Bringing new features and tools for broadcasters, archives and libraries, Cambridge V9 is the latest revision of Cedar Audio’s audio restoration system.
Cedar Cambridge V9 is now a 64-bit application. It will run on Windows Vista and Windows 7, but this means that Windows XP has finally been left behind. Users running an early Host System and Windows XP, may need to upgrade to the latest Series III hardware and Windows 7 Ultimate Pro 64.
Batch Processing and Reporting
Developed in response to requests from national sound archives and libraries, the XML extension extends Batch Processing and allows the processing applied to each audio file to be specified by a software file called a batch token. This contains information such as the location of the source audio and its file name, what processes the user would like to apply to the audio, where the user would like the results to be deposited, and whether the user would like a processing report generated. In addition, an XML log file can be created for each batch job.
If the Report Generator is available on the system, the Batch Processor can now allow generate an individual report in either XML or HTML format for every track it processes. The reports are stored alongside the processed audio, so large quantities of track and processing metadata can be added efficiently to end-users’ databases and asset management systems.
Internationalisation
Cambridge V9 allows users to localise much of the system’s user interface, including its tooltips. Translation is straightforward, simply requiring the entry of the new language terms alongside the English ones in a text file. The resulting language files can be supplied to Cedar Audio, added to the localisation library and, where appropriate, made available to other users.
Track Loudness
As television advertisements can be as much as 20dB louder than the surrounding programme material, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM) came into effect in the US in 2012, requiring that the audio loudness be at a consistent level across programming and advertisements. Another requirement of the Act is to be able to log audio levels to prove compliance. Failure to meet the appropriate standards (the ATSC A/85 standard in the US and the EBU R128 standard in Europe) and to be able to prove compliance may result in fines.
Cedar Cambridge V9 offers two new facilities – Track Loudness View and Track Loudness. The first allows end-users to determine whether their audio conforms to a given standard. If it doesn’t, they can use the Track Loudness module to correct this. To ensure the widest range of compliance and to allow for future changes to the regulations, additional loudness standards can be defined by the end-user.
Following processing, users can use the Track Loudness View to confirm that the audio complies with the chosen standard and, to ensure compliance, every report contains the Track Loudness statistics. Track Loudness module can be used together with the Batch Processor and the XML Extension to ensure that libraries can be made to conform to local regulations in a tiny fraction of the time necessary using other methods.
True Peak and ITU1770-3
The Peak Normaliser 2 and Metering modules now include True Peak options, and the Power Normaliser 2 has been upgraded to offer the latest ITU1770-3 standard.
Additional improvements
The Odd Harmonics option in Debuzz-3 eliminates processing at the even harmonic frequencies to ensure that no unnecessary processing occurs, resulting in even less risk of damage to the genuine signal.
In addition to all of the above, there are minor improvements throughout Cedar Cambridge V9, such as Hot Keys in modules such as NR-4, NR-5 and Retouch 5, improvements to some of the layouts to allow more space for legends, and an improved menu system for the multichannel knobs.
Finally, V9 supports Remote Desktop, which can be set up creating and setting a registry key to ensure that the knobs and sliders work correctly.
See also:
Cedar Cambridge V8
Studer-Cedar are winners in TV game show mic control
More: www.cedaraudio.com
