How do I get rid of the sizzle when I record?

[jacksmart]

How do I get rid of the sizzle when I record? The more gain I use the greater
the sizzle. I need to know how to get rid of some of this sizzle and still have
acceptable volume.
Thanks,
Jack

 

[scrubs]

What microphone and preamp are you using? Also, what do you mean by "sizzle?" Is sizzle noise? Is it harshness? What?

 

[jacksmart]

Answer to question

I use a Behringer preamp (Eurotrack) the sizzle is noise. It sounds like when you turn the volume up full without playing something. Can this be minimized?
Jack

 

[nuemes]

Get rid of the Behringer. If you can't then check out mic placement and follow the signal chain from there. If it's still an issue then roll off the high-end. Yikes.

 

[daav]

Are you hearing this through your headphones or monitor from the mixer or from your recording device? I have a crappy ber. mixer as well, and I have no problem with gain structuring between the mixer and the weak preamps of my recorder with any of my mics, none of which are fantastic (sm57. sm58, MK 319, 603s).

What is the mic? Try switching out your mic cable, it might be bad. The gain on the preamp (the small black knob by the input) should not have to be turned up too high. Is there achance that you have the volume ont he headphones cranked? The noise might not even be from the mic/preamp combo. If the mic is cheapo it could have a lot of self noise, if there is a lot of electo-magnetic interference and you balanced cables are crappy/shoprting out, that could pick up noise, etc.

For the most part, if you put all the pots (gain on the pre, volume on the channel, master volume, and the volume on the amp/headphones) about halfway, you should not be addig too much noise.

If you have a condensor and are jhsut getting used to it, you might be hearing the room, the first time many use one of these types of mics, they start to hear everyhting going on in their houses.

If you have no techincal issues like described above, your mic may jsut be very noisy, you could cut some of the highs in EQ< but that will lose some of the signal you are trying to capture, a bad option.

Daav

 

[scrubs]

I use a Behringer preamp (Eurotrack) the sizzle is noise. It sounds like when you turn the volume up full without playing something. Can this be minimized?
Jack

turn the volume up on the preamp with nothing connected to the input. do you hear the noise? if so, it's the preamp. those behringer mixer preamps are often quite nasty, especially with the gain up. i would ditch the mixer and get some better preamps. if you need lots of preamps for not much $$, look into the soundcraft and yamaha mg mixers. If you only need a couple of channels for not much scratch, look into the m-audio dmp3, or similar. much quieter.

 

[gecko zzed]

Do a check to find out where the noise is coming from before chucking out any piece of equipment. I recall thinking I had a problem like that, and it took me a while to realise that the gain on another channel of the mixer (not in use but still connected) was way up, adding a nice ambient background hiss. Needless to say, I was most relieved when I achieved quietness again after turning the gain down and realising that nothing was broke