Is it the software or the microphone?

E

euandreal

New member
Hi, I have a FIFINE USB microphone for almost a year. I started to hear my voice off beat. I also updated my audacity software. Now I dont know if the problem is in my microphone or in Audacity.
This is what I see when I record a noise and record it again to check synchrony.

What do you guys think?

1645031518346.png
 
Yep - I', also not sure what we're seeing? Some of those could be identical but the left to right magnification is different and the top to bottom gain is different. Others have little humps - and there is a regular peak in others - which could be computer bus noise and a very low gain?

You need to explain what we are seeing, so we can put the images into context? Maybe even a sound file to listen to?
 
He's having a problem with Latency. That's why his voice is off beat.

I have never tried to use a USB mic with Audacity for recording. If he is just using the standard Windows audio drivers, there's probably significant delay in the system. I don't know that there is any way to adjust the buffers in something like a Realtec audio driver.

By it's nature, USB has to have some latency, since it is a packet based system. If you have a 128 bit buffer and are recording at 44,100 samples per second, you will have a minimum of 2.9 ms input latency. (128/44100 =.0029 seconds). There will be additional delay sending data out, plus any processing. Most people feel that a delay of 10ms is not an issue. That is equivalent to sitting 10 ft away from the source (the speed of sound at sea level is ~1.1 ft/millisecond).

I'm not sure if I'm reading his screen shot correctly, but if I am, he is experiencing something on the order of .03 seconds, or 30ms. That will probably be noticeable, especially if he is doing repeated takes. Each one adds up until you get more than 100ms which is very obvious.

Thankfully, with digital recording, it's a trivial matter to grab a delayed track and move it to sync up with the original track. Some programs will do this automatically by reading the system latency, and then adjusting on the fly. I know that Reaper does this. I don't know if Audacity has that option, I would have to look at settings.
 
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Looking at Audacity, you can try adjusting buffers in the preferences. This is the standard settings on my laptop with no ASIO drivers, only the Realtek audio. You can see that it is using a buffer of "100ms" which if you are recording 44,100 sample rate, is around a 4410 bit buffer (HUGE!!!). Adjust the buffer and the latency compensation numbers until a loop back test has minimal delay and you should be ok.

Audacity buffer.jpg
 
Thank you for the replies, guys. I wasnt clear in my statement, probably because im not a native english speaker.
I record the first track by hitting the microphone and then the other tracks by putting my headphone right next to the microphone, just to check if the sound was synchronised with the first one. The result were tracks out of sync in a random manner, so I cant solve this problem by adjusting the latency... (that forth track was probably due to my hand moving).
I think that now I made myself clear. So it is probably the USB myc. Just an audio interface with a normal plug mic would solve it, right?
 
What is the buffer length please? In "physics" terms like you explain the other things...
TalismanRich said:
Looking at Audacity, you can try adjusting buffers in the preferences. This is the standard settings on my laptop with no ASIO drivers, only the Realtek audio. You can see that it is using a buffer of "100ms" which if you are recording 44,100 sample rate, is around a 4410 bit buffer (HUGE!!!). Adjust the buffer and the latency compensation numbers until a loop back test has minimal delay and you should be ok.

View attachment 114952
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at
 
euandreal said:
But an audio interface would solve it?
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An audio interface is definitely the "right" way to do it, but you'll need a mic that connects with an XLR cable. It's a bit more of a financial commitment than a budget USB mic, but not a huge amount in the overall picture.

An audio interface integrates all the functions you need for recording in one device, including XLR inputs for mics, mic preamplifiers, headphone connections and controls, studio monitor connections and controls, some provision (usually via software these days) for very low latency input monitoring, USB connection to the computer. Add mics, mic stands, XLR cables, headphones, studio monitors, cables for monitors a computer and a good sounding room for a complete setup.

Another thing to consider, interfaces with ASIO drivers might not work on Audacity. Upgrading to an actual DAW (rather than a freeware editor) would be a good idea.
 
Most software will list the buffer in sample size. I don't know why Audacity using milliseconds, but that's what was listed.

The way USB works, it is like a bucket brigade. As data is being sent, it collects in the bucket. The computer will check to see if there is data in the bucket, if it is, it will pull the data, process it and move on. In the settings I mentioned above, each bucket holds 128 samples of data. If you set the buffer too low, and the computer doesn't get there in time, then data will overflow, and you lose samples. This will exhibit as clicks, pops and dropouts.

Audacity appears to be starting out with a very big buffer, so there's no chance of data being lost. The problem that a bigger buffer causes a larger delay. On Youtube, there is an excellent video that explains the process, but I can't remember where it is right now.

I really don't know how Ffine sets up the audio transfer. Perhaps someone who has used the Ffine knows more about it's setting.

Try changing the buffer to something more workable, like 20ms and see if it works better. You can't break anything. I'm guessing that the extra 30ms tacked on for the compensation is an estimation on how long Audacity is taking to process the audio itself (converting from 16 bit to a 32 bit floating number, storing the number, then plotting it on the waveform). Your method of trying to record a speaker playback is ok. Make sure that you have the mic right at the front of the speaker. Changing the distance will change the delay! Remember sound moves at about .3meters/ms. Record a click track and use that.
 
TalismanRich said:
Most software will list the buffer in sample size. I don't know why Audacity using milliseconds, but that's what was listed.

The way USB works, it is like a bucket brigade. As data is being sent, it collects in the bucket. The computer will check to see if there is data in the bucket, if it is, it will pull the data, process it and move on. In the settings I mentioned above, each bucket holds 128 samples of data. If you set the buffer too low, and the computer doesn't get there in time, then data will overflow, and you lose samples. This will exhibit as clicks, pops and dropouts.

Audacity appears to be starting out with a very big buffer, so there's no chance of data being lost. The problem that a bigger buffer causes a larger delay. On Youtube, there is an excellent video that explains the process, but I can't remember where it is right now.

I really don't know how Ffine sets up the audio transfer. Perhaps someone who has used the Ffine knows more about it's setting.

Try changing the buffer to something more workable, like 20ms and see if it works better. You can't break anything. I'm guessing that the extra 30ms tacked on for the compensation is an estimation on how long Audacity is taking to process the audio itself (converting from 16 bit to a 32 bit floating number, storing the number, then plotting it on the waveform). Your method of trying to record a speaker playback is ok. Make sure that you have the mic right at the front of the speaker. Changing the distance will change the delay! Remember sound moves at about .3meters/ms. Record a click track and use that.
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Thank you
 
Hello, and thank you for posting. It sounds like you may be experiencing some timing issues with your microphone and Audacity software. There are a few things that you can try to help resolve this:

- Make sure that your microphone is properly plugged into your computer's USB port.
- Try increasing the recording buffer size in Audacity's preferences. This can help to minimize any latency or timing issues.
- If possible, try using a different software program to record audio with. This can help to determine if the issue is specific to Audacity, or if it is with the microphone itself.

If you continue to experience problems after trying these suggestions, please feel free to reach out for further assistance. Thank you!

_______
Jason Hook. Audio Enthusiast and Software Developer
Remove or Isolate Vocals from any Song 👉 https://www.UnMixIt.com/
 
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