What is this noise?

R

Rothenium

New member
Hello! I encountered some distortion in the recording I did for one of my YouTube videos and can´t put my finger on what caused it. This is the second time it has happened. I´m using a BEHRINGER XENYX Q802USB connected directly into my laptop, with a Shure SM58. You can hear the distortion right before I say "Odyssey". I just got this mixer a couple of weeks ago and it´s probably a mistake on my end. Phantom power is on, gain is set to about half and everything else is at default. Recording directly into Adobe Audition. Thanks in advance!!! :D
 

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Could be from something in the house powering on/off. They make conditioners that attempt to eliminate this. Making sure all your audio equipment and computer are properly grounded is one cheap method of trying to resolve this, if it's actually the cause.

If you're overclocking your computer (and it's not actually 100% stable even after running Prime for a week straight) or have too high a demand on the power supply/motherboard you can also get audio glitches like this.
 
Well, first off, you don't need phantom power with the SM58.

But, it sounds like a resource problem kind of click to me. Make sure you have all FX off during recording, and your level is peaking no higher than -6dB. As usual, I'd like to have the original file and not the rendered MP3, to see the levels.

P.S. Unless you need a *mixer* returning that 802USB for an actual audio interface would be a better choice for direct recording to your computer.
 
I´ll have to check the connections. I don´t think overclocking could be the issue but I´ll make sure. Thanks for the reply.
 
I know, thought it wouldn't hurt to have it on but It´s irrelevant with a dynamic mic. I´ll double check that FX is completely off. I´ll try to upload the original file as soon as I get home, but it only let me attach the mp3 directly into the post. I think I´m stuck with it for a while. Would an interface have been a much better option. I´m such a noob when it comes to audio recording. Thanks, for the reply, man!
 
The phantom power doesn't hurt, it's just not doing anything.

If all you want to do is record, IMO, an interface is a better choice because you're only paying for the conversion, so, all things being equal, you're possibly getting better preamps for the same money. Some mixers, and I believe yours is one, only send a stereo signal to the PC over USB, and really aren't audio interfaces in the sense most of us would define that.
 
Oh, ok. I get it. This would have extra features that I´m paying for and wont use while on the other hand, for the same money, I could get better quality in something that only has what I am going to use. But what do you mean by: "Some mixers, and I believe yours is one, only send a stereo signal to the PC over USB, and really aren't audio interfaces in the sense most of us would define that." What is considered an audio interface in that sense?
 
Rothenium said:
Oh, ok. I get it. This would have extra features that I´m paying for and wont use while on the other hand, for the same money, I could get better quality in something that only has what I am going to use. But what do you mean by: "Some mixers, and I believe yours is one, only send a stereo signal to the PC over USB, and really aren't audio interfaces in the sense most of us would define that." What is considered an audio interface in that sense?
Click to expand...
Essentially, every single input on an audio interface can be indentified as a separate input in your recording software (DAW), and recorded in mono. Then, when you mix, you can pan each track to a position in the stereo image that you want. If you have an interface with 4 mic inputs and a couple more line-level inputs, you could have 6 tracks recording simultaneously, each as a single track. Many lower priced mixers only send a stereo signal, i.e., the same thing that is going to the MAIN, or what you've already mixed on the mixer. This limits how many tracks you can realistically record at the same time, not to mention the annoyance of only have a stereo track to work with (IMO).
 
Oooh, got you. Yeah, man, this one does that, just tested. I understand it can be a pain if you use it for recording multiple tracks. I got it for about 80 bucks. Do you think I should send it back or it should get the job done?
 
Oh, got it. Yeah, this one does that. Do you think it's worth sending it back and getting an interface? Or is this one good enough even though I could have paid less or the same for a better pre amp?
 
Rothenium said:
Oooh, got you. Yeah, man, this one does that, just tested. I understand it can be a pain if you use it for recording multiple tracks. I got it for about 80 bucks. Do you think I should send it back or it should get the job done?
Click to expand...
For $80 Behringer has a better interface, by all the reviews I've read.
Behringer U-PHORIA UMC204HD | Musician's Friend

P.S. (Belated edit). no guarantees the switch from mixer to AI will fix your problem - I still suspect a resource issue. This could be something as easy as tweaking a buffer size in Audition. Might be worth spending a day or two sorting out what's causing that problem first, since the driver and software will likely be the same.
 
Last edited:
keith.rogers said:
Essentially, every single input on an audio interface can be indentified as a separate input in your recording software (DAW), and recorded in mono. Then, when you mix, you can pan each track to a position in the stereo image that you want. If you have an interface with 4 mic inputs and a couple more line-level inputs, you could have 6 tracks recording simultaneously, each as a single track. Many lower priced mixers only send a stereo signal, i.e., the same thing that is going to the MAIN, or what you've already mixed on the mixer. This limits how many tracks you can realistically record at the same time, not to mention the annoyance of only have a stereo track to work with (IMO).
Click to expand...

Got it! Thanks for the reply!!
 
keith.rogers said:
For $80 Behringer has a better interface, by all the reviews I've read.
Behringer U-PHORIA UMC204HD | Musician's Friend

P.S. (Belated edit). no guarantees the switch from mixer to AI will fix your problem - I still suspect a resource issue. This could be something as easy as tweaking a buffer size in Audition. Might be worth spending a day or two sorting out what's causing that problem first, since the driver and software will likely be the same.
Click to expand...

Oh, man that sucks. I was deciding between that one and the one I got! I guess I'll keep this one for the price. Yeah, the problem is intermittent and rare so it might be a buffer size issue. I'll check it out and report back. Thanks for the help!
 
That UMC204 seems to embrace all you need in an interface and the important qualities are..

24bit operation. The 802 USB is 16bits only which would not be SO bad except it is a crap 16bits and does not deliver the 90dB noise floor it should.

Those 1st gen' USB mixers produced spurious tones and often noisy return signals.

Cannot use ASIO drivers.

Do not have the 'mix' control that allows 'off track' monitoring whilst you lay down a new track.

Otherwise the 802 is not a bad little mixer! I have one, been very reliable.

BTW, next time you send in a clip for examination, include a 20 second 'shutup' section so I can look for noise!

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
That UMC204 seems to embrace all you need in an interface and the important qualities are..

24bit operation. The 802 USB is 16bits only which would not be SO bad except it is a crap 16bits and does not deliver the 90dB noise floor it should.

Those 1st gen' USB mixers produced spurious tones and often noisy return signals.

Cannot use ASIO drivers.

Do not have the 'mix' control that allows 'off track' monitoring whilst you lay down a new track.

Otherwise the 802 is not a bad little mixer! I have one, been very reliable.

BTW, next time you send in a clip for examination, include a 20 second 'shutup' section so I can look for noise!

Dave.
Click to expand...

Thanks, man! Just returned the mixer and I found a BEHRINGER U-PHORIA UMC404HD for about $100. I think I'll get that one. Only 15 bucks more than the 204!
 
Other considerations

How many other apps/games are you also running? Try closing them. How much free space is on your hard drive? Does your audio app allow for temp files, and where are they? These all could affect the writing of he file.
 
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