Microphone hiss

[Simonhca]

I am total novice at home recording. So far I've had modest success figuring out the basics. The one thing that is stumping me is I can't figure out how to get rid of microphone hiss on my audio recordings. I'm guessing I'm not the only newbie to have this problem. Any tips?

[scrubs]

The best way is to not record the hiss to begin with. What is your signal chain like (microphone, preamp, soundcard, effects, etc.)? Try to isolate the source of the hiss and eliminate it. There are noise removal software programs, but I would avoid them, except as a last resort, as they will affect the quality of the sound you want to keep as well.

[Simonhca]

Thanks for your response.

I have a microphone hooked into a Tascam US122 which links in (via USB) to my IBM laptop. I'm not sure how to isolate the hiss given how simple the connection is. Am I missing something?

I notice Cubase has an equalizer. Ever had success trying to remove/minimize the hiss using this? Or is there a noise reduction option hidden somewhere within a Cubase drop down menu?

[scrubs]

what microphone? certain mics are more noisy than others. is your mic just picking up room noise (computer fan noise, a/c, cars outside, etc.) or is it a hiss from the equipment? i have the US-122 and the preamps are pretty quiet, even at pretty high gain, imo.

[Simonhca]

There is very little noise in the room (traffic, fans, etc).

I'm using a Samson condensor microphone that I bought at Sam Ash for about $90.

[scrubs]

Originally Posted by Simonhca

There is very little noise in the room (traffic, fans, etc).

I'm using a Samson condensor microphone that I bought at Sam Ash for about $90.

Well, my impression is that Samson mics have rather high "self noise," so I suspect that the mic is the problem here.