Post by djghost on May 1, 2008 21:08:14 GMT -5
COOL EDIT PRO (2.1) Lesson #1
Adobe Systems Incorporated acquired the technology assets of Syntrillium Software in May 2003.
Syntrillium was the developer of Cool Edit and Cool Edit Pro. Three months after Adobe acquired Cool Edit, they released it under a new name called Adobe Audition. They made several improvements of Cool Edit and continue to Develop Adobe Audition which is now in its 3rd version. Since there are People obtained Cool Edit before Adobe acquired it and still use Cool Edit for EVPs. I will offer step by step instructions on how to use it. This is the first example so it will be more detailed and more explained.
TO OBTAIN THE EVP RECORDING
media.putfile.com/COOL-EDIT-EXAMPLE-1
1. Click on the above link and let it play. It is only about 3 seconds long.
2. Open Audacity.
3. Click the RED ROUND BUTTON to begin recording.
4. Switch back to the link and hit the play button.
5. Switch back to Audacity and hit the BROWN SQUARE BUTTON, to stop the recording when the recording is finished.
6. Save the file as the Original and Save it again as your "WORKING" file. Continue working with the working file.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Go to EDIT and make sure there is a CHECK MARK next to ENABLE UNDO/REDO.
This permits you to undo your last commands, one at a time, all the way back to the beginning of your work. When you wish to UNDO a command go to EDIT-UNDO. It will tell you what function you are preparing to UNDO. It also allows you to redo a function if you accidently hit UNDO.
TRIM THE RECORDING
The above method of obtaining the EVP will cause your recording with Cool Edit(CE) to have unwanted space at the beginning and end of the recording. CE has only one tool to highlight any specific parts of the recording.
1. Highlight the unwanted part of your recording by placing your "I" marker where you want to begin. A left click of your mouse sets the starting point. While holding the mouse button down slide the "I" in the direction you wish to delete. This area will be highlighted. 2. Hit the "Del" or "Delete" button on your keyboard for each trim on both sides of the recording.
3. Save the file as "WORKING"
TO SET THE DECIBEL MARKER ON THE RIGHT PANEL
The most common view you see of recordings is the "Waveform" view which is usually green on black.
The Waveform view permits you to see the recording in "decibel" (loudness) form. On the right side of the the Waveform graph, you will see a decibel scale with "oo" in the center. You may have to select the decibel scale.
1. Click on VIEW-VERTICAL SCALE FORMAT-DECIBELS. The decibel scale is a logarithmic equation that measures density of the recording. That is why the numbers from "oo" start large and
decrease towards each end of the scale. As you begin to amplify certain areas of your recording, you may want to switch to the percentage scale so you can determine how much to adjust your recording according to your taste.
TO SWITCH FROM WAVEFORM VIEW TO SPECTRUM VIEW
The SPECTRUM view of your recording measures your recording by frequency or "Hertz" (Hz).
This is not to be confused with loudness but rather the pitch of the recording. By using the SPECTRAL VIEW, you will be able to determine how to use your filters without destroying your recording. The Spectrum view also help you determine whether or not your EVP is human or spirit. The human voice is generated by vibration of the vocal cords in the larynx. When you see one vertical line on top of another, generally you are looking at the vibration of the larynx of a human or animal. Some times you will see 2-3 lines but this is generally the echo we sometimes find in EVPs. This is not a foolproof method but does help rule out frauds. Spirit voices do not show these lines but may be either a splotch or a simple vertical line. There is no vibration to the spirit voice.
SWITCHING VIEWS
There are 2 ways to switch between views of your recording
1. Look for a small purple colored box on your CE toolbar. It has a line going from the bottom left to the top right. Clicking this box will switch between the Wavefrom and Spectral view.
2. Above the tool bar is an option bar with "FILE EDIT VIEW EFFECTS", etc. Choose VIEW-SPECTRAL VIEW.
Either method allows you to switch back and forth between views.
ANALYZE YOUR RECORDING
If you switch to the Spectral view, you will see the screen turn from green and black to red, yellow, and blue. You will notice 2 horizontal lines. If you look to the hertz scale on the far right bar, you will see these are at the frequencies of 1500 and 2500 hertz. We would like to remove them but we must first locate the EVP so we don't remove it also.
1. Put your finger on the F8 key but do not press it down. Start playing the recording by clicking the green triangle in the gray box below the Spectral view. As soon as you hear the EVP begin, press the F8 button one time. This sets a "Cue" and a line on the Spectral screen to tell you where the EVP begins.
2. Play it again and watch the cursor pass over the yellow horizontal lines which reside in between the 500-800 hertz range. As you can see and hear, these small yellow streaks are the EVP.
They are well under the two red lines at 1500 and 2500 hertz levels. We can remove these with a filter. With your mouse, grab the bottom red mark where the marker was placed and move
it to the beginning of the EVP voice. This is important for future use but it need not be precisely on the beginning of the EVP. It should be just a little to the left of the beginning of the voice.
REMOVING RECORDER NOISE
The two red horizontal lines on your screen are from the recorder itself. This is static generated by the recorder because the circuits are not well insulated in older and cheaper recorders. We wish to highlight the entire screen so that our effects will apply to the
entire recording. There are 3 ways to highlight the entire screen.
1. With your "I" tool, left click at the beginning of the recording and hold the button while you move it to the far right of the recording. The screen will have a gray covering over it now, or
2. Go to EDIT-SELECT ENTIRE WAVE, or
3. CONTROL-A
All three ways will highlight the entire recording for the effects to apply. It is easier to remember the CONTROL-A because we frequently want our effect to apply to the entire wave.
REMOVING THE NOISE ABOVE THE EVP BY A STUDY THE SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
Be sure you have the entire SPECTRUM VIEW recording highlighted.
1. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
This opens a box called SCIENTIFIC FILTERS. Inside this box you will see some preset filter options. For this particular example click on "Hiss Cut (Above 10kHz)" This filters out certain noises about 10,000 hertz and above.
2. Locate "Bessel Butterworth Chebychev 1 and Chebychev 2 " on tabs underneath the graph.
3. Locate "LOW PASS" "HIGH PASS" "BAND PASS" "BAND STOP" underneath the graph.
We shall experiment with the "Bessell, Butterworth, Chebychev 1, and Chebychev 2 " so you will become familiar with the effects of each.
BESSEL
1. Click "Hiss Cut (Above 10kHz)". A blue highlight should appear here.
2. Click the Bessel Tab.
3. Click LOW PASS (to cut off the higher frequencies.)
4. Locate "Cutoff [ ]Hz. There will be numbers in the white box. Highlight those numbers and type in 1000.
5. Click OK and watch the screen change.
This did not completely remove the lines and did not remove very much of the noise above 1,000 Hz.
6. Go to EDIT-UNDO SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
BUTTERWORTH
1. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
2. Click "Hiss Cut (Above 10kHz)". A blue highlight should appear here.
3. Click the BUTTERWORTH tab.
4. Click LOW PASS (to cut off the higher frequencies.)
5. Locate "Cutoff [ ]Hz. There will be numbers in the white box. Highlight those numbers and type in 1000.
6. Make sure the TRANSITION BANDWIDTH box is NOT CHECKED.
7. Click OK and watch the screen change. This completely removed the line at 2500 Hz but left a partial line at 1500 Hz.
8. Go to EDIT-UNDO SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
CHEBYCHEV 1
1. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
2. Click "Hiss Cut (Above 10kHz)". A blue highlight should appear here.
3. Click the BUTTERWORTH tab.
4. Click LOW PASS (to cut off the higher frequencies.)
5. Locate "Cutoff [ ]Hz. There will be numbers in the white box. Highlight those numbers
and type in 1000.
6. Make sure the TRANSITION BANDWIDTH box is NOT CHECKED.
7. Click OK and watch the screen change. This completely removed the line at 2500 Hz but left a partial line at 1500 Hz.
8. Go to EDIT-UNDO SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
CHEBYCHEV 2
1. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
2. Click "Hiss Cut (Above 10kHz)". A blue highlight should appear here.
3. Click the CHEBYCHEV 2 tab.
4. Click LOW PASS (to cut off the higher frequencies.)
5. Locate "Cutoff [ ]Hz. There will be numbers in the white box. Highlight those numbers and type in 1000.
5. Click OK and watch the screen change.
This completely removed the line at 1500Hz but left a partial line at 2500 Hz.
6. Go to EDIT-UNDO SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
COMBINATION OF BUTTERWORTH AND CHEBYCHEV 2
1. Click "Hiss Cut (Above 10kHz)". A blue highlight should appear here.
2. Click the BUTTERWORTH Tab.
3. Click LOW PASS (to cut off the higher frequencies.)
4. Locate "Cutoff [ ]Hz. There will be numbers in the white box. Highlight those numbers and type in 1000.
5. Make sure the TRANSITION BANDWIDTH box is NOT CHECKED.
6. Click OK and watch the screen change. This completely removed the line at 2500 Hz but left a partial line at 1500 Hz.
7. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS
8. Click the CHEBYCHEV 2 Tab
9. Click LOW PASS (to cut off the higher frequencies.)
10. Locate "Cutoff [ ]Hz. There will be numbers in the white box. Highlight those numbers and type in 1000.
11. Click OK.
This combination of filters removed the 2500Hz line without disturbing your EVP. You have done nothing more than remove background noise from the recording. It would be wise to save it now.
The TRANSITION BANDWIDTH can be checked under BUTTERWORTH, CHEBYCHEV 1 AND CHEBYCHEV 2.
You can experiment by checking this tab and setting it to "0". You can see how sharply it cuts of the frequencies by not allowing any frequencies at all to pass above the 1000 Hz range. This should be used sparingly because it can affect the tone quality of the EVP. Just remember to use your UNDO function.
REMOVING NOISE BELOW THE EVP
Every recording has noise under the EVP. The most common noise is electrical noise that generates at 60Hz. This is noise from common household currents and even your paranormal equipment.
This noise gets in the way of properly analyzing and presenting your EVP capture. We would like to remove it.
60 HZ Filter
1. CONTROL-A to select the entire wave (while in the SPECTRAL VIEW)
2. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
3. In the presets box clich on 60Hz Hum Notch Filter.
4. Click OK. You have now removed any artifacts from electrical sources near your recorder.
250 Hz Filter
250 Hertz is the beginning of the midrange audio frequencies and represents the "Middle C" on the piano. Most headphones and speakers in today's market are "bass rich" meaning they are
designed to emphasize the lower frequencies which in turn, mask the higher frequencies where EVPs are usually found. We would like to reduce that effect.
1. CONTROL-A to select the entire wave (while in the SPECTRAL VIEW)
2. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
3. In the presets box click on "DROP OFF BELOW 250 Hz"
a. The CUTOFF box should read 250 Hz. If it reads 250 go to Step 4.
If it does not, then you must recreate the 250 Hz drop off filter.
b. In the CUTOFF BOX, type in "100"
c. At the top of the Presets box click ADD. Another window will open asking for the name of the filter you wish to create. Type "DROP OFF BELOW 100 Hz" and hit OK.
d. Select "DROP OFF BELOW 250 Hz" and hit the DEL tab. This will delete the improperly designed 250 Hz filter.
e. Click DROP OFF BELOW 100 Hz.
f. In the Cutoff box type in 250.
g. Click the ADD tab and a window will open. Type in DROP OFF BELOW 250 Hz"
4. Click OK. You should see a small shadow begin to develop at the bottom of the Spectral View.
You have now reduced the effects of bass rich instruments which may mask your EVP. You must listen to your EVP after using the 250 Hz filter. Removing too much of the bass may affect your
EVP's voice quality. After you use the 250 filter, listen to the EVP section. Place your "I" just before the EVP and click the play button. If there is no EVP distortion, you may save your recording.
You have now created a Drop off of both 100 and 250 hertz as filters. Do not delete the DROP OFF BELOW 100 Hz but keep if for future use. You may wish to use this 100 hertz filter
depending on where your EVP lies on the frequency scale.
You can alter any of the Cutoff boxes by simply typing in the number you wish. You do not need to save them. Instead of hitting the ADD tab, simply click on OK and the filter will work with the numbers you typed in the Cutoff Box.
IF YOU HAVE ALTERED THE EVP with the DROP OFF BELOW 250 Hz
1. Go to Edit-UNDO SCIENTIFIC FILTERS. Do not be concerned. This removes only the last scientific filter applied. Each time you UNDO, you remove only the last effect you applied one after the other, beginning with the last effect.
CLICK POP ELIMINATOR
CONSTANT HISS AND CRACKLE
There is only 1 preferred present for option but I will first offer you the chance of using a filter which usually damages the EVP. I want you to hear its effects so you will know why not to use it. First, listen to your EVP and remember the quality of the voice.
1. In either the Spectral View or Edit (Waveform View) hit CONTROL-A to highlight the entire recording.
2. Go to EFFECTS-NOISE REDUCTION-CLICK/POP ELIMINATOR- CONSTANT HISS AND CRACKLE.
3. Click the tab that says "FIND ALL LEVELS".
4. Hit OK.
You should notice some slight change to the EVP voice. On this particular recording, it is not too noticeable. On other recording, it can destroy the EVP.
4. Go to EDIT-UNDO CLICK/POP ELIMINATOR.
HISS AND LOTS OF CLICKS
Use of this filter is recommended because it seldom distorts the EVP voice.
1. In the Spectral View hit CONTROL-A to highlight the entire recording.
2. Go to EFFECTS-NOISE REDUCTION-CLICK/POP ELIMINATOR-HISS AND LOTS OF CLICKS.
3. Click the tab that says "FIND ALL LEVELS".
4. Hit OK.
As you watch the screen you should see a slight change in the red area.
5. Save the changes.
HISS REDUCTION FEATURE
This feature removes tape and recorder hiss throughout the entire recording. Usually it does not alter the quality of the EVP. The Spectral screen will change as the filter processes the recording.
1. In the Spectral View hit CONTROL-A to highlight the entire recording.
2. Go to EFFECTS-NOISE REDUCTION-HISS REDUCTION
3. In the presets box, click LIGHT HISS REDUCTION
4. Make sure the number 14 is in the "drag points" box. This seems to be an optimal level of markers but you need not alter them on the graph.
5. Click the GET NOISE FLOOR button below the graph.
6. Make sure the NOISE FLOOR ADJUST slider bar is in the middle which should show a reduction of -8dB in the slider box. You may adjust this to your hearing but anything more than 8 decibels
will begin to alter the EVP.
7. The optimal FFT size is 4096 but you can change it higher (8192) if you wish. The higher the FFT number is, the longer the program takes to process the filter. Too low a filter and you may may see only few actual changes. To high a number and you can begin to alter the recording.
8. Hit OK.
8192 is also optimal if your computer has the power to work with smaller numbers quickly. You will see a significant change in the red area of the Spectral View. Listen to the recording and if the EVP still sounds the same, you may save your work. If there is
damage to the EVP, UNDO your last command and leave this area. LIGHT HISS REDUCTION is an important tool and will save lots of editing later.
NOISE REDUCTION Feature
This is the most common feature used by investigators and the feature most often over-used. Careless use of this feature will distort and destroy your EVP. When we speak of noise reduction,
we are speaking of reducing the level of the background noise by reducing the decibels of the noise. We do not want to reduce the decibel level of the EVP. The noise reduction feature takes
a picture of an area of the recording. When applied, it lowers the volume of other similar constructs within the recording. It does not eliminate them, it merely reduces the volume.
1. Make sure you are in the SPECTRAL VIEW
2. Use your "I" tool and move it close to the place where your F8 Marker is.
3. With the left mouse button depressed, slide the bar to the left. You must highlihgt at least 1/2 second of sound for the Noise Reduction Filter to work. More is better.
4. Go to EFFECT-NOISE REDUCTION-NOISE REDUCTION
A new window will open up. If you have selected at least 1/2 second of audio, you will be given the option of GET PROFILE FROM SELECTION. If you have not highlighted at least 1/2 second of
audio, this option will be gray and you must go back and highlight a larger section. You may highlight all the way back to the beginning of this specific recording since there are no other EVPs or any other sounds.
5. 4000 SNAPSHOTS IN SELECTON is optimal for no more than 5 seconds of capture. You may use more or less as you experiment.
6. Your FFT size can be either 4096 or 8192 depending on the speed of your computer. 8192 is the bit sample rate at which the filter operates. 8192 is more specific than 4096 and may enhance clearer. It also can work against you. I have used this filter with bit rates from 2048 to 12000 depending on the quality of the recording.
You will now see a graph inside the new window. This graph has 3 different colors in it. The Red color is the original sound. The green color is the noise floor (where the noise is located) and the yellow line is where your optimal sound should be. Use the slider bar to try to fit the yellow line (as best you can) in between the red and the green. This is usually not very easy so just try to be as close as you can. Try to keep it under the red line. The more you move the slider to the left, the larger the yellow line gets. If you move the slider all the way to the right you risk degrading the EVP voice.
7. In this new window click on GET PROFILE FROM SELECTION. This profile is captured in memory even though you have closed the window. Unless you get a new profile, it will continue to use
this profile every time you use it. I may use this profile a second time or even a fifth time in a row depending on how much decibel reduction I use.
It is IMPORTANT to remember that the more decibel reduction you use, the more you degrade the recording and the EVP. If you keep your "REDUCE BY [ ] dB to 4 or less, you seldom alter the
EVP voice. I frequently use a six decibel reduction by almost never 8. 10 absolutley begins to significantly degrade the EVP. You should remember that part of this EVP is hidden inside the red area which you are trying to reduce. You do not want to make it invisible. I often will use a 2 or 3 decibel reduction 5-6 times so as not to hide or alter the quality of the EVP.
8. In the "Reduce By [ ] dB" box, type the number "4" so it reads "REDUCE BY [4] dB". This is a safe number to start with.
9. Hit Ok.
10. Perform this procedure a total of 3 times without getting a new noise profile after the first profile.
You will see that the red area has now been reduce to purple and the yellow area has been reduced to red. Listen to the recording. You should now hear "I have leave." By looking at the spectral view, you will see two bright red lines beginning at 1.5 seconds (the time line below the recording) around the 700 hertz level. Just to the right you will see two fainter lines. The first line starts at 2.65 and runs to 2.9. This is a very faint part of the EVP. We wish to
increase the volume of this section.
INCREASE VOLUME BY NORMALIZING
1. In the Spectral view, highlight the area from 2.65 to 2.9 seconds to highlight the unknown area. You have eclosed only the missing word from the EVP
2. Switch to the Waveform view by going to VIEW-WAVEFORM VIEW. You should now see a green and black screen with the area between 2.65 and 2.9 highlighted.
3. Go to VIEW-VERTICAL SCALE FORMAT
4. Select PERCENTAGE for the scal on the right.
You will now see 3 large waves from left to right. The first wave begins at 1.5 seconds and peaks at 3%. The second wave begins at 2.0 seconds and peaks at 5.5 percent. The third wave starts at 3 seconds and peaks at 3.5%. We should probably increase the volume of the highlighted are to around 3% on the chart.
Between the second and third wave is the same highlighted area from the Spectral view.
5. Go to EFFECTS-AMPLITUDE-NORMALIZE. A new window opens and with normalizing options.
6. Place a check mark in NORMALIZE TO and fill the box with "3".
7. Place a check mark in DC BIAS ADJUST and type in "0" in the white box. This adjusts that section of the wave so that the wave is balanced on both sides of the "oo" mark.
8. Hit OK
You have now increased the volume of the missing word to 3% which is approximately the same volume as most of the rest of the
recording. You should hear "I have to leave."
ADJUSTING VOLUME
1. Highlight only the EVP in the WAVEFORM VIEW. This should highlight the area between 1.5 TO 3.25 seconds.
2. Go to EFFECTS-AMPLITUDE-AMPLIFY
3. Choose the preselect "3dB Boost" and hit OK.
Save your file.
You have finished your first exercise with Cool Edit Pro.
Adobe Systems Incorporated acquired the technology assets of Syntrillium Software in May 2003.
Syntrillium was the developer of Cool Edit and Cool Edit Pro. Three months after Adobe acquired Cool Edit, they released it under a new name called Adobe Audition. They made several improvements of Cool Edit and continue to Develop Adobe Audition which is now in its 3rd version. Since there are People obtained Cool Edit before Adobe acquired it and still use Cool Edit for EVPs. I will offer step by step instructions on how to use it. This is the first example so it will be more detailed and more explained.
TO OBTAIN THE EVP RECORDING
media.putfile.com/COOL-EDIT-EXAMPLE-1
1. Click on the above link and let it play. It is only about 3 seconds long.
2. Open Audacity.
3. Click the RED ROUND BUTTON to begin recording.
4. Switch back to the link and hit the play button.
5. Switch back to Audacity and hit the BROWN SQUARE BUTTON, to stop the recording when the recording is finished.
6. Save the file as the Original and Save it again as your "WORKING" file. Continue working with the working file.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Go to EDIT and make sure there is a CHECK MARK next to ENABLE UNDO/REDO.
This permits you to undo your last commands, one at a time, all the way back to the beginning of your work. When you wish to UNDO a command go to EDIT-UNDO. It will tell you what function you are preparing to UNDO. It also allows you to redo a function if you accidently hit UNDO.
TRIM THE RECORDING
The above method of obtaining the EVP will cause your recording with Cool Edit(CE) to have unwanted space at the beginning and end of the recording. CE has only one tool to highlight any specific parts of the recording.
1. Highlight the unwanted part of your recording by placing your "I" marker where you want to begin. A left click of your mouse sets the starting point. While holding the mouse button down slide the "I" in the direction you wish to delete. This area will be highlighted. 2. Hit the "Del" or "Delete" button on your keyboard for each trim on both sides of the recording.
3. Save the file as "WORKING"
TO SET THE DECIBEL MARKER ON THE RIGHT PANEL
The most common view you see of recordings is the "Waveform" view which is usually green on black.
The Waveform view permits you to see the recording in "decibel" (loudness) form. On the right side of the the Waveform graph, you will see a decibel scale with "oo" in the center. You may have to select the decibel scale.
1. Click on VIEW-VERTICAL SCALE FORMAT-DECIBELS. The decibel scale is a logarithmic equation that measures density of the recording. That is why the numbers from "oo" start large and
decrease towards each end of the scale. As you begin to amplify certain areas of your recording, you may want to switch to the percentage scale so you can determine how much to adjust your recording according to your taste.
TO SWITCH FROM WAVEFORM VIEW TO SPECTRUM VIEW
The SPECTRUM view of your recording measures your recording by frequency or "Hertz" (Hz).
This is not to be confused with loudness but rather the pitch of the recording. By using the SPECTRAL VIEW, you will be able to determine how to use your filters without destroying your recording. The Spectrum view also help you determine whether or not your EVP is human or spirit. The human voice is generated by vibration of the vocal cords in the larynx. When you see one vertical line on top of another, generally you are looking at the vibration of the larynx of a human or animal. Some times you will see 2-3 lines but this is generally the echo we sometimes find in EVPs. This is not a foolproof method but does help rule out frauds. Spirit voices do not show these lines but may be either a splotch or a simple vertical line. There is no vibration to the spirit voice.
SWITCHING VIEWS
There are 2 ways to switch between views of your recording
1. Look for a small purple colored box on your CE toolbar. It has a line going from the bottom left to the top right. Clicking this box will switch between the Wavefrom and Spectral view.
2. Above the tool bar is an option bar with "FILE EDIT VIEW EFFECTS", etc. Choose VIEW-SPECTRAL VIEW.
Either method allows you to switch back and forth between views.
ANALYZE YOUR RECORDING
If you switch to the Spectral view, you will see the screen turn from green and black to red, yellow, and blue. You will notice 2 horizontal lines. If you look to the hertz scale on the far right bar, you will see these are at the frequencies of 1500 and 2500 hertz. We would like to remove them but we must first locate the EVP so we don't remove it also.
1. Put your finger on the F8 key but do not press it down. Start playing the recording by clicking the green triangle in the gray box below the Spectral view. As soon as you hear the EVP begin, press the F8 button one time. This sets a "Cue" and a line on the Spectral screen to tell you where the EVP begins.
2. Play it again and watch the cursor pass over the yellow horizontal lines which reside in between the 500-800 hertz range. As you can see and hear, these small yellow streaks are the EVP.
They are well under the two red lines at 1500 and 2500 hertz levels. We can remove these with a filter. With your mouse, grab the bottom red mark where the marker was placed and move
it to the beginning of the EVP voice. This is important for future use but it need not be precisely on the beginning of the EVP. It should be just a little to the left of the beginning of the voice.
REMOVING RECORDER NOISE
The two red horizontal lines on your screen are from the recorder itself. This is static generated by the recorder because the circuits are not well insulated in older and cheaper recorders. We wish to highlight the entire screen so that our effects will apply to the
entire recording. There are 3 ways to highlight the entire screen.
1. With your "I" tool, left click at the beginning of the recording and hold the button while you move it to the far right of the recording. The screen will have a gray covering over it now, or
2. Go to EDIT-SELECT ENTIRE WAVE, or
3. CONTROL-A
All three ways will highlight the entire recording for the effects to apply. It is easier to remember the CONTROL-A because we frequently want our effect to apply to the entire wave.
REMOVING THE NOISE ABOVE THE EVP BY A STUDY THE SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
Be sure you have the entire SPECTRUM VIEW recording highlighted.
1. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
This opens a box called SCIENTIFIC FILTERS. Inside this box you will see some preset filter options. For this particular example click on "Hiss Cut (Above 10kHz)" This filters out certain noises about 10,000 hertz and above.
2. Locate "Bessel Butterworth Chebychev 1 and Chebychev 2 " on tabs underneath the graph.
3. Locate "LOW PASS" "HIGH PASS" "BAND PASS" "BAND STOP" underneath the graph.
We shall experiment with the "Bessell, Butterworth, Chebychev 1, and Chebychev 2 " so you will become familiar with the effects of each.
BESSEL
1. Click "Hiss Cut (Above 10kHz)". A blue highlight should appear here.
2. Click the Bessel Tab.
3. Click LOW PASS (to cut off the higher frequencies.)
4. Locate "Cutoff [ ]Hz. There will be numbers in the white box. Highlight those numbers and type in 1000.
5. Click OK and watch the screen change.
This did not completely remove the lines and did not remove very much of the noise above 1,000 Hz.
6. Go to EDIT-UNDO SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
BUTTERWORTH
1. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
2. Click "Hiss Cut (Above 10kHz)". A blue highlight should appear here.
3. Click the BUTTERWORTH tab.
4. Click LOW PASS (to cut off the higher frequencies.)
5. Locate "Cutoff [ ]Hz. There will be numbers in the white box. Highlight those numbers and type in 1000.
6. Make sure the TRANSITION BANDWIDTH box is NOT CHECKED.
7. Click OK and watch the screen change. This completely removed the line at 2500 Hz but left a partial line at 1500 Hz.
8. Go to EDIT-UNDO SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
CHEBYCHEV 1
1. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
2. Click "Hiss Cut (Above 10kHz)". A blue highlight should appear here.
3. Click the BUTTERWORTH tab.
4. Click LOW PASS (to cut off the higher frequencies.)
5. Locate "Cutoff [ ]Hz. There will be numbers in the white box. Highlight those numbers
and type in 1000.
6. Make sure the TRANSITION BANDWIDTH box is NOT CHECKED.
7. Click OK and watch the screen change. This completely removed the line at 2500 Hz but left a partial line at 1500 Hz.
8. Go to EDIT-UNDO SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
CHEBYCHEV 2
1. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
2. Click "Hiss Cut (Above 10kHz)". A blue highlight should appear here.
3. Click the CHEBYCHEV 2 tab.
4. Click LOW PASS (to cut off the higher frequencies.)
5. Locate "Cutoff [ ]Hz. There will be numbers in the white box. Highlight those numbers and type in 1000.
5. Click OK and watch the screen change.
This completely removed the line at 1500Hz but left a partial line at 2500 Hz.
6. Go to EDIT-UNDO SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
COMBINATION OF BUTTERWORTH AND CHEBYCHEV 2
1. Click "Hiss Cut (Above 10kHz)". A blue highlight should appear here.
2. Click the BUTTERWORTH Tab.
3. Click LOW PASS (to cut off the higher frequencies.)
4. Locate "Cutoff [ ]Hz. There will be numbers in the white box. Highlight those numbers and type in 1000.
5. Make sure the TRANSITION BANDWIDTH box is NOT CHECKED.
6. Click OK and watch the screen change. This completely removed the line at 2500 Hz but left a partial line at 1500 Hz.
7. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS
8. Click the CHEBYCHEV 2 Tab
9. Click LOW PASS (to cut off the higher frequencies.)
10. Locate "Cutoff [ ]Hz. There will be numbers in the white box. Highlight those numbers and type in 1000.
11. Click OK.
This combination of filters removed the 2500Hz line without disturbing your EVP. You have done nothing more than remove background noise from the recording. It would be wise to save it now.
The TRANSITION BANDWIDTH can be checked under BUTTERWORTH, CHEBYCHEV 1 AND CHEBYCHEV 2.
You can experiment by checking this tab and setting it to "0". You can see how sharply it cuts of the frequencies by not allowing any frequencies at all to pass above the 1000 Hz range. This should be used sparingly because it can affect the tone quality of the EVP. Just remember to use your UNDO function.
REMOVING NOISE BELOW THE EVP
Every recording has noise under the EVP. The most common noise is electrical noise that generates at 60Hz. This is noise from common household currents and even your paranormal equipment.
This noise gets in the way of properly analyzing and presenting your EVP capture. We would like to remove it.
60 HZ Filter
1. CONTROL-A to select the entire wave (while in the SPECTRAL VIEW)
2. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
3. In the presets box clich on 60Hz Hum Notch Filter.
4. Click OK. You have now removed any artifacts from electrical sources near your recorder.
250 Hz Filter
250 Hertz is the beginning of the midrange audio frequencies and represents the "Middle C" on the piano. Most headphones and speakers in today's market are "bass rich" meaning they are
designed to emphasize the lower frequencies which in turn, mask the higher frequencies where EVPs are usually found. We would like to reduce that effect.
1. CONTROL-A to select the entire wave (while in the SPECTRAL VIEW)
2. Go to EFFECTS-FILTERS-SCIENTIFIC FILTERS.
3. In the presets box click on "DROP OFF BELOW 250 Hz"
a. The CUTOFF box should read 250 Hz. If it reads 250 go to Step 4.
If it does not, then you must recreate the 250 Hz drop off filter.
b. In the CUTOFF BOX, type in "100"
c. At the top of the Presets box click ADD. Another window will open asking for the name of the filter you wish to create. Type "DROP OFF BELOW 100 Hz" and hit OK.
d. Select "DROP OFF BELOW 250 Hz" and hit the DEL tab. This will delete the improperly designed 250 Hz filter.
e. Click DROP OFF BELOW 100 Hz.
f. In the Cutoff box type in 250.
g. Click the ADD tab and a window will open. Type in DROP OFF BELOW 250 Hz"
4. Click OK. You should see a small shadow begin to develop at the bottom of the Spectral View.
You have now reduced the effects of bass rich instruments which may mask your EVP. You must listen to your EVP after using the 250 Hz filter. Removing too much of the bass may affect your
EVP's voice quality. After you use the 250 filter, listen to the EVP section. Place your "I" just before the EVP and click the play button. If there is no EVP distortion, you may save your recording.
You have now created a Drop off of both 100 and 250 hertz as filters. Do not delete the DROP OFF BELOW 100 Hz but keep if for future use. You may wish to use this 100 hertz filter
depending on where your EVP lies on the frequency scale.
You can alter any of the Cutoff boxes by simply typing in the number you wish. You do not need to save them. Instead of hitting the ADD tab, simply click on OK and the filter will work with the numbers you typed in the Cutoff Box.
IF YOU HAVE ALTERED THE EVP with the DROP OFF BELOW 250 Hz
1. Go to Edit-UNDO SCIENTIFIC FILTERS. Do not be concerned. This removes only the last scientific filter applied. Each time you UNDO, you remove only the last effect you applied one after the other, beginning with the last effect.
CLICK POP ELIMINATOR
CONSTANT HISS AND CRACKLE
There is only 1 preferred present for option but I will first offer you the chance of using a filter which usually damages the EVP. I want you to hear its effects so you will know why not to use it. First, listen to your EVP and remember the quality of the voice.
1. In either the Spectral View or Edit (Waveform View) hit CONTROL-A to highlight the entire recording.
2. Go to EFFECTS-NOISE REDUCTION-CLICK/POP ELIMINATOR- CONSTANT HISS AND CRACKLE.
3. Click the tab that says "FIND ALL LEVELS".
4. Hit OK.
You should notice some slight change to the EVP voice. On this particular recording, it is not too noticeable. On other recording, it can destroy the EVP.
4. Go to EDIT-UNDO CLICK/POP ELIMINATOR.
HISS AND LOTS OF CLICKS
Use of this filter is recommended because it seldom distorts the EVP voice.
1. In the Spectral View hit CONTROL-A to highlight the entire recording.
2. Go to EFFECTS-NOISE REDUCTION-CLICK/POP ELIMINATOR-HISS AND LOTS OF CLICKS.
3. Click the tab that says "FIND ALL LEVELS".
4. Hit OK.
As you watch the screen you should see a slight change in the red area.
5. Save the changes.
HISS REDUCTION FEATURE
This feature removes tape and recorder hiss throughout the entire recording. Usually it does not alter the quality of the EVP. The Spectral screen will change as the filter processes the recording.
1. In the Spectral View hit CONTROL-A to highlight the entire recording.
2. Go to EFFECTS-NOISE REDUCTION-HISS REDUCTION
3. In the presets box, click LIGHT HISS REDUCTION
4. Make sure the number 14 is in the "drag points" box. This seems to be an optimal level of markers but you need not alter them on the graph.
5. Click the GET NOISE FLOOR button below the graph.
6. Make sure the NOISE FLOOR ADJUST slider bar is in the middle which should show a reduction of -8dB in the slider box. You may adjust this to your hearing but anything more than 8 decibels
will begin to alter the EVP.
7. The optimal FFT size is 4096 but you can change it higher (8192) if you wish. The higher the FFT number is, the longer the program takes to process the filter. Too low a filter and you may may see only few actual changes. To high a number and you can begin to alter the recording.
8. Hit OK.
8192 is also optimal if your computer has the power to work with smaller numbers quickly. You will see a significant change in the red area of the Spectral View. Listen to the recording and if the EVP still sounds the same, you may save your work. If there is
damage to the EVP, UNDO your last command and leave this area. LIGHT HISS REDUCTION is an important tool and will save lots of editing later.
NOISE REDUCTION Feature
This is the most common feature used by investigators and the feature most often over-used. Careless use of this feature will distort and destroy your EVP. When we speak of noise reduction,
we are speaking of reducing the level of the background noise by reducing the decibels of the noise. We do not want to reduce the decibel level of the EVP. The noise reduction feature takes
a picture of an area of the recording. When applied, it lowers the volume of other similar constructs within the recording. It does not eliminate them, it merely reduces the volume.
1. Make sure you are in the SPECTRAL VIEW
2. Use your "I" tool and move it close to the place where your F8 Marker is.
3. With the left mouse button depressed, slide the bar to the left. You must highlihgt at least 1/2 second of sound for the Noise Reduction Filter to work. More is better.
4. Go to EFFECT-NOISE REDUCTION-NOISE REDUCTION
A new window will open up. If you have selected at least 1/2 second of audio, you will be given the option of GET PROFILE FROM SELECTION. If you have not highlighted at least 1/2 second of
audio, this option will be gray and you must go back and highlight a larger section. You may highlight all the way back to the beginning of this specific recording since there are no other EVPs or any other sounds.
5. 4000 SNAPSHOTS IN SELECTON is optimal for no more than 5 seconds of capture. You may use more or less as you experiment.
6. Your FFT size can be either 4096 or 8192 depending on the speed of your computer. 8192 is the bit sample rate at which the filter operates. 8192 is more specific than 4096 and may enhance clearer. It also can work against you. I have used this filter with bit rates from 2048 to 12000 depending on the quality of the recording.
You will now see a graph inside the new window. This graph has 3 different colors in it. The Red color is the original sound. The green color is the noise floor (where the noise is located) and the yellow line is where your optimal sound should be. Use the slider bar to try to fit the yellow line (as best you can) in between the red and the green. This is usually not very easy so just try to be as close as you can. Try to keep it under the red line. The more you move the slider to the left, the larger the yellow line gets. If you move the slider all the way to the right you risk degrading the EVP voice.
7. In this new window click on GET PROFILE FROM SELECTION. This profile is captured in memory even though you have closed the window. Unless you get a new profile, it will continue to use
this profile every time you use it. I may use this profile a second time or even a fifth time in a row depending on how much decibel reduction I use.
It is IMPORTANT to remember that the more decibel reduction you use, the more you degrade the recording and the EVP. If you keep your "REDUCE BY [ ] dB to 4 or less, you seldom alter the
EVP voice. I frequently use a six decibel reduction by almost never 8. 10 absolutley begins to significantly degrade the EVP. You should remember that part of this EVP is hidden inside the red area which you are trying to reduce. You do not want to make it invisible. I often will use a 2 or 3 decibel reduction 5-6 times so as not to hide or alter the quality of the EVP.
8. In the "Reduce By [ ] dB" box, type the number "4" so it reads "REDUCE BY [4] dB". This is a safe number to start with.
9. Hit Ok.
10. Perform this procedure a total of 3 times without getting a new noise profile after the first profile.
You will see that the red area has now been reduce to purple and the yellow area has been reduced to red. Listen to the recording. You should now hear "I have leave." By looking at the spectral view, you will see two bright red lines beginning at 1.5 seconds (the time line below the recording) around the 700 hertz level. Just to the right you will see two fainter lines. The first line starts at 2.65 and runs to 2.9. This is a very faint part of the EVP. We wish to
increase the volume of this section.
INCREASE VOLUME BY NORMALIZING
1. In the Spectral view, highlight the area from 2.65 to 2.9 seconds to highlight the unknown area. You have eclosed only the missing word from the EVP
2. Switch to the Waveform view by going to VIEW-WAVEFORM VIEW. You should now see a green and black screen with the area between 2.65 and 2.9 highlighted.
3. Go to VIEW-VERTICAL SCALE FORMAT
4. Select PERCENTAGE for the scal on the right.
You will now see 3 large waves from left to right. The first wave begins at 1.5 seconds and peaks at 3%. The second wave begins at 2.0 seconds and peaks at 5.5 percent. The third wave starts at 3 seconds and peaks at 3.5%. We should probably increase the volume of the highlighted are to around 3% on the chart.
Between the second and third wave is the same highlighted area from the Spectral view.
5. Go to EFFECTS-AMPLITUDE-NORMALIZE. A new window opens and with normalizing options.
6. Place a check mark in NORMALIZE TO and fill the box with "3".
7. Place a check mark in DC BIAS ADJUST and type in "0" in the white box. This adjusts that section of the wave so that the wave is balanced on both sides of the "oo" mark.
8. Hit OK
You have now increased the volume of the missing word to 3% which is approximately the same volume as most of the rest of the
recording. You should hear "I have to leave."
ADJUSTING VOLUME
1. Highlight only the EVP in the WAVEFORM VIEW. This should highlight the area between 1.5 TO 3.25 seconds.
2. Go to EFFECTS-AMPLITUDE-AMPLIFY
3. Choose the preselect "3dB Boost" and hit OK.
Save your file.
You have finished your first exercise with Cool Edit Pro.
