audio data that you don't want to lose. Also, if you make a duplicate of a file, you can go back to that version, should something unwanted happen down the line to your working restoration copy. [Top]

  96. How and when do I use Test?

    After selecting DeClick, DeHiss, DeNoise, DeHum or MyFilter, you are asked to set several renovation parameters and/or to choose the mode of processing. If you are a true beginner, you might simply accept the default values of all parameters provided by the system. However, we encourage you to experiment with different program settings to improve the results and get a better feeling of how the system functions.

    Instead of trying to tune DartPro 98 using the whole recording (which may be very time consuming for large soundfiles), you may consider performing several quick tests on short representative fragments of the original material. A special Test option, included in the Restore menu, can be used for this purpose.

    Case 1: off-line tuning

    If your computer is too slow to perform tuning in the on-line mode, leave the On-line box (localized in each Test dialog) unchecked. In cases like this, all experiments will be performed 'off-line' on a selected fragment of the recording.

    In order to use the test interface in the 'off-line' mode proceed as follows:

    1. Indicate the source soundfile by clicking the corresponding SOURCE button.
    2. Choose the Test - DeClick, Test - DeHiss, Test - DeNoise, or Test - MyFilter command from the Restore menu.
    3. Use the overview strip, placed at the top of the Test dialog, to choose a representative fragment of the source soundfile due to be processed. The local processing area is marked with a blue strip centered on the cursor - you can change its position (by clicking on the overview strip) and size (by adjusting the local processing time). When selecting the local processing time, remember that the excerpt should be short enough to guarantee quick processing, but at the same time long enough to make the audition test comprehensive - pieces lasting 5-15 seconds usually fulfill this requirement.
    4. Set the renovation parameters.
    5. Click the Play result button. DartPro 98 will restore a selected fragment of a soundfile and play the result.
    6. Compare the obtained results with the original recording by using the Play source and Play result buttons (as long as you don't change the renovation parameters the restored fragment will be played immediately after pressing Play result).
    7. If the results are satisfactory, close the Test dialog and use the regular restoration utility (DeClick, DeHiss, DeNoise, or MyFilter) with identical settings. If the results are not satisfactory, return to step 4 above.

    Case 2: on-line tuning

    If your computer is fast enough to carry out various renovation tasks at the input sampling rate, check the On-line box in the corresponding Test dialog. Working in the on-line mode, DartPro 98 will allow you to change and evaluate various program settings during playback.

    In order to use the test interface in the 'on-line' mode proceed as follows:

    1. Indicate the source soundfile by clicking the corresponding SOURCE button.
    2. Choose the Test - DeClick, Test - DeHiss, Test - DeNoise or Test - DeHum command from the Restore menu.
    3. Choose the processing range. You can process the entire recording starting from its beginning (entire file) or from the current position of the cursor (from cursor). If you choose block processing (block), all tests will be confined to a block of data, and if you select local processing (local) - to the local area around the cursor (you can change the width of this fragment after switching to the off-line mode). In all cases listed above, processing is performed in a loop. At any time during processing, you can change position of the cursor by clicking on the overview strip displayed at the top of the Test dialog.
    4. Click the Play result button to start restoration. Optimize renovation parameters while listening to the results. Each time you modify any of the settings the green Ready light situated next to the On-line box will go off - it will be switched on again as soon as the results obtained under the new settings are available. At any time during the test, you can press the Play source button to bypass processing and listen to the original recording.
    5. If the results are satisfactory, close the Test dialog and use the regular restoration utility (DeClick, DeHiss, DeNoise or DeHum) with identical settings.

    Some important renovation parameters (such as smoothing factor, postfiltering factor and detection threshold in DeClick, gain in DeHiss, weight in DeNoise, bandwidth in DeHum) have to be assigned as numbers. Until you gain enough experience to tune them freely and competently, which may take a while, consider using the lists of standard parameter values associated with the corresponding sliders. Each parameter is represented on the list by five possible settings: normal, small, large, very small and very large. This makes your choice easier, and since the values of the system parameters associated with different categories are also displayed in the dialog, you gradually learn how to translate your wishes into numbers.

    When tuning different renovation procedures, you have to rely on your own subjective evaluation of the results. Even though, as the Romans used to say, "De gustibus non est disputandum" ("There is no accounting for tastes"), we beg you: please, do not forget about the signal in your pursuit of removing noise. Forcing noise attenuation that is too strong may result in a signal, which is noiseless, but sounds DEAD.

    NOTICE: When modifying program settings, try not to introduce too many changes at a time; otherwise, you may have problems figuring out which parameters are responsible for specific (favorable or unfavorable) effects. [Top]

  97. How and when do I use MyFilter?

    In addition to providing you with basic restoration tools, DartPro 98 allows you to define, test and execute complex restoration tasks, such as multi-stage declicking, declicking in reverse time, declicking combined with dehissing or denoising, and many, many more.

    You can use MyFilter to "automate" a series of restoration filters that you would normally run manually one at a time. This can save you a considerable amount of time as you become more familiar with the software and the restoration process, since you can create a "canned" series of filters that are ready to use and will shorten the restoration process. You also have the flexibility to create your own custom filter sets to best suit your needs (see Filter builder listing below).

    To run a multi-component restoration filter proceed as follows:

    1. Indicate the source soundfile by clicking the corresponding SOURCE button.
    2. Open the MyFilter dialog (available after pressing the MyFilter button in the Test MyFilter or Filter builder dialog or by choosing the MyFilter command from the Restore menu).
    3. Adjust renovation coefficients of each of the component filters and select the range of processing (all, window, block).
    4. If necessary, change the name of the destination soundfile (only for unregistered source soundfiles).
    5. Click the Process button to start processing. [Top]

  98. How and when do I use Filter Builder?

    To build a complex multi-component restoration filter:

    1. Open the Filter builder dialog available from the Restore menu. The tools that can be used as building blocks are listed on the left side of the dialog.
    2. To incorporate a tool in a structure (shown in the middle of the panel), highlight the corresponding item and click on the INSERT button (situated on the right side above the tool list).
    3. Moving the cursor along the structure, select the appropriate insertion point (insertion points turn green when active) and "drop" the tool by clicking the left mouse button. When you start building a complex filter from the scratch there is only one insertion point you can use, placed before two triangles representing the input file and the output file.
    4. If, after pressing the INSERT button, you decide to change the selected tool to another one click the NORMAL button (situated on the left side above the tool list) and repeat the insertion procedure.
    5. Finally, to remove a tool from an existing structure, click on it using the right mouse button and choose the Remove command from the pop-up menu that will appear on the screen.
    6. Repeat the procedure summarized above until all building blocks you wish to incorporate in your filter are inserted.

    For your convenience, all building blocks comprising a complex structure are numbered. If you add or remove a block in the middle of the structure, the numbering may change. Each block has an activity checkbox on its right hand side. You can use it to temporarily disable selected functions - when the box remains unchecked, the corresponding item is bypassed during processing. Bypassing is very useful when it comes to testing multi-component filters as it helps one to isolate effects (whether positive or negative) introduced by a particular element of a complex structure.

    When the filter is ready, use the Info window to describe its features and the Rename button to change its name. To remove a filter that is not needed anymore, pick it from the list and click the Remove button. Several useful, ready-to-use structures are provided along with DartPro 98, namely: declicking combined with dehissing, declicking combined with denoising, two-stage declicking, reverse-time declicking, reverse-time declicking combined with dehissing and reverse-time declicking combined with denoising.

    The existing filter structures can be utilized in two different ways:

    1. You can insert the entire structure anywhere in the already built filter (at the beginning, middle or end). To do this, press the Insert MyFilter button (placed below the list of available tools) and use the Filter browser dialog that will appear on the screen to select which structure you wish to include. After closing the Filter browser dialog, choose the insertion point and drop the structure.
    2. You can use an existing structure as a starting point for building a new one. If you don't want to save the original filter, simply choose (or reuse) its name from the MyFilter list and introduce the changes. If you want to create a new filter without altering the original one, press the Save as button to save a selected structure under a new name prior to modification.

    Binary (detection) files: If the multi-component restoration filter contains at least one declicking unit, DartPro 98 will create a detection file with information about the introduced changes (detection alarms). If several 'declickers' are combined in one structure, the binary detection signals obtained at different stages of processing are "added" - the detection bit is set to 1 if the corresponding sample was scheduled for reconstruction by any of the outlier detectors. If the stereo to mono conversion is performed after declicking, the binary signals obtained for the left and right channel are also added - unless only one channel is selected. If conversion takes place in the opposite direction (mono to stereo) the corresponding binary signals are duplicated.

    NOTICE: No detection file will be created if the sample rate conversion is performed after or prior to declicking. [Top]

  99. How and when do I use Real-Time?

    When the DART project was started, 'general purpose' home computers were simply too slow to carry out various processing tasks in real-time (no delay). However, over the past several years, the situation has changed dramatically. New processors are fast enough to keep up with the flow of the input audio data even if consecutive samples arrive at a CD rate of 44KHz. This means you can monitor the results of processing at the time they are generated. You can also experiment with different program settings during playback, although there are better ways of doing this - see the section on 'on-line' testing.

    Depending on the input/output specifications, DartPro 98 can work in 4 different real-time methods:

    1. Audio/Audio:

      Input: audio device connected to the input of the sound card (tape deck, phonograph, and tuner)

      Output: audio device connected to the output of the sound card (loudspeakers, tape deck, DAT recorder, on-line CD-recorder)

      When operated in this mode, DartPro 98 does not engage the computer hard disk to store neither input nor output data, i.e., it processes samples collected at the input of the audio card on-the-fly and sends the results directly to the output. In cases like this the computer serves merely as a 'memory-less' processing unit. To save the results of processing an external recording device should be connected to the output of the audio card. The output data can be stored either in an analog (tape deck) or digital (DAT, CD-recorder) form.

    2. File/Audio:

      Input: wave file

      Output: audio device connected to the output of the sound card

      All details are identical as in the Case 1 above except that the input audio data are fed from the disk wave file. The main advantage of this operating mode is that one doesn't need to create a separate disk file to keep the results - the restored audio can be sent directly to the external recording device.

    3. Audio/File:

      Input: audio device connected to the input of the sound card

      Output: wave file

      All details are identical with those in the Case 1 above except that the output audio data are saved in the disk wave file. The advantage is one doesn't need to store the original audio data prior to its restoration.

    4. File/File:

      Input: wave file

      Output: wave file

      This variant is almost identical with classical off-line processing except that the rate of processing is synchronized with the sampling/playback rate allowing you to listen to the results while they are generated.

      NOTICE: Only "full-duplex" audio cards will allow you to listen to and/or record the results of real-time processing in Cases 1, 2 and 3 specified above. Otherwise, two audio cards are required - the first one to sample the input signal and the second one to audition the output signal.

    In order to use DartPro 98 in the real-time processing mode proceed as follows:

    1. Connect audio device(s) to the input and/or output of your audio card(s).
    2. Evoke the Real-time dialog by choosing the Real-time command from the Restore menu.
    3. Select the Processing function, the source of the input signal and the destination of the output signal.
    4. Press the Start button to initialize processing.
    5. Start the output audio device (unless the results are written to a disk file).
    6. Start the input audio device (unless the input signal is taken from a disk file.
    7. Press the Stop button when finished.

    When operated in the real-time mode, DartPro 98 will allow you to change different program settings during processing. Since some of the complex restoration functions introduce a considerable processing delay, the effects of the changes may not be heard immediately. Each time you modify any of the settings, the green READY light will go off - it will be switched on again as soon as the results obtained under the new settings are available. If your computer is too slow to perform real-time processing, the red OVERFLOW indicator will burn continuously or at least from time to time (in case you don't listen to the results). Since buffer overflow results in audible signal distortions, it should be avoided.

    NOTICE: If the values of processing parameters are chosen incorrectly (e.g. the lower cutoff frequency of a Bandpass/Bandstop filter exceeds the higher cutoff frequency) the corresponding items are displayed in red. The inappropriate settings are ignored by the system until they are defined correctly (the last correct settings are used instead). [Top]

    Options Menu Items:

    There are a number of system, audio card and color settings that can be changed according to your preferences. In order to change system or audio card settings, use the Preferences command from the Options menu. To change colors, choose the Colors command from the same menu.

  100. How should I assign my settings in the 'Preferences' menu?

    General Tab:

    Automatic strip (default: on)
    When enabled, this option causes all open windows to be arranged in horizontal strips or - for a large number of files - in two or more columns. No matter how many windows are displayed, their size is adjusted so as to cover the entire desktop. When the automatic strip option is disabled, the standard Windows strip and tile utilities are provided.

    Use CTRL to select blocks (default: off)
    When enabled, this option allows you to select blocks of samples by means of dragging the mouse only if the CTRL key is pressed. Even though you can turn this option off, we do not recommend it. If dragging alone becomes equivalent to selecting a block, you have to be very careful when clicking - even a slight (unintentional) movement of the mouse during clicking will result in selecting a new block and erasing the previous one.

    Full path names (default: off)
    Unless you work with the material distributed over different file directories, there is usually no need to show full path names of the files associated with the displayed windows. The full path names may be required to distinguish files bearing identical names stored in different directories, e.g., to differentiate between c:\music\mozart.wav and d:\recordings\mozart.wav.

    Enable turbo plotting (default: off)
    Working with large resolution factors may result in very long times needed to draw or redraw signal plots, especially if the corresponding windows are synchronized. When enabled, this option will speed up plotting at a price of reduced drawing accuracy.

    Prompt to register (default: on)
    If you register the original archive soundfile as a root soundfile, the DartPro 98 librarian, called the Soundfile Manager, will help you to organize and keep track of all renovation experiments involving that file. When the Prompt to register option is enabled, DartPro 98 will remind you of registering any unregistered soundfile prior to its restoration.

    Fast format conversion (default: on)
    Working in the fast conversion mode DartPro 98 will change the format of RAW/WAV files in a twinkle of an eye. This may be particularly important for the users of some specialized audio cards that do not support the WAV format.

    When performing the fast RAW to WAV conversion the system will simply change the extension of the selected RAW file to WAV and replace its first 44 bytes with an appropriate wave header. Similarly, if the WAV to RAW conversion is requested DartPro 98 will change the file extension to RAW and set the bytes comprising a header to zero (otherwise you would hear a loud click at the beginning of the soundfile when playing it back). The only price you have to pay for accelerating format conversion is the loss of the first 44 bytes of your original RAW data.

    Ignore bit settings in 'Find bits' (default: on)
    DartPro 98 allows you to find sequences of set bits in detection files. If the Ignore bit settings option is enabled all binary signals in an active binary window will be searched when you use the Find bits command from the Edit menu. In order to inspect selected signals only mark the bits you would like to check and turn the Ignore bit settings option off.

    Enable DART screen saver (default: on)
    If restoration of a soundfile lasts for longer than 1 minute, the DartPro 98 screen saver is automatically switched on. If convenient you can block the time switch by disabling the saver.

    AutoSave (default: off)
    If you enable this option, the system will save - by means of creating a configuration file ("autogrp.dgr") -the information about all files open at the time of quitting DartPro 98. These files will be automatically loaded when you start the system again.

    NOTICE: The file "autogrp.dgr" is a configuration file only, i.e., it does not contain information about the contents of the files comprising a group. For this reason if you delete or modify any of these files 'outside' DartPro 98 you will not be able to retrieve a group in its original form.

    Time scale in seconds (default: on)
    If you enable this option the horizontal (time) axis will be calibrated in hours, minutes and seconds; otherwise it will be scaled in terms of samples.

    Time sync (default: off)
    This option allows one to time-align cursors in audio files recorded with different sampling rates. If you enable Time sync and if synchronization is switched on, the cursors in all displayed windows will be automatically time-aligned. This means that if the Play local command is used the same portion of the audio material will be played back irrespective of the corresponding sampling rates. Similarly, when a block of samples is selected in an active window, the appropriately scaled (contracted or extended) blocks will be marked in the remaining windows.

    On-line tuning (default: on)
    Working in the on-line tuning mode, DartPro 98 will allow you to listen to the renovation results while changing various restoration settings. If your computer is too slow to perform real-time tuning switch this option off and by default all tests will be performed off-line on a selected fragment of the recording.

    Peak hold in 'Record' (default: off)
    If you enable this option, the recording level indicators corresponding to the highest level observed during a recording session will burn continuously (they can be reset by clicking anywhere on the bar graphs).

    Clipping lock in 'Record' (default: off)
    The clipping lock allows you to check whether any clipping problems occurred during recording (which is useful if you can't watch the bar graphs all the time during recording). To reset a clipping lock, click on the corresponding indicator.

    Undo buffer size (default: 40000 bytes)
    Prior to performing an editing operation, DartPro 98 saves a copy of the section of the file that will be edited in the undo buffer. If you decide to undo the last edit, the system replaces the edited section of the file with the contents of the undo buffer - provided that the size of the buffer is sufficiently large. If you accept the 'unlimited' buffer size setting, all changes introduced during the last editing operation will be reversible (provided there is enough free space on your computer).

    Since working with very large buffers may slow down editing and create some memory problems, you may limit the size of the undo buffer. In cases like that we suggest you secure long audio files by using the Create undo file command from the File menu.

    Default resolution (default: 1)
    When the DartPro 98 screen is empty and you open a new soundfile (starting a new project, for example), the signal plot is shown with a default resolution equal to 1. Whenever convenient you can define your own default resolution. If you pick View all from the list the resolution will be adjusted so as to show the entire signal plot.

    NOTICE: When synchronization is switched on, the default resolution will be applied to the first of the newly opened soundfiles only. You can overcome this limitation by switching off synchronization among the displayed windows. This may be particularly useful should you prefer to work with the View all resolution applied to all signal plots shown on the screen.

    Soundcard Tab:

    Local play time (default: 1 second)
    Each time you choose a Play local command (available from the Play local menu), a small portion of the sound material centered on the cursor is played back. By means of changing the Local play time you can adjust the length of the auditioned fragment.

    Local processing time (default: 5 seconds)
    Some utilities provided by DartPro 98, such as restoration tests, equalizer and filters, allow you to preview results prior to full-scale processing. You can use this option to change the local processing (preview) time.

    Response delay (default: 400 milliseconds)
    For an average person, it takes approximately 400 milliseconds to react to a sound stimulus. To compensate for this 'response' delay drop markers are placed in a soundfile with a 400 ms time shift. If you tend to react a bit faster, or slower, type in another value in the Response delay box.

    Buffers per second during play (default: 16)
    The number of play buffers determines the accuracy of cursor positioning during playback. Depending on the speed of your computer, you can decrease this number (which is recommended if 'skipping' occurs during playback) or increase it (to guarantee very 'smooth' cursor movements).

    Buffers per second during record (default: 8)
    The number of record buffers determines how often the record counters (used to show VU data and time recorded) are updated. Depending on the speed of your computer, you can decrease this number (which is recommended if problems with recording occur) or increase it.

    Use fake VU display (default: off)
    When enabled, this option causes DartPro 98 to check only every 128th sample for the purpose of record level/clip display. Otherwise every single sample is checked. Using fake VU display is strongly recommended if problems with recording occur, e.g., when DartPro 98 is run on a relatively slow machine.

    Play and Show (default: off)
    When the Play and show option is enabled, the plot of an audio signal shown in an active soundfile window is swept during playback (only when the Play all or Play from the cursor commands are used). To avoid skipping during playback, the time resolution factors equal to at least 100 are recommended when the Play and Show option is switched on. [Top]

  101. How should I assign my settings in the 'Hardware' menu?

    Some computers are equipped with more than one wave device. In order to check which audio device is currently used for playing back and recording and/or to select the preferred device use the Hardware info dialog available after choosing the Hardware command from the Options menu.

    Use the same dialog to check the available memory resources: the space on the hard disk you are currently working on and the total amount of memory seen by Windows (including the virtual memory).

    Sound Devices:

    Play: This menu allows you to select which soundcard output will be used to play recorded audio files during the editing process.

    Record: This menu allows you to select which soundcard input will be used to record new audio files.

    Disk:

    Current Drive: This shows the current hard disk that you're recording to or playing from.

    Space free on current drive: This shows the current free available space on your working drive.

    Temporary files location: This shows the directory path of the folder where any temporary files will be stored. Clicking on the "Change" button will allow you to set which hard drive/folder will hold any temporary files that are created.

    Memory: This shows the current available physical (and virtual) memory available to our software. Note that this number is physical AND virtual memory combined. [Top]

  102. How should I assign my settings in the 'Colors' menu?

    The Colors dialog will allow you to change color settings. To change color of a selected DartPro 98 screen element, highlight the corresponding item on the list and press an appropriate color button (the results of all changes are immediately shown on the screen). Remember that the colors of some of the screen elements (title bars, scroll bars etc.) are governed by the Windows color settings and therefore should be changed outside DartPro 98. To accept new settings, press the OK button when finished - otherwise the previous color configuration will be restored. To bring back the default DartPro 98 color settings, press the Default button.

    To save color settings as a preset press the Add button. To remove a preset or change its name, use the Remove and Rename buttons, respectively. [Top]

    Making an Audio CD from a Playlist in DartPro 98:

  103. What's a 'playlist'?

    A playlist is a description of files that will be put on to an audio CD. It can consist of as little as 1 song, or as many as 99 (up to 74 minutes worth). When creating a playlist, you're deciding what files you've recorded (and want to put on CD) will be track 1, or track 2, for example. You can also determine the 'gap time' (silent spaces) between the tracks burnt to the new CD (this is described below in "Can I adjust the gap time (silent section) between songs? If so, how?"). The actual play list is the right-most window shown in the Wave Manager add-on. [Top]

  104. How do I use CD-Recorder V3 to create a playlist?

    You need to go into the included CD-Recorder add-on (by clicking the CD button in the main DartPro 98 window). CD-Recorder V3 will start with an empty play list but you can create a new play list by clicking the "List" menu and then selecting "New". All you will have to do is add files to your new play list (the window on the right) and then use the "Write to CD" function to complete making your CD. [Top]

  105. Where do I find my files to add?

    1. To choose the files that you want in your playlist, open Wave Manager and go to the directory folder that they are located in (in the File panel's left side) and select them. To select only the files that you want, hold down the "Ctrl" key and click on the files. When you are done choosing the files you want, click on the "Add" button.
    2. If you want all of the files in the selected folder to be added to the play list, simply click "Add All."

    Repeat steps one and two until you have all of the files you need in your play list. [Top]

  106. Can I save a playlist to work on it later?

    DartPro 98's CD-Recorder V3 add-on allows you to save a play list you're working on and come back to it later. Keep in mind that if you delete any audio files that a play list references that they will not be available to burn to your CD.

    1. Go to the "List" menu.
    2. Choose the menu item called "Save" or "Save As".
    3. You will now be prompted to enter a name for the play list. Name the play list so that you will remember what it contains. Doing this will save you time and energy in the future when you have more play lists.
    4. When you have entered the new name, click Save.

    Now, the next time you need those audio files all you have to do is open up the play list that contains them. [Top]

  107. How do I adjust the order of songs on the CD?

    While working on files you've added to the playlist, you may wish to change the order of songs in your current list. You can adjust the order of tracks in a playlist by using the 'up' and 'down' arrow buttons at the upper and lower portions of the playlist window respectively. These will move the currently selected playlist item in the direction shown. When you're happy with your order, you're ready to move to the next step. [Top]

  108. Can I adjust the gap time (silent section) between songs? If so, how?

    Setting the gap time between tracks recorded to the CD is very easy with CD-Recorder. Simply double-left click on a playlist item and you'll get a dialog that gives you information about the file (sample rate, size, etc.) and the option to set the amount of silence (in seconds) that will FOLLOW the track.

    You'll also have the option to set this gap time for all tracks in a playlist. [Top]

  109. Can I add text info, such as artist, title, etc., to my CD (CD+Text)?

    Currently, DartPro 98 and CD-Recorder don't support making CDs in the CD+T (CD+Text) format. This format allows for more advanced CD players to scroll, or display, the title of the album, the artist, individual tracks, and other textual information. We are considering this for future versions and will make an announcement to our Web page and the FAQ should this change. [Top]

  110. How do I remove songs from a playlist?

    You can use the "Remove" button at the bottom of the playlist window to remove the currently selected playlist item. [Top]

  111. How do the different playback modes ('Norm', 'Loop', and 'Samp') work?

    (Norm) Normal mode: Plays all soundfiles in the playlist starting with the currently selected item. Playback stops when the end of the playlist is reached.

    (Loop) Loop mode: Plays all soundfiles in the playlist starting with the currently selected item. When the end of the playlist is reached, the first soundfile is selected and the playback is resumed.

    (Samp) Sample mode: Plays a five-second fragment of each of the soundfiles in a playlist, starting with the currently selected item. Playback stops when the end of the list is reached. [Top]

  112. How do I burn audio files from my playlist to a CD?

    1. Put a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc into your CD-R or CD-RW drive (a CD-RW will only play on a CD-RW player, like your CD-RW drive).
    2. Within Wave Manager, create your playlist (described above) by selecting all of the files that you want to write to the new CD and click "add". You can audition the files before you add them, using the controls at the bottom of the screen.
    3. You are now ready to write to CD. Click on the icon at the top of the screen that looks like a CD.
    4. You are now in the "Write to CD" dialog box. A few things you should see are:

      • CDR Device: This box should contain your CD-RW Drive. Use the pull down menu to select a different CD-R or CD-RW device, if more than one is available.
      • Recording Speed: With this list, you can select the maximum rate that your CD-R or CD-RW drive can record at or you can select the rate you would like to use during recording.
      • Simulate Disc Creation: When this box is checked and you click write, the program will perform a test and simulate a write and check for errors, but will not actually write to CD.
      • Write: Click on "Write" to begin the "Write to CD" process.
      • Cancel: Click Cancel to return to the main screen.

    5. After making all of your selections, click the "Write" button.

    After burning is complete, remove your CD and play it on any CD player or CD-ROM drive. [Top]

  113. What speed of CD burning should I select?

    The speed that you select to burn depends greatly on your burner and your level of patience (or impatience, as the case may be). We will usually recommend burning at a 1x or 2x speed only, as there is a much less possibility of write errors and other 'mishaps' that could produce audible artifacts on the finished CD. However, in the interest of time, you may be better served by simply choosing "Auto", which will attempt to burn the CD at the fastest write speed supported by your CD-R or CD-RW. When in doubt, burn at 2x. [Top]

  114. When should I delete my original recorded files from the hard drive?

    We wouldn't recommend deleting files that you've recorded and/or edited from your hard drive until after you've had a chance to burn your CD AND listen to it. Once you've verified that the burnt CD is correct and sounds good, then you'll want to free up that drive space.

    You can delete unwanted audio files by selecting them in the middle File panel window. After selecting the file, you'll want to right-click on the file and select "Delete" from the menu displayed. This will delete the selected audio track from your system. [Top]

    Troubleshooting and Problems:

  115. Why do I get the message "Unable to find known CD Recorder" when writing to a CD?
    The usual reason for this is that you don't have the latest version of the software. We periodically produce updates for the software, which will add newer CD-R and CD-RW drives to the list of devices that we support. Getting the latest version will usually solve this problem. You can find the latest version(s) of the software, which are available for free on the following Website:

    http://www.dartpro.com/support/updates.asp

    However, if your CD recorder drive is VERY new, it is unlikely to be supported with even the latest update. This is normal. It simply takes time for us to build in support for all of the newest available devices. If you have the latest update, and your drive still isn't supported, please contact our support department to report your make and model so that it can be added to the list of devices that we need to build in to the software. [Top]

  116. What is "ASPI"? Why does the program mention that there is a problem with it?

    ASPI: Advanced SCSI Programming Interface - This was a standard developed originally to allow for easier communication between an operating system, SCSI controller cards, and SCSI hard drives. Today, it is a generic protocol for 'talking to' certain devices (especially SCSI CD-R and/or CD-RW drives).

    If our software reports a problem of some kind with ASPI, you should first make sure you have the latest update of our software installed, which will fix the problem in most cases.

    If an update does NOT fix the problem, you may want to explore installing a newer, updated version of the ASPI 'layer' in your system. Links and information on this can be found on our Webpage, in the Support section, under the "Supported Devices" area. Click on the "ASPI Drivers" link to see a list of links to sites with good information on ASPI, how to get newer ASPI drivers, and any issues with a particular operating system, etc. [Top]

  117. Why do I get the message "Protection check failed" when starting the program?

    When you see this message the program is asking to 'see' the original installation CD as part of our copy protection scheme. You should simply close this box, insert the original CD and start the program again. It should only ask you to do this after you've installed the program, on the very first occasion that you start the program. [Top]

  118. When I try using "Write to CD", I get an illegal operation error. What do I do?

    Most of the time the error when clicking on "Write to CD" is caused when:

    1. The CD-Recorder/Reader options aren't set correctly in the "View/Options" menu. If the CD-Reader drive doesn't match with the CD-Reader drive LETTER, the program can get confused. For example:
      CD-Recorder: whatever you have (drive E)
      CD-Reader: whatever you have (drive F)
      CD-Reader drive letter: E - This is the line that causes the problem. This MUST be set correctly to match your CD-ROM ("Default CD Reader") or you may see this issue.
    2. The file names you are attempting to convert are too long (very long names). Try shortening them, to "song1" for example, and see if that makes a difference. A file name like "A really, really cool song I downloaded from the Internet yesterday.mp3" will cause problems.
    3. Another program is running in the background that is preventing us from communicating with the CD-R. Use "Ctrl+Alt+Del" and select "End Task" for each listed item, except for "Explorer" and "Systray". Also, if you have Adaptec's DirectCD installed, I would recommend removing it, as it has caused various problems for many of our users. [Top]

  119. When I try to convert from a MIDI file to a WAV file, I get no input. What do I do?

    You can access the Windows input volume control by doing the following (in most cases):

    1. Double-left-click on the speaker icon, which should be in your task bar (to the lower right by your system clock). This should take you to a window labeled "Volume Control", which will consist of between one and a whole bunch of music/audio "channels". However, these channels are for output control ONLY. NONE of them will have any impact on input.
    2. Next, access the input section by clicking on the "Options" menu, then selecting "Properties". You should then see a section labeled "Adjust volume for" with 3 choices. You need to select "Recording" and then make sure that all available boxes below (including "Microphone" and "Line/Line IN") are checked. After doing this, click "OK".

    3. You will now notice that the mixer is different, and may not show you as many channels as it did before, or you may see more. This is because this is the mixer section that is dedicated to adjusting input levels for your soundcard. Simply select the proper input being used, or desired (Mic, Line, etc.), and turn the volume up and down to set your input levels. In the case of MIDI conversion, you'll be looking for something close to "Stereo Out", "Stereo Mix", "Mix Out", etc. Simply "select" this channel and set its volume slider all the way up. It may take a couple of tries before you find the correct item to adjust the MIDI input level, but this window is where you need to do it.

    After doing this, you should see our software has levels running in the record window. You'll also likely be able to hear the input passing to the output.

    If this isn't the case, please also make sure that you have the correct "Play/Record" device(s) selected in the "View/Options" menu within our program. Some people have actually had their voice modem's audio port assigned as their input/output, which of course isn't going to work very well. [Top]

  120. When I'm in the "Read Track" window, and I click on "Change", the program crashes. How do I fix this problem?

    This problem has already been reported and is likely already fixed in the latest version (but wasn't as of this version of the FAQ).

    If you've seen this issue, here is a method to bypass the problem:

    If you look in the upper left hand portion of the main window, you should see a line of text that says something like "Dir:\..." This indicates the currently selected "target" folder for new track reads and recordings (from a soundcard).

    If you look down at the bottom left, and you should make sure to change the "Drive" setting to "C:", instead of E: or F:, which is likely where it is when you are getting this problem. Once you choose C, and go to the read track, you should notice that the path the file will be read to is: "C:\...\trackXX.wav", with it possibly going to a particular folder. You should go ahead with the track reading and NOT change this. It is easy enough to rename and/or change the file's location once you've read it to the system. This should take care of this problem, until we find a different way to handle this. [Top]

  121. After installing the latest update for DartPro 98, I don't have a shortcut to CD-Recorder 4 Basic in my 'Start' / 'Programs' folder. What's going on? How do I fix this?"

    The current update method that we use (as of 06/12/01) doesn't allow us to change or edit the shortcuts in the Windows "Start" menu. If you have any older version of or DartPro 98 that included CD-Recorder 3, it's shortcut will still be used. However, starting the CD-Recorder from within DartPro 98 (via the CD button) should now start CD-Recorder 4 Basic.

    It is possible to make a shortcut to the CD-Recorder 4 Basic, to place on your Desktop or in the Program's Start menu folder, using the steps below:

    Note: "Fresh" installs of version 1.1.10 or higher will not see this behavior, since CD-Recorder 3 has not been previously installed.

    The current update method that we use (as of 06/12/01) doesn't allow us to change or edit the shortcuts in the Windows "Start" menu. If you have any older version of or DartPro 98 that included CD-Recorder 3.0 Plus, it's shortcut will still be used. However, starting the CD-Recorder from within DartPro 98 (via the CD button) should now start CD-Recorder 4 Basic.

    It is possible to make a shortcut to CD-Recorder 4 Basic, to place on your Desktop or in the Program's Start menu folder, using the steps below:

    • Double-click "My Computer" / "C" / "Program Files" / "DartPro 98" / "CDRec 4 Basic".
    • Right-click on the "CDRec4.exe" and left-click "Create Shortcut" from the menu given.
    • A shortcut to CD-Recorder 4 should be created within the "CDRec 4 Basic" folder. Right-click on this shortcut and left-click on "Cut" from the menu given.
    • Close all open windows.

      At this point, you should be able to "Paste" (by right-clicking) the shortcut anywhere you want it to go.
    • If you want to put it on your Windows desktop, right-click in an empty area and left-click "Paste"
    • If you'd prefer to put it in your "Start" / "Programs" menu, you can do so by doing the following:
      • Right-click on your Windows "Start" button.
      • Left-click Open from the menu given, then double-click on "Programs" / "DartPro 98".
      • Right-click in an empty area and select Paste from the menu. You can also "Delete" the CD_Recorder 3 shortcut at this point, by right-clicking the shortcut.
    [Top]

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