Ambience

[TelePaul]

Hey guys I have a problem, im very new to this. When I record acoustic guitars with my studio projects TB 1 i notice a vague hiss noise at the start...even when nothings being played. Its very miniscule and cant be picked up on as soon as the guitars kick in. Is this just room ambience present when the mic is turned on? I know im not being so specific...it seems like the thing that a plug-in could solve, maybe soem kind of gate? Anyways, hopefully someone will know what I mean. Thanks.

 

[scrubs]

Tube mics tend to have a higher self-noise than non-tubes. It could be noise from anywhere in your signal chain, or even just environmental noise (computer fan, wind, appliances, etc.). A gate will work, although, I generally just manually silence sections where nothing is playing, particularly at the beginning of the song. If you're recording to computer, this is very easy to do -- just zoom in on the waveform, highlight the section with the noise, and silence it.

 

[TelePaul]

Thanks alot scrubs, very helpful. Im glad its not just me! Didnt even consider the tube mic...maybe a small diaphragm condensor would be handy. Whattya think? http://waltons.ie/shop/product_info.php?cPath=37_73&products_id=9016

 

[scrubs]

Well, it depends on how much the noise bothers you and how much you like the sound the mic is giving you. You say it's not really noticeable once you start playing, so maybe just silence the part before the music kicks in, like I suggested.

As for a smaller diaphragm, they are pretty good for acoustic instruments because they have a flatter response curve and a wider pickup pattern. Unfortunately, generally speaking, the smaller the diaphragm, the higher the self-noise of the mic (though probably still less than your tube mic). Not that it will be all that noticeable, but that's just something inherent in capsule design, as I understand it.

If you do opt for a small diaphragm, there are plenty of options. I'm not familiar with the one you posted, but, depending on how much you want to spend, you can get some very usable mics. The MXL 604 and Studio Projects C4 are budget choices. The Shure SM-81 is a studio standard and one of my favorite acoustic guitar mics. Audio Technica, Josephson, and many others make good mid-priced small condensers, too.

 

[ausrock]

You haven't mentioned the rest of your signal chain so this is only a suggestion...........if applicable, look at the input gain level, chances are, if you're running it on the higher side, it could be the source or cause of the noise.