Avoiding noise when recording on a condenser microphone

[VillainFPS]

Greetings,

I currently am having a hard time avoiding any background noise, and especially from my computer when recording. I record with a Editors keys SL150, which is amazing itself. Furthermore I use a popfilter and a microphone stand. The thing is just, that I can't really record without getting any resonance, which is quiet odd, since my room isn't giving any resonance when I speak in it on a daily basis. Furthermore, my microphone seems to collect the noise from my computer as well. Now I spent hundreds of dollars on dead silent fans and cooling, and I must say that it is pretty darn quiet. But when I am recording and having a break between sentences, it sounds that i'm sitting next to an airplane, when listening to the saved recording.

The thing is... I can't afford to isolate the whole room with anti-resonance material just to avoid that, but are there any other ways to avoid this noise? Can I buy something to put on the microphone stand, which help me avoid any resonance and computer noise? Please guys, i'm am in deep trouble. I'm just about to launch a youtube-channel, and as of now I cantt, simply because the recording of mine sound like crap.


Thanks in advance!


/
Rasmus Hansen

 

[Armistice]

since my room isn't giving any resonance when I speak in it on a daily basis.

Yes it is, you're just not aware of it.

Furthermore, my microphone seems to collect the noise from my computer as well.

Move further away? Try blocking the noise at the source - ie. put something between the PC and the mic, at the PC end... and understand signal to noise ratio. Is it really going to be that bad in a final mix of whatever you're doing?

I'm just about to launch a youtube-channel, and as of now I cantt, simply because the recording of mine sound like crap.

Post a sample so we can hear the nature of the problem. There are certainly things that can be done. Most home recorders deal with this in one way or another using gobos, furniture, blankets, or more formal means of reducing reflections.

 

[ido1957]

Not much you can do other than soundproof your room or at least the area behind you. You could use a different microphone that is less prone to picking up sounds.

 

[VillainFPS]

Thanks for quick response, guys! Armistice, what source would you recommendt to upload and share with?

 

[ecc83]

Is everyone aware that the OP has a USB mic?

Not that that is such a bad thing, my early tests with A £40 "ProSound" were unexpectedly good (I will get back to it, promise!) but it does mean he can't get very far away from the PC* (if you had a standard low Z mic and an Audio Interface you could run a mic cable into the next street!) .

My mic came with a 3.5mtr USB cable but since they are 16bit USB 1.1 devices I dare say an extension would work (Yes! YES! I WILL test these things!) ?

No, you are not aware of room acoustic qualities "live". Like colour temperature we humans tune this out somehow. Microphones have not had the billion years of evolution yet!

It could well be that you are recording too hot. Look at the USB recording device(the mic) in Windows Sounds menu and check the level. Bet it is at 100%? Try 5% or lower and record no hotter than an average of -12dBFS.

*PC noise. Is it REALLY that quiet? If not make a small "GOBO" a slab of the densest material you can find, probably going to be MDF (tho' concrete would be great!) . Interpose that between PC and mic. The bigger the better but minimum 1x 1.5mtrs and 25mm thick. You can face it with sound absorbent material as well.

Just a thought. You are speaking to the live side of the mic? And make sure that the "null" at the rear is pointed at the noise source.

Dave.

 

[Armistice]

Is everyone aware that the OP has a USB mic?

Not that that is such a bad thing, my early tests with A £40 "ProSound" were unexpectedly good (I will get back to it, promise!) but it does mean he can't get very far away from the PC* (if you had a standard low Z mic and an Audio Interface you could run a mic cable into the next street!) .

My mic came with a 3.5mtr USB cable but since they are 16bit USB 1.1 devices I dare say an extension would work (Yes! YES! I WILL test these things!) ?

No, you are not aware of room acoustic qualities "live". Like colour temperature we humans tune this out somehow. Microphones have not had the billion years of evolution yet!

It could well be that you are recording too hot. Look at the USB recording device(the mic) in Windows Sounds menu and check the level. Bet it is at 100%? Try 5% or lower and record no hotter than an average of -12dBFS.

*PC noise. Is it REALLY that quiet? If not make a small "GOBO" a slab of the densest material you can find, probably going to be MDF (tho' concrete would be great!) . Interpose that between PC and mic. The bigger the better but minimum 1x 1.5mtrs and 25mm thick. You can face it with sound absorbent material as well.

Just a thought. You are speaking to the live side of the mic? And make sure that the "null" at the rear is pointed at the noise source.

Dave.

Missed the USB mic thing. Another reason not to use them.

OP - whatever you like.... Soundcloud is popular. You can attach files directly as well.

 

[ecc83]

The proximity effect is used to its ultimate advantage in the so called* "noise cancelling" mics you used to see at motor car racing meets. Murray Walker would have the thing smashed against his lips and a protective guard kept the mic capsule a specific but very short distance away.

The resultant sound was heavily bass boosted but then electronics in the box with the mic put in a steep LF cut. The result was a near normal speech quality but removal of most of the LF noise.

You can do the same, get in close but use a software high pass filter. Almost every DAW has a parametric EQ.

*True NC mics work on a rather different principle, not really amenable to quality vocals.


Dave.

 

[Sixpack324]

FWIW.....When I first started and had no funds to isolate mic's and treat my room and I had the EXACT same problem when I recorded acoustic guitar. My DIY Cheapo solution was to use a couch cushion, one of the one's you sit on to be exact, in front of the computer and on the sides and another behind the mic.

Was it perfect? No, but it was much, MUCH better. After some experimentation, I was able to determine the best places to position the cushions to achieve the best result I could. The position I found to be the best was to create a triangular "box" around the mic complete with a top and bottom and place two more cushions in front of and next to the tower.
Was it laughable? Yes....
Are there better solutions? Yes, but not this cheap. I recorded this way for months before I could afford to effectively treat my recording room the right way.

 

[mjbphotos]

What software/DAW are you using? The fact that you hear 'airplane noise' during the silences sounds to me like you have got automatic compression kicking in.

 

[MCI2424]

I have never had this problem and never thought about it much. I was taught to understand the mic's pickup pattern and place the mic so that it rejects any noise sources. I guess I have done this so long I do it as second nature.

 

[ecc83]

I have never had this problem and never thought about it much. I was taught to understand the mic's pickup pattern and place the mic so that it rejects any noise sources. I guess I have done this so long I do it as second nature.

Much depends upon the relative loud/quietness of wanted and unwanted signal (and of course how much noise you are willing to tolerate!) .

When we was very strapped some years ago, son was trying to record acoustic guitar on an old P4 with a Sontronics STC-2 into a Fast track pro. Even with the PC at the mic's null the background was still very agricultural!

We solved this for a while with a MiniDisc recorder (gift). No mic inputs or spook juice of course but the FTpro would run on 9volts stand alone and work as a pre amp/S/PDIF converter into the MD which, although a bit mechanical was very quiet and in any case a goodly way away.

The resultant recordings could be S/PDIF'ed back into the PC's 2496 to be integrated with the DI'ed bass and BFD (free magazine version!) drums.

"Tekky" people can be creative too you know!

Dave.

 

[Rafael Morgan]

Hey Rasmus,

Well, maybe you could buy or build something like this?



The commercial product is called porta-booth and it's quite expensive, but it looks very easy to make a DIY clone.

Maybe, for better "sound proofing", you could make one out of MDF or any other dense material instead of fabric.

Cheers,

Raf.