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Precision Software Appli…tions Silver Collection 3
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nohiss12.arj
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NOHISS: Digital Noise Reduction
────────────────────────────────
(C) Copyright 1991, 1992 by Andy Hakim
All Rights Reserved
U S E R M A N U A L
Version 1.2
For a quick summary of options, type NOHISS at the dos prompt.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ADDRESSES ............................................................. 1
SOFTWARE LICENSE ...................................................... 2
DISCLAIMER ........................................................... 2
ABOUT NOHISS .......................................................... 3
FILE FORMATS .......................................................... 3
COMMAND LINE SYNTAX ................................................... 4
COMMAND LINE OPTIONS .................................................. 5
/? ................................................................ 5
/HELP ............................................................. 5
/NR=# ............................................................. 5
/SIZE=# ........................................................... 5
/RANGE=# .......................................................... 6
/MIN=# ............................................................ 6
/MAX=# ............................................................ 6
/[NO]FANCY ........................................................ 6
/[NO]OVER ......................................................... 6
/[NO]PROCESS ...................................................... 6
/[NO]PAUSE ........................................................ 6
/[NO]PLAY[I][O] ................................................... 7
/TIME=# ........................................................... 7
/PORT=# ........................................................... 7
/SAVE ............................................................. 7
/RESET ............................................................ 7
> NUL ............................................................. 7
COMMAND LINE EXAMPLES ................................................. 8
ERROR MESSAGES ........................................................ 9
SOURCE CODE ........................................................... 10
TRADEMARKS ............................................................ 10
REVISION HISTORY ...................................................... 10
Nohiss Version 1.2 Page: 1
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ADDRESSES
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Direct all correspondence to:
US Mail │ Andy Hakim
│ 816 Pecore Street
│ Houston, TX 77009-6034
│
Telephone │ +1 713-880-3059
│ +1 713-869-6138 (alternate)
│
Internet │ AHakim@UH.EDU
BITnet │ AHakim@UHOU
DECnet/THEnet │ UHOU::AHakim
│
Bulletin Board │ Sands BBS
│ +1 713-961-1604
│ 2400/9600/14400 baud, HST/v.32
│ Userid: "Andy Hakim"
Nohiss Version 1.2 Page: 2
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SOFTWARE LICENSE
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Nohiss 1.1 is free for individual, non-commercial use, but if you find it
of value, you are encouraged to register your copy.
The registration fee is US $20. Your registration will allow the author to
continue to enhance this product and will be greatly appreciated.
Registered users will be informed of new versions as they become available.
Please provide the following information along with your comments and
suggestions:
■ Your Name
■ Postal address and Phone
■ Electronic mail address (ex: Compuserve, Internet)
■ Current PP version, and where you obtained it
■ What computer system, mouse, and software do you
use PP with?
Software disk vendors, BBSs, FTP sites, and User Groups may distribute
copies of Nohiss as long as all files from the original PP10.ZIP are
distributed unmodified.
Freeware software developers may distribute unmodified versions of the
PP.EXE and PPCONFIG.EXE executables along with their program provided that
they inform the author.
All other users and distributors of Nohiss, including shareware and
commercial software developers, must contact the author for licensing
agreements. Please call or write for more information.
DISCLAIMER
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Users of Nohiss must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
Nohiss is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties,
expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of
merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no
liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from
the use of Nohiss.
Nohiss Version 1.2 Page: 3
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ABOUT NOHISS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Nohiss reduces or removes background "noise" that is almost always present
when a recording is made on a Soundblaster card. Background noise is most
apparent when using a microphone, but is also present to some degree if you
use a direct input connection.
Graphically, "hisssssss" looks like this:
+128┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
A │ . Speech │
m │ . . . │
p │ . . . . │
l │ . . . . . . . . . . . Silence (nohiss) │
i 0│. . . . . . . . . . . . .......................│
t │ . . . . . │
u │ Hisssssssss . . . │
d │ . Speech │
e │ │
-128└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Time --->
NOHISS was designed to work on speech recordings. If you run NOHISS on a
digitized music (ie: rock and roll song) file, there will probably be no
improvement in quality. There is no fixed level of reduction that works
for all speech samples but by adjusting the command line parameters you
will generally end up with a better sounding sample. One of the good side
effects of NOHISS is that the output file will probably compress (using a
file compression program) tighter than the original. You can also get
better results when using the Soundblaster's "silence compression" option.
Run DEMO.BAT to hear a sample of the before and after versions of a speech
sample.
Nohiss Version 1.2 Page: 4
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FILE FORMATS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
NOHISS supports the following digitized file formats:
.VOC - Soundblaster 8-bit VOICE format. Currently, only the unpacked
format is supported. Normally when you record a sound, it is
stored in an unpacked state. The Soundblaster/PRO Stereo sound
format it not supported at this time. If the VOC file contains
special blocks such as markers, text information, they will
automatically be copied without change.
.SND - This is raw 8-bit data with header information. There are two
basic types of SND files. Nohiss recognizes both versions and
retains proper header information.
.SOU - Raw 8-bit digital data. No header information. The extension
may not be SOU in all cases.
Note: Although you can specify different extensions for the input and
output files, nohiss will not convert between formats. The
output file will remain the same format as the input file
regardless of the file extension.
COMMAND LINE SYNTAX
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Syntax:
NOHISS <inputfile[.ext]> [outputfile[.ext]] [options]
<inputfile[.ext]>
This is the name of the file that needs to be processed. NOHISS will
automatically look for .VOC and .SOU files if no extension is
specified. This filespec is required.
[outputfile[.ext]]
This is the name of the output file. Again, the extension is
optional. NOHISS will add an appropriate extension depending on the
input file type. If no output file is required, a temporary file is
created, then deleted when the program is finished.
[options]
Options allow you to customize various settings. All options can be
saved directly to NOHISS.EXE by using /SAVE. This saves you the
trouble of typing each parameter on subsequent uses.
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COMMAND LINE OPTIONS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Options allow you to customize various settings. Options may be in upper
or lower case, be specified in any order, not be abbreviated, must be
preceded by slash (/) or minus (-), and must be separated by a space ( ).
/? (or /HELP, or NOHISS with no parameters)
Displays the help screen and default options.
/NR=#
Noise reduction level, specified in a percentage ranging from
0 to 100. This is the factor by which a particular sample value
will be reduced. For example, if /NR=50 then a data value of -6
will be reduced by 50% yielding -3. Normally, this should be set
at 100 percent, if the /RANGE is small.
/SIZE=#
Minimum duration of hiss specified in samples. There must at least
be this many consecutive values falling in the hiss RANGE as a
requirement for reduction. It is necessary to have this restriction
because the endings of certain words (ex: THIS), often sound
similar to background noise. A small SIZE value (ex: 1) will cause
words to be clipped at the end. On the other hand, a very large
size value will cause no values to qualify for reduction. In terms
of time the size value is closely related to the sampling rate. For
example, a rate of 12000 hertz means that 12000 samples are taken
each second. Therefore, if you set /SIZE=12000 you are saying that
at least one second of continous hiss must be present before it is
reduced and any portions of hiss smaller than 1 second are ignored.
By /SIZE=# you are defining the horizontal width:
+128┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SIZE . │
│ ┌────────┐ . . . │
│ │ │ . . . . │
│ . . . . . . . . . . . │
0│. . . . . . . . . . . . .......................│
│ . . . . . │
│ . . . │
│ . │
│ │
-128└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
As another example, suppose you specify /SIZE=1. In this case
any single sample that meets the /RANGE criterion will be reduced.
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/RANGE=#
Hiss spectrum, specified in volume units ranging from 0 to 254.
The program will automatically center this value around 0 (which
is considered silence.) Data values falling into this range are
reduced. The MIN and MAX values are recomputed every time you
use this option. Normally you want to keep this value just
large enough to catch the hiss and not affect the voice. If
you start hearing words being clipped, try reducing this value.
In my experience, a value less than 3 is pretty much useless
and a value greater than 50 takes away too much of the voice
data. This value varies from sample to sample.
Example: By /RANGE=#, you are specifying the vertical width:
+128┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ . no data above this line is changed│
│ UPPER LIMIT (MAX) . . . │
R ┌──│---------------------------------------------------------------│
A │ │ . . . . . . . . . . . │
N │ 0│. . . . . . . . . . . . .......................│
G │ │ . . . . . │
E └──│---------------------------------------------------------------│
│ LOWER LIMIT (MIN). no data below this line is changed │
│ │
-128└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
/MIN=#
Hiss spectrum lower limit, ranging from -127 to +127. This gives
you precise control over the hiss spectrum.
/MAX=#
Hiss spectrum upper limit, ranging from -127 to +127. This gives
you precise control over the hiss spectrum.
/[NO]OVER
Turn on/off file overwrite confirmation. If set to /NOOVER, you
prompted when an output file exists. If set to /OVER then output
files will be overwritten without any confirmation.
/[NO]PROCESS
Turn on/off hiss processing. Why would you NOT want to process a
file? If you only want to listen to the differences between two
files. NOHISS can play two .VOC files one after the other.
Nohiss Version 1.2 Page: 7
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/[NO]PLAY[I][O]
Specifies what should be played back. Use /NOPLAY if you do not
want to hear anything. Use /PLAYI to hear only the input file.
Use /PLAYO to hear only the output file. Use /PLAYIO to hear
both input and output files. During playback, you can press
any key to stop. Only VOC files can be played back, and only
the Soundblaster card is supported.
/TIME=#
Specifies the duration of playback in seconds. For example, if
you set /TIME=5 then only the first 5 seconds of a file will be
played back. By default, it is set at 3600 seconds (1 hour).
/PORT=#
Specifies the Soundblaster IO port address in hexadecimal notation.
By default, the SB is jumpered at 220, but you can set it from
210, 220... to 260. For example, /PORT=260 sets the port address
to 260 hexadecimal.
/SAVE
This causes all options specified on the command line to become
permanent. The options are written to NOHISS.EXE therefore
no configuration files are needed. On subsequent uses, you do
not have to reenter command line options. For example,
NOHISS /NR=50 /PORT=230 /SAVE /? saves the port number and noise
reduction level, then displays the help screen.
/RESET
Restores factory default settings. The new settings are automatically
written to NOHISS.EXE.
> NUL
This is not really part of Nohiss, but it is a very handy DOS
redirection command that can be used to redirect any screen
output to a "nul" device - a block hole sort of. You can use this
redirection technique if you do not want anything displayed on the
screen. You may also use any valid dos device (ie: prn) or filename
in place of NUL. This must be specified as the last option on the
command line. One reason why you may want to use this might be if
you use Nohiss as a VOC file player. Something like:
NOHISS /NOPROCESS /TIME=2 HELLO.VOC > NUL
Nohiss Version 1.2 Page: 8
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COMMAND LINE EXAMPLES (assuming factory default options)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
C:\NOHISS SAMPLE.VOC OUTPUT.VOC
The file named sample.voc is processed and its result sent to
output.voc. Both files are played back.
...........................................................................
C:\NOHISS SAMPLE.VOC OUTPUT.VOC /PLAYO /TIME=5
After processing, only the output file (in this case output.voc)
will be played back. The playback stops after 5 seconds.
...........................................................................
C:\NOHISS SAMPLE.VOC OUTPUT.VOC /NOPLAY
File will be processed, but NOT played back.
...........................................................................
C:\NOHISS SAMPLE.VOC /NOPROCESS
File will not be processed, only played back.
...........................................................................
C:\NOHISS SAMPLE OUTPUT /RANGE=10 /SIZE=100
RANGE is set to 10, and SIZE is set to 100 while processing.
...........................................................................
C:\NOHISS /RANGE=10 /SIZE=100 /SAVE
The RANGE and SIZE parameters are permanently saved to nohiss.exe.
If you use the /SAVE option it is not mandotary to specify a
filename.
...........................................................................
C:\NOHISS /RESET /?
The original factory settings are restored and saved to nohiss.exe.
The "/?" option will display the new settings.
...........................................................................
C:\NOHISS SAMPLE OUTPUT /NR=75 /PLAYO /NOPAUSE /SIZE=10 /RANGE=5 /OVER
This will set the noise reduction level to 75%, set the range
to 5 units, set the size to 10 samples, process the file
overwriting OUTPUT.VOC if it exists, play the output file,
and not pause after playing.
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ERROR MESSAGES
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Error messages are reported on the screen as well as in the ERRORLEVEL
system variable in DOS. A successful run will set ERRORLEVEL to 0.
1: INPUT FILE NOT FOUND
Cannot file the input file.
2: INTERNAL ERROR
But you will never, ever get this error, trust me.
3: INVALID COMMAND LINE OPTION
You have entered an incorrect parameter on the command line.
4: OVERWRITE PERMISSION DENIED
5: OUTPUT FILE SAME AS INPUT FILE
6: OPTION VALUE OUT OF BOUNDS
The option does not have the correct range value.
7: CANNOT ACCESS PROGRAM FILE
The program could not write to NOHISS.EXE. Maybe the disk is
write protected, or you do not have write privilege on your network.
8: SOUNDBLASTER PLAYBACK ERROR
An error occurred while playing a .VOC file, wrong format, etc.
9: SOUNDBLASTER INTERRUPT ERROR
Interrupt conflict. Try using another interrupt number.
10: SOUNDBLASTER NOT INSTALLED OR WRONG IO PORT
The port can be set by using the /PORT= option (see above.)
Nohiss Version 1.2 Page: 10
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SOURCE CODE
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
NOHISS was written using Borland C++ v2.0. If you are interested in the
copy of the source code, contact me at the addresses listed at the start
of this document. If you have information on the decompression algorithms
used by the Soundblaster, I am interested! Share your knowledge.
TRADEMARKS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Borland C++ is a trademark of Borland International.
Soundblaster is a trademark of Creative Labs, Inc.
REVISION HISTORY
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
October 17, 1991 Version 1.0 Initial Release
December 15, 1991 Version 1.1 Added PLAYVOC.BAT file.
December 12, 1992 Version 1.2 EGA/VGA bug fix, Documentation Revision
