Noise floor question?

[guitarlover]

Hi,

I have what I hope is not too stupid a question. I have noticed several references to "noise floor" in the last few days. I understand what it is but how does one "hear" it as mentioned elsewhere? Is it an underlying hiss (cassette tape-like) or is it a form of distortion to the signal?

Thanks for the help ,

Steve

 

[billisa]

Visually, the noise floor is like the 2" sandy bottom of a large aquarium. It's the background noise, hiss, produced by the equipment being used. A given mic, preamp, or whatever produces its own level of noise, in a sense, at the "base" of its output, but this is usually covered over by the actual sound being recorded. You may have a mic that has a self-noise of 20db, but when you record a voice or guitar with it, the 20db of hiss is inaudible underneath the 80db of music. However, if you were recording a very soft voice or instrument, then the noise floor of 20db might be audible along with the sound you really want.

 

[guitarlover]

Thanks, That's what I thought it must be. Given your explanation, you should hear some of the first recordings I did on my old Porta 02! More like a noise ceiling!

Thanks again, Steve

 

[billisa]

Yeah, I can imagine! But the funny thing is, your brain has a way of ignoring "noise" and focusing only on the music. Like built-in Dolby! I used to love my old cassettes with their 57db of signal to noise ratio. But I'm glad I'm recording on what I have now...