Vocal distortion

[Noel]

My problem is ridding my recordings of a distortion, mainly with the vocals, but also with strings or flutes etc.
The distortion, I suspect, is caused through stylus damage to the vinyl.
It is a harshness, an edginess, sometimes subtle, sometimes prominent.
I'm sure you know what I mean, it's almost, but not quite, related to over sibilance.
I have been experimenting with different adjustments in the Continuous Noise Filter, with mixed results.
Are my expectations too high?
Is it possible to get CD quality sound from a tweaked vinyl recording?
I must admit with time and perseverance, I am getting better result with each new LP I copy.
Any handy hints for a beginner?
Thanks

[Craig Maier]

Re: Vocal distortion

I think that I know of the sound that you are describing. It is usually the result of the record(s) having been overplayed with a bad stylus in past history. Since the distortion has a lot of high frequency components, I find that the use of the de-esser works the best in this situation. Something that I have not tried, but is a possibility, is the CNF in spectral subtraction mode. You would have to sample on a short section of the wavefile with the distortion on it then run the spectral subtractor. Then, I would try to adjust the attenuation control to see if there is a spot where the distortion diminishes.

[Noel]

Re: Vocal distortion

Thank you Craig,
I'll give that a try.