Hiss in the Mix

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fmmahoganyrush
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Fmmahoganyrush

Fmmahoganyrush

Pleads the 5th...
I got some feedback on some music I posted. One problem noted was that there was an audible Hiss on the songs. I recorded the tracks using Cakewalk, and I think the Hiss is on the vocal tracks in the areas where there are no vocals present. An easy enough fix on Cakewalk, because I can scrub the wave to leave only the areas that actually contain stuff I want (like the vocals, for instance). The Hiss, I believe, is resulting from the cooling fans on my computers, which I tried to eliminate with blankets, etc. Anybody out there have advise (other than to go into a studio) on how to lay down vocal tracks using a computer as the recording media, without having noise come through, but still be able to use the computer keyboard, mouse, and see the monitor, as I am trying to do this on my own when ever I can find the time. It sounds like a pretty futile situation, and believe me, it is! Thanx, Tom.
 
First, are you using a pre-amp? If you're using some strange adaptor configuration to turn your XLR into an 1/8" plug this is one problem. Even a budget art tubeamp (under $100) can help a lot if so.

You probably don't want to go piling up blankets to cover your fan. Your computer will overheat and this is very very bad. Trust me, don't do that.

If you can move your pc to another room or record in another room from the computer, this is good, but maybe not practical.

If you're stuck in the same room and can't build a budget vocal booth for the purpose then also consider the microphone you are using. It should be directional, not omni and as far away from the computer as possible. Then place it so it is in a direct line with the computer and pointing the opposite way:

----PC----
---- | ----
---- | ----
---- o ----
---- V ----

This way as little of the computer sound will drift into the mic as possible. As you mentioned you can gate or manually edit or remove silence on these tracks so that the silence when the vocals are not present is really silent. Do this BEFORE you add any effects.
 
This is not really much of a solution, but may help depending on the size of your room. You can get this gadget - www.keyspan.com It's an infrared remote, which you can program any keyboard commands that your software uses to the keypad on the remote.

I can put blankets over the PC, but also put the mic much further away and still have the convenience of not having to run back and forth between mis-takes.

I've only been able to map the remote to do 4 things. Play, Stop, Record and Erase. But that's all I needed it to do, If you hit stop twice it brings it back to the left locater.
 
I'm using an AT4050/CMT, which I believe have set for directional(toward me) and faced away from the PC, run through an ART Tube MP (I know, it probably sucks, but it's all I got). I also gated the input with an Alesis 3630 (I hear you cry), but I have to check on how I have it routed. I think I ran it from a channel insert on my board, but is there a better way? Man, this sucks... ...all the NOISE, NOISE NOISE. Maybe I can get my Mother-In-Law to hit the record button from another room. That's where I'd like her to be, anyway:-) I will check into the remote do-hicky. Even if I get it to work, I'll still stick my MIL in another room. WAIT A MINUTE, I think the hissing sound is coming from her. I'll keep you posted. Thanx, Tom.
 
Try yankin' out the Alesis...It could be the gate that's makin' all the noise.
 
Trade your computer in for some adats and a console.........
 
mmmmm....hiss from where?

Hey Tom: I don´t think your mother in law can produce that kind of sound. Here in Argentina they sound more like "Moooooooooo" or "Booooooooo"(Not mine, I´m a lucky guy). But I also had the hiss problem.
Try to find where in the chain the hiss is produced.
Is it after you record?
If so, it´s your computer. I discovered that there was no hiss on my portastudio, but when I recorded onto the PC the hiss was a BIIIIIIGGGG problem.
So we tried software. DART was no good, but CoolEditPro has a good noise-hiss reduction tool in wich you select the noise to eliminate (just push rec and wait a couple of seconds to register the noise to identificate later).
Try this if you want. It gave good results for us.

PC
 
Maybe all your hiss is coming from your computers sound card. I suspect you have very cheap AD converters which is introducing bad quantisation distortion and jitter. If this is why, try getting a decent AD converter and stream the signal into your computer digitally, nah just get a decent sound card.
 
That should be...

I told ya...
Your Mother-In-Law could not produce that sound.
I had the same problem and I found it was my soundcard getting noise from my computer monitor.
Try what I told you. But if it´s what dmuzz says, (and it´s very possible) You´ll have to change your soundcard...
PC
 
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