Customer Reviews

Audio Cleaning Lab 2005 [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have been a BBC recording engineer in my time which, I suppose, makes me technical. However, my experience with this software is virtually all good. As an audiophile I sneer at MP3 because it distorts sound and , if available, I will always use a lossless system. I bought Magix so that I could transfer my 2,567 LPs onto hard drive and, at the same time, create back-up CDs. Some of my records are very valuable and I don't like playing them too often for that reason. Now I can play them when I want.

As an exercise I cleaned up a really beaten-up LP of Rubber Soul
and played the cleaned up version against the CD of the same name through a pair of Genelec near-field monitors (the sort of speakers a good studio would use). So far only one out of eight of my audiophile friends has been able to tell the difference and even he admitted that it was difficult .

Fifteen years ago I was running a media laboratory for a major computer company and bought similar software for $87,000. This cost me £10.00 ($20.00) in the local video store.

As far as I am concerned, the software does exactly what it advertises. I cannot speak for MP3 as I don't use it and I have had no need of technical support. The only glitch is being able to export files as WMA directly to Windows Media Player from Magix rather than go via a CD as I haven't been able to do it.

The other reviewers may well be right to slate it for their sort of music as mine is predominently Classical with relatively long tracks. However, I've so far cleaned up about 1200 LPs so I can claim some experience.

While this program is no doubt powerful, be prepared to have a lot of time and patience learning it. The manual it comes with is one of the worst I've ever seen - virtually useless. So I contacted the company. They offered to send me some documents. What I got was not only too basic to be helpful (I'd already figured it out on my own), but it had not been updated from the last Audio Cleaning Lab version. I made a couple of more attempts to contact them, but never got a response. So everything I've learned has been trial and error. I highly recommend that you hook your computer up to decent stereo speakers when doing the cleaning, etc. Computer speakers will not give you an accurate idea of how the CD will sound on your stereo system. I also recommend that you keep in mind that a little tweak goes a long way. So more is not always better! Otherwise you get a lot of annoying distortion.

I've been living with this for several weeks now and while my progress has been slow, it's at least been noticeable. Early projects involved re-recording some of the vinyl to cd stuff that I had done over the past few years with my Phillips cd burner. Now I have an obviously clearer copy of "No Time To Lose" by the Tarney Spencer Group, Tenpole Tudor's classic "Wunderbar", "All The Young Heroes" by the long forgotten Gary O, as well as local legend Rubber Soul's killer "Don't Say Goodnight" and some other local 80's classics off of the WEBN Album Projects. (The Young Invaders on cd? Believe it, baby.) My second project involved an attempt to take the tape hiss out of a two cd set that some of my fellow Rubber Soul fans had made over the years. (Reel to reel capture of the final show by Chris; a transfer to cassette tape by Chuck; a transfer from cassette to cd by Jeff; and finally, a cleaned up copy by me. That back cover is going to be getting full.) The first attempt was a bomb, but that was my fault for screwing around with something other than the Denoiser function. My second attempt was a huge success because it took out the annoying tape hiss without messing with an otherwise great recording. A more recent project involved figuring out the complexities involved in taking the track break out of conjoined songs. I started on this because it would allow me to re-record songs that are joined on a cd as one song, greatly simplifying the way that I turn them into mp3's. Now, instead of having an annoying break between the two previously joined tracks or having them play as separate tracks when I select the "shuffle" option on my mp3 player, I have one long, smooth track that I can plug in anywhere I feel the need without worrying about an annoying track break. Like I said earlier, progress has been slow, but it has at least been obvious. Next on the menu is cleaning whole albums (The Beatles "Black Album", Badfinger's "Unreleased And Some Released" boot,) and restoring a collection of moldy oldies that I recorded on cassette for my mom 20 years ago. Based on my initial experiments, I can see myself using the Denoiser more often than the Remastering tools, but since that's what I bought it for in the first place, I consider that well worth the price. I'm sure there are other tricks I'll learn along the way, but less than a month into the marriage, I'm sold.

I have also experienced extremely poor customer support from MAGIX. My retail boxed copy comes up as an e copy. The program requests that I enter a code number to make it a full copy. After 10 phone calls to support [usually there is no one in the office] I have given up on obtaining a registration code. I also attempted to obtain the free upgrade for the mp3 conversion option in the program. Again, no success in getting an activation number. The program itself has some nice features, however, I feel cheated in not being able to get all of the features that I paid for. MAGIX support is the poorest I have ever experienced. Beware of this company.

Like most of the others, I bought this one because I have a sizable collection of vinyl that I'd like to digitize. My initial impression was that the program could be a bit more intuitive, and the so-called "manual" could more aptly be described as a promotional booklet! It's a fairly huge program (over 500 megs when loaded), slightly complex and potentially frustrating because of the lack of on-screen direction. A detailed, "instructional" manual should have been included, if not on paper then at the very least in .pdf form on disk. I was also ticked off to find that the MP3 feature, which allows you to record directly to MP3 format, bypassing the WAV conversion, "appeared" to be a crippled feature. Fortunately, this problem is resolved (free of charge) if you pull down the Help tab and click the link that takes you to the Magix website. If you register the program (name, address, and email) they send you an activation code which unlocks the MP3 features. I know, I know...it's almost like they're blackmailing you into registering, but it also eliminates that 20 use limit, which makes it worth it. And it's free. It's just too bad that they force you to register in order to get what should have been available right out of the box.

But, overall the program does exactly what it claims. You can record an LP, cassette, or voice directly to an MP3, WAV, CD audio file, or other sound format. You can burn to disk, edit, enhance, and eliminate background noises such as crackle, hiss, and clicking. You can even record an album without pausing between songs because the program recognizes the breaks and creates separate files. Admittedly, there are still a number of settings and options that I don't fully understand because I rarely do more than transfer a few vinyl cuts into MP3 format. But overall, I'm satisfied with the program, while at the same time, I understand quite clearly why many others are not. And btw, I've yet to see this package selling for more than $19.95 at any of the major stores, so avoid the $39.95 list price if possible.

One other thing. If you're experiencing an electrical hum in your stereo speakers or through your computer when the two are connected by way of your RCA cable (not included of course), you probably need a ground loop isolator. They cost about $16 bucks at the electronics stores. It gets rid of the hum.

I should have learned from my only other earlier MAGIX product! Nowhere on the box did it state that the $29.99 price for this retail product is only good to rip 20 songs into mp3 format... in fact, after looking over the manual again and again, there were no mention of such either! It's only after I tried running the program did a little window pop up informing me of such and suggested that I paid for the limited upgrade!!! What a croak of ___!

The installed program offered the option to UPGRADE for unlimited mp3 ripping. Personally, I consider that a RIPOFF!!! Isn't it illegal on such misleading and false marketing/packaging? Well, it should!

With mp3 music and players getting more and more popular, MAGIX is essentially ripping off a lot of consumers big time.

The interface is clean but confusing nor does the skimpy instruction manual helpful. The only two attempts I made in cleaning and equalizing mp3 music files ended in their own native 'project' file and not the expected mp3 files that I wanted to copy into my mp3 player!!! A simple procedure of cleaning and minor editing turned into an exercise of frustration- not worth it! Even if the program itself is good and does what it does advertised otherwise, I still couldn't uninstall it fast enough off my hard drive because of principle.

I strongly suggest you pass this product on and in fact, pass on all MAGIX products as a protest for their unethical sales method!

I bought this after seeing mostly good reviews and because I wanted to convert to WAV format, rather than a proprietary format like WMA. It was fairly easy to figure out the basics, and sometimes I can convert a few albums in a row without it crashing. But it crashes way too often - at least 5 times today trying to convert one album; a full reboot after each crash. After ripping about 10 albums (out of 150 or so), I have decided to give up on this program and look for something else. Too bad . . .

Let's clear a few things up right here.

You do NOT have to pay for an MP3 converter. You can register for a FREE key on the Magix website after your initial 20 exports are used up. They do not flood your inbox with Spam, either.

This program is good for beginners AND pros alike. The wizards in the program will allow novices to get excellent results. If you can't figure out the wizards, you should not be near a computer.

If you are running XP on a mid-level machine, you will not crash. I only experienced a crash when I ran this on my kids' 6-year old PC running Windows 2000 with very little memory.

The English in the manual and in the program is FINE.

I have digitized hundreds of LPs and cassettes with great results. I have also used the program to record and mix my internet radio show with excellent results.

I recommend this product highly.

This is a amazingly poor product. I suspect the favorable reviewers are either electrical engineers or computer whizzes. For the average person this program is just an exercise in frustration. The manual is more than just useless - it's infuriating. It gives you all of the detail of what the program is capable of, it just never tells you how to use it. For example, it tells you that you may get a track marker (these are put in automatically in between songs) in the middle of the song if a pause is detected. But instead of telling you how to remove the unwanted marker, the instructions tell you how to insert one. Another section tells you it is possible to delete markers, but only explains how to move them. To launch the "Track Wizard" you are told to click the "Export" button and then press "Track". Only problem is that there is no "Track" to be found to press. The set up instructions and the tutorial (which can only be viewed once) disagree as to which port in the sound card to use - a problem alleviated by trial and error, but just an example of how truly botched a product this is. These are only a few examples, space does not permit all of them. In short, I can't think of anything they got right. Tech support isn't bad, it's non-existent. All I got was voice mail and unreturned calls. It's a crime that opened software is not returnable. "Rip-off" is too mild a term.

This software works however this company completely ignores the customer after the sale. The last version I used required unlock codes that you needed to obtain from the company....I never got them despite repeated calls and emails. I cannot believe that they are still in business. Don't buy this software.