Computer fans ruining recordings...

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Vunyos

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I'm not the greatest when it comes to recording but I have always noticed a humming or a hiss like sound in the background. When very little is happening in the mix you can really hear it, sounds almost like white noise.

I finally caught on and I'm positive it is my fans, I mean my computer sounds like a jet when it's turned on. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier either. It was made for like gaming so who built my computer put some loud fans in there.

I'm not very tech savy so I have no idea what I am looking for in a fan to make it waaaay more quiet. I would rather not loose cooling power either. I have been looking into a fan controller but if anyone else has any suggestions I would love to hear them. Thanks!
 
A few ideas...

move the mic or computer to another room.
Build an iso box for your computer using quiet fans (still need to keep it ventilated)
Point your mic away from your computer.
Replace your power supply, usually the noisiest fan.
Replace your CPU fan, 2nd noisiest.
Check your hard drives, they might make noise also.

When replacing power supplies and fans, check the specs on noise. 18dBa comes to mind as a target number. The lower the better. Google quiet computers and see what the search brings up.
 
I don't have any other area to move my mic or computer someplace else sadly. Although it is pointed away and as far away as it can possibly be away from the computer. Thanks for all the advice. I tried for the longest time to try and take it out via post but that won't happen without destroying the mix...
 
The fan is probably noisy because there's a big wad of dust and lint stuck in it. You can remove the CPU fan from the CPU with the little clips on it and brush the dust out of the heat sink fins. Shut it down and unplug it first though.
 
You can run fans slower so long as you don't let any components overheat. Also, bigger fans shift more air per revolution, so slower bigger quieter fans can be a replavement for smaller faster noisier ones.

I used to use Zalman fan controllers which clipped inline with my case and processor fans - the had a control knob for speed. The processor was fitted with a huge heavy copper heatsink, much bigger than standard, and a large fan mounted on an arm above it.

How quiet you can get the system depends on the details of the setup. I would still get OK performance for my needs if I slightly under-clocked my processor, and that let me set the system up as virtually silent.
 
Turn your couch on its end and sit it between your PC and your microphone...
 
diggy_dude said:
The fan is probably noisy because there's a big wad of dust and lint stuck in it. You can remove the CPU fan from the CPU with the little clips on it and brush the dust out of the heat sink fins. Shut it down and unplug it first though.
Click to expand...

I usually clean out my computer once every 3 weeks. It's fairly clean. I have a fan controller on the way so that should take care of it.
 
Vunyos said:
I have a fan controller on the way so that should take care of it.
Click to expand...

Not if the fans are whiny and the case rings like a tuning fork.

The case and the case fans make a big difference. Turning the fan speed down is only part of the equation.

Look into Antec cases and Noctua case/cpu fans.
 
You can buy computer power supplies that are fanless - they have monster heat sinks on the back. And some motherboards have their video right on the motherboard, so there is no video card fan.

That leaves only the CPU fan. You pretty much have to have a fan on any CPU newer than a Pentium III, so its just a matter of finding the quietest fan possible. While there are water-cooled CPU solutions, they generally make more noise than a standard fan.

And as someone said, make sure to keep your fans dust-free.
 
Build a computer that is suitable for the job you need it for.

Mine has a passive videocard cooler, a 120mm cpu fan on a voltage control circuit, and 120mm case fans that spin at low rpm.

I keep the computer in the null pattern of my mics when possible.

Fixing this stuff in post is fine for voiceover work, but probably not the best fix for music.
 
Zalman makes the classic "flower" style 120mm cpu fan, voltage controlled.
 
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