Recording Foley (Hiss sounds and minimizing it)

E

exomonkeyman

New member
Hello There.

Gonna make this quick.
So i'm looking at recording foley for video game & film.
I'm using a tascam DR-60D with a rode videomic pro 3.5mm jack and an XLR audio technica AT2020

Now my main concern is the noise floor, it's really pretty impressive 80% of the time but i'm curious about how to minimize it more. There are some occasions where is just seems to high and because of that the audio seems unusable for video games (sounds that will be played over hundreds of thousands of times)

Would you say the examples below are good for there noise floor?
When recording Foley it often means recording quite sounds that = upping the volume = higher noise/hiss, how can i counter this?

Fireworks example (the fireworks were pretty far but it seems like an excessive amount of noise in this audio file? NOTE near the end i lower the volume.
Fireworks rode noise floor loud.wav

The noise floor starts of as no noise but as the audio levels go up so dose the hiss.
Noise floor louder.wav
 
Well, the links work for me but it's hard to decide what is electronic noise floor and what's just normal atmosphere on the fireworks. The second sample is too brief to really tell me anything.

There's no magic to controlling noise--it's a matter of using good quality mics, good quality mic pre amp and getting the mics nice and close to what you're recording. Also, never...ever...use automatic gain since this can lead to a pumping sound that makes noise stand out.

Once you've done everything you can at the recording stage, I can recommend the noise reduction feature in Adobe Audition. This works best if you do the reduction in 3 or 4 passes of light noise reduction with a higher FFT setting each time. There's a 4 week free trial if you want to see if it works for you--and, in the longer term, Adobe no longer sell their software but rent it for about $20 a month. I hate the rental model but, if you only need NR occasionally, it might actually work for you.
 
Strange...

I just tried the links again. 2 seconds at most before the player disappears.

I can't give opinion without the samples playing. Try another means of posting the link.
 
They play okay for me but, as I said above, don't really tell me much anyway.

What would be more useful would be a link where the files could be downloaded (so I can look at the waveforms and do some analysis) rather than just listen to a stream.
 
Hello there.
Cheers for the replies here are some new links that might help.

https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/Publ...ADoqFYhfocNgIyWSMAjrGg5llHKMcmFOQAioP08n1enWg

https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/Publ...AAXJWYeafXDyODUNBI7mryirpE-cVXsXv9PUhMuCl2IuQ

The reason why i'm so determined to get a low noise floor is because in video games you use a headset and i can only imagine that a hiss on any sound will very quickly start to be come a very big issue and will be too noticeable to became a ear bleeder.

Looked at pre-amps but how do i know what would be a good starting pre-amp? Can't seem to find much information on them. The last thing i wanna do i spend £50-£150 on a pre-amp that makes more hiss or the audio sound podcast.
 
Noise floor sounds okay on the first clip, it's obvious the fireworks are at a distance.

Blow your nose before tracking next time. :D
 
c7sus said:
Noise floor sounds okay on the first clip, it's obvious the fireworks are at a distance.

Blow your nose before tracking next time. :D
Click to expand...

haha i had no intention of ever using this recording luckily but i forgot how bunged up i actually was of recording :P

Cheers for your response :-)
 
the noise is coming from the rode videomic pro, the problem with that mic is that the output is 3.5mm male, the mic was designed to be plugged straight into a DSLR...NOT the Tascam DR-60. Obviously it will work because the Tascam has a 3.5mm input, but it also has 2xXLR/TRS inputs which is what I would expect for pro sound quality, using TRS or XLR and the right microphone or pair of microphones will lower the noise floor. I'd recommend you look into getting something like the Rode NT5 pair or Oktava mk012, and stick to XLR or TRS only.
 
I was wondering about that myself.

However, the noise figure (as provided by Rode--but they're usually fairly honest) is "okay". Not great (20dB Equivalent noise, "A" weighted) but not horrible. What I couldn't find though was the spec for the 1/8th inch input to the Tascam. It might be a case of a combination of the two--the Tascam input/mic pre adding noise to an only-okay mic. However, without numbers, that's only speculation. However, I wouldn't be dashing off and buying an external pre amp (particularly a cheapie in the price range you mentioned.

I do agree though that, if quality is an issue, the camera mic wouldn't be my first choice. Depending on what you want to record, I'd probably go for a single really good short shotgun (perhaps a Rode NT2 since it has internal power), using an XLR input. Most general sound effects don't need a stereo pair--and, if you do, it's more common to use an M-S stereo mic but I'm not sure if the Tascam can handle M-S.
 
Hey there guys i found something out that explains why i'm even mentioning the noise as an issue.

i have 4 sound files for you to showcase a noise/hiss problem, 1 normal non modified file and a +30db post file, Both using the rode video mic and tascam DR-60D
NOTE how the file recorded 3 months ago has the same setting but 5x less hiss/noise

Recorded about 3 months ago (normal) Notice quite recording super clean track
http://cl.ly/0v1Z2J2w1O1Z?_ga=1.137395062.719058195.1402172166

Same recording as above but (+30db amped in post) Hiss is very minimal considering +30db post
http://cl.ly/3E210K2k0G1Z?_ga=1.179278818.719058195.1402172166

Recorded just 3 days ago (normal) Notice it sound good
http://cl.ly/2J1j39401Z0P?_ga=1.179278818.719058195.1402172166

Same recording as above but (+30db amped in post) Hiss is INSANE vs the first recording
http://cl.ly/03431O0L1J2F?_ga=1.75519187.719058195.1402172166

Now iv'e broken this down into () things.

A. Theres more noise on the new recording because i was using the rode mic and a condenser XLR mic with 48v + recording them at the same time. NOT the case
B. Or i'm using a 50000mha rechargeable battery pack at 1v instead of the crappy double AA battery the tascam usually uses. Yet to try.
C. Iv'e changed some settings by mistake and i've caused more noise somehow. NOT the case

Any of these things have a chance at making a louder hiss sound?
SIDE NOTE. On my rode there is a +20db switch and on the tascam there is a (input volume) LOW or HIGH. Should i use the high setting on the tascam and the +20db switch together?

TLDR:
The new recordings have a TON more hiss on them than the once recorded 3 months ago.

I will do some test later today and i will post if i have removed the noise/hiss.
Cheers
 
Last edited:
After multiple tests and firmware updates the tests are rather inconclusive.

The rode often gives a better signal when +20db is on the mic and when trying not to use the tascams preamp purely because it's really hard to get a SOLID loud signal from the rode but it still works WELL above any avg rode + camera mix.

And the XLR mic is well very solid at recording.

More or less invest in an XLR shotgun mic as you guys said.
It's hit and miss wether the recording will be SUPER low noise or medium noise.

Appreciate the help guys :-)
 
I wish I could listen. Drop box says
Error (403)
It seems you don't belong here! You should probably sign in. Check out our Help Center and forums for help, or head back to home.
So after creating an account and trying again, it still won;t let me listen - if others have the same problem, it could account for the lack of responses!
 
I have the same Drop Box issue so I couldn't listen either but one thing stood out on your descriptions: adding 30dB of gain to your original recordings.

You're obviously recording at least some of your stuff at way too low a level. Adding 30dB even to a pretty good file would usually result in some audible noise--and with your mix of gear it's going to be fatal. Let's say your noise floor on the original is an inaudible -80. Adding 30dB will also add 30dB to the noise putting it at a very audible -50. If your noise floor starts at -70...well, you can see the problem.

Of course, the trouble is that, if it's your mic or the pre amps in the Tascam causing the noise, then turning up the gain at the time of recording is going to bring up the noise floor there too.

It's certainly worth doing the research and seeing if you can reduce the noise on the gear you have--but be prepared for the answer to be "I need to spend significant money on better gear" or "I have to resign myself to doing some careful noise reduction in post production". Or there's "I'll lower my standards" but I'm not suggesting that!
 
Hello you will be glad to hear, the +30db was only added to show the difference in the noise floor.

Also i updated the links
 
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