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Re: Sonograms for Mac

Subject: Re: Sonograms for Mac
From: "vicki powys" vickipowys
Date: Sat Jun 24, 2006 4:36 pm (PDT)
Walt,

Thanks so much for the comprehensive instructions for Soundhack.  The
software is not exactly intuitive to use is it!  By following your
instructions I did manage to make some sonograms but I have to say that,
when converted to black and white inversion in Photoshop, the sonograms
could not match anything like the greyscale resolution of Audiograph or
Amadeus.  I am thinking here of sonograms that are suitable for publication.

But fun to play with all the same, and free!

thanks again,

Vicki Powys
Australia








on 24/6/06 1:08 PM, Walter Knapp at  wrote:

> Posted by: "vicki powys"
> 
>> 
>> I am running a Mac with OS 9.1, maybe one day I will upgrade to OS X.  I
>> note with dismay that my favourite sonagram software 'Audiograph' will have
>> no furthr upgrades to enable it to run in OS X.
> 
> Both my main sources of filtering software have dropped their stuff
> entirely. So, I'm now working with software that will die with some
> upgrade or another.
> 
>> Raven Lite will only run in OS X so I haven't been able to try that one yet.
> 
> I did not find Raven very impressive.
> 
>> I have just downloaded and installed Walt's favourite freeware SoundHack,
>> but I can't for the life of me work out how to make sonagrams from it.  I
>> can navigate to the wanted sound file, but when I try Hack/ Spectral
>> Analysis, all I get is a postage-stamp sized window with no sonagram display
>> whatsoever.  How do I get to see the sonagram?
>> 
>> Any advice would be much appreciated!  Walt?  Anyone?
>> 
> 
> I'm not sure I'd call it my favorite. I do think it's got some of the
> nicest sonograms for display purposes. But only if you are willing to
> work to get them. Here's the magic incantations (I'm running the OSX
> version, so hope the OS9 is the same):
> 
> Load a soundfile into SoundHack
> Under the hack menu choose a sound process. I usually use Spectral
> Dynamics. In that set Affect Sounds Below Thresh and choose a threshold
> level that's below the sounds you want to show in the sonogram. Now up
> above set Gain/Reduction to something that will move the quieter sounds
> off the bottom of the dynamic range. Hit the process button.
> A Save As window will appear, make sure it's putting it's output file
> somewhere easy to find. You'll want to toss the file at the end unless
> you want the filtered result. (it probably won't sound good without a
> bunch of fine tuning)
> Have your fingers on command comma. Hit save and immediately hit command
> comma, which pauses the processing.
> Under the Control menu choose Show Sonogram. The input choice is the
> unfiltered version, the output is the filtered.
> Hit command comma twice in quick succession. This starts processing and
> stops it again, and puts up a sonogram window.
> Size the sonogram window to suit via the lower right hand corner.
> Hit command comma and let it process. Pause it with command comma when
> you have the sono you want and do a screen dump of the window to save
> your sonogram. If you don't pause before the processing completes, the
> sonogram will vanish and you get to do it all over again. There is a
> progress bar shown at the bottom of the screen.
> 
> The frequency scaling is always 1/2 the sample rate of your original
> file. If you want a different scale, resample to the appropriate sample
> rate before doing the sonogram. Sometimes it's ok just to use the header
> change under the hack menu.
> 
> Command period stops and dumps any filtering you are doing if you need
> to bail out.
> 
> That's the basics. It takes a bit of practice, but SoundHack can produce
> some lovely sonograms.
> 
> The Spectral Dynamics filtering is useful, particularly to remove quiet
> artifacts left by other filters. It's very touchy as to settings to get
> good sound, however.
> 
> I did write the author of SoundHack and his reply indicated that he just
> put in the sonograms to entertain during processing...
> 
> Walt
> 





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