I just want a clean recording!!!

S

Schecterplayer

New member
Hello all. My setup is a dell xps 400 desktop with great specs for recording. My interface used to be the audiobox but that piece of s*** had to go for a big problem.... SSSSSHHHHH!!!! In all recordings. Even with nothing plugged into it. I bought a tascam us 200 and love it. The quality of recordings is so much better but i still get a sssshhhh noise in all mic recordings. Funny thing is i plug my electric line in.... Clean sound. Plug in mic cable qnd turn on phantom power clean sound but as soon as i plug the mic in( mic came with the presonus audiobox package deal) the ssssshhh comes. Would that mean its my mic??? Im seriously at my witts end and am desperate for an answer. Plese help me!!!
 
Schecterplayer said:
Hello all. My setup is a dell xps 400 desktop with great specs for recording. My interface used to be the audiobox but that piece of s*** had to go for a big problem.... SSSSSHHHHH!!!! In all recordings. Even with nothing plugged into it. I bought a tascam us 200 and love it. The quality of recordings is so much better but i still get a sssshhhh noise in all mic recordings. Funny thing is i plug my electric line in.... Clean sound. Plug in mic cable qnd turn on phantom power clean sound but as soon as i plug the mic in( mic came with the presonus audiobox package deal) the ssssshhh comes. Would that mean its my mic??? Im seriously at my witts end and am desperate for an answer. Plese help me!!!
Click to expand...

There's a certain amount of noise inherent in any electronic circuit. This is referred to as the circuit's noise floor. When you add gain to a signal, you're bringing up not just the signal, but also the noise. The less you have to boost the signal to get it to a reasonable level, the quieter the noise will be. In effect, the amount of noise you hear in a recording depends largely on how much louder the input signal is than the noise floor, regardless of what either of those specific levels happens to be by itself. Although the noise floor differs from one preamp to another, from one interface to another, etc., the biggest improvement in noise levels usually comes from using a microphone with a hotter output.

What kind of mic are you using? What are you recording with it? How far are you placing it away from whatever you are recording? The answers to these questions will tell us a lot about why you're having problems with your setup.
 
Thanks for that info! :) helpd some. Im using a presonus large diaphragm mic. It came with the audiobox package. Im placing it very close to my acoustic guitar.
 
Can you zoom in on the waveform display on your DAW and tell us what level your "shhhhhh" is at and what the audio peaks on your guitar sit at?

As has been said, all microphones and interfaces have some inherent system noise but, unless there's either something wrong with your gear or your gain structure, this shouldn't normally be audible. With modern equipment, I'd expect any background noise to be at around -85dB or better. At this level it shouldn't be noticeable unless you apply substantial gain.

As an aside, Presonus are much better known for their interfaces than their microphones though....
 
Ha!! Known for interfaces my ass lol. Im never buying another presonus interface. Ill get on the zoom thing here in a bit and let u know
 
At this point im almost positive its my mic making noise cuz wen i dont plug it in it sounds very very clean and quiet. But when i plug it in theres noise
 
There are a million reasons why you could be getting hiss. Don't write off an interface because of it.

Cables can be a big one. I had a hiss problem once that would change frequencies when planes flew over (weird or what?). Turned out that it was a cable.

With something like a Mic have you tried to eliminate all sources of electrical interference?
 
Check all your cabling. Get it organised and tidy as possible. Remember - signal leads and power lines must always cross at right angles; never let them run parallel to each other.

Also check that your PC's processor(s) and memory are working optimally. You can use various diagnostics tools for checking this. I went from a single core Athlon PC, with slow performance but no hissy fits, up to a dual core Intel with twice as much memory and now I have hiss and my VSTi synthesizers audibly 'breathe'.
 
If you really mean "hiss" (as opposed to "buzz" or "hum" "room noise" or some form of "impulse" noise) that's almost always caused by electronics, not cables or interference. Every electronic device has some amount of system noise--it's just that the good stuff is so low you can't hear it. Heck, even the "universe" has noise that can be measured.

This means that your mic and your interface are the main suspects.

The other main thing to check is your gain structure. If your sound sources are too low and the gain on your pre-amp/interface is cranked up to compensate, that can exaggerate noise/hiss.

Bob
 
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Schecterplayer said:
At this point im almost positive its my mic making noise cuz wen i dont plug it in it sounds very very clean and quiet. But when i plug it in theres noise
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:laughings:

I know what you meant to say...but just reading that at face value is funny. Like saying, "when I turn the light off it's dark, but when I turn it on it's bright in the room".... :D ;)

Like Bobbsy said...it's probably the mic & interface/pre...if you had an external/standalone pre and good mic, I doubt you would hear noise just plugging in.
 
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