condenser mics and computer fans

D

druid

New member
I am so exited that my DAW is actually coming into being. I just purchased a large diaphragm condenser mic (NT-1) and an ART tube mp mic pre. Recently I tried to lay down a few vocal tracks. I went through the usual routine of turning off the thermostat, unplugging the fridge, tranquilizing the dog, etc. I put my headphones on and sang a few bars when I realized that through my NT-1 the noise coming from my computer fans sounded like a jet plane. What can I do? I have moved the mic further away but the same thing happens. It is a real pain in the ass to try and record that far away from the computer anyway since, until Slackmaster’s IR footswitch gets patented, you have to go back and forth to start, stop, undo, etc. Has anyone gotten around this problem?

Another issue I wanted to address is that I really can’t notice that much of a difference right now between my NT and my 58. I am sure I need to do some tweeking in addition to fixing the noise problem. Anyone have ideas on mic placement and settings for the ART mic pre that work well with the NT-1. This whole thing has put me in a bind. Now I kind of wish I had spent the extra cash on a VS 1680. I plugged my NT directly into the XLR input of my friends’ VS and it sounded great! How does plugging my NT-1 through my mic pre into unbalanced ¼” compare with plugging it into an XLR plug?


Thanks for helping this poor newbie.
 
How about putting a foam-lined box over it. Something simple that you can slip over the computer just for the actual time of the recording. Maybe put some slots for air movement in it.
 
Can you hear the sound of the computer fan when you use the 58? If you can't, that's the difference. The NT-1 is picking up much more, getting a full sound by recording the whole room (not to mention freq. response). As far as the performance, maybe you're listening too hard to the fan and not enough to the vocals.
 
A real dirty soloution to the problem is to cut one of the cables to the fan and mount a switch on it. Then you can turn the fan off during recordings and turn it back on while editing etc. DISCLAIMER AND WARNING! Don't keep the fan turned off for more than a couple of minutes at a time and make sure you let it run for a while (at least ten minutes before turning it off again. If you forget to turn the fan on after a couple of minutes, your processor will melt. Do it at your own risk. I have a gadget that shows the temperature in my computer - one sensor on the processor and one on the SCSI disc. It might be a good idea to get one so you can see how your machine manages without a fan.

You could of course get longer cables to the monitor, keyborad and mouse and keep the computer in another room.

Good luck

/Ola
 
About the DAW on computer,
have you tried Cool Edit Pro?
If you have a MIDI controller/electronic piano, you can use midi triggering to trigger the shortcuts(ie, record,play,pause, FF,RW).
Superb for recording in another room if you're a one man band.
About your noise problem, Are you trying to record the whole room? If you are, then thats your problem. Just stand close to the mic and adjust levels from there. I don't have a condensor mic yet but I will be getting an ART tube MP and a AKG something soon. So when I do I could probably comment on the issue more accurately. Asides from that, I just think you have a signal to noise ratio problem. Try to get the noise floor higher.
Just get the mic levels adjusted to only pick up sound from a circle at arms length or so.
Like I said, I don't have any experience with condensors so Im not sure if you can even have a signal to noise ratio.

Ive heard stories that it will pick up noise from everywhere no matter what level you set it at. I may have been miss informed. So if anyone would like to inform me correctly I would appreciate it.
 
I have the NT1, so I know how it is - I muffle my PC with a couple of pillows when recording - also, I keep the gain trim on my mixer a bit below where I would have it normally -
 
As far as the computer goes... I built a foam lined box, bought extension cables for my keyboard, mouse and monitor at Best Buy, and put the computer in the closet. I haven't heard from it since.

As far as the mic. I am experiencing the same difficulty. I upgraded last week from the SM-58 to the Octava MC012. I think the SM-58 sounds better with my voice (adds the warmth)
Disclaimer... I have been at this for about 1 week now and haven't quite figured out how to use the effects/reverb/compression, so I'm hoping that will help the Oktava. Or perhaps I haven't fine-tuned my ears enough yet to tell the difference.
Regards,
Phil
 
Thanks for all of your input. I think I am going to try and move my mic into the nearby closet and try to sound proof it somewhat. We'll see if that helps.
 
I wanted access to the innards of the computer which I am always opening anyway, so I removed the cover with the intention of never replacing it. Big decision, but since I don't have a dog to poke around inside the box I'm not worried. Next, I removed the powersupply and its cover (the top and two sides are open) and simply placed it on top of the machine.

The connections to the motherboard and 12v supplies are just long enough to allow remounting the ps.

The noisy fan in the power supply is now whirring silently at 4.5v with a separate little transformer attached to the main power strip. Without the cover the interior of the ps is airy; however, the fan is no longer mounted on the side, it's screwed on horizontally cooling the transformers directly. The cpu fan is also running at a lower voltage. Silently. Since the box is completely open, the fan cooling the cpu isn't using warm air. The front fan still in the box is disabled.

Other than messing around with 120v ac and the obvious disadvantages of death, the difference is night and day. Almost complete silence and access to the machine.



[This message has been edited by lbzx (edited 02-27-2000).]
 
DRUID: The ART Tube MP is kinda noisy (at least mine is) so if you got the NT1 and ART Tube MP together maybe not all the noise came from your NT1 pickup.

ALL: Also just wondering if there are computer fans that are quieter than others ? If so which ones ?

[This message has been edited by hongteck (edited 02-23-2000).]
 
Hey Druid,

Lots of wild modifications and alteration suggestions above . . . ever just try turning the trim & gain back a notch or two ? I've got to do that anyway to keep the LC Mic from picking up playback tracks in my headphones.

Regards,
PAPicker
 
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