High Resolution Audio Restoration & Enhancement Tool
for soundBlade
©2006-2017 Sonic Studio, LLC — All rights reserved
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Table of Contents
Manual DeClick II Installation & Licensing — 5
1.1.1 Interpolation Algorithms 7
1.1.1.1 The B Type General Interpolator 7
1.1.1.2 The A & C Type Pitched Interpolators 8
1.1.1.3 The D Type DeClicker 9
1.1.1.4 The E Type DeCrackler 10
1.1.2.2 Undoing — Restoring Repaired Clicks 11
The Manual DeClick toolset precisely removes impulse noise, analog or digital overloads, harmonic and intermodulation distortion, and provides a unique solution to obscenity masking. The Broadband DeNoise option is the highest fidelity single–ended noise reducer available today and can rescue both old and new recordings alike.
Production DeCrackle, used in the Sonic Studio Process app and licensed with the Manual DeClick II iLok license, is the background or faster than real time version of the Type E interpolator. The DeCrackler, both manual and background versions, provide unparalleled distortion reduction for a segment or an entire sound file.
Figure 1.1: The NoNOISE II menu
Manual DeClick II Installation & Licensing —
Manual DeClick II requires the installation of both an iLok license and Sonic Studio Options Files for it to be enabled for use in soundBlade. Running the Install ‘Sonic Studio Options.mpkg’, located in your soundBlade app folder’s Sonic Options Installer folder, installs the necessary software.
Options Installer window showing Manual DeClick as the selected option to install.
When you purchase any Sonic Studio option, you are delivered an Activation Code for each product via email. To active your licenses on your iLok, copy your Activation Code, launch your iLok License Manager app, select ‘Redeem License Code’ from the View menu, paste your code into the field proved, then follow the on-screen instructions to download your iLok license for soundBlade from their servers to your iLok. Repeat for any other purchased options
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NoNOISE II Options Notes:. 1) Options are installed on the Boot Volume at: /Library/Application Support/Sonic Studio/Sonic Options 2.0/ 2) Use the Remove NoNOISE II Options utility for removing options. |
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NOTE: Only install NoNOISE II options that you have licenses on your iLok for. Installing options that are not on your iLok will make soundBlade launch very slowly. |
This User Manual describes the functionality of the Sonic Studio’s Manual DeClick option for use in soundBlade.
The 
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symbols provide more specific information about a topic or subject.
The Manual DeClick option for soundBlade provides tools for isolating and removing individual transient impairments in a sound file. Manual DeClick assists in removing unwanted noises such as clicks, pops and thumps. It offers five different interpolation algorithms that are capable of correcting even difficult audio anomalies.
The algorithms analyze audio on either side of the anomaly and, based on this information, synthesizes replacement samples. Manual DeClicking substitutes the repaired samples for the original program material.
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Note that Manual DeClick processes generate two new files for each sound file that is repaired. These “.cd” and “.rl” files contain the samples removed during repair and a list of their locations, respectively. If you move or delete either of these files, you will not be able to restore the original samples, undoing the repair. |
With the exception of the Type E interplator, Manual DeClick is generally used on very short duration regions of 14 msec. or less. Though the algorithms are capable of credible repairs over longer durations, only experience using each algorithms will allow you to judge sensible parameters.
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LEARN: Always work on a copy of your file! Make sure to duplicate your original file in the Mac Finder. Use that copy to perform your restoration. |
1.1.1 Interpolation Algorithms
There are several interpolators that are available in soundBlade. Each is suited to a particular type of audio problem and context.
1.1.1.1 The B Type General Interpolator
The Type B interpolator is the general purpose algorithm. The majority of declicking situations can be handled by simply choosing this option.
The default Type B interpolator examines the audio on either side of the selection to determine the context for resynthesizing audio to fill the gap. For the B Type, there are two additional variations of the command that bias the context in a particular “direction,” ignoring the material before or after the impairment.
If, for example, a click occurs just after a percussive event, the default Type B interpolator would include part of the percussive event in its resynthesis, producing a unconvincing repair. The B - General R-> L option would ignore the audio to the left, using only the samples after the selection is build the repair. Conversely, the B - General L-> R option uses only samples before the selection to resynthesize a repair.
Here are three examples:
The original material
Figure 1.3: A “repair,” using the default B Type algorithm
A better “repair,” using the B - General L-> R option
Though the above examples are extreme, a 60 msec. selection to clearly show the result, they should illustrate the concept of using the left–oriented or right–oriented B Type option when needed.
1.1.1.2 The A & C Type Pitched Interpolators
The Type A and Type C interpolators are designed for pitched or periodic material, such as solo instruments or any time the fine structure of a waveform is visually repetitive. The difference between these two options is that the C Type has validation built into it for certain cases in which the interpolator may produce less than perfect results. The A Type lacks these “protections,” so its results may occasionally be unusable. In addition, both the A and C Type may fail to find an “acceptable” periodicity and will alert you to try a different algorithm. If this occurs, try the D Type or, select a slightly different region of audio and try again.
The A and C Type interpolators take contextual information from six periods to the left and right of the selection. After interpolation, the Restore Bar may extend for some distance outside the selected region. This is because these interpolators are repairing based on wavelength in addition to simple selection duration.
The D Type and E Type DeClickers, discussed below, are very high-order algorithms used to correct problems that elude other repairs. Both interpolators use 64 bit precision to produce very high quality interpolations.
The Type D DeClicker is tailored for use on the human voice, though it will provide excellent results on most any semi–periodic material. It is only capable of replacing about 80 milliseconds worth of samples before it bogs down. Even so, a repair half that duration will still take quite a while, even on a fast computer.
A fairly periodic section with click in Panel 1, sympathetic click in Panel 2
The repair using D Type
A zoomed in view of the above repair
The Type E Interpolator, though fundamentally similar to the D Type, is implemented so it can be applied to passages of unlimited duration. As with the D Type, expect to wait a while for your result but, it is worth it. The E Type DeCrackler is capable of reducing distortion, including offensive, harsh sounding material. Its micro–repairs leave the audio sounding better without resorting to low pass filtering.
E Type’s micro–repairs
If you own the DeCrackle native option for NoNOISE II, then an additional E Type command appears under the default entry in the NoNOISE II menu. The second E - DeCracker… command, with an ellipses in the command name, is an adjustable Type E interpolator, with a “Clip Fraction” or threshold that ranges from 0.95 to 0.99. The 0.95 setting is highest sensitivity, with the heaviest amount of repair, while the 0.99 setting is least sensitive, with the lightest amount of repair.
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Note that this command also forces or presets the threshold of the default E Type command for subsequent repairs. The current threshold value is shown, in parentheses, next to the command’s name as part of the menu entry. |
Manual DeClick performs stereo repairs. Either channel of a stereo pair can be operated on, the repair will be performed on both.
NoNOISE replaces the compromised audio with repaired samples. Don’t worry about selecting on zero crossing boundaries, the software’s intelligence will provide a seamless transition.
1.1.2.2 Undoing — Restoring Repaired Clicks
NoNOISE replaces the interpolated audio with the original audio samples containing the anomaly.
1.1.2.3 Hiding Interpolation Bars
The Show Interpolations command in the NoNOISE II menu is a toggle. When enabled, it displays the interpolation bars that mark the site of a repair. When disabled, the bars are not visible, which reduces visual clitter.
In addition to restoration duties, Manual DeClicking can be used to insure the public acceptability of obscene material or to conceal any audio that may not “pass muster” with downstream listeners. Simply select the obscenity as though it were an impairment, and choose your Type. The B Type, when given a one second region to “repair,” does a great job of removing the objectionable material and inserting something that will often be preferable to editing in replacement audio. An additional consideration is that, since no material is added or removed, the timing or tempo is not affected.
Note that, for the PDF version of this Index, only the page numbers, not the preceding descriptive subject text, are hyperlinked.
Manual DeClick II User Manual Index
A
A Type 8
B
B Type 7
C
C Type 8
D
DeCrackle 5
D Type 9
E
E Type 10
I
iLok 5
Interpolation Algorithms 7
L
LEARN 7
M
N
NoNOISE II
A Type 8
B Type 7
C Type 8
D Type 9
E Type 10
interpolation algorithms 7
obscenity reduction 11
O
Obscenity Reduction 11
P
Project
Panel 2
S
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