Magix Audio Cleaning Lab MX 18.0 Owners Manual EN

User Manual: magix Audio Cleaning Lab MX - 18.0 - Owners Manual Free User Guide for Magix Audio Cleaning Lab Software, Manual

Open the PDF directly: View PDF .
Page Count: 173

Download
Open PDF In Browser	View PDF

Copyright
This documentation is protected by law. All rights, especially the right of
duplication, circulation, and translation, are reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in the form of copies,
microfilms or other processes, or transmitted into a language used for
machines, especially data processing machines, without the express written
consent of the publisher.
All copyrights reserved.
All other product names are trademarks of the corresponding manufacturers.
Errors in and changes to the contents as well as program modifications
reserved.
MAGIX and Cleaning Lab are registered trademarks of MAGIX AG.
VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab uses patent-pending technology.
Other mentioned product names may be registered trademarks of the
respective manufacturer.
MAGIX licensing conditions are included in the installation and also at
www.magix.com under EULA
Copyright © MAGIX AG, 2000-2011. All rights reserved.
Legal notice: Copyrights and laws against exploitation of accomplishments of
artists and publishers shall be observed.

www.magix.com

Preface

Preface
Congratulations! You now own a high-performance digital audio lab, which is
perfect for cleaning your records, tapes, CD tracks, MP3 collections, audio or
video files, enhancing the sound, combining your media in any order, and
burning or exporting everything in optimum quality directly onto CD or DVD.
The volume and sound on each track can be perfectly synced and equalized.
Various audio formats can be combined, simultaneously edited, and burned.
The method is especially easy and clear, since automatic settings, assistants
and step-by-step instructions make sure that the process goes smoothly and
easily. Neither previous experience using the software nor long processing
time are necessary.
The print manual provides an introduction and tutorial that explains all the
most important features with step-by-step instructions.
In addition, an electronic manual is supplied in PDF, which systematically
explains all of the program's components one after the other. You can also
use the program's help file by pressing "F1". If you prefer to discover the
many possibilities of the program by yourself, then use the PDF manual and
help file simply as a reference. An alphabetical index is included for this
purpose.
Have fun with MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX.
The MAGIX team.

www.magix.com

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Copyright

Preface

Before You Start
Package contents
System requirements
Installation

10
10
10
10

Support

Uninstalling the program

Serial Number

More about MAGIX
MAGIX Online World
magix.info

15
15
15

Introduction
What is MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX?
What’s new in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX?
Features

16
16
16
17

Tutorial
Program start
Load and play audio files
Cleaning
Mastering
Object effects
Spectral Cleaning
Cut out undesired passages
Retouch short distortions such as cracks
Export

19
19
20
21
23
23
24
25
27
30

Overview of the program interface

Track window and constant control elements
Upper buttons
MAGIX News Center
The master track
Mouse mode
Transport control
Analyzer

33
33
34
34
37
41
42

www.magix.com

Table of Contents

Info Box
Zoom
Zoom settings
Volume controller/auto button
Status line

42
43
44
44
45

Import
Audio files
Record
CDs

47
47
47
55

Editing in the track view
What is an object?
Project
Adjust object volume
Fading objects in and out
Duplicate objects
Reducing and increasing the length of objects
Deleting and moving objects
Cut objects
Join and mix objects
Fading objects
Change song order
Automatic insertion of pauses between objects
Several songs in a single long object
Object FX
Draw volume curve
Quick zoom
Set track markers
Automatic track recognition
Check and move track markers

59
59
59
60
60
60
61
61
61
62
63
63
63
64
64
64
65
65
66
68

Cleaning
Choose preset
Using the effect modules
Cleaning Wizard
Step by step
Object FX page
Declicker/Decrackler
Declipper
Dehisser
DeNoiser
Remove DC offset
Spectral Cleaning
Tempo/Resampling

69
69
69
70
71
72
74
75
76
77
80
81
85

Mastering
Choose preset

86
86

www.magix.com

Table of Contents
Using the effect modules
Step by step
Object FX window
Enhancer
Equalizer
Brilliance Enhancer
Sound Cloner
MultiMax
Dynamics
Reverb/Echo
Plug-ins
Tape simulation (plug-in)
De-Esser (Plug-in)
Energizer (plug-in)
AM-Track SE (plug-in)

86
86
87
87
88
90
91
93
94
96
97
98
99
100
102

Sound Effects
Surround Mode
Acoustics simulator
Resampling/Timestretching
Chorus (Plug-In)
Distortion
Voice over

103
103
105
106
108
109
110

Export
MP3 files
Audio CD
Export audio
Create audio DVD
Data disc

112
112
113
118
120
120

Batch conversion
Source files
Effects
Target format
Destination files

121
122
123
124
124

File Menu
New Project
Load project
Save Project
Save project as
Burn project backup onto CD/DVD / Burn data CD/DVD
Load audio file
Load audio CD
Import DVD audio
Record
Export audio

125
125
125
125
125
125
126
127
127
127
128

www.magix.com

Table of Contents

Batch conversion
Load video sound
Export video sound
Internet
Delete old projects
Exit

128
128
128
129
133
134

Edit Menu
undo
Restore
Undo Lists
Set marker
Split
Remove object beginning
Remove object end
Cut
Copy
Paste
Delete
Remove pauses
Voice-Over
Surround Editor
Create Surround Transitions
Object FX Editor
Load/save real-time effects
Apply all realtime effects

135
135
135
135
135
135
136
136
136
136
136
136
137
137
137
138
138
138
138

Effects menu
Normalize object volume
Adjust volume
Isolate Stereo Channels
Switch channels
Invert phase
Backwards
Plug-ins

139
139
141
141
141
142
142
142

CD/DVD menu
Set track marker
Set Pause marker
Set track markers automatically
Set track marker to object edges
Split objects at marker positions
Set auto pause length
Delete marker
Delete all markers
Delete CD track
Create CD...
Show CD-R drive information

143
143
143
143
143
144
144
144
144
144
144
145

www.magix.com

Table of Contents
Show CD-R disc information
Create audio DVD
CD track list/ID3 editor
MAGIX Xtreme Print Center
Get CD track information (freeDB)
CD info options
Open CD track list online
audioid

145
145
146
147
147
147
148
149

Options menu
Move mouse mode
Cut Mouse mode
Zoom mode
Delete Mouse mode
Resampling/Timestretch mouse mode
Draw volume curve mouse mode
2 tracks
Stereo display
Surround Mode
Activate Volume Curves
Play parameter
Analyzer window
Video window
Units of measurement
Mouse Grid Active
Auto crossfade mode active
Display values scale
Options for automatic track marker recognition
Path settings
Show start selection

150
150
150
151
151
151
151
152
152
152
152
153
154
154
154
154
155
155
155
156
156

Tasks menu

158

"Share" menu
Community upload
Use as background music
Add to music collection

158
158
158
158

Help menu
Help
Display tips
Show tutorial videos
System information
About MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX
Register online
Update check
Restore original program settings
Activate MP3/AAC encoder

159
159
159
159
159
159
159
160
160
160

www.magix.com

Table of Contents

Keyboard layout and mouse-wheel support
Keyboard layout
Mouse-wheel support

164
164
165

Index

166

www.magix.com

Table of Contents

Before You Start
Package contents
Program CD
The MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX installation manager is included on this
CD.

Printed manual
The print manual contains all necessary information for a quick start with the
program. It includes installation hints, a quick introduction (tutorial), and an
overview of the functionality of the program with useful hints & tips.
Hint: The complete documentation is included in the MAGIX Audio Cleaning
Lab MX folder as a PDF file. You can read it on your screen or print it. You will
need the "Adobe Acrobat Reader" application, and you can download it for
free from the Internet if it is not yet installed on your PC.

System requirements
Operating system:
For Microsoft® Windows® XP | Vista® | 7

Computer:







1 GHz processor or higher
512 MB RAM
500 MB free hard disk space
graphics card: resolution 1024 x 768
16-bit sound card
CD-ROM drive

Optional:
 Burn CDs/DVDs with CD/DVD±R(W) recorder

Installation
Step 1: Insert the program disc into the drive. The installation program starts
up automatically in Windows. If the disc doesn't run automatically,

www.magix.com

Table of Contents
 open the Windows Explorer and click the letter of the CD/DVD drive.
 Now double-click on "Start.exe" to start the installer.
Step 2: To begin the installation of MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX, click on
"MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX". The MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX
installation program will appear.
Simply follow the instructions on screen to complete the installation process
and then click on "Continue". All files are copied onto the hard drive.
Step 3: Once the installation is complete, confirm the message by pressing
"Finish". You will then be able to start the program at any time from the
Windows "Start" menu.
If you would like to uninstall MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX, you can do so via
the control panel under "Software". Or go to "Programs > MAGIX > MAGIX
Audio Cleaning Lab MX > Service and Support > Uninstall MAGIX Audio
Cleaning Lab MX".

www.magix.com

Support

Support
Dear MAGIX customer,
Our aim is to provide fast, convenient, solution-focused support at all times.
To this end, we offer a wide range of services:
 Unlimited web support:
As a registered MAGIX customer, you have unlimited access to web support
offered via the convenient MAGIX service portal on http://support.magix.net,
including an intelligent help assistant, high-quality FAQs, patches and user
reports that are constantly updated.
The only requirement for use is product registration at www.magix.com
 The online community, on-the-spot support and a platform for exchange:
MAGIX customers have free and unlimited access to the online community at
www.magix.info, which includes approx. 120,000 members and offers the
opportunity to ask members questions concerning MAGIX products as well as
use the search function to search for specific topics or answers. In addition to
questions & answers, the knowledge pool includes a glossary, video tutorials
and a discussion forum. The multiple experts, found round-the-clock at
www.magix.info guarantee quick answers, which sometimes come within
minutes of a question being posted.
 Email support for MAGIX products:
For every new MAGIX product you will receive, as of date purchase, 12
months of email based customer service.
Premium email support:
For priority support, or if you want the MAGIX support team to help with
non-MAGIX related hardware problems you can purchase a Premium email
support ticket. Log in at http://support.magix.net and click on "Purchase
access code", the ticket is for a specific problem, and is valid until it is solved,
it is not restricted to an email.
Please note: To be able to use the Premium email support and free product
email support via the Internet, you have to register your MAGIX product using
the serial number provided. This can be found on the CD case of your
installation CD or on the inside of the DVD box.
 Additional telephone service:
Besides the large number of free customer service offers, we also offer a
fee-based telephone customer service.
Here you can find a summary of our technical support telephone numbers:
http://support.magix.net/
Mail (Europe): MAGIX Development Support, P.O. Box 20 09 14, 01194
Dresden, Germany

www.magix.com

Uninstalling the program
Mail (North America): MAGIX Customer Service, 1105 Terminal Way #302,
Reno, NV 89502, USA
Please make sure you have the following information at hand:
 Program version
 Configuration details (operating system, processor, memory, hard drive, etc.),
sound card configuration (type, driver)
 Information regarding other audio software installed
MAGIX Sales Department
You can reach the MAGIX Sales Department workdays for help with the
following questions and problems:





Orders
Product consulting (pre-purchase)
Upgrade requests
Returns

Europe
Monday - Friday, 09:00-16:00 GMT
U.K.: 0203 3189218
Denmark: 45 699 18763
Sweden: 46 852 500713
Finland: 35 89 42419023
Norway: 47 210 35843

North America
9 am to 4 pm EST Mon-Fri
Phone: 1-305-722-5810

Uninstalling the program
If you would like to uninstall MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX, you can do so via
the control panel under "Software". Or go to "Programs > MAGIX > MAGIX
Audio Cleaning Lab MX > Service and Support > Uninstall MAGIX Audio
Cleaning Lab MX".

www.magix.com

Serial Number

Serial Number
A serial number is included with each product. This serial number is required
for the installation of the software and enables usage of additional bonus
services.
What can a serial number do?
A serial number ensures that your copy of MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX is
clearly assigned to you and only you, and it makes improved and more
targeted customer service possible. Abuse of the software can be prevented
with a serial number, since it ensures that the optimum price/performance
ratio continues to be offered by MAGIX.
Where can the serial number be found?
The serial number can be found on the reverse side of your CD/DVD case. If
your product, for example, is packed in a DVD box, then you'll find the serial
number on the inside.
For versions that have been especially optimized for the Internet (download
versions), directly following the transaction you'll receive a serial number by
email to activate the software.
When will you need the serial number?
The serial number is required when you start or register MAGIX Audio
Cleaning Lab MX for the first time.
Note: We explicitly recommend registering your product, since only then are
you entitled to get program updates and contact MAGIX Support. Entering the
serial number is also required for activating codecs.

www.magix.com

More about MAGIX

More about MAGIX
MAGIX Online World
Everything you need for your website
 Easily create your own website with MAGIX
website software
 Publish your website for free with the MAGIX free web hosting service
 Register your domain name of choice for your website at a great price
Discover MAGIX Online World at www.magix-online.com

magix.info
Do you have questions, need help, or are looking for expert tips and tutorial
videos on your MAGIX product? At magix.info you will find answers and
solutions as well as workshops and a comprehensive user forum for software
and multimedia queries.
You can access magix.info online at www.magix.info

www.magix.com

Introduction

Introduction
What is MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX?
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX is a gentle but powerful cleaner for all kinds of
acoustic material including records, tapes, CD tracks, recorded speech, video
sound, and MP3s. Digital cleaning features remove everything from light
cloudiness to the worst sound abominations on noise-filled tapes, scratched
records, and on MP3s that have been compressed to death. A fine polish of
the sound brings new life to every song and the burning function encapsulates
your sensitive sound material on audio or data CD, protecting it from any
further damage.
Individual tracks, even individual passages within a track can be given their
own effect settings. In addition, the entire sound can be cleaned up, refreshed
and – especially important for compilations – the volume can be balanced.
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX is fast, easy-to-use and very gentle: Nearly all
effects are calculated in realtime during playback without damaging the
recorded material in the least. The original recordings and songs remain
untouched on the hard drive. You can therefore experiment to your heart's
content without having to worry about causing any lasting damage to your
audio material.

What’s new in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX?
Over 60 new presets
In the effect modules over 60 new presets are available for quick, effective
sound optimization for:





Background city noise
Annoying PC fan noise
Airplane, train and traffic noises
Disturbing rain and wind noises

The presets can be found in the effects' selection menu in the "Cleaning"
section.

Master reverb & echo
The reverb or echo effect can be applied to the entire audio material. You can
find it in the "Cleaning" section.

www.magix.com

Introduction
Turbo tape function
Cassette recordings in double speed (High Speed Dubbing) can now be
recorded at the normal speed. The accompanying function "Double Speed
Recording" can be found in the Recording dialog.

MX
The "MX" in the title refers to the new media exchange function
("Media-X-change). In the "Share" menu you will find different options which
make the current project's audio files available for other applications. You can
add them to the music collection, use them as a background for slideshows or
videos or publish online. What's more they can be backed up on mobile
devices like Smartphones, SD cards or external hard drives.

Features
Import
You can either import existing audio files in many conventional formats into
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX, or simply use MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX
to record your own music. No matter whether cassette, tape reel, LP, or via
streaming Internet, with only a few clicks, you can digitize your music and edit
it further with MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX.

Cleaning
The heart of MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX is its ability to remove unpleasant
noise in music and enrich the overall sound. To do this, there are numerous
professional tools available like the "DeClicker", "DeCrackler", "DeClipper",
"DeNoiser" (including DeRumbler preset), "DeHisser", and "spectral cleaning".
You can also add a number of sound effects to your music. Resampling and
timestretching help adjust the speed and pitch of pieces so that they match,
and reverb/echo adds professional reverb to your music. The possibilities are
nearly endless, as you will see. For more detailed information about the tools,
please read MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX's help file.

Mastering
So that your recordings sound optimal, a selection of mastering tools are
available to you once you have cleaned up the audio material. Try them out
yourself to see which settings are the best, or let MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab
MX do the work for you by searching for the best settings automatically. For
more detailed information about the tools, please read MAGIX Audio Cleaning
Lab MX's help file.

www.magix.com

Introduction
Export
Of course, you can also export your recordings. There is a wide range of
formats available which enable you to enjoy your recordings anywhere you
like.

Supported formats
Import:
Audio: WAV, MP3, WMA, AIFF, OGG Vorbis, M3U, CUE, CD-A, FLAC, AAC
Video sound import: AVI, WMV, MXV, MOV, DV-AVI, MPEG-22
Export:
Audio: WAV, MP31, MP3 Surround1, WMA, AIFF, OGG Vorbis, CD-A, FLAC,
AAC2, Audio-DVD, Data-DVD
Video sound export: AVI
1)

Activate MP3 encoder for free
²) Fee-based activation

www.magix.com

Tutorial

Tutorial
In this chapter, we introduce all the most important features of MAGIX Audio
Cleaning Lab MX. You don't need any special experience; just some time for
recordings and hard drive space.
With MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX you can load audio material from a
number of different sources into projects in order to clean it up, edit it, export
it as an audio file/CD or burn it to disc using just some of the special functions
that come in the package.
First of all, you'll need suitable audio material. You can load your records or
tapes, or even, for example, audio files from the Internet as MP3s.
Analog material like records or tapes have to be digitized first so that it can be
processed by the computer. The recording function in MAGIX Audio Cleaning
Lab MX can be used for this purpose. It's used to record analog material via
the computer's sound card.

Program start
After starting the program, a selection dialog including several tasks will
appear.

Choose from:





Restore vinyl sound: for LPs.
Clean tape sound: for tapes.
Optimize voice and audio book recordings: for speech.
Edit digital files: for MP3 files, web radio recordings and many more.

www.magix.com

Tutorial
For all these options you will require relevant material. In the following we
assume that you already possess digitized material which you would like to
free from any bothersome noise.
Note: If you wish to digitize an LP, you should use a USB phono pre-amp in
order to connect your record player to your PC. By doing so, you ensure best
sound quality all the way through. You can find a suitable USB phono pre-amp
in our MAGIX Online Shop at www.magix.com.

Load and play audio files
After choosing a suitable task, MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX will show up
with an empty project window. You are in the "Import" section, which is
recognizable by the lit button below the project window.

The workflow in this section is very easy:
 You can load your audio files, e.g. in MP3 format by clicking the "Audio files"
button.
 You can record LPs or tapes via the "Record" button.
 You can import audio CDs via the "CDs" button.
After import, a waveform display of the audio track appears in the main
window.

www.magix.com

Tutorial
The waveform display gives you an idea of the audio track's progression. You
can even detect noises. Crackling for instance creates a clearly visible peak in
the waveform.
Below to the right, you will find the transport controls for playback, stop and
winding. You will be familiar with these functions from other playback devices.

Use the mouse for quicker navigation: If you click into the waveform display
with the mouse, the playback marker will be moved exactly to this position.
You can start and stop the track by pressing the spacebar of your keyboard.

Cleaning
There are many types of noises. Let's start with the easiest ones: constant
humming or irritating hissing. This kind of noise is usually caused by tape
recorders, record players or microphones and are audible throughout the
complete track. Find out how to get rid of these irritating distortions:


Switch to the "Cleaning" section.

Most of the elements that are displayed here are identical to the ones in the
"Import" section, but the function area in the lower left hand corner has
changed decisively. Six different functions for removing audio disturbances are
available here, which are adjusted differently depending on your selection in
the start dialog. The modules are "DeClicker", "DeCrackler", "DeClipper",
"DeNoiser", "DeHisser" and "Spectral Cleaning". If you click on one of these

www.magix.com

Tutorial
modules, you will find explanations regarding purpose and workflow of the
individual module on the info monitor located in the bottom right-hand corner.
The slider lets you regulate the
strength of all of the "cleaning" effects
(except for Spectral Cleaning, which
we will deal with later).

If you are not satisfied with the presets
of the start dialog, you can choose
further presets using the arrow menu.

To get an idea of how the selected
effect affects your audio material, you
can turn it on and off by clicking on
the symbol in the left-hand corner.

Click on the symbol in the bottom
right- hand corner to open a user
interface where you can set all of the
available parameters for the effect.

In a way, this symbol represents the effect's engine hood. The interface
located behind it was designed to simulate professional audio editing devices.

Depending on the effect device, you can specify very effective audio editing
settings here. To do so, it's necessary to know a bit about audio editing
though. Usually, however, you will not need these special functions, but they
can be useful in complex cases. If you need them or if you're interested,

www.magix.com

Tutorial
please read the complete documentation (either the PDF manual or the
program's help file).

Mastering
"Mastering", the second effects area aims at optimizing the audio material.
 Click on the "Mastering" button.

You will find the following effects modules here: "StereoFX", "Equalizer",
"Brilliance", "Sound Cloner", "Dynamics", "Multimax", "Reverb / Echo",
"Energizer" and "Chorus".
The functionality of the optimization effects is the same in principle: Adjust the
strength of the effect via the slider, switch the effect on and off to compare the
original with the edited audio material and access the actual operation console
by clicking on the symbol in the bottom right-hand corner.

Object effects
If you combine the audio material from various sources, it's normally not
sensible to apply cleaning and mastering effects to all objects in the same
way. Tape recordings usually have other distortions than those known from LP
recordings. That's why there are two effect usage options: Master effects and
object effects.
The master effects are set centrally in the cleaning section. The settings made
here are applied to the entire sound, i.e. for all objects in the master track.

www.magix.com

Tutorial
Each object can also have its own individual
effect settings. Click on "Object FX" on the object
itself in the master track.
The "Object FX" screen (object editor) opens in a
new dialog and displays additional effect devices.
These effects can be set for every object in the
master track separately.

The “Object FX” dialog in the Mastering section contains an echo/reverb
device for adding Surround Sound to individual objects, and in addition to the
multi-band compressor (“MultiMax”), a “simple” compressor is also included
(“Dynamics”).

Spectral Cleaning
Up until now, the workflow was extremely easy: load your material, adjust your
effects – finished. Now let's take a look at an application that requires a bit
more preparation, but can also solve complicated problems. This includes
filtering out short individual audio disturbances.
Spectral Cleaning in the "Remove" section can be useful for editing live
recordings, where a single cough in the audience threatens to ruin an
otherwise beautiful pianissimo effect. It can also be used to remove short
distortions such as coughing, passing cars, a whistle, crackling or short drop
outs.
Spectral Cleaning can be applied directly onto the track per mouse click.
Here, however, we will explain the functionality within the effect module, which
offers more possibilities.
Here's how it works: The clearly audible noise has a different acoustic
signature than the rest of the material, otherwise it wouldn't be clearly audible.
Based on this signature, the noise can be identified and filtered. After it has
been identified, the audio material's frequency spectrum is analyzed before
and after the disturbance. Based on this "acoustic environment", frequencies
are calculated that can be used to fill the gap that was created after filtering
out the disruptive signature. Ideally, a simulation of the "normal" background
acoustics replaces the cough, almost as if it were removed magically.
Let's roll:
 First, set the play cursor roughly to the position of the distortion.
 Open the Spectral Cleaning Editor.

www.magix.com

Tutorial

 Try to select the distortion using the drawing tool in the editor.
 Once you've selected the distortion, click on "Play". The algorithm becomes
active immediately: The selected area is filtered out and replaced with
frequency material from the surrounding "acoustic environment".
 Can you hear an improvement? If not, change the selection. The selection
should be as small as possible. Localize the audio disturbance by trial and
error.
 Once you are satisfied with the result, click on "Calculate". Up until now, you
merely experimented, but now the settings will be applied.
Tip: Spectral cleaning can be applies separately to either channel, for example
when crackles can only be hears on one side of the stereo image.
For information on the individual buttons in the editor, please read the entire
documentation (available as PDF manual or program Help file). You can also
access a tutorial video that explains the workflow directly from within the
Spectral Cleaning Editor.
The Spectral Cleaning Editor might seem a bit complicated, but it's a very
effective tool that previously was reserved for pros. Therefore, it's worth
investing some time to familiarize yourself with this tool.

Cut out undesired passages
Now let's take a look at some special kinds of audio disturbances. A typical
example would be the noise of a microphone knocked against something by
mistake or even any kind of crackling, crashing, rustling, which can't be
removed satisfactorily with Spectral Cleaning, because it's too irregular.
These kinds of noises as well as longer undesired passages can be cut out
using the scissors tool in the left-hand corner of the track window.

www.magix.com

Tutorial
 Select the scissor mouse mode.
The mouse pointer turns into a pair of scissors. If you
move it across the track, the playback marker moves
with it.
 Play the audio track and search for the section that you
want to cut out.
 Click before and after the section to cut at these points.

This way, three separate objects are created on the track.

 Switch back to standard mode, select the object in the middle and delete it
by pressing the "Delete" key.

A gap is created in the audio track. The problem is that where the disturbance
used to be there is now absolute silence, which is irritating, too. It's not
enough to simply cut out the audio disturbance, you have to add another
sound into the gap, even if it's only a quiet hissing that is audible throughout
the rest of the material, i.e. the room sound. Therefore, fill the gap with quiet
material that features only hissing, for example.
 Search for a suitable passage in a different section of the audio track that is
roughly as long as the gap. Cut the audio track before and after the passage.
 Switch back to standard mode and select the passage. Copy it to the
clipboard (Ctrl + C or "Edit > Copy").

www.magix.com

Tutorial
 Set the position line to the beginning of the gap and insert the passage (Ctrl +
V or "Edit > Insert").

 Move the bottom right handle on the inserted object to adjust its length to the
gap (It will latch into the cut edges).

That way, the distortion is "patched". All of the cuts can be fine tuned
retroactively using the object handles to avoid crackling at the transitions.

 There are handles at the top left and right hand corners, which allow you to
create fade ins and outs.
 The handle at the top center is for adjusting the volume. If you pull it
downwards, the volume of the object is reduced.
 The handles at the bottom left and right corners adjust the object's borders.
You can fine tune your cuts by extending or contracting the object.

Retouch short distortions such as cracks
Let's take a look at a quick and elegant way of retouching short distortions
such as cracks and clicks using a pen tool.

www.magix.com

Tutorial
Note: You can't undo editing that you did with the "Draw wave shape" tool (no
"Undo" function). After selecting the pen tool, you can decide whether, for
safety purposes, you want to edit in a copy of the file or directly in the original
material.
 Search for a section in the material where you hear crackling and set the play
cursor to that position.
 Zoom into that section so that you can see the details of the waveform
display. You can use the zoom button at the bottom right of the track
window.

 Take a close look. Can you see the crack? Look for a "mountain" that is flat
on top or exceeds its surroundings.

www.magix.com

Tutorial
 Select the "Draw wave shape" mode.
The mouse pointer turns into a pen that you can use to draw
directly into the waveform. If you click, the zoom level increases
automatically and you can draw.
It's about trying to turn the flat form a bit more into a peak and
moving it slightly towards the bottom.

This way, for example:

The critical section should then look like this at the end:

If you play back the material now, the cracks have disappeared.

www.magix.com

Tutorial

Export
After you have "cleaned up" the material, you can export your material: either
song by song as MP3 or WAV file or all songs of the track as audio CD, DVD,
or data disc.
Switch to the "Export" workspace: Only the functions in the bottom left-hand
corner of the screen are changed.

If you haven't split each song on the track into a separate object, you will
require track markers to specify the beginning of every new piece. With the
help of the track marker assistant, you can control and change all track
beginnings. If you need any help with burning CDs, use the CD assistant.
To save the project click on the floppy disk icon.

www.magix.com

Overview of the program interface

Import: Add new audio material here such as audio files from your hard
disk, LPs or tapes via the record function, as well as songs from an audio
CD.
Cleaning: You can remove audio disturbances in the track via the
"Cleaning" screen.
Mastering: Use the "Mastering" screen to optimize the audio material in
the track.
Export: Export audio material as an audio file and burn it directly onto CD
or DVD via the "Export" screen.
Mouse modes: Select a suitable tool here: Arrow (Move mouse mode),
Scissors (Cut mouse mode), "X" (Delete mouse mode), Clock
(Resampling mouse mode), Pen 1 (Draw volume curve mode) or Pen 2
(Draw wave shape) and Pen 3 (Draw spectral cleaning shape).
Menu bar: Here you'll find all functions of MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX.
Overview track: View the complete project. The area which is currently
being edited by the user is highlighted.
Track: Make detailed changes to the audio material here.
Object FX: Access the object effects for the selected song in the track
here.
Transport control: Controls playback of the track.
Effects section: Here you can access the individual cleaning and
mastering effects.

www.magix.com

Overview of the program interface
Info Box/Analyzer: Switch between information on the currently selected
function and the visualization screen here. The visualization screen
displays the output signal graphically. You can choose between the
following display options: peak meter, oscilloscope, phase correlator,
spectroscope, and spectrogram.
Master volume: Set the total volume of the track here. The limiter hinders
overmodulation, and the auto function enables the volume to be
automatically optimized.

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements

Track window and constant control
elements
This chapter describes the display and control elements which are available to
you independently from the selected section in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX

Upper buttons
The buttons located above the track display provide quick access to the most
important program functions.
Using this option you can set up a new MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX
project (view page 59).
Keyboard shortcut:

Using this option you can load previously saved projects (view page
59).
Keyboard shortcut:

This button provides access to the most important save functions: You
can either save -project (view page 59) or export the project as a wave
or MP3 file.
In the project you can undo the last changes you made. This way, it's
no problem if you want to try out critical operations. If you don't like the
result, you can always revert to the previous state using "Undo".
Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + Z

The “Redo” function undoes the previous “Undo” function.
Keyboard shortcut:

Shift + Y

Set a track marker at the actual playback position.

Opens a menu with different functions to set track markers
automatically. Additional information can be found via the CD/DVD
menu (view page 143).
Opens a menu with different functions to automatically recognize track
names. By doing so the online database freeDB (view page 147) and
mufin audioid (view page 149) functions are used.

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements

MAGIX News Center
The MAGIX News Center features links to current online tutorials and tips &
tricks on the software application examples. The "News" is indicated by color
according to content:
 Green indicates practical tips & tricks for the software
 Yellow reports the availability of new patches and updates
 Red for special offers, contests and questionnaires
If no new messages are present, the button will appear gray. When the MAGIX
News Center is clicked, all of the available information will be displayed. Click
the messages to reach the corresponding website.

The master track
Audio material display
All of a project's audio material is displayed in the master track of the track
window as a waveform. The waveform corresponds with the acoustic
properties of the material. This means that there isn't anything to listen to at
places where there isn't anything visually; higher waves mean high
volumes. The tracks waveform display forms the most important basis for
locating specific passages.
The display is compressed, meaning that the waveform is displayed as a ratio
of loud passages to quiet passages. This ensures correct display for quieter
sections at the beginning or end of a song.

Position line
During playback a thin line will move horizontally from the left to the right over
the master track. This is the position line, which indicate, which part of the
wave form is currently reproduced.
The last starting point of the playback is indicated by a small triangle in the
master track. The position line will jump back to that position, once playback
has finished.

Timeline
The timeline is located above the track. It shows the time position in the
project. The measurement units can be selected from the "Options" menu.
You can choose from: samples, milliseconds, hours/minutes/seconds, and CD
frames.

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements
The markers are also displayed in the timeline. They can be accessed, moved
or deleted with the mouse.

Navigation
The task of the transport controls is to help you navigate through the audio
material in the master track. Here you can find functions that you will already
now from your old tape recorder. You can get more information in the chapter
Transport controls (view page 40).
The simplest solution, however, is to navigate directly in the track: a mouse
click on the time ruler will set the starting point for the playback (even if
playback is already running!) The space bar starts and stops playback.

Overview track

The overview track lets you select the project section which is displayed in the
track display (displayed in blue).
The tracks window now includes an additional overview track with a reduced
display of the complete project. Now you can work at a certain position or on
a certain song and keep an overview of the complete project and quickly
navigate to areas that need work. In the overview track, you can also select
the song or position in the material to be depicted in the track window.
Move the section to the part of the project simply by clicking in the overview
track; the zoom level remains the same. Define a new range in the overview
track by clicking and dragging. Vertical yellow lines indicate the markers in the
overview track.
Use the "Overview mode" entry in the "Options" menu to show/hide the
overview track.

2 tracks
Use the "2 tracks" button to create a second stereo track, for example, if
you want to create transitions between two songs or to "park" a song on
the additional track for the meantime.

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements
An additional track provides a better overview when there are multiple objects
in play. All objects can be moved randomly between the tracks. If moved
between tracks while holding the "Shift" key, the horizontal position will be
retained, i.e. only the track is changed. On the lower "shunting" track you can
move the objects without moving the subsequent ones as well. Materials
which are placed over one another will be played back simultaneously and
burned on CD. If this is desired, then the volume level at this position should
be monitored, since objects which are playing back simultaneously add to the
overall volume.

Stereo
If the stereo button is activated, the waveform display of the audio
material for both stereo channels will be displayed separately.
This view is useful to visually monitor processing of the material in the stereo
panorama, or to locate precise crossover points during editing operations.

Surround
Opens the Surround editor.

Read more on this topic in the "Additional sound effects (view page 103)"
chapter!

Volume curve
You can activate a volume curve (view page 64) with the Volume curve
button.

Spectral display
In addition to the waveform display, this button allows a spectral display
of the audio material to be shown as well.
Spectral display equates the X axis (horizontal) to the time dimension. In
contrast to the waveform display, whereby the height of the waveform only
indicates the total level of the signal, the spectral display shows the level of
each of the audio signal's individual frequencies. The actual level of each
frequency is indicated by the color of the points in the spectrogram image.

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements
The whole color spectrum is used to display the volume of individuals
frequencies. Pink indicates loud sounds in a frequency range, green indicates
the areas with middle volume and red the very quiet sounds (in the default
color scheme). Black is used for quietness and white for maximum volume.
Different color palettes can be selected in the menu "Options -> Spectral
display". "Display values scale" in the same menu ("#" key) shows an object's
frequency scale.
Spectral cleaning is significantly more processor-heavy than the normal
waveform display, so redrawing after a section changes is always slightly
delayed. This delay is increased the further the zoom is extended, since
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX needs to include more and more data for
calculation of the display. For this reason, spectral display is only available
from a certain zoom level.
Spectral display of the audio enables specific disturbances in the audio to be
detected. Clicking can be recognized by vertical lines across the entire
frequency spectrum; continuous disturbing sounds can be detected by
horizontal lines.
More detailed explanations can be referenced in the section "Spectral cleaning
(view page 81)".
This display also makes it easier to find sections in a song quickly, since
instrumental changes can be clearly seen in the spectrum. On the other hand,
the waveform display will not indicate changes if the volume level does not
fluctuate.

Mouse mode
"Mouse modes" are your tools when working in the track window of
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX. Depending on which mode you
choose, the mouse pointer will look differently and have a different
function in the track window.
The following modes are available: scissors (for cutting), magnifying
glass (for zooming), eraser (for deleting), arrow pointer (for standard
operations), a clock (for changing playback speed) and two pens (for
drawing a volume curve or a waveform).

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements
Move mouse mode
The shift mode is preset. It allows you to handle all-important tasks:
Select objects in the track window with a left-click. Selected objects can be
moved or deleted in move mode. All subsequent objects are also moved so
that no unwanted gaps develop later in the track. The object can be removed
from the track with the Del key. All subsequent objects are moved so that no
gaps occur.
In move mode you can use the 5 handles to fade or shorten all objects or to
change the master volume.
Right-clicking on an object opens the so-called context menu from which you
can select important editing options for the object.
Keyboard shortcut:

Cut Mouse mode
The cutting mode converts the mouse pointer into scissors. Every
object can be cut on the mouse position.
This creates two separate objects that can be edited separately.
Moving the mouse over the wave form depiction of the audio material you
move the Position Bar along with the mouse pointer. So you can control
exactly the point where you want to cut. The perform precision editing we
recommend zooming the wave shape display before using the cut mode.
Like in move mode, right-clicking on an object opens the so-called context
menu from which you can select important editing options for the object.
This mode is suitable for dividing a recording into different parts in order to
apply object effects to each of the passages.
Keyboard shortcut:

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements
In Move mode you can also mark an object and press the Del key on the
keyboard to delete it.
Keyboard shortcut:

Resampling/Timestretch mouse mode
This mode lets you change the playback speed of objects with the
mouse so that they are better aligned.
You can use this mouse mode by stretching or squashing the object at the
rear object handle below. The mouse cursor turns into a clock.
Resampling mode (preset) can be used to change speed and pitch just like on
a tape, i.e. speed and pitch are changed together as one. If an object is
compressed with the mouse, the speed and pitch increase just like a tape
when it is played faster.
In the timestretch mode, the pitch remains unchanged, if the object length and
with it the speed are changed.
You can switch modes by opening the Object FX page (view page 64) of an
object, switching to the cleaning effects, and then selecting timestretching
from the tempo/resampling effects presets list.

Draw volume curve mouse mode
With the Draw volume curve mode you can "draw" any volume curve
using the mouse.
This way, you can create irregular volume progressions quickly.
To delete volume curve points, double-click on the corresponding point or
click on a point in the erase object mode (view page 38). You can delete
multiple points by holding the Shift key and clicking the first and last points so
that all points in between are selected.
Selected volume points have a blue frame. You can now delete the points with
the Delete key.

Wave drawing mode
Repair short distortions such as crackling directly in the wave form of
the audio file by using the Wave drawing mode. Such distortions
usually only last a few sample values, so you can use the mouse and
try to draw along the original waveform without the distortion.
There is an automatic zoom function in the wave form display when you
switch into the Wave drawing mode, so sample values become visible.

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements
Warning: Unlike other editing of the master track which only affects the
project, this mode lets you work directly with the Wave audio file, i.e. on the
recorded raw material, which is changed directly and permanently. Create a
backup copy to undo changes. Back up copies are created automatically
when working with MP3 and other compressed formats, since such files have
to be converted into the Wave format for this function.

Spectral edit mouse mode
You can remove individual noises within the sound spectrum of the
audio material with the help of the spectral edit mouse mode.
In that case, it is a simplified version of Spectral Cleaning (view page 81) that
is integrated into the master track.
The view of the master track changes to Spectral display (view page 36) and
you can create an area around the noise with your mouse. Its size is still
adjustable afterwards by simply stretching the handles at the frame.

You can hear the impact of the effect straight after playing the corresponding
passage. Two buttons are located at the frame of the disturbances. By
clicking "OK" the editing will be calculated into the audio material instantly. A
copy of your original material has been automatically saved beforehand so you
can undo any editing (Strg + Z).
By clicking "Cancel" you delete the frame and end the filtering process.

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements

Transport control
Use the transport control to control the playback position in the project. The
position line, which indicates the current playback position, is a thin vertical
line located in the track window.

Quickly move the position line within the project by using the position slider.
The time display indicates the current playback position (using
the measurement unit selected via Options > Measurement units
(view page 154))

Use the transport control to start and stop playback, move forward and
backward within the project and set the position line back to the very
beginning.
Loop: Clicking on the loop button starts playback an endless loop.
This function is useful if you wish to monitor transitions or effect
settings in critical sections and therefore want to listen to certain
ranges or objects repeatedly. You can extend or shorten the loop
range in the Timeline by using the mouse or by entering changes
numerically in the "Playback parameters" window (options menu).
Return to start: Resets the position line to the start of the project (also
works during playback).
Rewind/Fast-forward: Rewind/fast-forward first starts slowly, then
quickly speeds up if you continue to hold the rewind or FF button. This
corresponds to the functionality of a tape recorder which also takes
some time to gain speed.
Alt + Click on this button lets you jump to the next or previous marker.
Stop: Stops playback, the position line jumps back to the starting
position.
Play: Starts playback, clicking again stops playback at the current
position.
Recording: Opens the record dialog where you can set the recording
format, level etc. The actual recording is started in the record dialog.

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements
Control functions of the keyboard and mouse:
 The space bar starts or stops playback.
 A simple mouse-click in the timeline above the track moves the position line
to the corresponding position (also works during playback).
 The Pos 1 key moves the position bar back to the start of the project.
 Use the position slider to quickly move the playback cursor within the project.
 Other special keyboard commands are available to jump between markers
and object borders quickly, see Zoom commands (view page 43).

Analyzer
Audio material being played is graphically illustrated in the visualizer. You can
choose between the following display options: Peak Meter, Oscilloscope,
Phase Correlation, Spectroscope and Spectrogram.

The visualizer can be modified to your taste. To do this click on Setup, a
context menu will then open in which you can select the display mode. There
are numerous presets for every display mode under "Presets".

Info Box
The Info Box offers fast and immediate help when
working with MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX.
Please click on an effect to receive information on
purpose of use, functionality, correct handling and
possible sources of error.
With the help of sound examples, you can listen to
the result of the effect. "Before" plays the effect
previously to the application and "After" the result
with the applied effect.

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements
Clicking on an object displays the applied Object effects (view page 72), if
available. The Info Box also offers useful tips for other program areas.

Zoom
The waveform display allows you to recognize certain parts of the material
from the shape. For many tasks it is quite useful to enlarge the waveform
display. For detailed editing, e.g. editing with the scissor tool, there are several
zoom options:
Quick zoom: For quick zooming it is sufficient to click with the mouse in the
timeline, keep the mouse button pressed down and move it up or down. This
way, you can quickly zoom the cursor in and out at any position without
releasing the mouse.
The +/- zoom button at the bottom right corner of the track
window zoom in/out the display.
This enlarges the central area of the track window. Clicking on the adjacent
triangle opens the zoom menu. Here you can open different zoom and
navigation commands (view page 43).
By selecting an area in the overview track (view page 35), you can also
determine the visible section of the project. The overview track is located
above the track window and displays the entire project irrespective of the
selected zoom level.
You can click on this symbol or the "a" key to quickly restore the fullscreen
view of the project.

Moving the scroll bar forward and backward allows you to quickly navigate
through the project. Dragging the scroll bar ends adjusts the size, which also
zooms in and out of the project.

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements

Zoom settings
Command

Keyboard shortcut Description

Play/Position marker

Commands for quickly
editing the playback position

Marker left

Alt + right

Marker right

Alt + left

Object border left
Object edge right

Shift + Alt + right
Shift + Alt + left

The play marker can be
moved quickly between the
markers.
The play marker can be
quickly moved from object
edge (object start and end) to
object edge.

Zoom ranges
Show all
Zoom 1s
Zoom 10 s
Zoom 60 s
Zoom 4 min
Zoom 10 min

A
1
0
6
4
Shift + 0

Vertical zoom

Vertically zooms in and out of
the wave shape. This is useful
Ctrl + Cursor down for locating the crossover
Ctrl + Cursor up
point (for precise sample
editing).

Zoom into waveform
Zoom out of waveform

The entire project is visible.
The visible section of the
project is quickly set to the
selected value.

Volume controller/auto button
This controller sets the playback level of the track. Before exporting, the
project should be set as loud as possible in order to receive an optimally
calibrated recording level. The "Auto" button below the volume control is for
automatically optimizing the volume (normalizing).
In order to set the volume of the project as high as possible, place the position
line just before the loudest part of the project and start playback (the loudest
position can be found by locating the highest peak of the wave shape display).
After you have played the loudest part, click on the "Auto" button below the
master volume control. MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX automatically adjusts
the volume so that the loudest part of the range that was just played is exactly
0 dB, i.e. the maximum volume.

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements
Note: The volume controller adjusts the volume of the project, i.e. the volume
that is finally used for exporting. If you want to set the level lower here (e.g.
because you are talking to someone), the project will also be exported quieter.
It is better to adjust the monitor volume with the sound card mixer or directly
on your stereo system (e.g. monitor speakers) and to leave the volume control
at the position recommended by the "Auto" button.
To adjust the monitor volume in the sound card mixer, you can click on the
loudspeaker symbol in the tray (at the right bottom corner of the screen).
However, you can also adjust it directly in the "Playback parameters" (view
page 153) dialog.

LED Display
The LED display is a peakmeter and shows you the maximum peaks during
the playback of the audio material on the track. In the stereo tracks, the left
LED-chain will indicate the level of the left channel and the right LED-chain the
level of the right channel. Both chains will show the same values while working
with mono tracks.

Bypass FX
Switch all effects on or off with this button to directly compare the original with
the processed audio.

Limiter
The limiter can be switched on to reduce clipping. This device works
sound-neutrally and provides a final guard against extreme levels.

Status line
On the lower edge you will see a display of the remaining capacity (depending
on the storage medium selected for export), and the current system
resources.

Used space indicator:
The storage medium display compares the allocation of the master track to
the capacity of a defined output medium, for example, of an audio CD or of a
data DVD.

By clicking on this symbol you can adjust the
storage medium display of different output media
such as CDs, audio/video or data DVDs (MP3s).

www.magix.com

Track window and constant control elements

System display

The system resources are very important while writing a CD in real time. Once
the process has been started, it cannot be interrupted. When writing "on the
fly", the computer has to calculate the playback including all real time
functions and write them on the CD at the same time. If the system is not fast
enough, the process will be aborted and the CD will be useless.
The system display of the MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab 11 helps you to prevent
such problems when writing a CD.
If your system is overcharged, activate the "Create an Image file" option in the
"Make CD" dialogue. This will create a stereo file, which will be the source for
the writing process. This file includes all effects and object settings, as well as
the tracks and track markers, so that the system doesn't need to calculate
them again while writing various copies (see Write CD parameters (view page
114)).

www.magix.com

Import

Audio files
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX can import audio files in
the formats WAVE, QuickTime (*.aif), Ogg Vorbis (*.ogg),
MP3, WMA, FLAC, and AVI (soundtrack only).
To do this, click the corresponding button "Audio files" in
the import section and the "Load audio file" dialog will
open.
Select any folder containing audio files. Every file listed can be previewed and
loaded into MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX. The selected file is attached to the
last object following a pause of 2 seconds.
You can also load several files simultaneously. Just as in Windows Explorer,
you can extend your selection with "Ctrl" + click, or select a series of files with
"Shift" + click.
The pause inserted between the files (2 seconds by default) can be changed
in the CD/DVD menu with Automatic pause settings (view page 144). If you
have tracks which blend over one another and which are distributed on
several files then you should change this value to "0".
Keyboard shortcut:

Record
The "Record" button opens the audio record dialog.

www.magix.com

Import
Basic knowledge about recording with the PC
The record function converts analog audio signals – records, tapes, sounds,
speech – into digital data, which can be saved on the PC and edited with
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX.
The device which is used to digitalize the audio signals is already built into
most sound cards and aptly called an analog-digital converter, often
abbreviated with A-to-D, ATD or A/D. In order to record sounds, the A/D
converter takes samples of the sound to be digitalized at fixed intervals by
measuring the voltage level of the signal. The frequency of the sampling is
called the sample rate and naturally lies within the kHz frequency range;
several thousand times per second. The higher the sample rate, the more
samples are recorded by the A/D converter, thus making the sound
conversion closer to the original.
The precision with which the A/D converter measures the voltage level of the
analog signal is determined by the sample resolution. The same principle
applies here: The finer the resolution, the better and more natural the digital
conversion.
Audio recordings in CD quality are recorded with a sample rate of 44.1 kHz
and a resolution of 16 bits.

Connecting the source for recording
First of all, the source of the audio material must be connected to the sound
card input. Again, there are several possibilities which primarily depend on the
type of equipment you have.
If you are recording from a microphone, then please connect the microphone
to the microphone jack on your sound card (usually red).
If you want to record material from a stereo system, then you can use the
line-out or AUX out jacks on the back of your amplifier or tape deck. This
involves connecting them to the sound card input (usually red).
If your amplifier has no separate output (other than for the speakers), then you
can use the connection intended for headphones for your recordings. In most
cases, you will need a cable with two mini-stereo jacks. This type of
connection has the advantage of being able to set the headphone input signal
level with a separate volume. As headphone connections generally are not the
best, it is advised that you use the line outputs if possible.
When recording cassettes from a tape deck, you can connect the tape deck's
line out directly to the sound card input.
When recording from vinyl records, you should not connect the record
player's output directly with the sound card because the phono signal needs

www.magix.com

Import
to be pre-amplified. A more suitable method would be to use the headphone
connection or an external pre-amp.

Record dialog
The "Record" button in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX opens the record
dialog. However, the recording source must be connected to the input of the
sound card with a suitable cable first. For more information, please read the
"Recording basics" (view page 48) chapter.

Audio input: Opens the input and level automation (view page 52) for
automatic selection of the correct input signal and level.
Recording level: Displays whether the level of the signal you want to digitize is
correct. To set the level, play the loudest part of the material you want to
record and monitor the display. Like with analog recordings, the sound of
digital recordings has to be optimized as well. Too low level settings will have
adverse effects on sound quality, distortions lead to unpleasant "clippings".
Recording: This button starts the actual recording. During recording,
recording time and remaining space on your hard disk are indicated. Monitor
the recording level on the LED display. If the display reaches the upper LEDs,
there was a distortion at some point. In this case, you should definitely check
the recording for clippings and, if necessary, repeat the recording using a
lower recording level. At the end of the recording you will be asked if you
want to use the recording. The newly-recorded material will be placed at the
current position of the playback marker in the arrangement.
Recording pause: Pauses the recording. Click the button again to resume.
Stop: This button ends recording. The recorded material is then inserted into
the upper track as an object. If objects are already in the track, the recording
is attached to the last object after a pause of 2 seconds.

www.magix.com

Import
Advanced…: Opens the Advanced view of the record dialog (view page 50)
with access to additional settings options.
Help: Opens the program's help file for the record dialog.
Close: Closes the record dialog.
Keyboard shortcut:

Advanced settings in the recording dialog

Automatic recording stop: If this button is activated, recording will cease
automatically after approx. 16 seconds of silence. This means that you can
record without having to stop the process manually when the recording
source ends.
Automatic CD track recognition: If this button is activated, then track markers
are automatically placed at the end of the pauses after a track. In order for
pause recognition to function seamlessly, you will have to set the proper
source in the selection box (LP, cassette, CD, or Internet). You can specify the
detection parameters even further in the Options menu via >Automatic track
marker recognition options (view page 155).
Save automatically in individual files: If this feature is active, then every
individual track that is recognized will be saved as a unique file.

www.magix.com

Import
Set CD track marker: Even during recording, you can set track markers by
clicking the corresponding button in the recording dialog.
Start new file: If you want to record for very long sessions or multiple sources
one after the other, then the recording file can become extremely large. This
button will create a new sequentially numbered file each time it is pressed.
Recording format: This setting determines the sampling rate and bit resolution
(deluxe version only) of the recorded audio file, and also whether the recording
should take place in stereo or mono.
24-bit recording requires a high-quality audio card with 20 or 24-bit
conversion, plus a 24-bit capable MME driver. Audio cards with SPDIF digital
interfaces can also record audio material in 24-bit quality.
You can also record directly in compressed formats such as MP3 or OGG
Vorbis. Select the format you want to use from the list box, and use "Format
options" to specify details such as the bit rate and compression method.
Double Speed Recording: Activates the Recording at double speed (view
page 51).
Audio input: The button "Sound card settings" opens a dialog with special
settings (view page 55) for whatever sound card is present. The name of the
selected sound card is also displayed. If you are using several sound cards (or
such with several inputs), then you can select one from the menu.
Timer: Enter a starting time for a recording and the length of the recording.
The recording doesn't begin immediately after pressing the "Record" button,
but rather at a specifically set time. This way, time-delayed recordings (for
example, at night or when you're out) are now possible. Of course, the system
clock has to be set correctly. If "Record length" is also activated, then the
recording will end automatically after the indicated period.
File name/file path: The name of the audio file to be created and the preset
folder are displayed in the recording window. Both can be changed by clicking
the folder button.
Shut down computer automatically after recording: If you are working with
timer recordings, you might as well have the computer shut down
automatically after the recording is complete.
Simplified...: Simplified version of the recording dialog.

Double speed recording
Some double cassette decks have a "Double Speed" copy function. On one
deck a cassette will be played at double speed and on the other recorded at

www.magix.com

Import
double speed. Doubling the speed cancels itself out so you will end up with a
completely normal cassette recording. Thereby making it possible to copy
cassettes in half the time.
With the option "Double Speed Recording" you can also use this function
with MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX. If it's activated you can record played
audio material at double speed, after recording the speed of the recorded
material will be automatically halved.

Input and level automation
Every sound card has a least two inputs (microphone and line), as well as
various "internal" inputs for the CD drive or the signal from another program,
for example, Internet radio. With input and level automation you can
automatically select the correct input for your recording without having to
search and adjust the input level in order to avoid distortions.
To do so, click on "Audio input" in the record dialog. If you had already
connected your source and begun playback, the correct input will be
determined immediately. Otherwise do this now and click on "Search channel
again".
If this didn't work, use the "Windows mixer" button to open the Windows
Mixer and select the channel manually.
Adjusting the recording level is essential when recording digitally via sound
cards in order to achieve optimum sound quality. If the adjustment is set too
high, distortion occurs and the incoming signal must be reduced. If you
reduce input sensitivity, the resolution at which the analog signal is digitized is
also reduced. The level controllers of your sound card should generally be set
as high as possible in order to achieve optimum results. Yardstick for an
optimal level is the loudest part of the material. The loudest part should be
adjusted to the maximum. You can now adjust the recording level with the
help of the LED display in the record dialog.
You can adjust the level of the source manually using the "Volume" controller.
If you activated "Automatic level adjustment", the level controller will
automatically be set to the correct value.

Monitor while recording
Do you want to listen to your digitizer while you are recording? It may not work
from the start for the following reason:
Most sound cards, including the ones integrated in a PC ("onboard sound")
offer help for the Windows sound card mixer. You can change the different
input and output levels of the sound card or choose a digitizer.

www.magix.com

Import
You will also find a signal route within the mixer. This route passes an input
signal through to the output of the sound card. The corresponding volume
controls within the mixer are called line -In, microphone or stereo mix.
The functions, as well as the descriptions of the input and output controller
within the Windows mixer, may differ depending on the sound card and sound
card driver. Windows mixer is only a standardized "interface" for the sound
card driver.
Regardless of MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX, Windows and the sound card
driver enable you to listen while you record.

Recording: Sound card with Windows mixer support
Many sound cards or audio devices, such as USB record players offer either
an incomplete or no mixing support at all. In that case, you don't have the
option of monitoring while recording. If you go to "sound cards properties
(view page 55)" within the advanced recording dialog you will find the option
"Listen to the sound during the recording". If you activate this, MAGIX Audio
Cleaning Lab MX will conduct the input signal to the output.

Recording: sound card without Windows mixing support

24 bit audio support
Audio files in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX can not only be recorded in 16
bit quality, but also in far superior 24 bit resolution. Simply select the "24 bit"
option under "Resolution". 24 bit recordings require a high quality audiocard

www.magix.com

Import
with 20 or 24 bit converters, as well as a 24 bit-compatible NME drive. 24 bit
audio material can also be transmitted via audiocards with SPDIF digital
interfaces.
We have had positive experiences with the 24 bit audiocards produced by
Marian, RME, SEKD and Terratec.
The high resolution audio files are stored and edited in the 32 bit "floating
point" file format by MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX. This ensures the full 24
bit quality independent of the gauge. The dynamics may increase to over 140
dB, while the recording’s jamming transmission sinks, according to the type of
audiocard, to 110 dB and more. Thanks to floating point processing, there is
no need to worry about internal editing being distorted. Floating point
processing only starts to distort at around 1,500 dB above zero – in contrast
to a 16 bit signal that distorts immediately once the zero dB line has been
traversed.
Even in cases whereby audio material is intended for burning onto a 16 bit
CD, it is worth selecting 24 bit recording because all effects calculations are
made in a higher quality and therefore no "rounding" mistakes can be
detected in the audible 16 bit range.
24 bit recordings (via storage as 32 bit float files) take up twice as much
storage space on the harddisk as 16 bit recordings. But with current harddisk
storage capacities, it works out as a good compromise when one considers
the increase in quality.
High resolution audio files can be imported and exported as 24 bit WAV files,
enabling trouble-free file exchange with other high quality audio systems, such
as MAGIX Samplitude.

Digital transfer
With the recording function, digital audio data can be transferred to the hard
drive through a digital interface (e.g. S/PDIF or ADAT).
ADAT or DAT recorders normally produce data with a sampling rate of 48 kHz.
For a CD project with 44.1 kHz you must convert the sampling rate. This is
carried out in real time by MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX. The digital signal is
read at 48 kHz, but is automatically converted and inserted into the project as
an audio file at 44.1 kHz.
For this to occur correctly, you must first set the sample rate of the incoming
signal in the recording dialog. Click on the "Dev." button in the recording
dialog. In the following dialog (sound card characteristics), set the audio
recording formats supported by the sound card.

www.magix.com

Import
Now, connect the digital output of your recorder to the digital input of your
sound card, and now start recording!

Record properties
This dialog provides you with information regarding the currently selected
sound card. Supported audio formats of the sound card and the sound card
driver's information is also displayed.
Driver system: Here you can switch between driver types (MME and WDM).
Note: Adjust this setting only if you have problems with audio playback or
recording.
Special: Some sound cards or audio devices (for example, USB turntables) do
not offer mixer support. With the "Monitor input signal" option you can listen to
the sound during recording (monitoring).
"Filter DC offset" allows you to remove the DC offset section (view page 80) of
the input signal, even during recording.

CDs
With CDsyou can import music from a CD into the
program.

Import CD
You can import entire Audio CDs or individual CD tracks into the project.
Unlike data CDs, audio CDs require special treatment while importing
("grabbing" or "ripping"). The data is imported digitally, thus eliminating loss in
sound quality.
To import audio tracks you should proceed as follows:
1.

2.
3.

www.magix.com

Import
4.
5.

The "Import project" dialog will now appear. Here you can enter the file
name and select the target directory.
The audio material is then copied from the drive onto the hard disk. A
progress bar is displayed.

Once ripping is complete, the dialogs will be closed and the tracks are
inserted into the project as individual objects.
Keyboard shortcut:

The track list dialog

Copy selected track(s): This button starts audio copy. A new object is created
for every track in the arrangement and the corresponding track marker is
created.
Transport control: This lets you start
and stop playback just like on a real
CD player and skip forward and
backward in the playlist.
Details on the total length and the memory capacity of the selected track are
displayed below.
Select all tracks: All tracks are selected, for instance, to copy the entire CD.
Several subsequent tracks can also be selected by holding the "Shift" key and
left-clicking; "Ctrl + mouse-click" selects several tracks.

www.magix.com

Import
Get CD Info (freeDB): Request title information from the
database (view page 147)

freeDB Online CD

In the right selection box you can select the read speed, and in the left one
you can select the export mode (see Configuring the CD-ROM (view page
58)).
CD drive options: Here you can change the settings and select the drive for
importing the CD if you have installed several CD drives (see also CD-ROM
drive dialog).
Write text file: Title list including the exact names and times can be exported
as a text file for archiving purposes.

Dialog: Load audio file
The "Import project" dialog appears after you have selected the option "Copy
selected tracks". Here you can specify name and target address of the audio
files. The audio files are subsequently numbered depending on their names
(name -> name_1.wav, name_1.wav...).
Audio tracks (CDA files) are imported as WAV files by default. However, they
can already be converted into MP3s during import. To do this, select the
corresponding audio format in "file type" of the dialog "Import project" and
then make the corresponding "format settings" (for more info on the audio
formats please also read "Loading audio").
Copy-protected audio CDs
According to the copyright act it is forbidden to copy a CD with copy
protection, but the owner of a CD may create a backup copy. The problem
with copy-protected CDs is that they cannot be imported using conventional
PC drives. In order to create a backup of such a copy-protected CD you have
to play it on an audio CD player and record it as a regular analog recording via
the sound card.

Drive list dialog
You can select and configure the disc drive if you have more than one drive.
Configuration: This button opens the configuration dialog (view page
58)where you can make various special settings, SCSI IDs, etc.
Reset: Restores the default settings of the drive.
Add drive: Creates a new drive letter in the list which still requires special
settings.
Delete: Deletes the selected drive.

www.magix.com

Import
Save setup: Saves the current drive list and all configuration data in a *.cfg
file.
Load setup: Loads the current drive list and all configuration data from a *.cfg
file.

The CD-ROM configuration dialog
Drive name: Lets you edit the name of the drive in the list. This is useful if you
create more than one entry accessing the same physical drive.
Host adapter number: Lets you specify the number of your SCSI adapter normally "0".
SCSI-ID: Lets you set the ID of your CD-ROM drive. Be sure to set the correct
ID; there is no error checking!
SCSI-LUN: Select the SCSI-LUN parameter, normally "0".
Alias: Lets you select the manufacturer type of your CD-ROM drive.
Normal copy mode: Copies the audio data without any software correction.
Sector synchronization copy mode: Copies the audio data using a correction
algorithm. This is especially useful, since many CD drives have problems
finding an exact position again and gaps can occur.
Burst copy mode: Optimizes the speed of the copy process; no software
corrections made.
Sectors per cycle: Defines the number of audio sectors that should be read
from the audio CD in a read cycle. The higher the number of sectors, the
faster the copying process. Many SCSI systems have problems with more
than 27 sectors.
Sync sectors: Sets the number of audio sectors that will be used for software
correction. A higher number results in a better synchronization but also in a
slower copying process.

Copy-protected Audio CDs
It is forbidden to copy an Audio CD, whether it is with or without copy
protection. Each owner of a CD may however produce a backup copy of
copy-protected CDs. The problem is that one cannot create a copy from
copy-protected CDs since the CD cannot be read in with a conventional PC
disc drive. In order to create a backup copy of a copy-protected CD, you
must play it in an Audio CD Player and record it as a "normal" analog
recording via the soundcard.

www.magix.com

Editing in the track view

Editing in the track view
What is an object?
Objects provide you with a wave form-interpretation of your audio material.
The starting point of each object is related to one single point in the audio file.
The length of the object determines the length of the excerpt from the audio
recording. So, an object does not represent the audio material itself, it is just a
replay command. While editing objects you just define additional commands
which will be executed in real time each time you listen to the object. For this
reason, the original audio material never gets altered and nevertheless your
personalized settings are permanently saved. This kind of data treatment is
known as "non destructive-editing".
As objects are merely replay commands and they only indicate which audio
material has to be played, you can move them to any desired position within
the track window or even delete them without changing the content of your
audio file.
Objects are important for differentiated sound editing of single tracks or loops.
Objects are subdivisions of your audio material which can be edited
separately. Tracks are in contrast simple markers for an audio CD.
Objects can be cut into an arbitrary number of smaller objects, and they can
be moved to the master track or even deleted.
Should you move or delete an object in the track, all objects that appear after
the deleted object will move up one position including their track markers, so
that the pause between the songs will be preserved.
You do not have to move the objects themselves to change the sequence of
the songs. As the following objects will all move up one position, this would
only be possible using a second track. It is much easier to move the
corresponding track markers in front of or behind another track marker. Doing
this will regroup the corresponding objects. The most comfortable solution is
to use the arrow keys in the CD track list.

Project
The project (*.vip file) contains all data MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX uses. It
does not contain audio data but only the names of the imported and recorded
audio data and the saved locations on the hard drive, all edits, reductions and
most effects processing. Furthermore, the object display on the tracks is
referred to as a project.

www.magix.com

Editing in the track view

Adjust object volume

The handle at the top center can be used to adjust the volume of the objects.
This handle is particularly important for synchronizing the volume of songs
originating from different sources. The volume of audio CDs may also differ.

Fading objects in and out

At the top corners of every object there are two fade handles that can be
adjusted to fade an object in or out. It is particularly useful to use the fade
handles when you have cut passages out of a recording to avoid hard
transitions or crackling.

Duplicate objects
Objects may be duplicated very easily. Click on the object to be copied with
the mouse while holding down the "Ctrl" key. This generates a copy, which
you can immediately drag to the desired position or cut separately.

www.magix.com

Editing in the track view

Reducing and increasing the length of objects

All objects can be shortened by moving the mouse to the right corner of the
object until the mouse pointer turns into a double arrow symbol. You can now
reduce the size of the object. This way the songs or recordings are shortened
without having to be edited.
Drag the handle to the right to make the object longer again. If you can't move
the object borders further, it means that no audio material is available.
If a few seconds silence were accidentally recorded at the beginning, you can
easily remove them by moving the left handle. If too much audio material was
removed, you can restore it by moving the object border back in the other
direction.

Deleting and moving objects
Every object can be removed from the the track with the "Eraser" tool (or the
Del key). No gap will be created in the project, i.e. the subsequent objects are
moved.
All subsequent objects will be moved along in unison automatically so that no
gaps appear.

Cut objects
Use the commands "Remove object beginning" or "Remove object end" (keys
D and U) in the "Edit" menu to remove superfluous beginnings and ends of a
recording.

www.magix.com

Editing in the track view
To do so, set the object's position line to the beginning of the part of the
object you want to keep (i.a. the music) and press D. Now, set the position
line to the end and press U.
Alternatively, you can use the scissors mouse mode. Use it to click on the
parts of the wave shape where you want to split the recording. No longer
required objects can now be removed from the track with the Delete tool or
Del key.
If you cut objects, a short fade is created automatically at the cut position to
prevent crackling.
If you separate the material into small objects, you can rearrange the order
entirely. For such arrangements we recommend using the second track (view
page 152), which can be used for shifting the objects.
To find the best parts for object cuts, we recommend working with an
enlarged view of the wave shape display. The magnifying glass is an ideal tool
for such purposes. Left-click into the wave shape display with the magnifying
glass tool to enlarge it, right-click to reduce the size again.

Join and mix objects
When you push an object from the right over the object to its left, it will cover
it like one sheet of paper covers another (completely or just in part). The
invisible part of an object will not be played.
The program automatically inserts a crossfade between the two joined objects
if the fader-handle of the second object is dragged a bit to the right. This is
another method to remove clicks.
A fade in a selected objected is represented by a Crossfade symbol.
The shape of the crossfade curve can be changed by clicking on this symbol.
You can also apply the Surround Transitions here.
You can make the invisible part of the second object visible (and audible)
again just by moving the second object to the right.
You can do the same using the second track. Passages that are overlapping
on two tracks will be played as overlapping. Now you can search for your ideal
mix using the volume and the length handle, cutting your object and moving it.

www.magix.com

Editing in the track view

Fading objects
With every cut the two objects that are created are slightly crossfaded in order
to avoid crackling. This is called Auto crossfade. A crossfade is also added if
two objects in a track are moved into each other or overlap each other.
A crossfade symbol is added to each crossfade. By clicking on the
symbol, you can change the curve of the transition.
The top handle of the right object allows you to regulate the fading in and out
of both objects.

The bottom handle controls the length of the two objects. If you move them,
one of them is extended whereas the other is shortened. The length of both
objects together remains the same.

Change song order
You do not have to move the objects themselves to change the sequence of
the songs. As the following objects will all move up one position, this would
only be possible using a second track. It is much easier to move the
corresponding track markers in front of or behind another track marker. Doing
this will regroup the corresponding objects. The most comfortable solution is
to use the arrow keys in the CD track list (view page 146).

Automatic insertion of pauses between objects
When importing individual songs (or other audio material) one after the other,
they will be presented in the track as a sequence of objects. The program
automatically introduces a 2 second break (space) between each of the
objects.
You can change the default pause lenght in the "CD" menu > "Set automatic
pause length"

www.magix.com

Editing in the track view

Several songs in a single long object
When you record an LP for example, one complete side of the LP will appear
as one single object in your track window. If you want to split such an object
into individual song-objects, you will have to search for the transitions in the
waveform presentation and cut them "by hand".
In most cases however, it is not necessary to create an individual object for
each song. Placing track markers at the beginning of the songs is normally
sufficient.

Object FX
All FX can be used on all objects independently from the other objects. Cut
the object into several smaller objects and edit them individually in the Object
FX mode.
Highlight the "Object FX" button of the object by clicking on it.
If you want to return to the normal "Master FX" mode you can do this by
simply clicking on the close button ("x") in the upper right corner of the Object
FX dialog.
Read more on Object FX in the chapter

"Cleaning FX (view page 72)"!

Draw volume curve
Use the Volume curve button to activate a volume curve.

You can use it to add volume curves to your audio material, for instance, for
compensating volume fluctuations or increasing the volume of quiet passages.
Volume changes are immediately visible in the waveform display so that it is
very easy to visually align the volume of different passages.

www.magix.com

Editing in the track view

There are two ways to edit these volume curves:
A "handle" is created by clicking on the curve (in standard mode). You can
then move it with the mouse and create volume progressions. This method
should preferably be used if gradual volume changes over longer passages
are needed.
Additionally, you can use the Volume curve mouse mode (view page
39). This allows you to "draw" any volume curve using the mouse
and lets you create irregular volume progressions quickly.
Tip: The Voice over effect (view page 110) creates volume curves for
automatic fading in/out based on the audio material in the second track.

Quick zoom
For many tasks it is quite useful to enlarge the wave shape display.
For quickly zooming it is sufficient to click in the timeline, keep the mouse
button pressed and move it up or down. This way you can quickly zoom the
cursor in and out at any position without releasing the mouse.

Set track markers
In many occasions you will not load single songs, one after the other, into a
project, but a certain number of them at the same time, for example while
recording one side of an LP.
If you want to record this LP on a CD, you should first set track markers at the
beginning of each song. The track markers can already be set while recording
in the Record dialogue – "by hand" or automatically by the automatic CD
Track detector (see below). It is however also possible to set, move and delete
the track markers afterwards by using the 1click-Burn-Automation (view page
115).

www.magix.com

Editing in the track view
It is furthermore possible to set the track markers directly in the master track.
Place the position line on the beginning of a new song and press the m key (or
select the option "set track marker" in the CD menu). The new track marker
appears just above the position line on the time ruler.

Automatic track recognition
There are multiple options for automatically separating the material into CD
tracks:
1.
2.
3.

during recording in the Record dialog (view page 50)
via the option "Automatically set track markers" (view page 143) (CD menu)
with the help of the burning wizard

MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX searches for positions where new songs start,
i.e. the end of a pause. Pauses are normally 0.5 - 3 seconds long.
However, normally a pause isn't completely silent,
but might include noises from the record or hissing
from the cassette. For this reason, MAGIX Audio
Cleaning Lab MX only detects pauses if the
recording falls below a certain level (threshold) for a
specified period of time.
The higher this level, the more often a pause will be
detected, but this can lead to incorrect detection of
pauses at quiet sections in songs. However, if this
level is set too low, pauses which feature a lot of
noise like hissing or crackling may not be detected.
The pause section with marked level, and pause length
The second step checks to make sure the interval between the pauses is long
enough. For example, it is very improbable that a recording of the top ten will
contain pauses a minute long. If this sort of thing is detected, then marking for
the second pause is removed.

www.magix.com

Editing in the track view

Incorrectly detected pause which was removed automatically because the
interval to the previous pause was too short
The third step examines the start and end of the audio material more
precisely: Records always feature a loud bump when the needle is placed on
the record and another one when it is removed from the record at the end of
the recording. MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX attempts to recognize these
noises and to exclude them, i.e. object edges are automatically moved
inwards to match the start and end of the actual music.
There are sensible presets for thresholds and times in the track marker
automation which depend on the selected recording source (records,
cassettes, CDs/DVDs, Internet, etc.). If these don't work properly, you can
change them in the Track marker recognition options (view page 155) dialog
("Options" menu).
Sometimes it is helpful to place the first one or two markers manually and to
separate the objects using the "T" key, especially if the volume levels are very
different. MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX will examine the objects individually.
Of course, MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX can't recognize the correct track
markers in every case (e.g. during live recordings or with classical music). If
you've tried using a number of different settings and still aren't satisfied with
the results, then you should set the track markers manually.

www.magix.com

Editing in the track view
Setting a track marker manually in MAGIX
Audio Cleaning Lab MX
You can change the presets for the
automatic track recognition in the options
menu.

Check and move track markers
Before writing your audio material on the new CD, you should check if all track
markers are located on the correct places. The Track Wizard ("1 Click Track
Creation and Burn") offers you an easy to read list, which includes all track
markers that can be selected, moved or deleted individually.
Move the position line from marker to marker pressing the Alt- and the cursor
key (arrow keys of the numeric key pad) in order to select the track markers
directly in the track window, and replay the material from that starting point
on. If the marker should be unnecessary or placed at the wrong position, just
click on it and delete it or move it by holding the mouse button.
If a track marker is dragged in front of or behind another track marker, the
corresponding objects will change their position in the track. This allows you
to quickly change the sequence of the songs. This is even more easily done if
you use the arrow keys in the CD track list (view page 146).

www.magix.com

Cleaning

Most cleaning functions are activated via the Cleaning FX section – either as
master effects on the main screen or as object-related effects on a separate
"Object FX" page (not available in the MAGIX Music Editor).
All effects in the "Cleaning" section occur in real-time. You can switch them on
and off during playback and change their parameters, so that the result of the
change can be heard immediately.
Additional cleaning functions can be found in the "Edit" menu.

Choose preset
A mouse click on "Select presets" opens the "Cleaning effects" menu. Here (or
via the "Editing" menu) you can save and load your favourite effect settings as
"Cleaning effects settings" for your projects or objects.
With the "Open cleaning FX rack" command you can display the settings
dialog for all of the cleaning effects as a large effects rack.
Different presets (for example, "Restore a poor quality record") are supplied
with the product and can be tried out right away.
Cleaning FX presets can also be applied on the "Object FX" page for individual
objects, as well as for the entire sound via master FX (main screen).

Using the effect modules
On/Off: Individual effects modules can be turned off and on via the buttons to
the left.
Slider: Each function has a slider that controls the intensity of the cleaning
effects.
The effects of the "Cleaning" section include a selection of useful presets
which can be chosen from a flip menu. Click on the arrow... In most cases it is
sufficient to select a preset here in order to achieve good results.
Info field: Instead of the analyzer, you can use a help field to explain
how the selected effect should be used.

www.magix.com

Cleaning
Edit button: The meticulous can add special settings to the cleaning effects.
For this the "Effect device" is opened via the button on the right of the module.
Now the cleaning effects can be edited.
All effects devices can be activated and deactivated via the "On/Off" button.
With "OK" you can apply the settings, "Cancel" closes the effects device
without applying the settings. "Reset" returns the settings to their defaults.

Cleaning Wizard

This automatically analyses the audio material, selects the appropriate effects
and applies settings. In the wizard dialog, you can choose whether audio
objects should be analyzed individually (recommended for audio material from
different sources or media) or whether all objects should be analyzed together
(recommended, for example, for a vinyl recording with the same background
noise disturbances).

www.magix.com

Cleaning

Step by step

The results of the individual effects introduced are by means of example
recordings, and then applied to the material in the track window. The cleaning
assistant suggests the following series of effects:
1.
2.
3.
4.

DeHisser for analog tape hissing (white noise)
DeNoiser for uniform audio disturbances (humming)
DeClicker for popping sounds (scratched records)
DeCrackler for background crackling

Presets can be selected from the effects available and the output material
(original) and the result of the effect (as well as the removed audio section, i.e
the "difference") can be monitored for comparison.
The settings dialog for each effect can be opened via this
button.

www.magix.com

Cleaning

Object FX page
Open the Object FX page using the "Object FX" button
located directly on the objects in the track window. While
the effects of the program interface are applied to all
objects in the master track, the settings of the Object FX
page are only applied to the individual object.

Just like on the main interface, you can switch between cleaning and
mastering effects. All other controls, such as presets and step-by-step
settings are available on the Object FX page as well.
All effects, except for Spectral Cleaning, are also available as object
effects. In addition, you'll also find Reverb/Echo (view page 96) and
Resampling (view page 84).

Object name with Forwards/backwards buttons: Use them to jump from
object to object in the master track. The settings of the Object FX page
are automatically adjusted to the settings of the selected objects. When
moving from one object to the next, the Object FX button of the
corresponding object in the master track flickers for a short while to
indicate that the Object FX page now applies to a different object.

www.magix.com

Cleaning

Object play status indicates that the activated object is being played. If
you start playback by clicking on this button, the playback marker will
automatically be set to the beginning of the activated object. This
guarantees that you hear your Object FX as well (since your are only
editing the selected object).
Adjust the level of the object here (the middle object handle). The auto
button located at the level controller of the object performs a
Normalization (view page 139) to 0dB.
In general the following applies: If in doubt, the blinking Object FX
button in the master track always indicates which object the
current settings apply to!
If the Object FX page is not opened, a red Object FX button
indicates the active object effects.
If you click on the object, the info
box (view page 42) displays
which object effects are active.

www.magix.com

Cleaning

Declicker/Decrackler
The Declicker efficiently eliminates any crackling and clicking sounds, as they
are typical in scratched LPs.

This function can be very efficiently used in the "Object FX" mode, if the
clicking sounds are not present on a whole, but just in some isolated areas.
First, you will have to find the damaged areas using the track window. Once
you've found a damaged area, make a cut in front of it and after it, using the
scissors-tool, so that you obtain an independent object.
Activate the "Object FX" button of the small object, so that the Declicker will
only be applied on the area with the clicking sound.

Marker Declicker
Alongside normal crackling on a vinyl recording, there can be some more
noticeable ones on a record which is scratched. If the DeClicker is set highly
for those sections which are particularly distorted, then it can seem that
several components of the desired signal will be treated by the DeClicker if
they exhibit similar characteristics of the distortions.
To avoid this we recommend setting the DeClicker at a lower setting and
removing the sharper pops/clicks with the help of the "Marker DeClicker".
These sections can be set using a click marker (Set click marker). The special
"Marker DeClicker" affects the audio material (when activated) at these
positions, and the normal DeClicker can be used for the remaining material.
"Search clicks" allows you to search the entire project for especially strong
clicks and have them marked automatically. With the "Sensitivity" controller
you can set the sensitivity of the search, i.e. the higher the level the more
clicks will be found (according to intensity).
Especially strong clicks and audio disturbances can be removed with Spectral
cleaning (view page 81) (deluxe version only!)

www.magix.com

Cleaning
Decrackler
The Decrackler has been especially designed to smoothly eliminate the
"cracklecarpet" on old LPs. Stronger, isolated clicking sounds are better be
eliminated using the Declicker.
If you think that "crackling" and "clicking" sounds are all the same, listen to the
examples included in the Cleaning Wizard (view page 70).
Removed: With this Button the playback is switched into a mode, where you
can hear the removed clicks and crackles. So you can test, if the
Declicker/Decrackler removes only unwanted noise or parts of the original
audio are removed yet

Declipper
Should the input level of an audio recording be too high, overmodulation may
result at the louder parts (the signal peaks). This digital distortion can also be
called "clipping": At the overmodulated area, the values that are too high are
simply cut off and the typical, quite unpleasant sounding crackling and
distortions are heard.
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX includes a special function for the elimination
of these digital clippings and analogue distortion.
The clippings are detected and eliminated, based on the material of the
selected object. Lastly, the entire volume of the material can be reduced so
that the interpolated parts can be played back without overmodulation.
The declipping-algorithm is especially useful in material, where the excessive
recording level has caused distorted piano or chorus voices. Affected
drumbeats however will normally not improve after the use of this function.

CLIP LEVEL: Here you can tell the algorithm from which level on the algorithm
has to consider the sample as blasted and therefore corrects it. This is an
important point, as the different sound cards have different clipping
characteristics.
Choosing -6dB, for example, will cause that all samples that exceed half of the
maximum value will be considered blasted and therefore will be calculated
again.

www.magix.com

Cleaning
With GET CLIP LEVEL the CLIP LEVEL can be gaged automatically.
The interpolated signal peaks adjust the whole level, which must be balanced
out with the GAIN fader so as to avoid new overmodulation. When doing so,
you should observe the peak meter to the right of the dialog.
The option "LIMITER" switches on a limiter which reliably avoids
overmodulation.
With the INVERSE button you can control whether or not undistorted parts of
the wanted signal are interpreted as clippings and are filtered out
unnecessarily.

Dehisser
The Dehisser was especially designed to eliminate the band noise, which is all
so typical for analogue tape recordings, micro-preamps or AD-transducers.

Noise Level: Here you will have to determine as exactly as possible the noise
level at which the Dehisser starts to work. If you choose a level that is not high
enough, the band noise will not be completely eliminated. In such a case you
will notice tweeting sounds (the so called "melodic band noise"). An excessive
value will result in a dull sound as part of the band noise and part of the
original audio signal recording will be eliminated by the Dehisser as well (for
example: air intake sounds of brass instruments) (see Artifacts (view page 80))
If the noise level on your recording is low, you should experience no problems
while adjusting it.
Adaptive: The value for the noise level parameter is set automatically by
determining the hiss contained in the signal. If the noise level value is
changed, its effect is then relative, i.e. the resulting value is determined from
the automation as well as the noise level fader settings.
One advantage is that you no longer have to set the noise level value manually
and that this value can also be adjusted later if the noise share fluctuates, for
example, if you use music tracks with differing hiss levels within one project.
If the noise level is constant, a better result may be obtained manually
(Adaptive off). However, the noise level value must then be set precisely.

www.magix.com

Cleaning
Audio type: Lets you set the audio material that is to be edited; the algorithm
is adjusted accordingly.
Noise Reduction: this option allows you to adjust the damping of the band
noise in decibel units. In many occasions it is the best solution, not to
eliminate the noise completely, but to damp it only -3 - -6 dB, hence
maintaining the natural sound of the original material.
Quality: The processing quality can be set in two stages. You can use this to
precisely adjust the values in the dialog for standard quality adjustment
without skipping playback, and can then select a higher quality for final
burning.
Removed: This option allows you to listen to the music that would be filtered
away by the Dehisser.

DeNoiser
The DeNoiser removes persistent background noise like computer humming,
hissing, noises from sound cards, disturbance from ground wires, interference
from audio-equipment with high-impedance outputs (e.g. turntables), or other
device noises. Subsonic noise or rumbling can be removed effectively from
LPs with the rumble filter.
The DeNoiser requires a short section from your music which contains a
sample of the audio distortion, usually from the start or end of the recording.
When the DeNoiser is activated in the project for the first time, a sample of the
distortion will be searched for immediately after the playback marker. The
automatically detected noise sample enables good results to be achieved
even without opening the DeNoiser dialog.
For more specific results, open the dialog with the "Edit" button.

Noise sample
Noise sample: If the automatic noise sample settings were not suitable for
finding noisy material, then a noise sample can be selected from the list. There

www.magix.com

Cleaning
are several typical distortions available, e.g. camera noises or power mains
humming.
An even more specific option is to create a noise sample yourself.
Create noise sample
Length: The length can be set in ms if the "auto" button is switched off,
otherwise the length of the noise sample will be determined automatically.
Pick! Generates a noise sample. A short noise sample is taken from the
selected play range. The playback marker can be moved with the transport
control when the dialog is open to search for a suitable position. If the
playback position is between two objects, it's not possible to generate a noise
sample. Play allows the noise sample to be previewed for testing purposes.
Wizard: This opens a wizard that helps to create the noise sample. The wizard
mainly consists of a search function which helps you find the suitable noise
sample in the audio material. Various distortion types can be selected.
Save: The noise sample created can be saved in the noise sample folder. It is
then available as a new noise sample in the noise sample preset list for any
other project.
Audio type: Set the type of edited audio material here, and the algorithm will
be customized accordingly.
Spectral view
"Spectral view" shows the spectrum of the noise sample by default. It can be
switched to spectrogram view by pressing the corresponding button on the
right-hand side. In this case, the played audio material is shown as a
spectrogram. The spectral sections removed with by the DeNoiser are
displayed in red.
Mode
Anti-noise: In this mode, the DeNoiser works in an optimized mode to remove
particularly "noisy" distortions.
Anti-hum: In this mode, the DeNoiser works in an optimized mode to remove
tonal disturbances. This includes feedback from power cables, power
humming, PC fans, video cameras, or ventilation noises.
If the option "Max. damp tonal noise" is active, then this type of distortion will
be completely removed. The "Reduction" controller affects all possible existing
disturbances. This is a sensible step, since tonal disturbances are much more
annoying than other noise – a small amount of "extra" noise in the recording

www.magix.com

Cleaning
may be allowed in order to avoid a greater loss of highs throughout the
desired signal.
This option can be found in "Hum" mode under the "Noise level" controller in
place of the "Adaptive" parameter (not available in "Hum" mode).
Processing section
Quality: The quality of the calculation can be set in two stages. You can set
the values in the standard quality setting precisely without influencing the
playback in any way and select high quality for burning once the material is
ready.
Noise level: The threshold of the noise reduction function should be set as
precisely as possible. Values that are too low will exhibit too low a distortion
dampening level and result in artifacts like noise or "twittering" (see below).
High settings produce dull results – useful signals that sound similar to hissing
noises are also filtered away. Take your time to find the best setting for the
individual case. If the "Adaptive" option is activated, the setting is relative, i.e.
in addition to automation.
Reduction: This sets the balance between the original signal and the signal
with the applied noise reduction. It's often better to reduce interference
signals by 3 to 6 dB rather than as much as is possible to keep the sound
"natural". For buzzing, it’s best to apply complete removal.
Adaptive: The value for the "Noise level" parameter is set automatically by
setting the level of the hiss present in the signal. The advantage of this is that
if a distortion is not constant, the noise level always adapts to the current
distortion. If the noise sample is not calculated from the signal that is to be
edited, but rather uses a preset to do so, the difference between the strength
of the distortion in the audio material and in the noise sample will be equalized
automatically. If the noise sample has been calculated from the signal being
edited and the distortion is constant, then the "Adaptive" setting should not be
used.
Removed noise: The part of music that was filtered out by the DeNoiser can
be previewed for testing purposes.
DeRumble: Here you can activate a special filter for deep-frequency rumbling
noises. Examples of such distortions are mechanical noises from old record
players, wind, and subsonic noises in microphone recordings.
Preset: All the DeNoiser's settings, i.e. the noise sample applied and the
settings of the processing section can be saved as a preset for later use.

www.magix.com

Cleaning
Artefacts
With incorrect settings, the DeNoiser and the DeHisser may leave behind a
metallic chirping or twittering sound, the so-called artefact noise. The cause of
this is the incomplete removal of the distortion. The ear is quite sensitive to
this sound because of its synthetic character. This problem, in practice, only
occurs in especially difficult cases.
To achieve the best possible results you should pay attention to the following
hints:
 First, select a preset from the selection menu. In most cases the result is
satisfactory.
 Be careful when "denoising" the effect: Less is more! The distortion sound
should no longer be audible, otherwise artefacts may be brought about.
We recommend removing any DC offset that may exist from the material
before using it ("Effects" menu > Cleaning > "Remove DC offset" (view page
80)).

Remove DC offset
This function can only be opened via the "effects" menu and can thus only be
applied to selected objects. This can be useful if your sound card overlays
your sample with a constant DC offset during recording, which leads to
crackling during playback or editing. (This is basically always the case with
recordings that use the integrated sound card of your PC).

www.magix.com

Cleaning
Options: Here you can enter a minimum DC offset threshold, which indicates
where DC offset removal will kick in. You can also edit stereo channels
together to reduce computing time.

Spectral Cleaning
MAGIX Spectral Cleaning removes background noise (such as coughing,
whistling or clapping) from a recording without audibly influencing the signal.
The music is displayed in the Spectral Cleaning Editor by means of a
spectrogram (sometimes also referred to as a sonogram). This displays the
frequency elements with regard to time (see illustration). The frequency level is
then visualized by a color code or by its brightness, respectively.
Audible background noises are usually louder than the signal and are generally
restricted to a certain frequency spectrum. They are therefore highlighted in
the spectrogram in color and can be easily encircled and removed with the
mouse.
For example, you can recognize the held
tone from a pattern consisting of
horizontal lines that correspond with the
harmonics of the sound (see illustration
on the left). A pulsed noise is
characterized by a vertical line. The right
illustration displays a tone overlapping a
short noise.

Tone

Tone with noise

In MAGIX Spectral Cleaning Editor you can now simply mark and "remove" all
noises with the mouse. Lost elements of the original frequency spectrum are
then added from the signal surrounding the noise in order to avoid audible
gaps.
MAGIX Spectral Cleaning is ideal for all short but clear sounds in the music,
such as clicking, coughing and even short drop-outs, but NOT for permanent
disturbances such as hiss or noise. In such a case please use the DeHisser or
DeNoiser.

www.magix.com

Cleaning
Operation
Select the object and set the play cursor roughly to the position of the
distortion. Then open the Spectral Cleaning Editor by clicking on the button or
via the "Edit" menu -> "Spectral Cleaning".

To remove a distortion, you have to mark it as one. The selection tool
can be used for this.
You can select as many distortions in the editor window as you want and
remove them all in one go.
There are three small buttons visible at the position of your selection.
Delete: Removes the selection.
View original: Normally the result of the noise removal is
depicted in the selection. If you click on this button however,
you will see the original signal which contains the noise.
Bypass: Normally the result of the noise removal is played back
in the Spectral Cleaning Editor. If you click on this button, it will
play the original signal.
If you wish to perfect the result, set the play cursor in front of the selected
distortions and listen carefully to the whole track (see playback section). If
necessary, change the distortion selection. As a rule of thumb, as short a
section as possible should be selected.
Sometimes it's necessary to modify the effects parameters (see Controls, Edit
selection). If you are happy with the result, then press "Calculate".
The result of Spectral Cleaning is saved in the original audio file and the editor
is then closed.

Controls
Toolbar
You can assign various tools to the toolbar using the left and right mouse
buttons. The selected tools are marked in blue if selected with the left mouse
button, in red for the right mouse button.

www.magix.com

Cleaning
Selection tool: Use this tool to modify selections.
Drawing tool: Use this tool to select distortions or to modify the
selection.
Double-clicking on the selection applies it to the entire frequency range.
Navigation tool: You can move the displayed range by holding down
the mouse button and moving the mouse.
Zoom tool:
Left mouse button (click):
Left mouse button (click and drag):
Right mouse button (click):

Zoom in
Creates a zoom field
Zoom out

Edit selection
With this setting you can specify how you wish to remove the distortion. All
selected distortions can be edited in the same way. If you wish to use various
editing methods in an audio file, you will have to do it in various procedures.
The following methods are available to you:
1.
2.

3.
4.

Transition: This method attempts to replace the distortion with the help of
the bordering parts of the music selection.
Transitions (hard): Behave like a transition, but has a more powerful effect.
This way stronger distortions can be better suppressed. The distortion,
however, must be highlighted more clearly.
Gap: This mode should be used for very short drop-outs.
Dampening: This only makes the selected distortion quieter, surrounding
audio material is not faded in. For this reason, ambient noises, unpleasant
silences and even drop-outs may occur. Only use this mode if a distortion
is present in a very narrow frequency range or if the surrounding noises are
very quiet.
Fading in: Corresponds to dampening, only the music is faded back in
towards the end of the marked selection (music becomes louder). This can
be a useful mode, if, for example, an impulse-type disturbance is present at
the beginning of the piece.
Fading out: Like fade-ins, but in reverse, i.e. this mode is useful for
distortions at the end of a track.

Strength: Use this setting to meter your changes. A fader which is turned up
all the way corresponds to a 100% change.
Left / Right channel: Shows and calculates each channel. If the distortion is
only audible on one side simply switch off the other channel.

www.magix.com

Cleaning
View
In the "View" menu you can select from various view schemes. The schemes
contain various color scales, but also contain varying time and frequency
intervals.
Show grid: Displays a time and frequency grid.
Click marker
Click markers help identify especially persistent distortions. They can be
created automatically using the Marker DeClicker (see Marker DeClicker (view
page 74) in the DeClicker chapter) or with the "Set click marker" button.
With the "Next click marker" or "Previous click marker" buttons
you can quickly move from one click marker to the next.
Use the "Apply to all" button to set the marking of the distortion on the current
click marker to all click markers, i.e. the size as well as the position of the
marker borders in relation to the click marker and in the spectrum.
If spectral cleaning is used in conjunction with the "Calculate" button, all click
markers affected will be transformed into normal markers.

Playback
Stop: Stops playback.
Play: Starts playback from the play position.
Play Loop: Repeats playback within a short range.
Play Inverse: Plays the signal difference, i.e. the removed sound elements.
Calculate: Performs the calculation and closes the dialog.
Abort: Aborts the editing.
Help: Opens the help window.
Tutorial Video: The tutorial video briefly explains the possibilities of Spectral
Cleaning.

www.magix.com

Cleaning

Tempo/Resampling
This effect is only available as an object effect (view page 72).
The fader lets you change the playback speed of objects so that they are
better aligned. The effect can be applied in two ways, either as resampling or
as timestretching. You can change the mode in the preset list at the very
bottom.
 Resampling mode can be used to change speed and pitch just like on a
cassette. Use this mode to adjust LP recordings made at the incorrect speed.
 Timestretching mode applies a high-quality timestretching algorithm
(universal HQ) to keep the pitch constant in spite of speed changes. Use this
mode to adjust the tempo of different tracks to match each other without
influencing the pitch, e.g. for a DJ mix.
The effect is also available as a mouse mode (view page 39) for changing the
tempo across a larger range of values.

Resampling for incorrect record speeds
If you want to record a record that was recorded at 78 rpm, then you normally
have a problem: These older shellac LPs aren't able to be played back by
most turntables. With the help of this resampling technology, it's possible to
playback the record at the incorrect speed, record it, and then correct the
speed with a single click.
Different presets have been provided for this. The first number indicates the
speed at which the record was played back, and the second shows the speed
that it should be played at. For example, if an older 78 rpm shellac record was
played at 33 rpms, then you would use the "33/78" preset.
A second group of presets are for adjusting wave files with different sampling
rates to the project. These are selected automatically when this sort of wave
file is loaded into the project. The first number here is also the sample rate of
the project (for playback, normally 44.1 kHz or CDs), and the second is the
wave file (the target playback rate).

www.magix.com

Mastering

The mastering functions are activated via the Mastering section – either as
mastering effects on the main screen or as object-related effects on a
separate Object FX page (not available in the MAGIX Music Editor).
All of the mastering effects function in real time. This means that you can
switch them on and off during playback and change their parameters so that
the result of the adjustment can be heard immediately.

Choose preset
A mouse click on "Select presets" opens the "Master effects" menu. Here (or
via the "Editing" menu) you can save and load your favorite effect settings as
"Mastering effects settings" for your projects or objects.
With the "Open mastering FX rack" command you can display the settings
dialog for all of the mastering effects as a large effects rack.
Different presets (for example, to restore a poor quality tape recording) are
supplied with the product and can be tried out right away.
Mastering FX presets can also be applied to the "Object FX" page for
individual objects, as well as for the entire sound via master FX (main screen).
Since the available object effects are different from the master effects, many
settings may be ignored. For example: The echo/reverb settings will be
ignored if the preset is loaded as a master effect (the master section does not
include an echo/reverb device).

Using the effect modules
Please read the section Using the effect modules (view page 69) in the
Cleaning effects (view page 69) chapter.

Step by step
The Mastering Assistant applies several mastering effects in a sensible
sequence. All effects will now be introduced by means of a suitable recording
example and then applied.

www.magix.com

Mastering
It is recommended that these effects are used in the following sequence:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Stereo processor
Graphic equalizer
Brilliance enhancer
MultiMax

Using the mastering assistant is the same as using the Step-by-step (view
page 71) cleaning assistant.

Object FX window
Read the section "Object FX window (view page 72)" in chapter "Cleaning FX
(view page 69)"!

Enhancer
The Enhancer enables the justification of the audio material in the stereo
panorama to be adjusted. If the stereo recordings sound unfocused and
undifferentiated, an extension of the stereo base-width can often provide
better transparency.
Use the maximize function to move the echo and improve the stereo picture,
for example, into the foreground.

Volume controller: Adjusts the volume of every single channel to adjust the
complete panorama. The reduction of left and right levels is displayed under
the control buttons.
Pan-direction: Use this controller to move the sound source from the middle
into stereo panorama. The signals at the outer edges of the sound picture
remain unchanged.
Multiband: This option switches from "Stereo FX" to "Multiband" mode.
Stereo editing only applies to the middle frequency, the bass and highs remain
unchanged.
Bandwidth/maximize sensor field: Adjusts the base width between mono
(extreme left), unchanged base width (normal stereo), and maximum base

www.magix.com

Mastering
width (wide, extreme right). Raising the bandwidth (values over 100)
diminishes the mono compatibility. This means that recordings edited this way
sound hollow when listened to in mono.
Maximize strengthens the spatial component of the recording, which also
increases the stereo transparency without influencing the mono compatibility.
Stereo meter (correlation gauge): This provides a graphical display of the
phase relation of the audio signal. You can use it to review the orientation of
the signal in the stereo balance and the effect of the stereo enhancer. To
maintain mono-compatibility, the "cloud" shown should always be higher than
it is wide.

Equalizer
The Equalizer consists of two modules, the Parametric 4-band Equalizer and
the 10-band Graphic Equalizer.

Parametric Equalizer
The parametric equalizer consists of four filter bands for adjusting the overall
sound of the music track. Each band is a filter with a typical "bell shape".
Within a certain frequency range and around an adjustable middle frequency,
you can increase or reduce the signal level gain. The width of this frequency
range is called bandwidth. The bandwidth is defined by the Q value. The
higher the Q value, the narrower and steeper the filter curve.
You can influence the basic sound of the mix by increasing and decreasing
the broadband to give it more "depth" (lower center = 200-600 Hz) or more
"air" (highs = 10Khz). You can also decrease the narrow bandwidth (high Q
value) in the frequency response, e.g. to remove disruptive frequencies.

Graphic: The resulting frequency path of the
equalizer is displayed in the graphic. The
frequency is spread out horizontally, the
increase or decrease of the respective
frequency, vertically.

www.magix.com

Mastering
The blue bullets 1-4 symbolize the four wave bands. You can move them
around with the mouse until you find your desired frequency response.

Peak meter: The peak meter gives you control over the output level of the
equalizer. The adjacent master gain controller can be used to balance the level
with the EQ.
Edit: The "Edit" button opens the fine tuning for the four bands:

Parameter selection: With the buttons on the right you can select the
parameter that can be adjusted with four faders of each band. Furthermore,
there are number keys to enter every parameter of the bands.
Gain dB: These controllers allow you to raise or lower the filter. Setting the
controller to 0 deactivates the filter and doesn’t use CPU power.
Freq. Hz: The center frequency of the individual filters can be set between 10
Hz and 24 kHz with the frequency controllers. Freely choosing the frequency
enables multiple filters to be set to the same frequency in order to have a
greater effect.
Q (bandwidth): Set the bandwidth of the individual filters between 10 Hz and
10 kHz.
There is still a peculiarity among bands 1 and 4; The filter curve for these
bands can be changed from a normal "peaking" EQ filter (

) to "shelving"

) (this is the basic setting) and high (band 1) or high-cut (band 4)
.
(
When using the "shelving" filter, a soft increase or decrease in all frequencies
happens above or below the filter frequency, and the Q parameter does not
have a function here. With a low-cut or high-cut filter, all frequencies below
(low-cut) or above (high-cut) the set frequency are filtered out.

www.magix.com

Mastering
Graphic Equalizer
The 10-track equalizer divides the frequency spectrum into 10 areas (tracks)
and supplies them with separated volume controls, which allows you to
achieve many impressive effects, from the simple rising of the bass, to total
sound transformation. If you raise the low frequencies too much throughout
the whole level, it can cause distortions. In this case, lower the master volume
using the master volume control on the main screen.

Thumb Controls: All of the 10 frequency areas can be raised or decreased
separately by the 10 volume controls.
Link Bands: Using this switch you can match the frequency areas in a flexible
way to avoid the overemphasizing of single frequency areas that sound
artificial.
A/B: If you have selected a preset for the effect and later you change it
manually, you can compare the original-preset-sound with the new
adjustments using the A/B-switch.
Reset: Reset inserts the sound effect into the neutral starting position where
no processing power is used and where no effect is calculated in the sound.
Touch-screen (right EQ-Section): This is the "sensor-field" of the EQ: Use
your mouse to draw a curve that will be transferred immediately into the
corresponding EQ control adjustment.

Brilliance Enhancer
The Brilliance Enhancer is a high-end audio tool with which, for example,
losses in high frequencies, which occur with MP3 compression or while
recording older records, can be regained.
In contrast to the equalizer, which only works on the currently available
frequency, the brilliance enhancer calculates new harmonics and noticeably
revitalizes the sound from residual material

www.magix.com

Mastering
Soft: Activating this option depends upon your own perception of sound. If
you would like to produce a more lurid sound (such as grunge) you should
deactivate the "soft" option. This option does, however, reduce eventual
distortion.
High Quality: This option improves the results of the effects while demanding
more of your computer’s performance. As with the "soft" option, your own
notion of sound should come into play when choosing this option.

Sound Cloner
With the "sound cloner" you can determine the sound characteristic of a song
and transfer it to your other recordings. This way you can, for example, create
a Pat Metheny song in the style of Madonna. Load a track you really like, set
the song's playback position and press the "Get sound" button in the sound
cloner. The sound's characteristics are now calculated. As a preset sound
clone, it is now immediately available to you and can also be stored via "Save"
for later use.
By loading the "clone" from the preset menu, you can use it on the sound
material. With the slide control, you can regulate the intensity of the sound
transmission.

The sound cloner is a kind of automatic 1024 band equalizer. Its filter curve
(compare the touch screen in the "normal" EQ) is a result of the mean of the
cloned sound and output sound. When loading the preset, the sound cloner
uses the audio material beneath the playback marker as the basis for filter
settings which then apply to all objects in the master, but are actually only
intended for this object. So if your output material on the track comes from
various sound sources, the sound cloner should definitely be used as an
object effect.
The "Settings" menu of the sound cloner also contains a few useful filter
settings besides its "clone" presets. These are independent of the source
material and can be used as a master effect.

www.magix.com

Mastering
Sound cloner - FFT filter
Use Edit to open the dialog which contains the fine-tuning settings for the
sound cloner's FFT filter.

A red line can be drawn in the graphic field using the mouse. The left side of
the graphic is for the lower frequencies of the sound, the right for the higher. A
"mountain" in the left part of the graphic creates a large increase in bass, and
a similar figure in the right increases the highs.
Freehand: With the pencil you can draw "freehand". Draw or rotate a straight
line by pressing and holding the "Shift" key.
Draw quantization: This activates a quantization function to draw straight lines
and angled figures. The farther away from the curve you are, the wider the
bulge in the range. This effect can be increased with the "Ctrl" key.
Reshape tool: This drawing tool lets you bend existing curves. Deformed
curves can be achieved by pressing the mouse button repeatedly.
Navigation tool: Drag the display area.
Zoom tool: With the left mouse button you can zoom into the selection; zoom
back out with the right. Keep the left mouse button depressed to feed along
the zoom area.
Reset: The "Reset" button quickly allows you to replace the filter curve with
that present in the output state.
Preset: Access the presets for definite applications here.

www.magix.com

Mastering
Strength: The "Strength" slider allows you to enhance or diminish the intensity
of curvatures. The result is a stronger or weaker modulation.
Vol:The "Volume" controller controls the volume of the material.
Sound cloner: With the sound cloner you can determine the sound
characteristic of a song and transfer it to your other recordings. This way you
can, for example, create a Pat Metheny song in the style of Madonna. Load a
track you really like, set the song's playback position and press the "Learn"
button´.
Scale options: Accesses a settings dialog with the following options available:
Freq: This switch lets you choose between a logarithmic ("log") or a linear
("lin") frequency scale. The logarithmic display corresponds to the human
perception of volume. Like on a keyboard of a key instrument, the (graphic)
spacing of the intervals, i.e. halftones, is uniform across the entire range.
Freq.log: The upper labeling of the graphic can be switched between output
in "Hz" or "Notes". Note output is only possible via logarithmic frequency
display ("log").
Value display: Here you can set a logarithmic or linear display as well as an
enlargement of the filter curve.
Value range: Here you can set the displayed value range in dB.
Curve display: Here you can switch between a bar and a curved display.

MultiMax

MultiMax is a compressor with three independent frequency bands. The
dynamics are edited separately for each band.
The advantage of a multi-band compressor in comparison to a "normal"
compressor is that the "pumping" tendency and other disturbing side effects
are dramatically reduced while editing dynamics. For instance, it can prevent a
bass top peak from "dragging down" the entire signal.

www.magix.com

Mastering
Multi-band technology also lets you specifically edit individual frequency
ranges.
Link bands: When this button is activated and one fader is adjusted all faders
are changed in the same ratio. The type of dynamic editing is not influenced.
Limiter: MultiMax includes a limiter that prevents clipping by automatically
lowering the level. Quiet parts remain unaffected.
High quality: When the "High quality" setting is activated, an even more
precise algorithm is used, but it also requires more processing power. We
recommend that you switch on this setting before you export the project.
Setting the frequency bands: The settings of the frequency bands are
changed directly in the graphic. Simply click on the separator lines and move
them.
Bass/Mid/High: These knobs control the level of compression for each
frequency band.
Presets: In MultiMax you can use the presets to open two more special
functions.
 Cassette NR-B decoder: MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX simulates decoding
of Dolby B + C noise suppression if no Dolby player is available. Casettes
recorded with Dolby B or C sound more muffled and slurry if played back
without corresponding Dolby.
 DeEsser: These special presets are for removing overstressed hiss sounds
from speech recordings.

Dynamics
Fundamentally, the compressor is an automated, dynamic volume controller.
The dynamics of a piece are limited, loud sequences remain loud, quiet
sequences become louder. Compression is often used to add power to audio
material or to increase the loudness. The level of compression is adjusted by
the ratio controller, while the activation threshold is determined by the
threshold. You can also influence the attack and release.
Editing is carried out using a “look-ahead” method, similar to high-quality
studio appliances. There are no peak over-modulations or other artifacts, as
the algorithm can never be ‘surprised’ by sudden level peaks.

Sensor field: You can intuitively influence the sensor field of the
compressor with mouse movements. The graphics color and the respective
effect settings change in response to each other.

www.magix.com

Mastering
Ratio: This parameter controls the amount of compression.
Threshold: Set the threshold, above which compression is applied.
Attack: Sets the algorithm's reaction speed to increasing sound levels. Short
attack times can create an undesirable "pumping" sound, as the volume is
quickly reduced or increased correspondingly.
Release: Sets the algorithm's reaction speed to falling sound levels.
A/B: If you have selected a preset for the effect and make manual changes to
it later, you can compare the original preset sound with the new settings by
using the A/B-button.
Reset: This resets the effect device to its original neutral starting point where
minimal processing power is required and no effect is added to the sound.
Load/Save: Here you can save the current settings as an effect file so that
they can be used on other projects as well.

Special presets
In the compressor you can use the presets to open further special functions.
Dynamic expander: Too high a compression rate will result in audible noise
(usually defined as a pumping sound). Radio recordings in particular are
recorded with very high compression rates to increase the perceived volume.
Unfortunately, compression reduces the dynamics (interval between the
quietest and loudest part). The expander enhances the dynamics of the
recording.
Noise Gate: This cleaning function suppresses noises which are completely
below a certain volume threshold. This lets you create, for example, song
transitions that are entirely noise-free.
Leveler: This setting automatically sets the entire material to an identical
volume level. The volume control knob is no longer required. You can use this
function to equalize greater volume differences within a song. To equalize
volume variations between different songs you can also use the function
"Normalize loudness" in the "Effects" menu.

www.magix.com

Mastering

Reverb/Echo

The reverb effect device offers newly developed and very realistic reverb
algorithms to add more room depth to your recording.
Reverb is probably the most important but also the most difficult effect to
generate.
Parameters
The reverb effect has the following parameters:
Size: defines the size of the room (or the system for the plate and spring). The
larger a room, the longer the sound travels between walls or objects. With
some low "size" settings you can also reduce the distance between the
individual reflections. This allows resonance to develop (accentuated
frequency ranges), which can sound oppressive if the reverb sustain is too
long.
Time: With this knob you can adjust the echo time and determine how much
of it will be absorbed and, simultaneously, the reverb's decay.
Color: You may influence the sound characteristics of the effect within certain
limits. The effect of this controller depends on the used preset. In rooms,
"Color" controls the dampening of the highs in the reverb (from dark to bright)
as well as pre-filtering of the signal. With plate and spring presets, this fader
determines the dampening of the basses as well.
Mix: This controller sets the mix ratio between the original and the edited
signal. For rooms, you can therefore move a signal further into the room by
increasing the effect share. The last four presets are intended for use in an
AUX channel of the mixer and are set to 100%.
Presets
The presets represent the basic settings for the various room algorithms,
which can still be varied along with the other parameters. Hence, they are
more than just simply parameter sets.

www.magix.com

Mastering
Delay
This effect is like an echo which delays the signal and repeats it.
Delay: This sets the period of time between the individual echoes. The more
the control is turned to the left, the faster the echoes will follow each other.
Feedback: This adjusts the number of echoes. Turn the dial completely to the
left, there is no echo at all; turn it completely to the right and there are
seemingly endless repetitions.
Mix: This fader determines how much of the unprocessed original sound (dry
signal) is subjected to the echo (wet signal). Application of this effect in an
AUX bus requires the controller to be set to 100% (all the way to the right).

Plug-ins

Microsoft's DirectX and VST-compatible plug-ins may be used for effects
calculation in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX. This allows you to use almost
any effect algorithms of third parties in addition to the effects integrated in
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX.
Some of the supplied effects will be loaded as Plug-ins. These are:






Tape simulation
De-esser
Energizer
AM-Track SE
Chorus

Selection menu: Select the plug-in via the selection menu on the right hand
side of the module. For this, you will need to have plug-ins installed on your
computer. The path to search for installed VST plug-ins can be set in the
"Options" menu via -> "Set path settings". All recognized plug-ins will be
added to the menu list.
Edit: The selected plug-in is opened to define specific effect settings.

VST Plug-in Editor
The VST Plug-in Editor can be opened by right-clicking on the instrument's
name in the MIDI Editor, via the corresponding plug-in slot in the Mixer, or via
the "VST Instruments Editor" entry in the instrument list.

www.magix.com

Mastering
The Instrument Editor has two views, the so-called "GUI" of the plug-in
(Graphical User Interface) and the parameter view. This is either automatically
activated when the VST plug-in does not have its own GUI or can be used if
the GUI of the plug-in is too unclear or takes up too much space on the
screen. The parameter view displays the eight parameters of the plug-in as
sliders. In the File menu you can change between these views (plug-in
dialog/plug-in parameter).
Load/save patch/bank: The instrument settings can be saved and loaded in
the patch formats typical for VST plug-ins (*.fxp) and bank formats (*.fxb).
Random parameters: This function can be an important source of inspiration.
However, before using it please save the current preset you've just created as
this feature does not ask before it is applied.
Menu program: Here you can select the presets integrated into the plug-in or
loaded via the File menu.

Tape simulation (plug-in)
Tape simulation offers you the possibility of giving your recordings an "analog
touch" by imitating typical aspects of a tape recording. In a lot of studios, 1"
and 2" tape machines are still used because they are thought to create a
fullness of sound, "warmth" and "saturation" that contrasts with the more
neutral and analytical sound of digital technology.
There are numerous factors that are decisive for the sound expressiveness of
tape-based recordings. Some of these are:
 Distortions that occur when the tape is played in the saturation range,
 changes to the frequency response, since recording and playback-side filter
steps prepare the signal. All machines also feature more or less pronounced
peaks in the frequency spectrum, above all in the bass range (so-called "head
bumps"),
 loss of highs through self-erasure resulting from the HF stream ("bias",
pre-magnetization) and intermodulation between the wanted signal and the
HF signal.

www.magix.com

Mastering

Level: Sets the input level. You decide when the "virtual tape" is saturated and
how strong the effect of this color effect should be. The signal will gain more
"loudness".
EQ low/hi: Adjusts the frequency response (spectral balance controller). You
can choose whether you would like the output signal to have a richer bass
level or whether it should have more highs. This adjusts the pre-filtering at the
"recording end" as well as playback equalization.
However, please note that the frequency response of the simulation will not be
neutral even if the "EQ low/hi" controller is set to neutral. There will always be
some slight frequency-selective amplification.
The distortion resulting from use of the tape simulation can quickly create
"acoustic fatigue", especially for material that is rich in highs. A direct 1:1
comparison with the tape section switched off reveals the differences more
easily. Slight editing with the simulation is generally sufficient to achieve an
"analog touch".

De-Esser (Plug-in)

If you have ever edited or restored your own spoken or sung recordings,
you've most certainly come across the occasional unpleasant loud "S" or
"SSHH" sound. This hissing can ruin an otherwise perfectly good recording.
The De-Esser works according to the "dynamic filter" principle, meaning that it
contains a filter switch (band pass and high cut), whose frequency and

www.magix.com

100

Mastering
implementation depends on the input signal and the recognized "problem
area".
So-called detector circuiting reacts to the input peak levels in the mid and
high areas. This level recognition occurs automatically in a comprehensive
modulation area. For this reason the De-Esser can manage without having to
set a threshold.
Using the De-Esser is quite simple:
You have to notify the detector circuiting which areas contain the "S" or other
sibilant sounding distortions. A switch for male and female voices has been
designed for this. Depending on the switch setting, it will select the internal
parameters for the most exact recognition possible.
After you have set the switch, the Reduction fader has to be adjusted enough
that the "S" parts of the signal are reduced to a normal level.
An overly strong reduction of "S" sounds in speech or song recordings can,
however, result in a "lisping" sound. Often, a small reduction can be enough to
balance the ratio levels.
The Removed Noise button can be used to control the recognition and
adjustment of the De-Esser. With it you can pick up the detector circuitry and
evaluate whether the switch is in the correct position.
You can also try to edit other sound sources, partially complete mixes and
drum recordings with the De-Esser. For the latter, the adjustment control can
bring about an improvement in the sound of cymbals and high hats that were
too loud. For humming signals/complete mixes, the De-Esser (discreet setting)
can be used to design the sound characteristics more softly.
For such 'forced adjustment' the correct setting for the switch can be found
out quite simply by testing ot out.

Energizer (plug-in)
The Energizer belongs to the so-called psycho-acoustic processors genre.
These devices are used in the studio, acoustic irradiation, and restoration
areas in order to enhance the sound.
An effect like this usually can only be partially achieved with standard methods
like equalizing since an equalizer can only compile the frequency parts that are
already in the signal. Additionally an excessive increase in the signal (of the
highs) increases the chances of hissing.

www.magix.com

Mastering
With bass the problem often arises that for each device in an analog
processing chain (for example, tapedeck, mixing desk, pre-amp) slightly
delays the signal compared to the remaining spectrum. This type of phase lag
cannot be restored with an EQ and increasing the depth often results in a
washed-out and feebler sound.
Psycho-acoustic devices are based on our hearing's ability to perceive
attributes like "freshness", "liveliness" and "naturalness" in a recording as a
result of various parameters. One of them is the harmony spectrum. The mid
and high frequency ranges of a loudly played instrument are richer than those
of a quietly played instrument. The "Exciter" tries to imitate this property with
artificial harmonies. However, this type of method cannot function statically as
the noise and low-level signals will be influenced otherwise.
The order in which individual frequencies are heard is just as important for
lively sound.
The psycho-acoustic method used in the Energizer is based on a combination
of frequency-dependent phase correction, additional harmonics creation and
recognition of so-called transients (short signal peaks).
The Energizer is subdivided into a bass and middle/high area. In both of these
areas, the audio can be enhanced independently of one another.

The parameters of the Energizer

The available effect presets cover typical areas of usage and are already set
up as presets in order to, for example, format a CD for playback on the car
radio, use as a soundtrack for your home entertainment system or for
restoring distorted frequency response curves of old records. The Energizer
can have a drastic effect on the sound even if only small changes are made to
the parameters. So that you know which faders to change to get the audio
results you want, the following section describes the available faders in detail.
Low tune: Here you can tune the bass processor to a specific input frequency
(between 50 and 150 Hz). This is the preferred frequency at which, for
example, a kick drum or an acoustic/electric bass is played. The phase
position of the bass range can be influenced according to the set frequency,
resulting in deeper sounds sounding more "succinct" and "broader".
Low attack: Using the transient recognition fader the attack behavior of the
tuned range can be increased (fader to the right) or decreased (to the left).

www.magix.com

101

102

Mastering
You can use this to create a "hard" or "dynamic" bass foundation or have a
range sound "legato" or "soft.
Low mix: Here the processed bass signal is mixed with the unprocessed input
signal. Please note that material that is already highly modulated may become
overmodulated/distorted. For strong increases in the bass you should, if
required, reduce the source material in order to have enough reserves. It is
also recommended that you use the Audio Cleaning Lab Limiter as the next
step.
High tune: This fader specifies the input frequency of the high tone circuitry
(between 1 and 10 kHz). A part of the input signal is filtered and a phase lag is
created depending on its frequencies. Simultaneously, the dynamic harmony
is enhanced. When turned to the left you can influence the mids and highs of
the signal so that, for example, the "articulation" of speech and instruments
can be edited. The further up the frequency you go, the more the harmonies
or bright sounds, like drum cymbals, are registered. You can use this to add
"shine" or "silkiness" to your recordings.
High stereo width: Use this fader to specify whether the signal that's added to
the high tone processor should be edited in mono, stereo or as a broadened
signal if at all. This way you can specify whether the range should be compiled
from the stereo mids of a recording or from the parts of the pages (for
example, room information)
High mix: Here you can specify the amount of data from the high-frequency
processor that should be mixed into the original sound.
Tip: At the beginning when using psycho-acoustic devices there is a danger of
overkill. We recommend regularly toggling from unedited signals to processed
ones. In order to make subtle changes in the sound it is often enough that the
change be just about audible or that when switching off the effect, you get the
feeling that there's something missing. If the effect sounds like it's in the
foreground, this usually means that it's exaggerated too much.

AM-Track SE (plug-in)
AM-Track SE is a combination of an analog compressor and a tape simulator.
This professional plug-in lends more power and vitality to your audio material.
Please click on the Help button located in the upper right-hand corner of
the Plug-in dialog for more information about how to use the AM-Track
SE compressor.

www.magix.com

Sound Effects

Sound Effects
Surround Mode
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX offers a convenient mode for creating
surround sound. To play back surround sounds, you require a stereo system
with a decoder compatible with Dolby Pro Logic, and loudspeakers positioned
to the back. Surround sounds can even be burnt onto CD or exported as MP3
files!
When the "Surround" button is activated, a second stereo track for audio
material appears.
The Surround Panning window (view page 103) also opens at the same time.
Here you can determine the position in the space from which the contents of
the track should emanate. The default setting position is "Back – Centre".
Particularly practical is to combine the Surround mode with the Spatial
Acoustics Simulator in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX. The simulator offers
several surround reverbs whereby the back of the reverb automatically routed
to the surround track. A fantastic special impression is the result – try it out for
yourself!

Surround Editor

Graphics: The blue circles are the loudspeakers -- three in front (right, left and
center) and two at the back (right and left). The red circle is the position of the
acoustic source, as perceived by the listener. Place the acoustic source in the

www.magix.com

103

104

Sound Effects
space by shifting the red circle with the mouse; downward motion moves it to
the rear, upward motion moves it forward. The preset position is at the back
and centered. This is the "pure" surround signal.
Surround active: Activate the Surround Mode and the second track opens
simultaneously. Audio material on the second track (‘surround’ in the track
display) can now be positioned in the space.
Width: Determines the dimensions of the sound field. The sound field is made
up of the concentric circles that clarify a drop in the signal level dependant
upon the distance from the acoustic source. A circle corresponds a drop in
the dB level. The smaller the width, the smaller the sound field (and the faster
the signal level drops as the distance from the acoustic source increases)and
subsequently, the virtual space is perceived as being larger.
Switch different items of the display from visible/invisible:
Output dB: Relative level in dB at the individual loudspeakers (0db = full level,
-90 dB = silence)
Loudspeaker names: Name of the loudspeakers according to their position in
the space
Sound field: Concentric circles around the acoustic source that clarify a drop
in the signal level dependant upon the distance from the acoustic source. A
circle corresponds to a drop in the dB level (see width )
Surround Reverb: Reverb is added to the surround signal if this option is
activated.

Surround Transitions
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX can also create so-called surround transitions
in addition to normal crossfades (see also Editing in Track View (view page
63)) In this case a movement of the music tracks within the room is simulated
in addition to the volume change when crossfading. The old track will fly away,
and the new one will come flying in.
You can create a surround transition by first creating a normal crossfade.
Move an object backwards in the time line across the preceding object and
then fade it by using the upper handle. The previous object is faded in the
same manner and a so-called crossfade is created.
Different presets can be selected from the "Surround Transitions"
submenu by clicking on the crossfade symbol.
This is done more easily by using the following menu command: "Edit" menu >
"Create Surround Transitions". A surround transition is created for each
object.

www.magix.com

Sound Effects

Acoustics simulator
Open the acoustics simulator via the menu "Effects" > Reverb/Echo. You must
select the object you want to apply the effect to first.

This very efficient high-end effect can transfer the sound characteristics of any
room and effect device to your audio material. To do so, a so-called impulse
response is extracted in the original room, this is like recording a "bang".
There are several impulse responses to choose from; listen to the list and you
will be able to identify the type of room easily. Different sound characteristics
of rooms, such as reverb, reflections, echo, damping and resonance can be
"copied" using this method.
Sophisticated algorithms can "add" your audio material to "this room" – after
that a "dry" voice will sound like it was sung in a church. The quality of the
reverberation and spatial impression is much higher than all standard synthetic
reverb methods. No more undesired crackling, rattling, and rumbling.
Some impulse responses are available in surround format, that is, the reverb
was recorded separately at the front and at the back of the original room. This
way, MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX can reproduce this surround reverb in
your audio material. Simply activate the "Surround" option in the dialog.
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX automatically changes into the surround
mode, the audio material with the surround reverb is placed on the 2nd track.
Functions of the controls:
Preset: Select the room impulse response you want to use for the room
acoustics simulation. Click on "Play" to start playback of the impulse response
for testing purposes. Some presets have the word "surround" in their names,

www.magix.com

105

106

Sound Effects
they contain separate impulse responses for the front and rear reverb share.
The result is a very high-quality surround reverb.
Apply to original object: If you activate this option, the original audio object in
the first track is edited and room reverb is added.
Surround reverb: If you activate this option, a 2nd object with the reverb is
produced in the 2nd track. To do so, the 2nd track changes into surround
mode, so you can hear the reverb from the rear via a Dolby pro Logic
compatible stereo set.
Reverb share: Adjust the ratio of original sound to hall share here. To generate
a surround reverb, deactivate the "Apply to original object" option, activate the
"Surround hall" option, and set the controller to 100% reverb share.
Reverb volume: Adjust the volume of the reverb here. This is useful if you
want to balance the different depths of impulse responses.

Resampling/Timestretching
The pitchshifting/timestretching/resampling editor opens. This effect can
change the tempo and pitch of the audio material separately. The effect is also
available as a mouse mode or object effect. The dialog's advanced settings
options and the pitch changing options are missing, however.

Algorithm: Selects the applied timestretching process.
Time factor calculation: All algorithms in this dialog apply a time factor as the
input parameter. The input fields for the group "Time factor calculation" enable
convenient detection of the time factor from the desired new length or a new
tempo in BPM in relation to an old tempo (required beforehand).

www.magix.com

Sound Effects
Pitch (semitones): For any algorithm except resampling, the pitch can also be
set independent of the tempo. Use the pitch fader beside the factor fader to
experiment.
Play/Stop/Play orig.: "Play/Stop" can be used to immediately control the
result of the algorithm. "Play orig." plays the unedited material for comparison.

Algorithms for timestretching/pitchshifting
 Standard: Timestretching and pitchshifting in standard quality. This method is
suitable for audio material without a pronounced beat. Beat markers are
evaluated to improve audio quality.
 Smoothed: Timestretching and pitchshifting for audio material without pulsing
elements. The method is suitable for polyphonic orchestral instruments,
pauses, speech, and singing. Beat markers are not evaluated.
In this case, a considerably more complex algorithm is used which requires
more processing time. The material can also be processed with very large
factors (0.2... 50) without causing serious artifacts. The material is
"smoothed" to make the sound softer and emit it at an adjusted phase level.
This smoothing is hardly audible, for example, with speech, singing, or solo
instruments. Problems may arise with more complex spectra (sound mixes
from various instruments or finished mixes). For smaller corrections (factors
approx. 0.9... 1.1), we recommend setting the smoothing level as low as
possible.
 Beat marker slicing: Beat-synchronous timestretching and pitchshifting via
splitting and temporal repositioning. Exactly set beat markers are required at
the beats or transients. The markers can be generated in real time
(automatically) or read from the WAV file if available (patched). In the deluxe
version's included MAGIX Music Editor, a patching tool is provided for users
to set the markers themselves. The algorithm is suitable for rhythmic material
that can be divided into individual beats or notes. This requires a low audio
level before each beat or note.
 Beat marker stretching: Beat-synchronous timestretching and pitchshifting in
standard quality. The material is stretched between beat markers positions so
that the beats or attacks at the beat marker positions are not impaired by
stretching. The markers can be generated in real time (automatically) or read
from the source file if available (patched). This method is suitable for rhythmic
material that can not be divided into individual beats or notes because the
beats or notes overlap each other.
 Universal HQ: Universal methods for timestretching and pitchshifting in very
high audio quality. Suitable for all types of audio material. Beat markers are
evaluated to improve audio quality. This method requires a lot of time for
processing, so application of the "Calculate all real-time effects (view page
138)" function ("Edit" menu) is recommended.
 Monophonic voice: Timestretching and pitchshifting for vocal solos, speech,
or solo instruments. The material must not contain background noise, and
excessive reverb may also be detrimental to the use of this method. With
suitable material the audio quality is very high. The "Correct formant factor"

www.magix.com

107

108

Sound Effects
option preserves formants if pitches are changed. These are characteristic
basic frequencies of the voice that are independent of the pitch that is sung.
In other words, the characteristic discoloration of pitch ("Mickey Mouse")
effect does not occur in this case. The formants, however, can be shifted by
+/- 12 half tones. This achieves suitable vocal distortions. Beat markers are
not evaluated.
 Resampling: Pitch shift and tempo cannot be changed individually. This
method requires considerably less CPU time. If the pitch is increased or the
sample is shortened, then resampling is almost completely free of loss, and
the sample material will suffer almost no damage. In other cases, resampling
causes loss of overtones. For example, if the length of a 44.1 kHz sample is
doubled, then the freqency level of the result will be limited to 11.025 kHz.
The sound is the same as when the playback speed of a record player or
tape recorder is changed.

Chorus (Plug-In)
Chorus creates a "floating" sound typically associated with guitars and synth
pads. It can acoustically "thicken" an instrument, making it sound fuller or
creating the illusion that several instruments are playing.

Speed: Modulation speed. Low speeds create an even, continuous
development. High speeds produce vibrato-like qualities but can also result in
an ‘under-water’ effect.
Depth: Modulation depth. This determines how strongly the speed affects the
pitch modulation.
Mix: This sets the balance between the direct signal and the effects signal.
Mode:
 "Normal" is a combination of the direct signal and the detuned delay signal.

www.magix.com

Sound Effects
 "Normal, low cut" is designed for bass-heavy signals such as bass guitar. The
bottom end of the signal stays clear and well-defined, the effect is only
audible for the mid and treble frequencies.
 "Dual" makes the source sound more lively than a single ‘part’. The sound is
spread over the stereo panorama, which makes this mode seem ‘wider’.
 "Quad, low cut" is ideal for creating sounds such as deep synth pads with
tight bass frequencies.
Tip: Like on the stomp boxes our vintage effects are modeled on, there is a
‘footswitch’ below the pedal’s logo that can be clicked to turn the effect on or
off for A/B comparisons. All the effects of the Vintage Effects Suite have been
designed like this.

Distortion

The distortion pedal is a “high gain” distorter for crunch and lead guitar
sounds. If you like typically “British” amp sounds and want to quickly record a
guitar track with little effort, this pedal is for you.
An entire valve pre-amp circuit has been modeled, including the typical EQ
curve. The amplification is “valve-typical”, i.e. it doesn’t start quickly but is
harmonic and soft. Even at full power the pedal still reacts softly to a guitar
and its settings (e.g. pick-up choice and tone controller). For instance, you
can influence the distortion even more by using the volume knob on the guitar.
There are only three parameters on this effect; however, these interact with
each other and can thus generate quite a variable sound:
 Low: the “bass” controller. This allows you to set the share of basses, even
after the distortion. The type of prefiltering is important for guitar amps in
particular, and is characteristic for the basic sound. You should set the bass

www.magix.com

109

110

Sound Effects
controller depending on the basic sound of the guitar and the sound you are
aiming for (“powerful” or “cutting”).
 High: Mainly controls the share of highs before and after the distortion. If you
are not using an external guitar speaker as a monitor, we recommend setting
the controller to the middle position or even moving it slightly to the right. This
way the “sharp” highs disappear, which all guitar amps generate without the
suitable loudspeaker. At the same time the mids stand out more, which gives
the sound more “kick”. On the other hand you can further emphasize the
highs if you want the sound to be more neutral.
 Drive: The level of distortion. This controls the amplification used to operate
the “virtual valve circuit” (max. 60dB). As the level increases, the valve goes
into overdrive and generates typical distortions. For a slightly distorted sound
(“Crunch”) it is surely sufficient to set the controller to 10-11 hours at
maximum. Furthermore the modeled circuit provides the usual “weight” for
power rock chords and more. The further you turn this controller to the right,
the more the mids of the signalmove to the fore so that the “high-gain” lead
sound is better heard.

Voice over
The "Voice over" effect creates a volume curve for automatically fading
background music during spoken sections. To do this, proceed as follows:
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.
6.

Record speech.
Load your background music.
Move the object containing the background music to the second track
below the spoken portion. Note: The second track can be opened with the
"2" key.
Place your speech recording at the correct position, then cut and edit it
with the object handles to remove undesired noise or mistakes.
Now open the voiceover dialog via "Edit" and activate the voiceover effect.
A volume curve (view page 39) is created on the second track which
automatically fades the background music at the correct positions.

www.magix.com

Sound Effects

Use the faders to set by how much the volume of the background music
should be reduced during speech passages and how quickly this should
happen.
Use the selection list to apply the curve to the first track as well, should you
have placed your background music there.
If you later want to move or shorten your voice recordings, click on the
"Update" button to adjust the volume curve.

www.magix.com

111

112

Export

In the export section, you can either save the project as audio file(s) or burn it
directly to an audio CD or DVD.

MP3 files
Use the button "MP3 files" to export
individual tracks into MP3 format.

This is a quick access option to the Export project dialog (accessible via "WAV
and other file formats" (view page 118)), where all necessary settings for MP3
export have been defined already.
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX contains a high-quality and extremely fast MP3
encoder. Use it to quickly save complete LPs along with the cleaning effects
as MP3 files. You can now use them on MP3 CDs, for instance. To do so, use
the function "Burn data CD/DVD" (view page 120).
For good quality, we recommend a setting of at least 160 kbit high quality.
Sound quality will hardly be affected despite the compression. If you have
memory to spare, full CD quality can be retained at 256 kbit high quality – at
approximately 1/5th of the original memory. This is ideal for building up a large
high-quality music archive on your PC's hard disk.
Note: For exporting as MP3 format, you may need to activate your MP3
encoder first. Simply go to "Help" >"Activate additional functions" (view page
160).

Format settings
Output format: Set the output bit rate and the stereo or mono format here.Bit
rate is the data stream during playback of audio or video data. It is given in
kilobyte per second (kbit/s or kbps) and also determined the file size. An MP3
file that is 3 minutes long and has a constant bit rate of 128 kbit/s is ca. 2.8
MB in size.

www.magix.com

Export
Bit rates for music are usually 192 kbit for good quality, 256 kbit and more for
excellent quality. 128 kbit are sufficient for Internet streaming and speech (in
mono).
Encoder quality: The included MP3 encoder can operate in three "gears":
"Fast" mode is especially fast, "highest" mode is very powerful to achieve the
best sound possible and takes a little more time, and the third "gear" is a
compromise between the two.
Padding options: Leave this setting on ISO padding, unless you detect
undesired pauses at the beginning of tracks during playback on certain
players.
Encoder settings: These are optimizations that will only be used for low bit
rates (smaller than 128 kbit) to reduce the file size. "Permit intensity stereo
coding" or "mid/size stereo coding" will save certain parts of the audio
material in mono to save bandwidth. The extend to which sound quality is
improved depends on the material. "Permit mixdown in mono" allows the
encoder to save in mono if it detects that the content of both stereo channels
is identical, even if stereo was set as output format (e.g. introduction within a
radio program).
Content options: The "Use CRC check" option adds an internal checksum to
the MP3 file which checks whether the MP3 file is complete. The other options
(private, copyright, original) are merely for your own labeling system, as they
won't be evaluated in any form.
VBR: VBR (variable bit rate) adjusts the bit rate to the audio material, so a
lower bit rate will be used for quiet parts. Therefore, VBR files are smaller than
files of comparable quality without VBR. Thus, a constant bit rate setting
doesn't exist, but rather a quality setting. Not all playback programs and
devices can use VBR properly; problems may occur when displaying the track
length and during winding (seeking).

Audio CD
Open the burn dialog of MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX via the
"Audio CD" button in the export section. Burn any project in
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX to an audio CD one-to-one.

For basic information about this, please read the section entitled "Burning
audio CDs" (view page 116)!

www.magix.com

113

114

Export
Make CD/DVD dialog
Burn CD "On the fly", all effects are calculated in real time: This option
instantly starts the writing process if a new recordable CD is located in your
CD-R-drive.
Create image file before burning Audio CD: This option will first create a
stereo file, which already contains all object-settings, cleaning- and mastering
functions, track-markers etc. before the writing process starts. This is
recommended, when the system is too busy or too slow for creating a CD in
real time ("On the fly"). Have a look on the System-information in the main
menu! Multiply the displayed value with the intended burning speed (e.g 4x,
8x..). If the product is coming critically close to the 100%-mark, then we
recommend you to create an image file before burning the new CD.
For example, when you want to burn an Audio CD with 8x speed, the CPU
display shouldn't go over 12%
After image creation, the image is instantly burned in CD and deleted again
after successful burning.
Burn MP3 CD/DVD: Burn a Data CD (view page 120) or DVD with MP3 files
The "Format Options" button takes you to the MP3 encoder settings.
CD Title: Type in a name for your new CD. The project name is preset. This
title can be displayed by some of the CD-players if your CD-writer supports
the CD Text function. (The supported CD-writer functions can be seen if you
use the Display CDR-Drive Information option). If the writer supports CD Text,
the track names will also be transferred to the new CD.
Track list: Option that allows you to control the track list (view page 146) –
also accessible via the CD menu. All tracks can be played and markers can be
shifted.
freeDB CDinfo: Query title information from freeDB internet database (view
page 147).
Burn CD: opens the burning dialog from where you can select the burning
speed, the CD text to be burned on the CD, simulation of the burning process
as well to assign the CD as a CD Extra Project. You can also compare the CD
after burning with the project data to determine the error rate. If it is too high,
the burning speed must be slowed down.
Cancel: closes the "Make CD/DVD" dialog without creating a disc.
Keyboard shortcut:

www.magix.com

Export
Track marker assistant
The automatic track marker assistant searches through the material for
pauses in order to place a track marker at the end of a pause.
Each track marker is then displayed in a list where it can be easily and clearly
checked, moved or deleted.
Track marker recognition is recommended if, for example, a side of an LP was
recorded without track markers and the track markers then have to be set in
order to be able to burn an audio CD. You can also use track marker
recognition to check automatically created track markers afterwards.
Play: plays or stops the tracks in the list that are highlighted in gray, that is,
that are selected. To select a different track, simply click on it in the list.
Next track: selects the next entry.
Move: You can move the beginning of the selected tracks forwards or
backwards using the two arrow buttons.
Keep marker: Here you can remove the track marker of a selected track
should it be superfluous. To do so, you will have to deactivate the check box
for the selected track (is also possible in the list on the far left). Then, the
marker is removed, so that the track is attached to the previous one.
OK: closes the list of available tracks. To make sure, the program asks you
once again whether the settings you have chosen should be applied to the
audio material on the track or discarded. If you choose "Apply", the track
markers in the track window will be set according to the settings.

CD assistant
The CD assistant helps creating an audio CD and positioning the track
markers.
If a blank CD is in the CD burner, the CD assistant compares the length of the
project with the capacity of the blank CD. If the project is too long for the CD,
an error message is displayed.
As a second step the burn assistant checks the track markers by playing back
the beginnings of the tracks one after the other. If you notice that track
markers are positioned incorrectly, you can place new track markers via the
burn assistant, or move existing track markers.
As a third step, the burn assistant checks the occupancy rate of your PC and
calculates the write speed that is best suited.

www.magix.com

115

116

Export
Finally, either the CD is burned directly or an audio file is generated which then
can be burnt at maximum speed.

Make audio CDs
Basics
In order to unify the data structure of the CDs and to facilitate the use of the
CD-drives, different standards were created for the different types of CDs. The
names for these standards refer to the colour of the books in which these
standards were written down. Apart from the Red Book standard for audio
CDs, there exists for example a Yellow Book standard for CD-ROMs and a
White Book standard for video CDs in MPEG format. The term "Red Book"
stands for "Compact Disc Digital Audio Standard".
The Red Book standard includes the Sampling rate of 44,1 kHz and the
16-Bit-resolution, which is supported by the commercial CD-Players and is
also valid for the audio CDs. Furthermore the audio CDs have to count 1-99
tracks, which can be directly selected by the CD-players. The information
concerning number and duration of the tracks as well as the breaks are
transmitted from the CD to the CD-player through special sub-channels.
Data transfer
Writing a CD is especially demanding when transferring data from the hard
disk to the CD-writer. The data has to reach the CD-writer in a constant flow.
If at any time during writing the cache of the recorder runs out of data, the
"Buffer Underrun"- error message will appear. This will make the CD useless.
For this reason, it is recommendable to use modern SCSI- or IDE-hard drives.
The average access time should be 15ms or faster and the steady
Data-transfer rate should not be less than 800 Kbytes per second. This is the
case for all modern hard disk drives.
The Burning Function
The audio material on the audio CD is digital data, which the CD-player reads
and transforms into analogue signals. The track markers indicate the
CD-player, at which point the song starts. The MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX
can write an audio CD right away from the program. The track-markers are set
in the track window before writing the CD. MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX
transforms the stereo sum and the indices into a data flow, which is directed
to the CD-writer.
The CD-R-drive modifies a specially designed layer on the medium using a
laser, so that the audio CD-player will be able to read this information later as
digital audio data.
Audio CD creation

www.magix.com

Export
1.

For writing an audio CD, the track window must contain audio material.
Edit the audio material using the real time functions of the MAGIX Audio
Cleaning Lab MX deLuxe. The CD will sound exactly like the playback
when you listen to it through your stereo sound card. All Cleaning and
Mastering effects will also be present on the CD.
Mark the starting position of each song by setting (or moving) the track
markers. All track markers can be moved using the mouse or the Track
Wizard (1Click button)
Click on the "Make CD" button. In the "Make CD" dialogue you can
choose, if you want to write the CD directly or if you prefer to create an
Image file on the hard disk. The creation of an Image file is then
recommendable, when the available system resources are not enough for
writing the CD in real time ("On the Fly").
Now the CD can be written. You will only need a CD-R-drive, which is
supported by MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX connected to your computer
and an empty CD in the drive. Clicking on "Write CD" starts the writing
process. If you should have more than one CD-R-drive connected to your
system, you will be prompted to select one of them.

Track Length
According to the RedBook Standard, the minimum distance between two
Track Markers is 4 seconds. Since Track Markers normally show the
beginning of a song, no problems should arise. If you try to set the MAGIX
Track Markers at a lesser distance, an error message will appear.
System display

www.magix.com

117

118

Export
CD tracks als separate wave files
In order to burn more CDs later, without having to produce a new image file,
you can export all CD tracks as single .wav files. Select the option, "Each CD
track in a file", in the Export dialog. Later, you can load the tracks and burn
them directly. Exporting will make a play list file with the "m3u" extension. If,
instead of opening each wave file, you open the Playlist File, all project tracks
will be loaded in the right order, and the standard pause of two seconds will
be inserted between songs. All effect editing is included in the wav files, so
you can burn additional CD copies "on the fly".
Checking Audio CDs
In the burn dialog it is advisable to activate the "Test and compare CD after
burning" option in order to examine the error rate. If it is too high, the burning
speed must be slowed down.

Export audio
Via "Files" you can save the tracks from the
current project as audio file(s) in different
formats.

The "Export project" dialog will open. Here you can specify file name and path
as well as the file's format.
Options
All tracks in one file: Saves the project, named after the project name, in one
audio file.
Track only at playback position: Saves the track that is currently placed at
the playback position, namely the project area between the last track marker
before the position line and the following track marker. This way you can cut
out parts of an audio file and save them separately by simply placing markers.
Each track in its own file with names: Exports each track (i.e. the area
between one track marker and the next) into a separate audio file list. If the
tracks are saved individually, then a file (.m3u) will be created which contains
the names of the individual audio files in the correct order. This is practical
since you can open the list file again and load all of the tracks that belong to
the project in the right order all in one go. The list file contains the name of the
project; the list field allows different naming schemes for the audio files.

www.magix.com

Export
Scheme
(File name)_(Track number)
(Track name)
(Track number) (Track name)

Example
CD_1.wav, CD_2.wav ,CD_3.wav
AAA.wav, BBB.wav, CCC.wav
1 AAA.wav, 2 BBB.wav, 3 CCC.wav

File names for a project "CD.vip" with the tracks AAA, BBB, CCC
Format settings: This button opens another dialog where you can set export
formats and adjust their settings. With compression formats like MP3 or OGG
you can select codec compression rates.
Wave: The audio material is exported as a standard Wave file. This is the
conventional format for further use on Windows PCs. These files are not
compressed and retain their full sound quality.
FLAC: FLAC is the abbreviation for "Free Lossless Audio Codec". This is a
freely savable format that can be used to compress your audio data to 50% of
their original size. Unlike lossy compression methods like MP3 or OGG, the full
sound quality is kept intact with FLAC.
MP3: Use the MP 3 files (view page 112) button to quickly access the export
in MP3 format option.
AAC: This is a modern competitor format to MP3, which is primarily used for
portable music players (iPod, etc.).
Note: To export in MP3 or ACC format, you may need to activate your
encoder first. Simply go to "Help" >Activate additional functions (view page
160).
OGG:OGG Vorbis files have all of the important characteristics of MP3 files,
except that they do not require any kind of licensing for their codecs. – They
can be freely decoded and encoded. Not all portable devices support this
format.
AIFF: The audio material is exported as an AIFF file. This is the most
commonly used audio format for Apple™ computers.
Windows Media: Exports the arrangement in WMA format (Windows Media
Audio). These are streaming audio files which are used on the Internet to
guarantee real-time audio streaming. The sound quality is slightly diminished,
but the files are extremely small.
Keyboard shortcut:

www.magix.com

119

120

Export

Create audio DVD
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX also burns DVDs, and there are essentially two
different types of DVD that are possible:
Stereo DVD: These are normal video DVDs that can be
played on any DVD player. Since they don't contain any
video data, there is more room for the audio data. This can
be stored either in CD quality with 16 resolution or in
high-resolution 24 bit audio.
Surround information is encoded as two-channel stereo audio (Dolby
Surround ProLogic compatible)
4 channel DVDs: These are so-called "audio DVDs" and
require a special DVD player for playback. Music is
recorded in true 4-channel Surround sound for these
devices, and 16 or 24 bit resolution is also available in this
case.
Burning 24 bit DVDs is only sensible, if the original audio material was also
recorded in 24 bit quality.
Depending upon the format, different project lengths are possible.
DVD video
DVD audio

16
24
16
24

bit:
bit:
bit:
bit:

6h
4h
3h
2h

33
23
36
24

min
min
min
min

Data disc
This option opens the CD burn dialog with the
preset option "Burn MP3 CD/DVD". This option
allows the project to be burned onto a data CD or
DVD as MP3, OGG VORBIS or WMA format.
You can change the format settings of the respective encoder in the dialog.
If your project already contains files in compressed formats, then you have the
choice to encode these files again or to use the original files. In this case,
these files will lose all editing and effects changes which you have made.

www.magix.com

Batch conversion

Batch conversion
Batch processing lets you automate work processes. You can extend a
specific editing process from a single audio file to a list of files any size (i.e. the
"batch"). The files are then executed automatically, over night, all day, or
however you like.
Possible jobs may include:







Normalization, volume adjustment, loudness
Linear fading (in and out)
All real-time cleaning and mastering effects
Removing direct current
Resampling/Timestretching (view page 106)
Format conversions: Bit width (8/16/24-bit), sample rate,
stereo/mono/left/right
 Save in all available export formats.
Examples of use:
 Encoding a large number of wave files into MP3 while simultaneously
adjusting volume and freshening up higher frequencies
 Loss-free conversion of wave files into FLAC to save up to 50% hard drive
space
 Correcting multiple LP recordings with incorrect speeds
 Denoising original sound tracks
The process for batch conversion is as follows:

1.
2.
3.
4.

In the "Source file" tab, select the files for editing.
In the "Effects" tab, select the required editing processes.
In the "Time format" tab, select the output format.
In the "Target files" tab, specify where and under what names the files
should be saved.

www.magix.com

121

122

Batch conversion

Source files

Drive
Path
Superior folder level
Refresh
File browser
Add to editing list
Editing list
Preview
File filter
Start editing
Create the list of files you want to edit. You will find a file browser on the right
side. Select the files you would like to edit by clicking them; multiple selection
is also possible (Ctrl + click for individual files, Shift + click for series, Ctrl + A
to select everything). The view can be limited to certain audio formats via the
file filter at the bottom. Every audio file can be pre-listened with the preview
button.
The "Add" button in the middle inserts all of the selected files into the editing
list. If a folder has been selected, then all audio files in the folder, including all
subfolders, will be added to the list.
Loads a list (*.m3u format).
Saves the list in *.m3u format for using your selection of files later.

www.magix.com

Batch conversion
"Remove" deletes all selected list entries. "Remove all" deletes the complete
list.

Effects

Amplitude
No changes: The amplitude remains unchanged.
Normalize/change level to: You can normalize to a specific maximum value in
%/dB or sink/raise the level by a certain value. Read more about this in the
section "Edit menu -> Normalize object volume (view page 139)".
Adjust loudness: Loudness adjustment ensures a balanced average volume
for each audio file. Read more about this in the section "Edit menu -> Adjust
loudness".

Fades at project start and end
Linear fades of any length can be added to the beginning and/or end of files.

Effects
No effects: No effects editing takes place.
Current settings/effects presets: This section allows all cleaning and
mastering effects in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX to be used for batch
conversion (including plug-ins). The batch processing dialog does not in fact
offer direct access to the extensive settings options for the individual effects;
instead, there are two choices:

www.magix.com

123

124

Batch conversion
 "Current settings": All effects settings in the currently loaded project will be
applied (except object effects). First you can load one of the edited files into a
new MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX project and make the required effects
settings in real time there. Then you can open batch conversion and apply
these settings to all of the other files.
 "Effects presets": You can select the cleaning or mastering effects presets
included with the program or the ones you created yourself.
Remove direct current: Remove direct current noise from analog recordings;
see "Remove direct current (view page 80)" in the "Edit" menu.
Resampling/Timestretching: Changes the playback tempo; see
"Resampling/Timestretching (view page 106)" in the "Edit" menu.

Target format
File format: All export formats available in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX are
available here with their associated format options.
Stereo/Mono: You can convert in stereo (mono sources feature the same
signal on both channels), save one of the stereo channels as a mono file, or
mix both stereo channels together to create a mono file.
Bit resolution/sample rate: The bit resolution can be changed to 8/16/24-bit,
and the sample rate to 11,025, 22,050, 32,000, 44,100, or 48,000 Hz.
No changes: This means that the output format is applied unchanged.

Destination files
There are several ways to save edited files:
Replace source files: The original files are replaced by the edited files. If the
file is used in a project, then the project will be closed first.
Save files in source directory with changed name/save files in following
directory: The edited file is saved in the source directory or in any chosen
directory. The specified suffix/prefix is added to the file name. Optionally, you
can delete the source files after editing them.
Keep source directory structure: This option saves all files including the
source path. The folder structure is preserved if the source files originated
from different folders.

www.magix.com

File Menu

File Menu
New Project
Using this option you can set up a new MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX project
(view page 59).
Keyboard shortcut:

Load project
Using this option you can load previously saved projects (view page 59).
Keyboard shortcut:

Save Project
The current project (view page 59) is stored under its given name. If there is
no name chosen, the program opens a file requester, where the path and
name can be determined.
Keyboard shortcut:

Save project as
It opens a file requester where you can determine the path and the name of
the project (view page 59), under which it will be stored.
Keyboard shortcut:

Shift + S

Burn project backup onto CD/DVD / Burn data
CD/DVD
In addition to the integrated audio CD burner routines, MAGIX Audio Cleaning
Lab MX contains the CD burning program MAGIX Speed burnR. It can help
you burn data CDs/DVDs, too.
Burn project backup on CD/DVD: The current project (including all audio files)
can be burned directly to CD or DVD as a backup directly from the "File"
menu in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX. Even extremely large files do not
present a problem, since they are automatically distributed across several

www.magix.com

125

126

File Menu
dics. The first of the backup discs contains a "Restore" program. This
automatically begins the restore process to the hard disk as soon as it is
placed in the drive.
Burn data CD/DVD: This command opens the MAGIX Speed burnR program
with an empty burn queue for burning desired files to disc.

Load audio file
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX can import audio files in
the formats WAV, quicktime (*.aif), Ogg Vorbis (*.ogg),
MP3, WMA and AVI (soundtrack only).

To do this, click on the corresponding button of the Import section (Import
Audio), which opens the "Load audio file" dialog. Here you can select any
folder containing audio files. Every listed file can be previewed and loaded into
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX.
The selected file is attached behind the last following a pause of 2 seconds.
You can also load several files simultaneously. Just like in the Windows
Explorer, you can increase your selection with Ctrl+Click and select a range of
files with Shift+Click.
Hint: Due to peculiarities of the Windows Explorer, the line in the file selection
dialog is created from back to front. Therefore, if you click it subsequently, you
will see "Track 3", "Track 2" and "Track 1" in the input line. This is also the
order in which the tracks will be loaded into MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX.
Therefore, if you want to load several titles, you should select them in the
opposite order of how you want them to be later.
However, if you want to select a range in the Explorer (with Shift+Click), you
should proceed as follows: first mark the last track of the list, then press Shift
and mark the first track of the list. If you now click on "Open", all tracks are in
the VIP in the correct order.
Keyboard shortcut: W

www.magix.com

File Menu

Load audio CD
You can import entire Audio CDs or individual CD tracks into the project.
Unlike data CDs, audio CDs require special treatment while importing
("grabbing" or "ripping"). The data is imported digitally, thus eliminating loss in
sound quality.
To import audio tracks you should proceed as follows:
1.

2.
3.
4.
5.

Insert an audio CD into the drive and click on "Import CD". A dialog with a
list of the CD tracks will open. If you have more than one drive, you may
have to first select the drive containing the CD. You can do this in CD drive
options.
Select the desired tracks (multiple selection by Ctrl + mouse-click).
Click on "Copy selected track(s)."
The "Import project" dialog will now appear. Here you can enter the file
name and select the target directory.
The audio material is then copied from the drive onto the hard disk. A
progress bar is displayed.

Once ripping is complete, the dialogs will be closed and the tracks are
inserted into the project as individual objects.
Keyboard shortcut:

Import DVD audio
This command imports the audio contents of a DVD into MAGIX Audio
Cleaning Lab MX.
Note: Importing the audio track(s) from a video DVD is not possible!

Record
With this command you can open the MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX record
dialog. More information on this topic can be found in the chapter Record
audio (view page 47).
Keyboard shortcut:

www.magix.com

127

128

File Menu

Export audio
Read the section "Exporting audio" in the "Export section" chapter.

Batch conversion
Opens batch processing to automatically edit multiple files. Read more about
this in the separate chapter "Batch processing (view page 120)".
Keyboard shortcut:

Shift + B

Load video sound
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX gives you the option of editing the audio tracks
of video files like audio files. The file selection dialog contains a video preview
window for this purpose.
Permitted import formats are: QuickTime (*.mov), MPEG (*.mpg;*.mp2), AVI
(*.avi), and Windows Media (*.wmv)
After the video audio track has been loaded, a video window opens playing
back the image and audio tracks of the video synchronously. Show and hide
the video window via the "Options" menu.
Keyboard shortcut:

Export video sound
After editing the audio track of AVI video files, you can write it back into the
video file.
Video source: This is where the loaded video file is usually displayed (only with
AVI files, see below). If you wish to write the audio track back into a different
video file, you can choose it here via the folder symbol.
Audio length: Displays the length of the audio track and video audio track.
Their lengths should be identical.
Audio format: The audio track is always written as a WAV file, compressed
storage formats, such as AC3 or MP2, are not possible. You can change the
compression format of WAV files here provided that the corresponding

www.magix.com

File Menu
compression codecs (ACM codecs) are installed. They must also be available
on the computer used for playback of the finished video.
Target file:You can either replace the sound of the video in the original video
file or create a new AVI video file. You don't have to recompress the video
data, which is very time consuming, because the existing video data is
connected to the new audio data.
Warning: The option of replacing the audio track in the loaded video or writing
a new video file with new sound only works with AVI videos. Other video
formats (MPEG, MOV, WMV) require a video editing program, such as MAGIX
Movie Edit Pro, to save the new audio track in the video.
Keyboard shortcut:

Internet
This is a list of menu entries regarding all of the services that are available
directly from within MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX.

MAGIX Online Album
In the MAGIX Online Album, you can post your favorite photos online and then
send the link to your friends. All photos are immediately available from
anywhere in the world on a professionally-designed photo website, in
well-organized photo galleries, as full-screen slideshows, or in the form of a
personal photo e-card.
 Personalized photo website in many designs.
 Unique Internet address (URL).
 Upload your pictures directly from a camera phone, send the link, and share
the picture with other camera phone users.
 Full-screen online slideshows with fade effects and music.
 Send custom designed e-cards with your own photos.
 Share your photos with friends, including Internet management and password
access to private albums.
Your photos online
MAGIX Online Album is available in three versions, of which the smallest (the
FREE album with 500MB webspace for your photos) is entirely free.
The larger versions (CLASSIC or PREMIUM) are available for a monthly
charge, but also come with many handy features, such as a faster website,
2,000 MB or 5,000 MB storage space, more website designs or access by
mobile phone/PDA.

www.magix.com

129

130

File Menu
More information about prices and included services is available at
www.magix-photos.com.
Just three easy steps: Within minutes your first pictures will appear on the
Internet:
1. Select photos
Choose your favorite photos directly from the program and optimize them in
just a few clicks. Put completed photo albums together and integrate music of
your choice.
Do it all offline on your PC - saves you money! Then select "Services" from the
program's menu bar "MAGIX Online Print Service -> Send selected".
2. Upload photos
In order to upload photos to your MAGIX Online Album simply log in using
your email address. Naturally, access is protected via your personal
password.
If you still don't have access, click on Register now! to activate your own
album in just a few minutes. Then off you go!
3. Done! Your own personal photo website is finished
and your best photo memories are on the net. As a photo gallery or fully
automatic slideshow (fullscreen).
Now, invite all your friends with just one click or show your photos on the road
using your WAP-compatible camera phone.
Using your MAGIX Online Media Manager, you can quickly manage your
photo website, upload photos and music, create new albums, add designs
and text, and much more. All online without even having to download any
extra software! Worldwide, easy, and quick in just a few clicks. At
http://www.magix-photos.com
The following options are also available:
Send e-cards and photo emails
Send your photos as unique e-cards with great designs, or as a photo email
to your friends and acquaintances.

www.magix.com

File Menu

Order photo prints and gifts
Order paper prints or great photo gifts from your MAGIX Online Album and
have them delivered directly to your home, or pick them up from a photo lab in
your area. Delivery time is usually just 2 - 3 days.
Upload current arrangement as MP3...
Converts your arrangement's audio track into an MP3 file and uploads it to
your personal MAGIX Online Album.
Download media
This command loads files from MAGIX Online Album to your PC.
Open my online album...
This command opens your own MAGIX Online website. You must login and
enter the page's Internet address (URL) to continue.

MAGIX Website Maker
Not only is Internet surfing easy! Thanks to MAGIX Website Maker creating
websites also becomes child's play!
This service offers:
 Your desired domain (www.desiredname.com) and a subdomain
(http://your-name.magix.net/website).
 250 MB memory space with 5 email accounts, 1 GB each.
 Website Maker with website templates, intros. Also animations, text effects,
form and design objects, picture and graphic templates, and buttons. And
everything without any ad banners!
 Photo (*.jpeg), video (*.wmv) & music (*.mp3) options.
 Additional software: MAGIX web mail for managing your email inbox.
MAGIX Website Maker offers 3 months of free, non-binding service. This way,
you have enough time to find out everything about MAGIX Website Maker and
all existing possibilities for editing and managing your homepage.

www.magix.com

131

132

File Menu
MAGIX Website Maker offers everything for the perfect Flash website:
 Design templates: Numerous high-quality website templates in the latest
professional Flash® design with pre-finished, customizable subpages, start
pages, profile pages, photo pages, video pages, and much more.
 Text & text effects: Freely positionable text fields with fantastic fonts and
animated text effects can be added and individually formatted with ease.
 Multimedia content: Select your favorite photos, spectacular slideshows,
videos and an online video player with your own background music, or
integrate it all as an online music player with playlists.
 Decorative elements: Attractive design objects, plenty of vector shapes,
background images, buttons, and much more offer more possibilities for
designing unique websites than ever.
 Animation objects: Large selection of dynamic, impressive animation objects
for breathtaking, moving websites.
 Links: Easily add links to your own or external websites.
 Top extras: Enhance your website with a visitor counter, guest book, contact
form, and many other useful extras.
Export function: Conveniently add individual components of your website
(e.g. video player, slideshow, online music player) or even the entire website
to external sites as an embedded website.
Proceed as follows:
After registering your desired domain, you can start creating your website right
away.
1.
2.
3.

First, select a design for your website in MAGIX Website Maker
If you would like to place an intro (start animation) at the start of your
domain, select your intro as a next step.
Now you can replace the mock text with your own text as you see fit. All
free-standing elements on all webpages can also be moved as you please.
To do so, click to select the element and move it using your mouse.
Once everything is just how you want it, you can put your page online, so
that your domain can be accessed.

Catooh – the Online Content Library
Catooh provides you with high-quality photos, videos, and music for every
theme, expanded by intelligent iContent with professional Soundpools, DVD
menu templates, and brilliant MAGIX ShowMaker styles to help you make your
photo, video, and music projects reality. All of this is available directly from
your MAGIX software.
Just choose "Share" from the menu "Catooh" to set up an Internet
connection.

www.magix.com

File Menu
Browse through the thematically sorted categories or view the results directly
by entering a keyword. After downloading, you can drag the objects from the
Media Pool directly into your arrangement.
Tip: Read the introduction online http://rdir.magix.net/?page=JRF6LASAR2Z3!
Import media backup
iContent (for example, 3D transitions) which you buy and download from
Catooh is stored directly in your central My files\MAGIX Downloads\Backup
directory. If you have downloaded these files from other MAGIX programs,
then you can use the command "Import media backup" to make them
accessible for use in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX.
Find media
Opens Catooh and loads your files directly into the arrangement.
Keyboard shortcut:

Manage login details
These are options for managing user names (email addresses) and the
associated passwords so that you are able to access your Online Services
without having to enter the details each time.
This information applies to all of my Online Services: If this option is
activated, then the account details you have entered will be applied to all
Online Services. Deactivate this option if you have different details for
individual services, then choose the corresponding service via "Select service
and enter the associated login details.

Delete old projects
The command "Delete old projects" is a convenient method for deleting old
projects with all affiliated audio files.
Project: All of your most recently saved projects as well as all projects
contained in the Project folder (view page 156) are listed here. You can
choose one that should be deleted. Use "Search for project" to add other
project files from any folder to the list.
Select the project file (.vip) that should be deleted by clicking on it. Of course,
a project can not be opened if it is to be deleted.
The "Open in Windows Explorer" option opens an explorer window with the
folder of the selected project. Here you can...no longer required files manually.

www.magix.com

133

134

File Menu
Used files: Lists the files used in the project that you want to delete. Use the
small boxes to select the files you wish to delete.
With "Delete" you can delete the project (.vip) and the files selected for
deleting in the file list.
When you select a project you wish to delete, some files in the list, i.e. files
located in the project folder are selected already. They are recording files, files
that are automatically produced when importing specific formats, and back up
copies. In other words, data which is used only within one project of MAGIX
Audio Cleaning Lab MX.
Files which are not located in the project folder, MP3 files from music
collections or videos, for instance, are not selected, as you will probably use
them in other projects or with other programs. You can select them if you're
sure you don't need them anymore. In general, it's quite sensible to have the
preset apply to the project folder because it allows you to simply choose a
project at the top and to click "Delete" at the bottom to delete files which are
no longer needed in a project.

Exit
Closes MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX.

www.magix.com

Edit Menu

Edit Menu
undo
In the project you can undo the last changes you made. This way, it's no
problem if you want to try out critical operations. If you don't like the result,
you can always revert to the previous state using "Undo".
Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + Z

Restore
The “Redo” function undoes the previous “Undo” function.
Keyboard shortcut:

Shift + Y

Undo Lists
The last 20 editing steps are listed. You can return to a precise editing step
without complication.

Set marker
With this command you set a marker into the track to mark a certain time
position in the project. You can jump between the markers with the keyboard
commands Alt+Arrow left/right.
Keyboard shortcut

Alt+M

Split
A selected object is split into two objects at the position line. This also works
during playback.
Keyboard shortcut:

www.magix.com

135

136

Edit Menu

Remove object beginning
This command removes the part of an object beneath the position line,
chronologically located before the position line. The audio material following it
is moved forward to the initial position.
Keyboard shortcut:

Remove object end
This command removes the part of an object beneath the position line,
chronologically located after the position line. The audio material following it is
moved closer.
Keyboard shortcut:

Cut
The selected object is cut out from the project and placed on the clipboard. It
can then be reinserted elsewhere.
Keyboard shortcut:

Shift + Del

Copy
The selected object is copied from the project into the clipboard. It can then
be re-inserted elsewhere.
Keyboard shortcut:

Paste
The content of the clipboard is inserted into the project at the position line.
Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + V

Delete
The currently selected object will then be deleted from current project. The
subsequent objects are moved forward so that there is no gap in the track.
Keyboard shortcut:

Del

www.magix.com

Edit Menu

Remove pauses

This function automatically removes sections without or with low audio level in
the selected object. In the dialog, you can set a minimum time and threshold
for recognition.
Threshold (dB): Here you can specify the threshold. The value is specified in
decibels, 0db corresponds to the maximum level. Typically, you will enter
negative values, the higher the numerical value, the lower the level and the
less audio material is removed.
Min. Time (ms): Here you can specify the minimum time for recognition. If the
function removes intended (musical) pauses in the music, increase the value.
Apply to all objects: If this option is activated, the function will be applied to
all audio objects in the project.

Voice-Over
More on this you can read in section "Voice-Over” (view page 110) in chapter
“Sound FX“!

Surround Editor
Opens the Surround Editor.
More on this you can read in section“Surround Editor” (view page 103) in
chapter “Sound FX”!

www.magix.com

137

138

Edit Menu

Create Surround Transitions
Creates a surround transition.
More on this you can read in section “Surround Transitions (view page 104)” in
chapter “Sound FX”!

Object FX Editor
This opens the Object FX page for the selected object.
More on this you can read in chapter “Cleaning FX (view page 81)!“!

Load/save real-time effects
Effects settings can be saved or loaded here as "Mastering" or "Cleaning" FX
presets in order to apply them to other projects or objects.
The FX presets can be applied from the Object FX window for individual
objects as well as Master FX set for the whole sound (in the main screen).
Because the available object effects are discerned from the master effects,
some settings may be ignored. For example, the echo/reverb setting is
ignored when the FX preset is loaded as a Master FX from the main screen,
because there is no echo/reverb device in the Master FX section.

Apply all realtime effects
If the effects settings become too full to manage or you just want to
"summarize" your production, use this function to convert the entire audio
arrangement into a single audio file. It will appear as a long object in a new
project.
Once the effects have been added they will no longer require CPU power.
Therefore, of the system monitor reaches the red area but you still require
CPU-intensive plug-ins, you can use this function to release CPU power.

www.magix.com

Effects menu

Effects menu
Here you will find all effects of the "Cleaning" and "Mastering" tabs, as well as
other effects in submenus, which are sorted according to different topics.
There is one decisive difference between the effects of the master track and
the Object FX page and the ones accessed via the "Effects" menu: in the latter
case, a copy of the original file is produced in WAV format, and the ending _fx
is added to its name. The effect is added to it directly.
The advantage is that the effect does not have to be calculated during
playback and burning, which saves computing power. The disadvantage is
that the effect's settings can't be changed later. However, since you are
working with a copy, the Undo (view page 135) function is available, in case
you made a mistake.
Just as was the case with the effects of the Object FX page, the effects don't
affect the entire audio material of the master track, but only the selected
object.
A description of the effects which are not explained in what follows can be
found in the sections Cleaning effects (view page 69), Mastering effects (view
page 86), and Additional sound effects (view page 103).

Normalize object volume
This function raises the volume of an object to the maximum level without the
material being clipped. This utilizes the dynamic range the best way possible.
First the highest levels are detected, and then the object level is adjusted so
that the max. level amounts to 0 dB, i.e. the maximum volume (or another
value between 1% and 400%).
Note: If you experience very slight clipping during recording and then proceed
to normalize the material, then you won't achieve the same quality as if you
produce a correctly clipped recording! For example, if you only modulate half
of the material, then your recording will have a quality of 15-bit samples –
normalizing to 100% doesn't change anything.

www.magix.com

139

140

Effects menu

Normalize to: Here you can set the value to which the audio material should
be normalized by entering it into the input field, moving the fader, or selecting
one of the presets (50, 95, 100 or 200%). The value will be shown in % and
dB (100% = 0 dB = max.). Values above 0 dB bring about digital clipping.
Maximum level: Displays the highest detected peak in the selected
range/object.
Level change: Displays the level change in dB, in accordance with the
selected normalize level and the detected maximum level.
Different methods can be specified under "Selection":
Normalize the selected object only: Normalization is only applied to the
selected object. This function can also be executed in "Object FX" mode by
clicking the "Auto" button below the volume controller (always normalizes to
100%).
Normalize all objects separately: Each object in the project is normalized
according to its own maximum (peak) level. The level ratios between the
individual objects changes for this reason.
Normalize all objects as a single unit: The maximum level is detected for all
objects in the project, and each object is normalized according to that value.
The level ratios between the individual objects is preserved, but only the
object that contains the maximum level is optimally clipped.
Start loudness adjustment (RMS normalization): Starts normalization
including the average loudness (RMS) of objects, see Loudness.
Keyboard shortcut:

www.magix.com

Effects menu

Adjust volume
This function unifies the volume of the individual tracks in the project. First all
of the levels for every object are increased separately to the maximum without
clipping the material (see Normalization (view page 139)). Depending on the
musical production, however, each title may have a different volume at full
level, since the relation between loud and quiet sequences within the track
also influences how we perceive volume. In the second step, the average
volume (RMS) of the song is determined and the object level is adapted
accordingly.
Tracks with higher peak values but lower loudness may be normalized at a
level above 0 dB (full clipping). To avoid overloads, the limiter is automatically
activated (see MultiMax).
A target loudness (RMS) can be given in dB. Since this is the average value,
the loudness value is always less than 0dB; -15 is the preset.
The degree of adjustment decides how strictly the loudness normalization is
applied. At 0%, no adjustment is made to the target RMS. At a value of 50%,
the level is raised to half the difference between the detected loudness and
the target value. Volume differences remain between the tracks in this case. At
100%, the loudness of every track is raised to the RMS value. This is only
recommended in seldom cases, since even in a single party mix, a dance hit
will not have the same volume as a ballad.
Tip: Volume fluctuation within a song can be balanced with the MultiMax
leveler presets.
Keyboard shortcut:

Shift + N

Isolate Stereo Channels
Displays a stereo file from two mono objects. The two mono objects are totally
independent, are located one above the other on two tracks and can be
worked on separately. This option is particularly suitable for removing
undesirable audio interference that can only be heard on one channel.

Switch channels
This function switches the left and right stereo channels.

www.magix.com

141

142

Effects menu
This is useful for correcting recordings with switched channels. This function
can be reversed if you don't re-select the range; opening it again will bring
back the original material.

Invert phase
The sample data is inverted along the amplitude axis, which means that
negative values become positive and vice versa. This function allows you to
adjust recordings with different phases to one another.
An incorrect phase occurs if during an analog recording parallel cables are
switched. To correct such errors, some mixers have a switch that can be used
to invert the phase of an input. If you press the switch by mistake, errors
might occur as well.
This function is reversible, so if you repeat it, the original signal is restored.

Backwards
When Backwards is applied the sound file will be played in reverse. This way
you can create very interesting effects, not to mention the “hidden messages”
in many songs...

Plug-ins
With this dialog you can use Microsoft's DirectX-compatible plug-ins for effect
calculation in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX. This allows you to use almost
any effect algorithm from 3rd-party producers.
The difference between these plug-ins and those in the mastering section is
that here (as with the other effects in the "Effects" menu) the effects do not
occur in real time. That's why here you can use plug-ins which can't be
applied in realtime due to lacking compatibility or system resources.
Keyboard shortcut:

For more information, please read the chapter "Mastering effects" (view page
97).

www.magix.com

CD/DVD menu

CD/DVD menu
The CD/DVD menu contains all special functions for audio CDs, DVDs and the
CD/DVD mastering processes, e.g. setting CD tracks and subindexes as well
as the "Create CD" function.

Set track marker
Allows you to set a track marker at the current location of the position line. All
the following markers will automatically receive a corresponding number. Each
CD track needs a track marker. The minimum length for a track is 4 seconds,
whereas the maximum length of a track is only limited by the capacity of the
CD.
Keyboard shortcut:

Set Pause marker
This function lets you set pause markers. At these points some CD-Players
switch to absolute silence during playback until the next track marker
appears. The CD-player displays a countdown for the next title.
Keyboard shortcut:

Shift + m

Set track markers automatically
Use this function to set Track markers automatically by analyzing the audio.
For more information read the "Automatic track recognition (view page 66)"
section in the "Editing in the track view" chapter!
Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl + m

Set track marker to object edges
A track marker is set at every object start..
Keyboard shortcut:

www.magix.com

Alt + m

143

144

CD/DVD menu

Split objects at marker positions
This function will split all objects at the position of the track markers.
Keyboard shortcut: Strg + t

Set auto pause length
Audio files that have been loaded successively into MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab
MX are arranged consecutively in the project. Between the tracks, a standard
pause of 2 seconds is preset. In this dialog, the value can be modified.

Delete marker
This function deletes a track or pause marker. To select a marker, you have to
place the position line to the marker position by clicking on it.
Keyboard shortcut:

Del

Delete all markers
This function removes all existing track and pause markers. This can be useful
if you are going to use the "Set track markers automatically." function.
Keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl+Del

Delete CD track
This command deletes a selected track marker and the corresponding audio
material from the position of the track marker to the next track marker. The
audio material following it, is moved closer.
Keyboard shortcut:

Alt + Del

Create CD...
See "Make CD/DVD (view page 114)" dialog in "Export Section" chapter.

www.magix.com

CD/DVD menu

Show CD-R drive information
This dialog shows you all available information on the active CD-writer. This
includes the manufacturer, product name, product revision, cache and the
features supported by the drive.

Show CD-R disc information
Displays all available information on the CD inserted in the drive. The most
important feature is the maximum length, which cannot be exceeded during
production, for example: 74 minutes and 59 seconds.

16
24
16
24

www.magix.com

bit:
bit:
bit:
bit:

6h
4h
3h
2h

33
23
36
24

min
min
min
min

145

146

CD/DVD menu

CD track list/ID3 editor
In this dialog, all the CD tracks in the
current project are displayed in a list.
Every track can be given a name
which is then shown in the master
track. In addition, you can attach
further information such as artist,
album, year and genre. This will then
be listed in the ID3 tags of the files
when exporting to MP3. The data is
used by database and search
functions in programs like MAGIX
Music Manager.
You can identify unknown titles based
on their sound properties with the
audioid online track query within an
online database. See audioid (view
page 149) for more information.
By choosing all tracks on the list, the
corresponding objects are selected
and the playback position placed at
the track marker. The sequence of the
tracks can be adjusted by using the
"Move" button.

Track start: Displays the start time of the track, which can also be entered
numerically. In the gray area next to the number, you can select the unit of
measurement. The CD track list can be used for fine tuning the track markers.
Track markers can be moved around directly in the track window by using
Alt+ arrow buttons or by clicking and moving the mouse cursor.
Track name: Enter the name of the track here.
Move track: With the arrow buttons you can rearrange the sequence of the
tracks and their corresponding objects.
Delete track: The track (marker and the corresponding objects) will be
removed from the project.
Track name/artist/album/year/genre: More details about the tracks (ID3 tags).
Use "All" to apply the entry to all tracks in the project. This way, you can
standardize different spellings of an artist, which are imported from different

www.magix.com

CD/DVD menu
MP3 files, for instance. Use "Write ID3 tags in original file(s)" to write this
information back into the loaded MP3 file.
Keyboard shortcut:

MAGIX Xtreme Print Center
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX contains an easy-to-use CD print studio. Here,
you can design and print not only simple track listings, but also sophisticated
CD covers, CD booklets, and circular CD labels. The track information is
automatically transferred from the playlist to the print studio. The print studio
can be found in the "File" menu under > "Print Studio…".

Get CD track information (freeDB)
By online freeDB query you can get complete title informations for an imported
CD from the internet. The query is based on the exact combination of title
lengths in a given order for a number of tracks. This is also working with
tracks separately loaded into the the project (as MP3 files, for instance). The
single play times of the tracks can even differ by some seconds, mostly the
correct CD is recognized anyway.
Just put your Audio CD into the disc drive and select "Get CD track
information (freeDB").

CD info options
Here you can start different advanced options for "freeDB CD Database".

freeDB > Submit CD to freeDB
You can add CDs in the online CD database. The enormous freeDB project
exists courtesy of the contributions made by worldwide users.
If you have a CD that is not in the database, you can enter the CD information.






Make sure the right CD is in the drive.
Select "Enter New CD in freeDB "
Enter the information, double-checking the details for possible errors.
Press "OK"
Within an hour or two, the new information will be online for everybody to
access.

www.magix.com

147

148

CD/DVD menu
freeDB user preferences
User info is entered here for MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX to use when
freeDB is queried. Of course, using freeDB is completely anonymous, but
freeDB often has to process several queries at once, so an i.d. is assigned to
identify the user. If you have problems accessing info, maybe someone is
using the same data; you can change the settings to avoid this problem.

freeDB proxy options...
If you are having difficulties connecting to the freeDB server, then you can
choose another server from the list, or you can increase the "timeout" value.
An increased work load causes the server to react slowly and a connection
cannot be made properly.

freeDB > Delete freeDB Cache
The freeDB online database creates a cache on your hard disk, containing all
data available via the freeDB button. This allows you to access the data
without having to go online. You can of course delete the cache, should it
contain false data or when up-to-date current data is available.

Open CD track list online
When recording cassettes or records onto your computer, one large file is
created in which all tracks are arranged one after the other without track
markers, much like a CD. You can, of course, use the function "Set track
marker automatically" to analyze the audio material and, with the help of the
pauses, separate the file into individual tracks. This does not work, however,
when the tracks run into one another without a pause.
In this case you can ascertain the exact track division by querying the Online
freeDB CD database. To do so, proceed as follows:
1.
2.

4.
5.

Start up your Internet browser and go to the freeDB search page by
pressing the "Start Internet search" button.
Enter the name of the album or band into the search field. One or more
albums, which match the search request, are listed. If you know that a
certain album fits your recording, then click on "Details". It will display the
CD track list you were looking for alongside other details.
Click on the link above the disc ID (a combination of 8-digits of
numbers/letters, e.g. 7e120419). freeDB data record is displayed for this
CD.
Copy the URL (Internet link) from the address bar of your browser onto the
clipboard.
Change back to MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX and enter the Internet link
into the text field in the lower portion of the dialog. Then click on "Apply CD
data". The CD tracks will be added to the project.

www.magix.com

CD/DVD menu
Warning: Sometimes the first track may begin very quietly (for instance an
intro or applause in live recordings) and the start of the recording occurs too
late. Due to this, it may happen that the length of the first track does not
correspond to the track length suggested by the database. As a result, all
track markers will be a little bit too far back. In this case, move the second
track marker forward while holding down the Ctrl-key; all subsequent track
markers will then be moved by the same amount and should be positioned
appropriately at the start of each track.

audioid
With this function you can identify audio files. As opposed to the freeDB
search, the audio file doesn't have to make up part of an album or CD, it
doesn't even have to be a complete recording.
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX analyzes parts of a song's typical sound
characteristics and sends this information to an Internet server. The server
then compares this "acoustic fingerprint" with song information in its database
and responds with the track information.
You can apply this function either onto the selected object, onto the object at
the current playback position or onto the object within the project.
An Internet connection is necessary. If you have a personal firewall, you may
have to adjust the settings so that MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX can access
the Internet.

www.magix.com

149

150

Options menu

Options menu
Move mouse mode
The shift mode is preset. It allows you to handle all-important tasks:
Select objects in the track window with a left-click. Selected objects can be
moved or deleted in move mode. All subsequent objects are also moved so
that no unwanted gaps develop later in the track. The object can be removed
from the track with the Del key. All subsequent objects are moved so that no
gaps occur.
In move mode you can use the 5 handles to fade or shorten all objects or to
change the master volume.
Right-clicking on an object opens the so-called context menu from which you
can select important editing options for the object.
Keyboard shortcut:

www.magix.com

Options menu

Zoom mode
Right mouse button: Zooms out of the project.
Left mouse button: Zooms into the project.

Delete Mouse mode
The "Delete Objects" mode turns the mouse pointer into an eraser. In
this mode you can delete objects from the project.
Following projects are drifted automatically with the Track Markers in the
position of the deleted object.
In Move mode you can also mark an object and press the Del key on the
keyboard to delete it.
Keyboard shortcut:

Draw volume curve mouse mode
With the Draw volume curve mode you can "draw" any volume curve
using the mouse.

www.magix.com

151

152

Options menu
This way, you can create irregular volume progressions quickly.
To delete volume curve points, double-click on the corresponding point or
click on a point in the erase object mode (view page 38). You can delete
multiple points by holding the Shift key and clicking the first and last points so
that all points in between are selected.
Selected volume points have a blue frame. You can now delete the points with
the Delete key.

2 tracks
You can use the "Double track" button to create a second stereo track
for your background music.
All objects can be moved randomly between the tracks. If moved between
tracks while holding the Shift key, the horizontal position will be retained, i.e.
only the track is changed.
Important: On the lower track you can move the objects without moving the
subsequent ones as well. Therefore, if you want to exchange objects, you
should do this in the second track.
Keyboard shortcut:

Stereo display
Using this option you can switch the view of the wave shape, which splits up
the material between the two stereo channels. This view is useful to visually
control the material in the stereo panorama or to find zero-crossings for
cutting operations.
Keyboard shortcut:

Tab

Surround Mode
See "Surround Mode (view page 103)" in the “Sound FX”chapter !

Activate Volume Curves
Activates volume curves (view page 64).

www.magix.com

Options menu

Play parameter
This menu opens the window with the playback parameters.

Sample rate: Here you can adjust the play rate, if the sound card allows so.
Device: Here you can adjust the sound cards driver, which is in charge of
playback, provided that the sound card allows this. This becomes especially
important if there are several sound cards in the computer.
?: Here the supported audio formats of the sound card, as well as the sound
card driver's information can be displayed. Furthermore you can switch
between driver types (MME and WDM). Adjust this setting only if you have
problems with audio playback or recording.
Autoscroll: Here you can activate a feature that is especially useful when
working with long projects: the graphic turns over when the Position Bar
leaves the visible part. So you never lose the overview. The scroll operation
requires a certain calculation time (depending on the processor, the graphic
chart and the resolution), so that the computer can become overloaded in
critical cases, which produces dropouts during playback. In this case,
deactivate the auto-scroll mode.
Smooth / turn over: You can choose between scrolling down a page or page
turning.
Playback Buffer: To allow a smooth playback of a complex project, the
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab 11 sets out a data buffer, into which current data
areas are loaded. Hence, the whole project with all of its adjustments is
calculated in a step by step procedure.

www.magix.com

153

154

Options menu
You can determine the size of the buffer in "buffer adjustments", which will be
used for the playback of the whole arrangement or for the pre-listening of
waves in the data manager.
A rule of thumb: in the case of long waiting and loading times, the buffer
should be reduced; in the case of drop-outs or erroneous real time calculation
of effects, the buffer should be extended.
Loop time: Here you can adjust the length of the endless loop, which will be
used to play the project with activated loop mode. The loop mode itself is
activated in the transport control (please see the "control consoles (view page
40)."chapter).
Keyboard shortcut:

Analyzer window
This command shows and hides the Analyzer window (view page 42).
Keyboard shortcut:

Video window
Show/hide the video window (if a video file is loaded (view page 128)).

Units of measurement
This sub-menu allows you to determine different units for the timeline. You can
choose between samples, milliseconds hour/minute/second and CD frames.
Keyboard shortcuts:
Samples
Milliseconds
h:min:sec
Min:Sec:CD frames

Shift
Shift
Shift
Shift

+
+
+
+

1
2
3
4

Mouse Grid Active
The mouse grid ensures that the objects, Handles and Markers cannot be
moved accidentally. If activated, changes are made only if the movement of
the mouse exceeds a certain minimum distance. If you want to work with a

www.magix.com

Options menu
high precision without having to zoom in, you can deactivate this safety
measure here.

Auto crossfade mode active
With every cut the two objects that are created are slighlty crossfaded in order
to avoid crackling. This is referred to as "Auto crossfading" (for more info on
crossfades please also see Crossfading objects (view page 63)). As all
recorded and imported objects can be easily faded – which is not always
desired – this option can be deactivated.

Display values scale
The right edge of the track view shows a values scale. This indicates the level
of waveforms in dB, and the spectral display indicates specific frequencies in
Hz.

Options for automatic track marker recognition
In this dialog you set the options for the function "Set track markers
automatically" For more information read the "Automatic track recognition
(view page 66)" section in the "Editing in the track view" chapter!
Minimum length of pauses: This is the time that the audio material must
remain below a certain level in order to be recognized as a pause. The longer
this value, the fewer pauses will be detected. If the value is shorter, there is a
possibility that short silent sequences in a title might be recognized as a
pause.
Minimum length of tracks: A new pause will only be recognized once this
amount of time has passed since the last track marker. If you are recording a
tape with a pop song and want to write it on CD, you can set this value to 3
minutes. But if the tape contains short sound samples, the value has to be
consequently much shorter.
Maximum level for pauses and Minimum level for pauses: During the first
step, the program searches for a suitable volume level for the pause
detection. With these two parameters, you can limit the results before the
process continues. If too many pauses were detected, then you should move
both sliders more to the right. In the opposite case, move them to the left.
Detection of LP and cassette sides: In certain occasions you might want to
record both sides of an LP immediately one after the other, without

www.magix.com

155

156

Options menu
interrupting the recording at the computer. The result is normally a very long
audio file that includes a very silent passage in the middle of the recording (the
moment when you turned the LP or CD over). The program detects this as
only one section and splits the object into two new objects and tries the same
with both of the resulting objects. In the best case, even the noises produced
while turning the LP or cassette over will be eliminated. You can increase the
precision of this process, adjusting the minimum length of the side of your LP
or MC. Here are a few proposals:
Single:
LP:
60 min MC:
90 min MC:

10
15
25
40

minutes
minutes
minutes
minutes

Path settings
In this dialog, you can set the memory path for your recorded audio files (New
projects) as well as the search path for VST plug-ins.

Show start selection

Each time the program starts, it will show the start selection and offer presets
for the most important program applications.
After choosing an option, a new, empty project (view page 59) and the right
presets for all cleaning and mastering effects installed according to their
individual applications will be added. This means, you will only have to activate
them. On top of that, the settings for the automatic track recognition (view
page 66) during the recording will be applied according to the chosen
applications.

www.magix.com

Options menu
Furthermore, you can also reload the previous project or view the introduction
video.
If you do not wish to use any defaults, you can just close the dialog by clicking
on the "Close" button in the right-hand corner. When you activate the box
"Don't show this dialog again", the start selection will not pop up the next time
you start the program. You can reactivate this at any time via the menu
"Options" >"Show start selection".

www.magix.com

157

158

Tasks menu

Tasks menu
In this menu all the most important tasks can be selected with a simple mouse
click.The selected effect opens to help you attain not just fast and professional
results, but also to learn more about the most appropriate applications of the
many effects available.

"Share" menu
The Share menu provides access to online social networks as well as transfer
functions to other MAGIX programs.
Here you'll find options for uploading individual objects in the Arranger or files
from the Media Pool as well as the entire arrangement, as audio or video. You
can also transfer your arrangement to another MAGIX program (if it is installed)
in order to, for example, use it as background music for your slideshow.

Community upload
The menu entries featured under "File" > "Export" >"Community upload" or via
the Export assistant allow you to upload the finished song to different web
communities.

Use as background music
Converts the project into MP3 and forwards it directly to a MAGIX video
editing program (e.g. MAGIX Movie Edit Pro deluxe MX) where it can be used
as background music.
Note: This function is only available if you have installed an appropriate MAGIX
program.

Add to music collection
Converts your arrangement into MP3 format and sends it directly to a MAGIX
music management program (e.g. MP3 deluxe MX), where it is added to an
existing music collection.
Note: This function is only available if you have installed an appropriate MAGIX
program.

www.magix.com

Help menu

Help menu
Help
Open the program's help file. The help file provides explanations of all
functions in the program and step-by-step instructions.
Keyboard shortcut:

Display tips
Determines whether the tooltips are displayed or not. If activated, a small help
window will be displayed as soon as you hold the mouse over a button for a
while.

Show tutorial videos
MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX comes with several tutorial videos for fast
access. You can play them via this submenu.

System information
Information on the current date and time appear in this Information window, in
addition to the number of files that have just been opened, the total size of the
memory in the system and the size of the memory used by the MAGIX Audio
Cleaning Lab MX. In short, a list of all available drives and their available
memory capacity.

About MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX
Copyright notices and version numbers are displayed.

Register online
This option opens the MAGIX homepage for online registration where you can
register yourself as a MAGIX user.
Registration grants you access to the MAGIX support website
http://support.magix.net (see support) where various program updates and
help programs can be downloaded.

www.magix.com

159

160

Help menu
With the registration form supplied (start menu under "MAGIX Audio Cleaning
Lab MX -> Service and support -> Register") you can register via post or fax.
Simply print it out, fill it in, and send it off!
Keyboard shortcut:

F12

Update check
Links directly to the MAGIX online service page (for registered users only). This
automatically patches and updates your MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX
version.

Restore original program settings
Use this function to reset all program settings you made in MAGIX Audio
Cleaning Lab MX to their original settings.

Activate MP3/AAC encoder
With this menu command you can activate export as AAC or MP3 formats.
Why does it have to be "activated"?
To import (decode) or export (encode) certain video and audio formats, you
will require a specific codec. MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX will ask you if you
want to activate the codec as soon as you need it. The integration of
decoders and encoders from third parties into programs usually costs money.
These codecs are integrated via additional, voluntary activation in MAGIX
programs which, according to usage and degree of prevalence, can be free or
fee-based for special high-quality codecs. This way, MAGIX can continue to
offer you good value for your money.
The following activations are available on MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX for a
small fee: AAC encoder.
Activating the MP3 encoder is free of charge.

Free activation (MP3)
To be able to use the MP3 or MP3 surround encoder (audio export), you will
have to activate it for free first.
Activation can be done online via telephone or via post/fax. The quickest and
easiest way to order an activation code is via the Internet.
Order activation code online

www.magix.com

Help menu
Click on "Order online..." (Field 1). Your Internet browser will open. Once you
have registered, the activation code will be sent to the email address you
supplied upon registration.
If your computer has no Internet access, you have the following options for
activation:
Order activation code in MAGIX Service Center
Use this option to conduct activation from a different computer which has
Internet access.
Order activation code via telephone
The telephone number and necessary details you will need to call to receive
activation by telephone are displayed here.
Order activation code via post/fax
After clicking on "Order via post/fax" (field 2), your user code will appear. This
automatically assigns your personal activation code to your PC. Click on
"Continue to order form" to transfer your user code automatically to the
post/fax form. Now send the completed form as a print out to the address/fax
no. mentioned. Your activation code will be sent to you in just a few days via
post or fax. It can also be sent by mail if an email address is state d.
Enter activation code
After receiving your personal activation code, you can use the activation dialog
for the corresponding file format to start exporting for the respective format. if
you receive the activation code via email, then copy it into the input field in the
dialog and click "Activate...".

Fee-based activation (MPEG-2)
To be able to import video sound from MPEG2 videos, the corresponding
codecs must be activated first (fee-based).
Order activation code online
Click on "Order online..." (Field 1). The web browser will open for you to
register MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX first (if you have not already done so).
You will then be forwarded to a website where you can request the
corresponding activation.
If your computer has no Internet access, then you have the following options
for activation:
Order activation code in MAGIX Service Center
Use this option to conduct activation from a different computer which has
Internet access.
Order activation code via post/fax

www.magix.com

161

162

Help menu
After clicking on "Order via post/fax" (field 2) your user code will appear. This
automatically assigns your personal activation code to your PC. Click on
"Continue to order form" to transfer your user code automatically to the
post/fax form. Now send the completed form as a printout to the address/fax
no. mentioned. Once payment has been processed successfully, your
activation code will be sent to you in the post/via fax in just a few days.
Optionally, it can also be sent by email if an email address is stated.
Enter activation code
After receiving your personal activation code use the export or burn function
to reopen the activation dialog for the corresponding file format. Type or copy
the activation code into the input field in the dialog and click on "Activate...".

Fee-based activation (AAC)
In order to export as AAC format, activation of the encoder is required:
Activation is fee-based and can be done online or via post/fax. The quickest
and easiest way to order an activation code is via the Internet. Ordering the
activation code takes just a few minutes via email. The order of your activation
code via post/fax takes a few days.
Order activation code online
Click on "Order online..." (Field 1). The web browser will open for you to
register MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX first (if you have not already done so).
You will then be forwarded to a website where you can request the
corresponding activation.
If your computer has no Internet access, then you have the following options
for activation:
Order activation code in MAGIX Service Center
Use this option to conduct activation from a different computer which has
Internet access.
Order activation code via post/fax
After clicking on "Order via post/fax" (field 2) your user code will appear. This
automatically assigns your personal activation code to your PC. Click on
"Continue to order form" to transfer your user code automatically to the
post/fax form. Now send the completed form as a printout to the address/fax
no. mentioned. Once payment has been processed successfully, your
activation code will be sent to you in the post/via fax in just a few days.
Optionally, it can also be sent by email if an email address is stated.
Enter activation code
After receiving your personal activation code use the export or burn function
to reopen the activation dialog for the corresponding file format. Type or copy
the activation code into the input field in the dialog and click on "Activate...".

www.magix.com

Help menu
Activation problems
Problem: The entered code is incorrect (telephone activation)
Make sure your entry is correct; in most cases a typo is to blame.
If the code is entered correctly, dial the number of our Call Center. Our
support staff will help you personally.
The MAGIX website won't open
Check your Internet connection; you may have to use manual dial-up.
The form for ordering via post/fax won't open
 Check that an adequate text editing program is installed and activated (for
example, MS Word).
I still haven't received an email with the activation code
 Check that your inbox isn't full.
 Have a look in your spam folder.
You can always send questions via email to our support whenever you like.
Please have the following information at hand so that we can assist you as
quickly and as specifically as possible.
 Complete product name
 Exact version number (to be found in the about box in the "About" menu item
of the "Help" menu)
 Encoder/Decoder name
 Your user code (accessible via the "Activate via post/fax" dialog)
Problem: I have installed MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX on a new computer,
installed a new hard drive in my old computer (sound card, memory...), or
installed it multiple times on the same computer. My activation code is no
longer accepted!
If the program cannot be activated again after it has been activated multiple
times, please contact the MAGIX customer service (view page 12).

www.magix.com

163

164

Keyboard layout and mouse-wheel support

Keyboard layout and mouse-wheel support
Keyboard layout
Menu functions
New project
Load project
Save project
Save project as
Load audio file
Load audio CD track(s)
Recording
Export audio (Wave)
Batch conversion
Load video sound
Save video sound
Finish
Undo
Redo
Set marker
Remove object beginning
Remove object end
Split
Cut
Copy
Paste
Remove (delete)
Normalize object volume
Adjust volume
Spectral Cleaning
Plug-ins
Object FX editor
Set track marker
Set pause marker
Set track marker automatically
Set track markers on object edges
Split objects at marker positions
Remove all markers
Delete CD track

E
O
S
Shift + S
W
Shift + D
R
K
Shift + B
J
G
Alt + F4
Ctrl + Z
Ctrl + Y
Alt + M
D
U
T
Ctrl + X
Ctrl + C
Ctrl + V
Del
N
Shift + N
Ctrl + D
X
Ctrl + O
M
Shift + M
Ctrl + M
Ctrl + Shift + M
Ctrl + T
Ctrl + Del
Alt+Del

Make CD
CD track list/ID3 editor
audioid
Move mode
Cut mode
Zoom mode

B
L
Shift + U
V
H
Z

www.magix.com

Keyboard layout and mouse-wheel support
Delete mode

2 tracks
Stereo display
Playback parameters
Units of measurement
Mouse grid active
Display values scale
Help

2
Tab
P
Shift+1..4
Ctrl + R
#, '
F1

Transporter functions
Playback/Stop

Space bar

Play as loop
Pause
"Emergency stop" during playback
Back to the beginning

Shift + space bar
,
Esc
Home

To the end

End

Fast forward (rewind)
Playback position to next (previous) track
marker
Playback position to the next (previous) object
edge

Arrow left (right)
Alt + arrow left (right)
Shift + Alt + arrow left (right)

Keyboard shortcuts for zooming the display, please see Zoom commands
(view page 43).

Mouse-wheel support
Middle mouse button
Mouse wheel
+ Ctrl
+ Shift
+ Ctrl + Shift

www.magix.com

Start/Stop playback
Scroll horizontal
Zoom horizontal
Zoom vertical
Scroll vertical

165

166

Index

Index
2
2 tracks.......................................................................................... 35, 62, 152
24 bit audio support ..................................................................................... 53
A
About MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX ........................................................ 159
Acoustics simulator .................................................................................... 105
Activate MP3/AAC encoder ........................................................ 112, 119, 160
Activate Volume Curves.............................................................................. 152
Activation problems.................................................................................... 163
Add to music collection .............................................................................. 158
Adjust object volume .................................................................................... 60
Adjust volume ............................................................................................ 141
Advanced settings in the recording dialog............................................... 50, 66
Algorithms for timestretching/pitchshifting................................................... 107
Amplitude................................................................................................... 123
AM-Track SE (plug-in) ................................................................................ 102
Analyzer ............................................................................................... 42, 154
Analyzer window ........................................................................................ 154
Apply all realtime effects ..................................................................... 107, 138
Artefacts ................................................................................................ 76, 80
Audio CD ................................................................................................... 113
Audio CD creation ...................................................................................... 116
Audio files .................................................................................................... 47
Audio material display................................................................................... 34
audioid ......................................................................................... 33, 146, 149
Auto crossfade mode active ....................................................................... 155
Automatic insertion of pauses between objects ............................................ 63
Automatic track recognition .................................................. 66, 143, 155, 156
B
Backwards................................................................................................. 142
Basic knowledge about recording with the PC ........................................ 48, 49
Basics........................................................................................................ 116
Batch conversion ............................................................................... 121, 128
Before You Start........................................................................................... 10
Brilliance Enhancer ....................................................................................... 90
Burn project backup onto CD/DVD / Burn data CD/DVD............................. 125
Bypass FX.................................................................................................... 45

www.magix.com

Index
C
Catooh – the Online Content Library ...........................................................132
CD assistant .........................................................................................65, 115
CD info options...........................................................................................147
CD track list/ID3 editor............................................................ 63, 68, 114, 146
CD tracks als separate wave files................................................................118
CD/DVD menu......................................................................................33, 143
CDs..............................................................................................................55
Change song order.......................................................................................63
Check and move track markers ....................................................................68
Checking Audio CDs...................................................................................118
Choose preset........................................................................................69, 86
Chorus (Plug-In)..........................................................................................108
Cleaning ....................................................................... 17, 21, 69, 86, 87, 139
Cleaning Wizard......................................................................................70, 75
Community upload .....................................................................................158
Connecting the source for recording .............................................................48
Controls .......................................................................................................82
Copy ..........................................................................................................136
Copy-protected Audio CDs...........................................................................58
Copyright .......................................................................................................2
Create audio DVD...............................................................................120, 145
Create CD... ...............................................................................................144
Create Surround Transitions .......................................................................138
Cut.............................................................................................................136
Cut Mouse mode..................................................................................38, 150
Cut objects...................................................................................................61
Cut out undesired passages .........................................................................25
D
Data disc ....................................................................................112, 114, 120
Data transfer...............................................................................................116
Declicker/Decrackler.....................................................................................74
Declipper......................................................................................................75
Decrackler ....................................................................................................75
De-Esser (Plug-in) .........................................................................................99
Dehisser .......................................................................................................76
Delay ............................................................................................................97
Delete.........................................................................................................136
Delete all markers .......................................................................................144
Delete CD track ..........................................................................................144
Delete marker .............................................................................................144
Delete Mouse mode................................................................ 38, 39, 151, 152
Delete old projects......................................................................................133
Deleting and moving objects .........................................................................61

www.magix.com

167

168

Index
DeNoiser ...................................................................................................... 77
Destination files .......................................................................................... 124
Dialog: Load audio file .................................................................................. 57
Digital transfer .............................................................................................. 54
Display tips ................................................................................................ 159
Display values scale ................................................................................... 155
Distortion ................................................................................................... 109
Double speed recording ............................................................................... 51
Download media ........................................................................................ 131
Draw volume curve......................................................................... 36, 64, 152
Draw volume curve mouse mode............................................ 39, 65, 110, 151
Drive list dialog ............................................................................................. 57
Duplicate objects.......................................................................................... 60
Dynamics ..................................................................................................... 94
E
Edit Menu................................................................................................... 135
Editing in the track view................................................................................ 59
Effects........................................................................................................ 123
Effects menu .............................................................................................. 139
Energizer (plug-in)....................................................................................... 100
Enhancer...................................................................................................... 87
Equalizer ...................................................................................................... 88
Exit ............................................................................................................ 134
Export ............................................................................................ 18, 30, 112
Export audio............................................................................... 112, 118, 128
Export video sound .................................................................................... 128
F
Fades at project start and end .................................................................... 123
Fading objects.............................................................................. 63, 104, 155
Fading objects in and out ............................................................................. 60
Features....................................................................................................... 17
Fee-based activation (AAC) ........................................................................ 162
Fee-based activation (MPEG-2) .................................................................. 161
File Menu ................................................................................................... 125
Find media ................................................................................................. 133
Format settings .......................................................................................... 112
Free activation (MP3) .................................................................................. 160
freeDB > Delete freeDB Cache ................................................................... 148
freeDB > Submit CD to freeDB ................................................................... 147
freeDB proxy options.................................................................................. 148
freeDB user preferences ............................................................................. 148

www.magix.com

Index
G
Get CD track information (freeDB) ........................................... 33, 57, 114, 147
Graphic Equalizer .........................................................................................90
H
Help ...........................................................................................................159
Help menu..................................................................................................159
I
Import ....................................................................................................17, 47
Import CD ....................................................................................................55
Import DVD audio .......................................................................................127
Import media backup..................................................................................133
Info Box..................................................................................................42, 73
Input and level automation ......................................................................49, 52
Installation ....................................................................................................10
Internet.......................................................................................................129
Introduction ..................................................................................................16
Invert phase................................................................................................142
Isolate Stereo Channels ..............................................................................141
J
Join and mix objects.....................................................................................62
K
Keyboard layout .........................................................................................164
Keyboard layout and mouse-wheel support ................................................164
L
LED Display ..................................................................................................45
Limiter ..........................................................................................................45
Load and play audio files ..............................................................................20
Load audio CD ...........................................................................................127
Load audio file ............................................................................................126
Load project ...............................................................................................125
Load video sound ...............................................................................128, 154
Load/save real-time effects .........................................................................138
M
MAGIX News Center.....................................................................................34

www.magix.com

169

170

Index
MAGIX Online Album .................................................................................. 129
MAGIX Online World..................................................................................... 15
MAGIX Website Maker................................................................................ 131
MAGIX Xtreme Print Center ........................................................................ 147
magix.info .................................................................................................... 15
Make audio CDs................................................................................. 113, 116
Make CD/DVD dialog ........................................................... 46, 114, 117, 144
Manage login details................................................................................... 133
Marker Declicker .................................................................................... 74, 84
Master reverb & echo ................................................................................... 16
Mastering ................................................................................. 17, 23, 86, 139
Monitor while recording ................................................................................ 52
More about MAGIX....................................................................................... 15
Mouse Grid Active ...................................................................................... 154
Mouse mode ................................................................................................ 37
Mouse-wheel support................................................................................. 165
Move mouse mode .............................................................................. 38, 150
MP3 files ............................................................................................ 112, 119
MultiMax ...................................................................................................... 93
MX ............................................................................................................... 17
N
Navigation .................................................................................................... 35
New Project ............................................................................................... 125
Normalize object volume ...................................................... 73, 123, 139, 141
O
Object effects............................................................................................... 23
Object FX ....................................................................................... 39, 64, 151
Object FX Editor ......................................................................................... 138
Object FX page .................................................................... 43, 64, 72, 85, 87
Object FX window ........................................................................................ 87
Open CD track list online ............................................................................ 148
Open my online album................................................................................ 131
Operation ..................................................................................................... 82
Options for automatic track marker recognition............................... 50, 67, 155
Options menu ............................................................................................ 150
Over 60 new presets .................................................................................... 16
Overview of the program interface ................................................................ 31
Overview track ....................................................................................... 35, 43
P
Package contents ........................................................................................ 10
Parametric Equalizer..................................................................................... 88
Paste ......................................................................................................... 136

www.magix.com

Index
Path settings ......................................................................................133, 156
Play parameter .....................................................................................45, 153
Playback ......................................................................................................84
Plug-ins ................................................................................................97, 142
Position line ..................................................................................................34
Preface...........................................................................................................3
Program start ...............................................................................................19
Project.................................................................................... 33, 59, 125, 156
Q
Quick zoom ..................................................................................................65
R
Record .................................................................................................47, 127
Record dialog ...............................................................................................49
Record properties.............................................................................51, 53, 55
Reducing and increasing the length of objects ..............................................61
Register online............................................................................................159
Remove DC offset ..........................................................................55, 80, 124
Remove object beginning ...........................................................................136
Remove object end.....................................................................................136
Remove pauses..........................................................................................137
Resampling for incorrect record speeds ........................................................85
Resampling/Timestretch mouse mode ............................................39, 85, 151
Resampling/Timestretching.........................................................106, 121, 124
Restore ......................................................................................................135
Restore original program settings................................................................160
Retouch short distortions such as cracks......................................................27
Reverb/Echo ................................................................................................96
Reverb/Echo (object FX only) ........................................................................72
S
Save Project ...............................................................................................125
Save project as...........................................................................................125
Serial Number...............................................................................................14
Set auto pause length...........................................................................47, 144
Set marker..................................................................................................135
Set Pause marker .......................................................................................143
Set track marker .........................................................................................143
Set track marker to object edges ................................................................143
Set track markers .........................................................................................65
Set track markers automatically ............................................................66, 143
Several songs in a single long object.............................................................64
Show CD-R disc information.......................................................................145
Show CD-R drive information......................................................................145

www.magix.com

171

172

Index
Show start selection ................................................................................... 156
Show tutorial videos ................................................................................... 159
Sound Cloner ............................................................................................... 91
Sound cloner - FFT filter ............................................................................... 92
Sound Effects............................................................................... 36, 103, 139
Source files ................................................................................................ 122
Special presets............................................................................................. 95
Spectral Cleaning ......................................................... 24, 37, 40, 74, 81, 138
Spectral display...................................................................................... 36, 40
Spectral edit mouse mode............................................................................ 40
Split ........................................................................................................... 135
Split objects at marker positions ................................................................. 144
Status line .................................................................................................... 45
Step by step .................................................................................... 71, 86, 87
Stereo .......................................................................................................... 36
Stereo display ............................................................................................ 152
Support................................................................................................ 12, 163
Supported formats ....................................................................................... 18
Surround...................................................................................................... 36
Surround Editor .................................................................................. 103, 137
Surround Mode .................................................................................. 103, 152
Surround Transitions .......................................................................... 104, 138
Switch channels ......................................................................................... 141
System display ..................................................................................... 46, 117
System information..................................................................................... 159
System requirements.................................................................................... 10
T
Tape simulation (plug-in)............................................................................... 98
Target format ............................................................................................. 124
Tasks menu ............................................................................................... 158
Tempo/Resampling ................................................................................ 72, 85
The Burning Function ................................................................................. 116
The CD-ROM configuration dialog .......................................................... 57, 58
The master track .......................................................................................... 34
The parameters of the Energizer ................................................................. 101
The track list dialog ...................................................................................... 56
Timeline ....................................................................................................... 34
Track Length .............................................................................................. 117
Track marker assistant ............................................................................... 115
Track window and constant control elements ............................................... 33
Transport control............................................................................ 35, 41, 154
Turbo tape function ...................................................................................... 17
Tutorial......................................................................................................... 19

www.magix.com

Index
U
undo ..................................................................................................135, 139
Undo Lists ..................................................................................................135
Uninstalling the program ...............................................................................13
Units of measurement...........................................................................41, 154
Update check .............................................................................................160
Upload current arrangement as MP3...........................................................131
Upper buttons ..............................................................................................33
Use as background music ..........................................................................158
Used space indicator: ...................................................................................45
Using the effect modules ........................................................................69, 86
V
Video window .............................................................................................154
Voice over ....................................................................................65, 110, 137
Voice-Over .................................................................................................137
Volume controller/auto button .......................................................................44
Volume curve................................................................................................36
VST Plug-in Editor ........................................................................................97
W
Wave drawing mode .....................................................................................39
What is an object? ........................................................................................59
What is MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX?.......................................................16
What’s new in MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX? ............................................16
Z
Zoom ...........................................................................................................43
Zoom mode................................................................................................151
Zoom settings ..........................................................................42, 43, 44, 165

www.magix.com

173

Source Exif Data:

File Type                       : PDF
File Type Extension             : pdf
MIME Type                       : application/pdf
PDF Version                     : 1.6
Linearized                      : No
Author                          : Rajko Aust
Comments                        : Copyright © 1996-2002 AuthorIT Software Corporation Ltd., all rights reserved.
Company                         : AuthorIT Software Corporation Ltd.
Create Date                     : 2011:10:12 12:56:40+02:00
Modify Date                     : 2011:10:12 13:04:19+02:00
Subject                         : 
XMP Toolkit                     : Adobe XMP Core 4.2.1-c043 52.372728, 2009/01/18-15:08:04
Creator Tool                    : Acrobat PDFMaker 9.1 für Word
Metadata Date                   : 2011:10:12 13:04:19+02:00
Producer                        : Acrobat Distiller 9.4.6 (Windows)
Keywords                        : 
Format                          : application/pdf
Creator                         : Rajko Aust
Title                           : MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab MX
Description                     : 
Document ID                     : uuid:619f53d5-42f6-41b5-9f47-d3a184d474e5
Instance ID                     : uuid:48a82358-8c75-4019-b952-77911b22fa97
Page Layout                     : OneColumn
Page Mode                       : UseOutlines
Page Count                      : 173

EXIF Metadata provided by EXIF.tools

Magix Audio Cleaning Lab MX 18.0 Owners Manual EN

Navigation menu

Versions of this User Manual:

Views

Navigation