Audio Technica AT2020: Help with too much background noise

[zemar]

Audio Technica AT2020: Help with too much background noise

So i’m using my microphone for live streaming games and lets plays and youtube

I may have made a mistake in buying a Audio Technica AT2020 USB a while back ,

it picks up WAY TOO much background noise.

A tiny soft bird tweets in the background. The mike picks that up Including the other background noise i don’t want.

I’m using Windows 7 and Abeltone Live

For live streaming The only way I can make it work is by having the record level really low, then on Abeltone Live adding lots of heavy noise reduction , then amplify the resulting audio.

It works ....But i do lose some sound quality for live streaming

It is not as bad when i’m recording audio for later so I can clean that up, but it could still be improved

Looking for input on how to reduce the noise ideally by dampening or muffling the microphone since i’m don’t have a proper studio. I’ve done what I can with the room itself to reduce noise.

As a test I tried putting some thick cloth material around the mike. This did seem to help but I thought there would be some more professional suggestions or options to reduce the background noise and pick up my voice fine without losing audio quality.

 

[arcaxis]

How close are you to the mic? The closer you are, the more the gain on the mic can be turned down which will lessen the tendency to pick up extra sounds around you.

 

[CoolCat]

try big foam windscreens over the 2020 mic, like the Shure SM7 uses, might be some help reducing sensitivity.
sounds like you have a sensitive mic and a noisy environment, common issue.

I dont remember the AT2020 but I can remember troubleshooting noise on my first LDC's and it was picking up the fan in the attic ac/heater unit! Picked up everything too much....a good room could make life easier and even blankets etc. can help with vocals because vocals are not a high energy issue like Bass and Subwoofer problems in a small room.

the 2020 @ 14.1mv is a room issue and the vocal room can be greatly improved with little money. blankets in front and behind. close doors and move the pc fan out of the range, foam on the mic.

cleaning up the room-
it can be fun, use the mic while plugged in and move it around like a metal detector , holding close to gear and things in your room, you might be surprised. i found ac outlet strips humming and the pc fan sound like a train, and attic fans being picked up and with my headphones off it all sounded so nice and quiet..lol ....funny, but wow! what a difference it made doing some simple things that were free. I was able to move the pc out of the room, the expensive power ac box replaced by a $5 strip that didnt have "invisible hum", grabbed pillows and blankets and started deadening the room. aka vocal booth.

you have a great mid output mic at 14mV. not too sensitive and not too weak. I have mics from 24mv to 1.2, and the 14-15mv range is great. even average preamps can "center" with that level of mic and not need full volume (preamps also add noise when on max).

another tool is the gate /expander, it will allow your voice to go through but "turn off the sound" when you arent talking or singing. a Gate is like slamming the door fast, an Expander is like closing a door slowly. one of the better hardware units is the Aphex 600 series, known for not adding artifacts. A lot of free plugs work well too.