How do i remove the crackling noise when i connect my SM58 with the computer??

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kratos

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Im using a Behringer Tube modelling preamp for it (as im a on a tight budget).
But that doesnt help in reduce the annoying cracking,fizzling humming noise wheni record vocals!
What can i do to remove the dreadful noise?
I was thinking of getting a Behringer UCA202 2 In/2 Out USB/Audio Interface because i though it might be because of my crappy piece of device which they call a sound card.

Is this ok to remove the noise? and yes i tried Audacity. It sucks to remove noise as it removes the bits of vocal too and makes it sound out of tune or something!
 
Get rid of the behringer and try something else. For that may be where your problem is being generated.



:cool:
 
kratos said:
Im using a Behringer Tube modelling preamp for it (as im a on a tight budget).
But that doesnt help in reduce the annoying cracking,fizzling humming noise wheni record vocals!
What can i do to remove the dreadful noise?
I was thinking of getting a Behringer UCA202 2 In/2 Out USB/Audio Interface because i though it might be because of my crappy piece of device which they call a sound card.

Is this ok to remove the noise? and yes i tried Audacity. It sucks to remove noise as it removes the bits of vocal too and makes it sound out of tune or something!
Click to expand...

first dont blame audacity for the limitations of physics and acoustics. you wont find any program that fixes that problem for you.

second
tell us enough to know what your problem really is
describe all the equipment in detail, how it is connected, and how you are using it. then describe the problem in detail too.

its probably your pc sound card but who knows till you tell us enough to analyse the problem
 
yh but if i remove the preamp i can hardly hear myself at full volume! And the annoying noise is still there...
 
newcomputeruser said:
first dont blame audacity for the limitations of physics and acoustics. you wont find any program that fixes that problem for you.

second
tell us enough to know what your problem really is
describe all the equipment in detail, how it is connected, and how you are using it. then describe the problem in detail too.

its probably your pc sound card but who knows till you tell us enough to analyse the problem
Click to expand...

Sm58 Mic attached with standard xlr cable > cable into input of behringer preamp >from output an ordinary guitar amp cable fitted with a big to small socket to fit into pc > cable into line at the back of my pc as if i put it into the recording socket at the front of my cpu the noise is even more vicious.
At lower levels of boost added there is no noise but i can harrdly listen to myself when the backing track is playing.
I was thinking of buying a behringer uc202 audio interdace as im on a budget to reduce the noise. I dont know if thats sensible or whether itll kill the noise crackling.
 
One of the most common errors of those using PC sound cards with mic preamps is that they plug the output of an external preamp into the "Mic In" on the sound card. You do not want to do this as the Mic In expects a cheap gaming or telecom microphone to be plugged directly into it, and has it's own preamp built in for that purpose. The combination of the external preamp - which is putting pro-level line out - into the cheap mic in on the soundcard often causes signal distortion in th form of "crackling" or even signal clipping.

Therefore, first off, make sure you're plugging the output from your preamp into the "Line In" on your sound card and not the "Mic In". The "Line In" is usually color-coded some shade of blue, with the "Mic In" shaded red or pink.

Also note that the "Line In" on sound cards is often a stereo input. If this is the case, you'll get your mic signal (which is mono) in on the sound card's left channel only, and will need to make sure the software interface settings between your soundcard and your DAW software are set to receive the left channel of your soundcard.

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
One of the most common errors of those using PC sound cards with mic preamps is that they plug the output of an external preamp into the "Mic In" on the sound card. You do not want to do this as the Mic In expects a cheap gaming or telecom microphone to be plugged directly into it, and has it's own preamp built in for that purpose. The combination of the external preamp - which is putting pro-level line out - into the cheap mic in on the soundcard often causes signal distortion in th form of "crackling" or even signal clipping.

Therefore, first off, make sure you're plugging the output from your preamp into the "Line In" on your sound card and not the "Mic In". The "Line In" is usually color-coded some shade of blue, with the "Mic In" shaded red or pink.

Also note that the "Line In" on sound cards is often a stereo input. If this is the case, you'll get your mic signal (which is mono) in on the sound card's left channel only, and will need to make sure the software interface settings between your soundcard and your DAW software are set to receive the left channel of your soundcard.

G.
Click to expand...

Ok by line in do you mean by the blue shaded socket with a circular picture with a left stick coming out of the centre? could you please tell me what cable to use as i notice the green and blue sockets seem to indicate left and right.. Ive been using the pink line in socket all this time i guess
 
You've been using the pink "mic-in" socket this whole time, which is probably contributing a lot to the issues you're having.
Experiment with one of those blue or green sockets and find the one that is the line in.
It'll take a little crawling back behind the computer with a flashlight and whatnot, and some fiddling with your input settings in whatever your recording program is, but i bet you can get as big an improvement in your sound as that cheap behringer interface would give by just using your computer's soundcard correctly.
 
The Cancers said:
You've been using the pink "mic-in" socket this whole time, which is probably contributing a lot to the issues you're having.
Experiment with one of those blue or green sockets and find the one that is the line in.
It'll take a little crawling back behind the computer with a flashlight and whatnot, and some fiddling with your input settings in whatever your recording program is, but i bet you can get as big an improvement in your sound as that cheap behringer interface would give by just using your computer's soundcard correctly.
Click to expand...

Did what you told me to do and the results make a BIG difference! But how do i get rid of the faint fizzing noise that is still present when i record vocals?
Do you think an audio interface would be any good here now?
 
kratos said:
Did what you told me to do and the results make a BIG difference! But how do i get rid of the faint fizzing noise that is still present when i record vocals?
Do you think an audio interface would be any good here now?
Click to expand...

The 'fizz' is more than likely a property of your computer's sound card.

An interface would make a world of difference.
 
I've got a UCA-202, use it as a sound card to drive a pair of Behringer MS40 monitors. Also use the 202 as a line in from the stereo, to record vinyl and radio. With Audacity. It all works just fine. Behringer may not be exotic, or top-shelf, but the 202 is still a quantum leap up from the inbuilt sound card in most computers.

Amanda
 
Stop trying to each soup with a fork.
Get a real interface and your problems will
be gone.
 
Bear in mind, though, that there's gonna be a difference between a pro (or even prosumer) quality interface and that behringer thing you're looking at.

I'm not bagging on Behringer, and am a big advocate of "use what you can afford to the best of your abilities," but look at it this way.

An average pc soundcard (like the one you've already got) costs, what, $20- $40?

That's what the behringer thing costs.
And it does pretty much exactly what an average computer soundcard does, except with a usb connection instead of a pci one.
So they obviously don't have much more invested in it in the way of parts and development costs than your computer's soundcard.

Not saying it definitely won't make any improvement,
just saying don't expect it to work any miracles.

Edit:
And for the record, SS Glen told you to do it, I just reiterated in newb speak (not calling you a newb in a derogatory way, just saying sometimes things need translation).
 
kratos said:
Ok by line in do you mean by the blue shaded socket with a circular picture with a left stick coming out of the centre?
Click to expand...
Yep - as you've already discovered (and as Cancers helped you out with).
kratos said:
Could you please tell me what cable to use as i notice the green and blue sockets seem to indicate left and right.. Ive been using the pink line in socket all this time i guess
Click to expand...
Here's the actual standard full color code breakdown for most sound cards. Any given card may or may not be missing one or more of these:

Green - Line Out (computer speakers or headphones)
Pink or Red - Mic In (mono)
Light Blue or Blue - Line In (stereo)
Orange - Subwoofer or surround center out
Black - Surround rear out
Gray - Surround middle out (7.1 surround)
Gold - Joystick/midi game port

---

As far as your "fizziness", it could easily be the card itself as has been said.

Another possibility is that what you're hearing is ambient room noise because you have your preamp gain set too high.

A third possibility might be the tube modeling setting you're using on that pre; if you have it set for tube distortion or something like that, that "fizzy" noise may be part of it's algorithm.

G.
 
Still using a built-in soundcard?? Unfortunately, those are made with less than $1 worth of chips for beeps, boops and light gaming (not to mention cheapness for the manufacturer) and NOT quality music production.
#1 Rule of Recording: You MUST replace the built-in soundcard.
Here's a good guide and tested suggestions that WORK:

http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm

(you'll want to bookmark and read through all of Tweak's Guide while you're there...)

Another good article: Choosing an audio interface - http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep08/articles/audiointerfaces.htm
 
blue

The Cancers said:
You've been using the pink "mic-in" socket this whole time, which is probably contributing a lot to the issues you're having.
Experiment with one of those blue or green sockets and find the one that is the line in.
It'll take a little crawling back behind the computer with a flashlight and whatnot, and some fiddling with your input settings in whatever your recording program is, but i bet you can get as big an improvement in your sound as that cheap behringer interface would give by just using your computer's soundcard correctly.
Click to expand...


blue is line in
green is line out
pink is mike in
 
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