Noise Cancelling Microphone for *Live* Vlogging and Conferencing (NEWBIE/NOVICE)

5

5 Pomeranians

New member
Founds this site by way of microphone research and I can see there are a lot of gems of information here, much of which is over my head.

I'm not sure if the technology that I am looking for exists so here it goes..... I need a Mic or a tool of some sort that can remove background noise - namely high pitched sounds that are 8+ feet from the Mic. This needs to be compatible with Macbook and iPhone (3.5MM jack). This needs to be live and not post-production, so I assume I'm looking for the right hardware (Mic), but I am open to other suggestions as well.

I've set up an in-home greenscreen studio for webinars, career coaching & vlogs, but I have a dirty secret. :eek: I have 5 yappy little Pomeranians. I'd really like to make my studio work from my home base. Unfortunately, all the dog training in the world is not going to fix the occassional yap that comes out of my 5 frenzied fur kids.

A few observations:
  • iPhone seems to have its own noise-canceling technology, but once a Mic / Headset / Device is hooked up, this cancels out the inherent noise canceling iPhone technology. Bummer. iPhone's noise cancellation is more decent that any devise I've tried so far.
  • I tried "extreme noise canceling" headsets (made for truckers with loud diesel engines) and this makes my high pitched dogs sound WORSE; it even makes my female voice sound more high pitched and annoying!
  • My bedroom closet is amazingly soundproofed (hoards of clothing/fabric), but my 5 Pomeranians are still pretty much unrivaled.
  • My sweet yappy dogs have a uniquely high pitch; it is just their "frequency/pitch" (whatever you call it) that I need to contend with and cancel; ideally without cancelling my own voice.

It seems this technology exists b/c on live sports feeds that are broadcast from crowded noisy stadiums, the anchor/correspondents are in the crowds, but you only hear the voice of the reporting anchor....how on earth do they accomplish this feat? Is it the Mic or is there some serious post production going on?

The bulk of my conversations are audio only. I'm on the phone for a living. Science research says women sound "less credible" if they are higher pitched, so I am also mindful of chosing a mic or technology that will help me sound credible in terms of pitch (of course 5 barking dogs doesn't help). Seems that some mics truly impacts the overall sound of a voice.

I know there is no 100% solution for my crazy situation, but I would appreciate any recommendations on how I might cut out the "high pitched noise problem" that I created with my 5-dog-lifesytle?

Being a novice, I don't know my blind spots, so I don't even know the right questions that I should be asking.

PS: Ditching the dogs is not an option. Everyone should have a Pomeranian or several! :)
 
"My bedroom closet is amazingly soundproofed (hoards of clothing/fabric), but my 5 Pomeranians are still pretty much unrivaled."
Wow. Are they ..always 'on :>) or maybe they're feeling left out.. :>)
Well, what the mic 'sees, is what it is.
The main track is the tightest pattern, and closest to the diaphragm design you can find, that and get your voice as strong as practical at the mic.
EV N/D976 comes to mind.
N/D967 Premium High SPL Dynamic Vocal Microphone by Electro‑Voice

That and maybe an expander -or gain rides in post for the empty spots in between?
 
Sennheiser CC 510 Call Center Headset Noise Cancelling microphone ActiveGard™

^ Or similar. NB, be careful you get a noise cancelling MICROPHONE and not a NC headphone system! If I had the problem I would try the old rocker's trick of two dynamics taped together out of phase. You could try that with two small lavalier mics?

The real time aspect of your post is also a problem as is the idea of "beefing up" your voice*. Look at mixers to process the sounD. AIs don't have EQ, pan, phase flip etc but many mixers do plus some have per channel limiters.

*Google "Fenella Fielding"!

Jusfort? Rohypnol?

Dave.
 
rob aylestone said:
Buy a Coles - the only practical noise cancelling microphone - price might be a problem though. £500
Coles Commentators Ribbon Mic at Gear4music
View attachment 103890
Click to expand...

"And here comes Hunt BLISTERING round Hangar...Go! Go!!" I can hear Murray Walker still! But Rob. ONLY practical noise cancelling mic? Surely not? The ribbon exploited an extreme proximity effect then EQ'ed the be-whatsit out of the signal to get a clean'ish voice. Pretty sure the two mic phase cancellation technique I mentioned works at least AS well and for less money and gear?

But yes. Beware OP of CLAIMS to noise cancelling equipment. Unless a moc uses one of the two techniques thus described it is not, AFAIK a proper device. Might be designed for very close talking and therefore be of very low sensitivity but that is not "cancellation".

Dave.
 
Nothing will cancel out a yapping dog...

All noise cancellation is based on continuous sound, not on sudden outbursts.
 
cyrano said:
Nothing will cancel out a yapping dog...

All noise cancellation is based on continuous sound, not on sudden outbursts.
Click to expand...

Yes, forgot to say that. Again it is the LIVE aspect that is the killer. If you were doing a V/O piece to record you could slave over it and edit out the yaps.

Dave.
 
In fairness, I'm not sure that what he wants is impossible. There are some headset comms mics that have two capsules wired together than work quite nicely cancelling distant sound, and you can do a pretty decent version with two SM57s. I don't know if they still make them, but Shure used to do a strange figure 8 shaped metal mount that clamped two 57s together - meant, I think, for the practice of double miking for PA and record trucks in the 70s. If you wire up two, and flip the polarity switch, the combined output drops to almost nothing, but if you speak with your lips on just one, you get signal. Maybe a couple of 58s mounted like this would do the job, letting him record his voice but cancelling the dogs? I have one of the original STC versions of the Coles mic, and It's not a very warm mic at all - just sort of neutral with the lip bar under your nose.
 
I've tried most of that stuff, Dave. Including the use of parabolic mics and other exotics.

If it's a somewhat continuous sound, like an airplane, it can be worth the effort. But a dog barking is very dynamic. As far as my nature recordings go, a dog in the background is much, much better than the strange sounds you end up with when you try to filter/edit it out with polarity reversal.

A plane especially is relatively omnipresent and there are no reflections. A nearby dog will have some reflections from somewhere.

That's why I said "impossible", when taking time to do it in post vs the result into account. Just doing that part again takes much less time.

Also:

This needs to be live and not post-production
Click to expand...
 
cyrano said:
I've tried most of that stuff, Dave. Including the use of parabolic mics and other exotics.

If it's a somewhat continuous sound, like an airplane, it can be worth the effort. But a dog barking is very dynamic. As far as my nature recordings go, a dog in the background is much, much better than the strange sounds you end up with when you try to filter/edit it out with polarity reversal.

A plane especially is relatively omnipresent and there are no reflections. A nearby dog will have some reflections from somewhere.

That's why I said "impossible", when taking time to do it in post vs the result into account. Just doing that part again takes much less time.

Also:
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree! Pretty much what I said. I also agree that ambient "noises off" are part of the charm of wildlife recordings I record 12 hours of my back garden every night. No hedgehog snuffling at the moment but when they are there and next door's dog starts up no problem. Two years ago I captured a sonic boom. The pigeon in shot shititself!

Pretty much a lost cause for the OP.Unless the phase type noise cancelling mic works (and I doubt it), pills in some fillet steak is the last resort!

Dave.
 
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