# Need to ADD crackle/pop effect for once



## Lili (Jan 23, 2013)

I'm using soundforge to edit some vocal recordings and I would like to add a natural pop/crackle over the vocal, as if it's playing from a tape recorder. EVERYTHING I'm finding is a tutorial to remove pop/crackle, which is not what I want. If push comes to shove, I'll add another layer over it, but I would much rather apply the effect so it picks up on the percussive consonants and such.

(While we're on Soundforge, is there any way to copy effects from one project and paste them to another?

Thanks!


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## gafftaper (Jan 23, 2013)

Sorry, I don't know Soundforge. In Audacity I've had a lot of fun with a a plugin called Vinyl that will allow you to age a recording. Vinyl is a VST format filter. Will Soundforge run VST filters? If not you could use Audacity and Vinyl for free then take the file back to Soundforge to finish it.


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## Lili (Jan 23, 2013)

Oooh, thanks for that! I'm not even going to bother trying to run it through Soundforge, since I prefer Audacity anyway. I'm having some trouble getting it installed and running, but that's what my TD/CompSci major is for, right? =D


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## Ric (Jan 23, 2013)

Hi Lili,
For accuracy:-
Pop & Crackle are more likely to be heard if playing back a vinyl record.
Tape issues are/were usually: hiss or white noise due to low quality recording, drop outs-part of the track reduces in volume dramatically, and wow/flutter noise - where the tape sped up/slowed down rythmically due to motor issues.


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## Lili (Jan 23, 2013)

Ric, thank you for your input but the concept for this show is not coming from a place of complete accuracy. I will keep those ideas in mind for future projects, however!


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## Robert (Jan 23, 2013)

Last time I faked this (My Fair Lady) I recorded stretch rap for the clic/hiss and a plastic cup being curnched for the crackle. Worked fine and was fun to do. The cast loved working on it.


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## museav (Jan 24, 2013)

Lili said:


> Ric, thank you for your input but the concept for this show is not coming from a place of complete accuracy. I will keep those ideas in mind for future projects, however!


Maybe the reference to a tape recorder was misleading but assuming that was intentional and that you are specifically trying to make it sound liek a tape recording playback then I'll be the stickler and point out that what you seem to be contemplating is not a matter of not being complete accurate, it is a matter of it being inaccurate. I'm guessing that maybe you never worked with tape and vinyl so the difference in the artifacts of each may not seem important to you but to anyone who is familar with them it may be an obvious faux pas. Unless you are intentionally doing it for effect ala the prop aircraft sounds accompanying scenes of flying jets in the Airplane movies, I don't understand creating an 'historic' sound effect that you know is inaccurate.


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## Lili (Jan 24, 2013)

Brad, the design is for a three-thousand year old man recording his dying story from some kind of Purgatory (no time, no place, no history). The semantics of tape vs. vinyl compared to the amount of other effects I'm layering over the recording is the least of my concerns. 
I _really do_ appreciate this information and I fully expect to utilize it in the future, but it doesn't apply to my current project. I also hope to work with both vinyl and tape more completely before graduating college, but I've got at least two and half more years to play and learn and explore, so I may as well, right?


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## Lili (Jan 24, 2013)

That sounds like it would be a blast! Unfortunately, my current time restraints won't allow me to do this. You've inspired me to hop in the studio and come up with some stock recordings later, though!


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## gafftaper (Jan 24, 2013)

Lili said:


> Oooh, thanks for that! I'm not even going to bother trying to run it through Soundforge, since I prefer Audacity anyway. I'm having some trouble getting it installed and running, but that's what my TD/CompSci major is for, right? =D



I think not all versions of Audacity support VST. Once you have the right version you have to install VST first. Then install Vinyl.


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## Lili (Jan 24, 2013)

I managed to get it running at rehearsal last night after my TD looked at it. I love the sound! Thank you so much for the recommendation.


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## jonliles (Jan 24, 2013)

I just mounted Cabaret and we had to record a voice of a "child" singing _Tomorrow belongs to Me_. The talent tried to sing it like a child and it sound miserable. Instead, I had him sing it full voice. Then in Audacity I transposed it up 2 steps to make him sound more child-like. Then I added the white noise filter for a bit of hiss. Separately, I record radio static from an empty AM Frequency setting that had no broadcast frequencies. Layered it all together. Still wasn't quite right. Ended up dropping all of the low end EQ and spiking the upper end of the Mid Range of the EQ. After that, I "worldized" the whole recording (play it back through a speaker and record what that speaker reproduces).

It sounded exactly like the old 1930's public broadcast through a radio that I was going for. So, maybe you don't need Vinyl. Just another possibility. 

I also have Soundforge, but I still like Audacity better.


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