Microphone Hiss... EMU 0404-M-Audiobuddy-Perception 200

[thanhkim]

Hello there guys. I am hoping you will help the kid who is just learning how to record. I have a problem.

My system:

EMU 0404
M-Audio Buddy preamp
Perception 200 microphone

The tutorials and guides I find that I'm letting teach me how to record tell me I need to have the signal as high as it can go without peaking. I can do this fine with my electric guitar. But, I tried the mic for the first time yesterday, and I can't turn up the gain very high without getting a hiss. I was told this microphone was quality, so I am doubting it's the mic, right?

Can you help me understand what might be going wrong? I have balanced 1/4" cables connecting the preamp to the soundcard. I'm sure the hiss isn't background noise, becaue I've tried putting the mic far from my computer, in a separate room.

I guess I don't really understand why this is, and I am wondering if you can help explain it to me. Why I get a hiss with the mic, but not with the guitar. I have the phantom switched on, too. Because I understood I had to with this microphone.

 

[whyseye]

Do you have the 0404 USB?
If so, and you have the gain turned up on both that and the AudioBuddy, that may be the problem....try turning down one or the other, and see if that makes a difference. The preamps in 0404 USB are pretty quiet unless they're really pushed....

 

[Freddy]

The tutorials and guides I find that I'm letting teach me how to record tell me I need to have the signal as high as it can go without peaking.

I'd say this is misleading. While true of analog gear, that translates differently in the digital world, especially at 24-bit.

You want to aim for an average of around -18 to around -15. This means maybe peaks at around -6. If you look at the meters in your recording software and they read higher than that during tracking, turn the gain down.

The results will improve, and you will have headroom for EQ, reverb, etc.

 

[thanhkim]

It's not the USB 0404. But I am using the Patchmix DSP computer mixer... and i do have gain turned up on that, plus the preamp. Let me give it a try here tonight... can't at the moment.

What would be causing it, though? Because the electric guitar is different. I can turn up the mixer and preamp gain and no hiss... just distortion if I go too high. Is it reamplifying a hiss in the cables?

And then... if I'm not able to record my mic at the same level as the guitar, how will that affect song?

Have to try your suggestions here... maybe in a few hours. have to study for my finals, sadly.

 

[Rokket]

Guitars are line level. That means the signal is higher (louder) than mic level. When you plug in a guitar, it is slightly lower or at line level. Microphones need a pre amp to reach line level.

It could be that your pre amp is causing the noise. Most of the time, it's the culprit. When you plug in your pre amp, you should have the levels of your mixer, software or whatever at unity (0 gain). Then adjust your pre amp to bring the level up so to avoid clipping. The higher you have your levels on the mixer, the more noise you are going to introduce into the signal path.

 

[thanhkim]

Ok. Hey guys? I don't hear the hiss? But I can see levels in the Patchmix at about 50. The scale is from 70-0. But, I can't hear a hiss. But what is the Patchmix reading?

Also, I can turn it down low enough so that, even though I can see a signal in Patchmix, I can't see it in Cubase LE. Does that mean that Cubase won't pick it up?

But I tried the suggestion, turning down the gain low on the Patchmix, but turning it up high on the preamp? And I can't get a decent enough signal then.


I put a trim pot on the mixer?

 

[thanhkim]

Hmm... If I add a mixer to the preamp, do you think that will increase or decrease the noise?

Ok. I'm not sure how to do a quality recording. I mean, I can't even approach clipping, if I dont' want it to be recording with noise.

I am assuming if the peak meter picks up a signal, that it is noise, even if I can't hear it.

It's really a nice microphone, but I'd like to be able to use it. Think I should just save up and get a nicer preamp? Is that my main problem?

I have everything set to 0 db on the Patchmix... so that tells me that the noise has to be introduced by the preamp right? At least I have narrowed it down?

 

[Freddy]

Hmm. You are connecting via the XLR connections right?

If so, I wonder whether the audiobuddy isn't kicking out the phantom power the mic needs (I think your mic likes the full 48V, and I'm not sure the audiobuddy quite manages that).

 

[thanhkim]

I returned the Audiobuddy. I was only getting sound out one speaker? And then I switched to a different IN on the preamp, and then I got sound out both speakers. Changing nothing in Patchmix or Cubase.

So I returned the Audiobuddy. Time to research some decent preamps here.