Please help! Can't get rid of room noise! Using USB mic

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animationgrl

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I bought an MXL USB .006 condenser mic in the hopes of recording voiceover tracks for my animations, and possibly doing some voiceover work. I use a MacBook Pro with Audacity, and the mic is on the "low" setting. No matter what I do, it seems that there is ALWAYS static and noise in the background! I've tried recording in a closet, I've tried covering up the laptop and turning off its fans, I've tried putting a foam mattress and a blanket over my head and the mic, and I even built a homemade studio using a storage cube and audio foam to surround the mic.

It STILL has noise! My tracks are totally useless. Did I buy the wrong mic? Is it just too powerful for this use?

I attached a recording both of the dead room noise at a normal level, View attachment roomnoise.mp3View attachment normalizedaudio.mp3and also one with me talking, after I "normalized" it in Audacity.

I simply can't afford to buy a new one or drive out to a recording booth just to record these audio tracks, and I need them soon. Any advice, or anything I can do?
 
Are you sure that's room noise we're hearing? It sounds like noise in your signal chain. I might be wrong, but that's what I hear.
 
What does that mean? Sorry, I'm kind of a newbie to all the mic tech talk...
 
USB mics - less than stellar digital conversion. You would do better with a dynamic mic and inexpensive single channel audio interface.
 
RAMI said:
Are you sure that's room noise we're hearing? It sounds like noise in your signal chain. I might be wrong, but that's what I hear.
Click to expand...

animationgrl said:
What does that mean? Sorry, I'm kind of a newbie to all the mic tech talk...
Click to expand...
Sorry, what I said wasn't really that technical. I meant that the noise we're hearing isn't "room" noise, as much as it's noise caused from your mic and/or wire and/or computer, etc. In other words, I think it's internal (wires, circuits, etc...), not external (room).
 
I was jokingly going to suggest that you get under the blankets but you've all ready done that! :laughings:

I'm going to have to go ahead and agree with RAMI on this one.
 
Prediction? PAIN!

:laughings: Not at all RAMI. Guess just poor literary sentencing.
 
Make sure you have the latest and greatest USB driver software as recommended for that microphone. Best to check with MXL's tech support on that one. But that's where my betting money is.

After that, check to make sure there's not a "gain stage" - a point in the signal chain - somewhere that is cranked up too loud. Is there a "mixer" or a volume control in the USB driver software that's turned up too high? Or how about the input control in Audacity?

G.
 
Anamationgirl, Are you using a desktop or laptop computer?
What your audio is telling me is that you have a what sounds like a fan wind noise and that fan's bearings which sound like they may be wearing out. That's what it sounds like.
I think you're hearing your computer's fan. The "ooooooooooh" sound is the fan and the "rattle" sound is either fan bearings or your computer's hard drive.
I don't think there is anything wrong with your USB mic.
Did a google search (keywords: "MacBook Pro Noisy ") and got the following

macbook pro noisy fan - Google Search
How to fix a noisy MacBook Pro fan | NoFilmSchool

Listen to this video.
YouTube - MacBook Pro fan noise



If it is possible to move the mic as far away from the computer with some efforts of isolating the noise you might get some improved results. An inverted cardboard box lined with
carpet foam "might" help. Foam seat cushions around that box would help a bit further.
Inconvenient, I agree but that is if you Absolutely must have the mic right in front of the computer. Otherwise feed the mic through the crack of a door and when recording, step into that next room. (This is the best freebie solution I can offer.)


Also, there is software that can remove noise to degree but I don't know what you would look for on the commercial market without having to recommend a commercially available
recording software ala Cubase, Samplitude etc.

Just by coincidence, I too have the same problem with my computer, which is basically a desktop but in a rack mounted computer case.
Here is what I am attempting to develop to resolve my computer noise problem.

https://homerecording.com/bbs/gener...computer-case-noise-isolation-cabinet-318627/
 
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