If you are wondering why i want to alter the watermark and why i RECOMMEND you alter the watermark i’ll explain. Unfortunately there are people who like to get things the cheap (and dirty) way. It is a part of the human nature. What these people don’t understand is the amount of time, money and dedication the authors spend on their work.
It’s a well known fact that there are ways to remove watermarks from music and sound effects. I’ve seen tutorials on youtube with more than a hundred thousand views. This removal process is also a well-known problem for authors. I know that some people have adressed it here on the forum but i want more people to read about what they can do about it.
The most popular method - Phase cancellation
Phase cancellation is generally something to be avoided when working with audio, but it can also be taken advantage of for its ability to isolate differential signals within two otherwise-identical mixes.
When removing watermarks, having a certain audio isolated you can remove it from every track it’s a part of, provided that it’s EXACTLY the same in terms of frequency, volume and etc. The point is : the waveforms must match for it to work 100% on itself. It usually does not. I’ve tested it with various music and sfx tracks on the popular page.
What made my work easier using this method
- When the aj loop is put exactly as it is (without any change in timings and sound character)
- This is a big one - When the aj sound is put in a silent place where i hear it on itself - i could manage to remove the watermark by over 95% (approx.) !
What made my work harder:
- I noticed some various changes in the watermark (when authors mastered it with the audio track) on some music pieces;
- The timings between sounds on other were slightly off which would make it a whole lot harder to remove;
- There was no place where the watermark is isolated so i couldn’t make the method work as efficiently
What you as an author can do about it ?
I know most of you already know what i’m talking about but i’m telling you anyways.
Make sure you don’t put your watermark on a silent place in your preview .mp3 !
Make sure there are some slight time changes between the “AudioJungle” watermarks. (No more than a few seconds is enough)
The most important think you have to do is - slightly change the character of the watermark. (Nothing extreme!) This guy has some great tips you can check out.
I saw another method with Adobe Audition but it’s some noise cancelling tool and it seems to screw the quality up (and i don’t have the software) so i didn’t bother trying it. But I tested some other methods and i was really blown away by how powerful programs are becoming nowadays.
Although there are more advanced and efficient modern tools made and designed to be used for that matter, i’m not going to talk about them for a certain reasons. But if you follow these tips you will make your tracks one idea harder to be pirated for sure.
Here’s my question: Are we allowed to make these “micro” changes ? I understand about altering the watermark to the point of destruction, but is making it a bit different a problem, considering you can’t even hear it ?