How Can I Tell If I Have Bad Mics?

[Brit]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking here for a while, learning from all of you. Thanks for sharing your knowledge - it's been tremendously helpful.

With your help, I've just started to teach myself to record audio. Last week I purchased a pair of Studio Project C4s - small diaphragm condensers - that I'm running into an MAudio DMP3 into my laptop. They were meant to upgrade my very first mics - Naiant MSH-2s (omni electret condensers) which were reliable and did a pretty good job for me.

I helped produce a concert on Saturday, and used the C4s to record into an M-Audio DMP3 -> Echo IO -> my laptop. I put the mics into their shockmounts in an X-Y pattern, about ten feet up on a light stand. I noticed a bit of distortion - a sort of fluttering sound, particularly when the group I was recording got loud. I put wind shields on the mics, made absolutely sure they weren't touching, engaged the bass roll off, etc. It seemed to get a little bit better, so I left them and went about my business.

When I listened to the recording later, I found that the fluttering had returned. It was periodic, and fairly loud. There was also a continuous distortion that I was able to remove with software.

This is my first post, so I can't give a direct link, but the files are at w-w-w dot societymusic dot org/mp3

Is this a problem with the mics or my technique? I purchased them on ebay, but the seller claims there is still a year left on their warranty. I've contacted Studio Projects, but haven't heard back from them.

Do you have any advice?

Thanks again,

Brit

 

[Daisy]

You were most likely running things too hot.

Back the gain off, and make sure you're not clipping anything; either at the input of the mic pre, or at the input of the sound card / audio interface you're using.

Were you tracking a choire, by chance?

.

 

[MartinKantola]

Can't find any example on the web address you mentioned... Anyway, rule number one is to always properly test your gear and setup before go out and try to record something for real. Especially if you have some new pieces of equipment, but it's always a good way to try to stay out of trouble. There's usually no time to learn anything in a concert situation.

Martin

 

[monetmelly]

If it doesn't sound good, get a better mic

 

[Slowrider]

If it doesn't sound good, get a better mic

That would make it too easy. I need a good quality microphone for under $10.00 US?

 

[Brit]

Too much gain?

Thanks for responding.

Daisy - you're right. It was a choir, along with a harpsichord, guitarist and two violinists.

I set up the equipment the evening before, and tested everything. I noticed a little fluttering, but it wasn't quite so bad. But not all the musicians could make the Friday night rehearsal, and, of course, there was no applause.

According to Audition, the loudest the applause ever got was -18 dBs. Afterwards the flutter continues for quite some time. (a good five minutes.) Is this normal?

I know condensers are touchy. I just want to be sure that the mic is responding normally.

Oh - and if there is a mic that can solve all of my problems for under $10, I'd love to hear about it .

Thanks,

Brit

 

[PhilGood]

Ah the dreaded wave/white noise sound and popping. I have heard this a lot and it can be anything from a dirty capsule or bad capsule to a bad capacitor. Try out both mics and see if it only happens to one and not both. If they are new, simply wait for Studio Projects to contact you and most likely they will replace them.

 

[Brit]

Cleaning the noise?

Thanks PhilGood. It certainly seemed like they weren't responding properly, and I couldn't think of anything I could possibly have done.

Now it's back to the slow process of scrubbing the noise out of the audio... sigh. Any tips on cleaning out white noise? It's distributed across so many wavelengths I'm having a rough time of it... probably not much I can do, huh? Any really good tutorials out there?