Mono-a-Mono

Gets rid of hiss and clicks on stereo recordings of old records and tapes.

Mono-a-Mono  Review

Mono-a-Mono removes scratches and tape or surface noise from stereo recordings of mono sources. It can be used to enhance digital recordings of old records (whether 78, 45, or 33 rpm, shellac, acetate or vinyl), audio tapes (reel-to-reel or cassette), or even cylinder recordings, provided only that the playback and digitisation of the signal has been performed in stereo, but the original source was mono. It rarely needs any configuration or tweaking. It produces excellent results automatically. Mono-a-Mono uses a simple muting algorithm to remove the most obvious clicks, and then filters out any components which are not present in both left and right channels. In this way, almost all the audible surface noise can be removed, and there are very few cases where any audible artefacts are introduced. Although designed to process any stereo recording of a mono source, Mono-a-Mono has some features which are especially well-suited to processing old records such as 78 rpm discs and cylinders: it allows bass and treble frequencies to be boosted or cut (to compensate for the different equalisation characteristics used during the recording process) and it has a "click removal" function to reduce the effect of the worst scratches and clicks from old recordings. Two further sliders control simple filters to remove low-frequency rumble/hum and high-frequency hiss. The "Click Remover" slider controls the sensitivity of the click suppression algorithm, while the "Silence Enhancer" controls the suppression of quiet signals. It makes those sections of a recording quieter (the way they were meant to be). The "Rejuvenator" performs a similar function for the louder sections, reducing the audibility of any wear-and-tear (or other distortion). Mono-a-Mono is a very cost-effective method for hiding defects in old records. The default settings are usually good, but the various modules can be controlled independently to cope with even the most difficult recordings.