Bill--
There's probably nothing to gain by inserting a mic preamp or trying
to perform fades in the field unless you enjoy manipulating small
knobs in the dark and limiting your options for some reason.
(Seriously, someone probably does! :-))
Most natural settings don't present huge dynamic ranges. When I'm
planning to record in one setting for a while, I adjust the record
level with about -15 to -25 dB "headroom" to account for louder peaks
and leave this level "fixed" unless something very unexpected crops
up. This tends to make the saturation levels of the recording(s)
very consistent and the creation of inaudible cross fades are easier
to realize. (There are several discussions about "record level"
strategies in the archives)
In Cool Edit, use the "power fade" setting for cross-fades (opposed
to linear fades) to keep the "program" volume from dropping in the
middle of the fade. If you make the edit point on the incoming
material at the very start of a percussive event like a twig snap,
you can make the cross fade duration very brief, just a few
milliseconds can be enough.
As you observe, linear (straight line) fades can sound predictable
and mechanical, especially long ones. You can usually craft a fade-in
"curve" and a fade-out "curve" with volume automation (or use an
envelope function) that seems more in sync with the internal rhythms
of the recorded material. Rob D.
At 4:30 AM +0000 6/2/08, William Ruscher Jr. wrote:
>Hi All,
>
>At times, I would like to remove a portion out of my longer
>recordings. It is more pleasing (for me anyway), to hear a fade in
>and fade out of the segment, instead of the segment crashing in and
>out if louder sounds are present in the recording. Trying to find the
>right spot to start and stop is a pain. I need to learn more on this
>important technique and how other recordists are doing it. I use Cool
>Edit that has a fade in/out feature , but it's alot like a "Hey Jude"
>long gradual fade that takes up to 1/3 of your segment, each way. I
>find it works out sometimes on some recordings, but leaves me looking
>for sounds on others that I would like to hear at the full recorded
>level. Is there something I am missing on Cool Edit, or is there
>another audio editing software program that could do a short fade
>in/out (like 3-5 seconds) ? I know that using my recording level
>volume would be the best way to fade, on the original recording, and
>I try my best to do so. The Sony MZ-NH1 is a nice little recorder,
>but the remote is so tiny and sometimes tough to control, especially
>in the dark. I've messed up a couple recordings with the manual
>recording level control on the remote going crazy wild up and down.
>That is one reason for wanting to cut out a segment! I thought about
>using my 9V preamp for just the gain level knob alone, but honestly,
>the recordings sound better without it ahead of the MZ-NH1. Like
>always, any help or suggestions are appreciated.
>
>Regards,
>
>Bill (getting more technical by the minute)
>
>
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