Low level, constant, background hiss noise on all my recordings. Help.

Bobbsy said:
Just to support ecc83, in 40+ years of playing with this stuff, including probably tens of thousands of XLR cables, I've never once had a cable cause hiss. Crackles and pops, yes. Hum from earthing problems, yes. But never, ever hiss.
Click to expand...

Same here in my meager 20+ years of doing this stuff.
 
"Dave, do you think the lack of noise without mics plugged in could be some kind of funny to do with the mic pre amps loaded vs unloaded?" Who knows Bobbs!
In 50+ years of fixing all sorts of electronic devices I have come across all sorts of fault conditions that, at first, defy logic* and the laws of physics. However eventually a cause is found and Mr Ohm can sleep peacefully once again!

What we must never do is apply "magical" qualities to electronic devices, that way madness and the cult of Russ Andrews lies!

*How, for example would dozens of televisions KNOW people had been on holiday? Impossible on the face of it, but they did SEEM to!

Dave.
 
No trust is required. I get the same feeling about cables. I have never had one hiss on me (just checking my spelling there... yep, phew). As I said, my money is on the Fostex. But if the entire signal chain has been checked from mic to the recording device, whether that is a stand alone recorder or a computer or whatever, then it would be safe to conclude that it is the Fostex in this case. But the guy was going to BUY new leads. I have strong enough doubts to suggest that he borrow another set of leads before paying out but thorough enough to at least try the cables and eliminate them. No, I have never seen it either. They either work or they don't or they work intermittently for a dry joint or even a cable break from rolling your chair castors over them. But if he has tried everything else, there is no harm done in checking even the unlikely.

I am even wondering if all the unused faders and trimmers are fully down. If they are all maxed out, that can cause hiss. We just don't have ALL the data yet
 
Last edited:
After reading all the answers, trying all I can, and coming up with no real solutions, I've decided to finally ditch my faithful Fostex recorder.

I'll be buying a Steinberg UR22 audio interface for my vocal/acoustic guitar recordings (it's got a good reputation and is VERY easy to use). It comes with Cubase (but is supposed to also work with most software recorders like Audacity etc). And it simply plugs into the computer via a usb cable.

I'll be using the same SP B1 condenser mics (which are fantastic mics) and same mic leads. So if the new recordings have no background hiss, I'll know that something in the Fostex causes the hiss. Anyway, I'll report on the results in a week or so.

If the hiss is still there, I'll go to the top of the Empire State Building and damn well JUMP OFF ..... Goodbyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
 
Steinberg UR22 looks like a pretty nice choice. I am sure it will fix your problem. Cos we don't want a messy blotch on the corner of Fifth and Thirty Third...
 
Hello! After reading the discussion about background noise, I have become more aware of that problem or potential problem. Thanks for sharing your comments.
 
mjbphotos said:
Yeah, I had one hell of a hiss last night with an XLR cable! Used between my Radial preamp and the mixer, I'm pretty sure the ground pin on the cable is faulty (I had issues with the pin pushing down into the plastic base of the connector last week, and got it positioned correctly, but maybe the solder connection broke).
Click to expand...

'Hiss' is what I got. But I'm not spending $20 to send a $15 cable to Dave in the UK to replace it! :rolleyes: part of the problem, though could be the monitor that was putting out the hiss (via the mixer) - low $ Gemini - I also got a hiss from this speaker last year when using an unbalanced 1/4" cable to it instead of a balanced cable.
 
ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!

I just received my Steinberg UR22 audio interface. It got rid of the hiss, but there's a disparity regarding volume and tone between input 1 and 2. Input 1 puts out about 30-40% lower volume than input 2 when using my 2 condenser mics, and the tone between the 2 channels is different. It's a faulty UR22. GRRRR !!!! I'll now have to send it back and get a replacement.

Gee I hate the digital age.
 
Optiplex said:
ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!

I just received my Steinberg UR22 audio interface. It got rid of the hiss, but there's a disparity regarding volume and tone between input 1 and 2. Input 1 puts out about 30-40% lower volume than input 2 when using my 2 condenser mics, and the tone between the 2 channels is different. It's a faulty UR22. GRRRR !!!! I'll now have to send it back and get a replacement.

Gee I hate the digital age.
Click to expand...
Hang on before you ship it back. Have you tried the SAME mic using the same gain settings on the two inputs?

In my experience it is far more likely to be a difference in microphone sensitivity than a fault in the AI.
Then, it is VERY hard to see how two simple, electronically identical mic preamps can have different tonal qualities, again much more likely to be the mics.

Measure twice, cut once.

Dave.
 
Yep, I had 2 B1 mics plugged in, both at the same time and using the same gain on each input, and then swapped them around to double check. Whichever mic was in input 1 there was lower volume there and the tone was not as "full". I also closely checked the same mics/cables into my Fostex VF160, and the volume was perfectly equal. So my mics are not faulty.

The shop said they've sold hundreds of UR22's and I'm the first person who's had a problem (so they say).
 
Optiplex said:
Yep, I had 2 B1 mics plugged in, both at the same time and using the same gain on each input, and then swapped them around to double check. Whichever mic was in input 1 there was lower volume there and the tone was not as "full". I also closely checked the same mics/cables into my Fostex VF160, and the volume was perfectly equal. So my mics are not faulty.

The shop said they've sold hundreds of UR22's and I'm the first person who's had a problem (so they say).
Click to expand...

Well, it certainly LOOKS like a faulty unit. I would still like to hear a one mic, both channels test (the tonal difference is almost certainly due to the level shift) .

I am with the shop! I have been following 3 forums for years and have "been with" the UR22 since its inception, your's is the first instance of a fault I have read of.

Faults of ANY kind are very rare and when the do occur they are most often driver issues or a compatibility problem. Actual ELECTRONIC problems are incredibly rare and in fact I can only think of one in recent times and even that was a design error, not really "broke"! (Inst' input headroom problem. Now fixed so not fair to name names.)

Hope it is all resolved soon.

Dave.
 
WHOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO! ! ! All my problems are over.

My replacement UR22 works fine ...... and .......... NO HISS in my recordings anymore. The combination of the UR22 plus Audacity gives crystal clear recordings.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top