Noob - Help with Background Noise and Noise Cancelling

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Noob - Need Help with Background Noise and Noise Cancelling

Hey guys,

So, I started to do youtube let's plays and I was looking to increase the volume of my mic on the Sennheiser PC360 without the noise to come with it when using 'boosting' it on the computer. So I thought, isn't that what a mic pre-amp's for?

So I got the pre-amp and realised that I can't just connect into the line-in direct from the mic because of the weak signal. I also found out that converting the 3.5mm to XLR doesn't work either even though it's mean for mic level signals. Apparently signals from gaming mics are pathetically small.

So I thought, since I already have a pre-amp (Behringer Minimic800), might as well get a proper mic with it, and I got the Audio Technica AT2020 XLR.

Then I found out that with the at2020, it becomes too sensitive and practically everything's picked up.

Oh dear :laughings:.

I connect the pre-amp to the creative zxr sound card and it has a noise cancelling option. The problem is that it's both really good and really bad. It's really good because it practically removes all background noise. It's very bad because it seems to be too aggressive and makes me sound like I'm talking through a towel while having a lisp.

Is there anything I can do to reduce background noise while maintaining voice fidelity? Note that I prefer not to record voice separately to have that scrubbed (in audacity, for example)

:confused:
 
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eliminate the source of the noise. If it's your computer, try moving it to another room. If it's your ventilation system, turn it off during recording.

Condenser mics are very sensitive. I recommend against using any kind of noise reducing processors. I don't think any of them can remove noise without altering the recorded signal in an undesirable way.
 
Hey,
Chili's advice is good.

shadowoflight said:
I was looking to increase the volume of my mic on the Sennheiser PC360 without the noise to come with it when using 'boosting' it on the computer. So I thought, isn't that what a mic pre-amp's for?
Click to expand...

That depends on the noise.
A quality preamp should amplify a signal without introducing unwanted noise but if the noise is in the room, any preamp will amplify that noise too.

Other practical things you can do are position the mic so the source of noise (fan/computer/whatever) is directly behind the mic, and speak as close to the mic as possible.
The latter increases the ratio between the source (your voice) and the noise in the room.
Of course, Chili's advice is the first and best thing to do.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Hey,
Chili's advice is good.



That depends on the noise.
A quality preamp should amplify a signal without introducing unwanted noise but if the noise is in the room, any preamp will amplify that noise too.

Other practical things you can do are position the mic so the source of noise (fan/computer/whatever) is directly behind the mic, and speak as close to the mic as possible.
The latter increases the ratio between the source (your voice) and the noise in the room.
Of course, Chili's advice is the first and best thing to do.
Click to expand...

the problem was the pre amp won't even pick up the signal from the headset's mic. I figured it was because the headset's mic impedence was 2 ohms, while xlr mics tend to be 100 ohms - LOL

the problem is that it's a bit hard to isolate the noises. I'll boil without air-conditioning and my house's sound proofing sucks, so when my parents watch tv outside or if anybody talks, it can be heard in here. I live in an apartment in Singapore, it's population dense here, so living in multi story landed story houses tend to be reserved for the richer folks. oh well.

The mic is about 2 feet away from me. So I should bring it closer? Then I'm gonna need to buy a stand =.=. What if I were to change the mic type?
 
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I understand.
Specifics aside, I'm just pointing out that fancy preamps won't have any impact on ambient noises.
If it moves air, mics pick it up, and if mics pick it up, preamps amplify it.

If you can't turn off AC etc then your only choice is to be creative with mic positioning and to get as close to the mic as possible.
That will definitely help to some extent.
 
You probably bought the wrong mic for your situation. If you can't control the noise in the room, then you should consider a less sensitive mic. A dynamic mic might be a better fit. There are many to choose from.
 
Chili said:
You probably bought the wrong mic for your situation. If you can't control the noise in the room, then you should consider a less sensitive mic. A dynamic mic might be a better fit. There are many to choose from.
Click to expand...

I've been thinking about that.

What's the effective difference between the 2? Also, is there a reason why condenser mics are so much more popular than dynamic mics when it comes to home based studios? I have to admit, I didn't really consider that question before making the decision. Lesson learnt I guess.
 
The main difference, in my opinion, is that dynamic mics are often much more forgiving when it comes to plosives.
For that reason you can often get much closer to them and therefore increase the level of your voice compared to background noise.
 
Get closer to the mic and turn the gain down on the preamp. Look up "inverse square law". You may want a pop filter of some sort.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Get closer to the mic and turn the gain down on the preamp. Look up "inverse square law". You may want a pop filter of some sort.
Click to expand...

sigh... I was hoping to avoid having a dildo on my table, much less one that's close to my face...but it looks like there's not much choice considering my environment huh =\

"people often meet their destiny on the road they take to avoid it" - I bought a pre amp thinking that it's a workaround so that I don't need a dildo in my face. But from there, I got a condenser mic, thinking hey since I already have a preamp might as well, then to get that to work properly in my environment, I'll need to put it nearer to my face.

Master Wu Gui man, I'm telling you.
 
The only other option is a headset. I've no idea how good/bad they are.
 
Put a pop filter in front of it, then it won't be DIRECTLY in front of your face. But typically you need to be about 6 inches in front of the mic.
 
shadowoflight said:
sigh... I was hoping to avoid having a dildo on my table, much less one that's close to my face...but it looks like there's not much choice considering my environment huh =\

"people often meet their destiny on the road they take to avoid it" - I bought a pre amp thinking that it's a workaround so that I don't need a dildo in my face. But from there, I got a condenser mic, thinking hey since I already have a preamp might as well, then to get that to work properly in my environment, I'll need to put it nearer to my face.

Master Wu Gui man, I'm telling you.
Click to expand...

You're using an omni dildo when you really need a hyper-cardioid dildo.

Common rookie mistake.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
I think he started with a headset, but a gaming one. There are "real" headset mics that sound pretty good.
Click to expand...

The headset I got (sennheiser pc360) probably has the best mic of all of gaming headsets out there, according to lots of reviews and comments and I agree, it's pretty good.

The problem is that when I need to boost the input, which means using the boost option on the pc, the underlying signal noise becomes obvious. No issue with ambient noise.

I bought the preamp hoping to solve that problem but the signal from that mic isn't even a mic level signal.

Speaking of which, is there a way I can boost the signal from the headset mic so that I can feed it into the pre amp?

A pre-pre-amp.

Lulz
 
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See, you're ticking all the 'don't do' boxed.

Your creative sound card isn't serious recording equipment.
I'm guessing your headset is designed to match it.

If you mix and match studio gear with gaming gear, you get lowest common denominator out.


It's been said but do everything you can to reduce or eliminate noises in the room.
The buy a respectable usb interface (or similar) and a headset mic with XLR output.

BSG..recommend any names?
 
I really good and cheap way to solve the problems of ambient noise being picked up by capacitor mics is to create a kind of temporary tent with duvets. You can buy cheap ones at Ikea and suspend one in from, one behind, and if possible one above the recording position. They can be easily stowed away afterwards and can be very effective in getting a quite close mixed sound.

Of course they won't help if the problem is your mic pre-amp or a poor gain structure. Set the mic pre gain as high as possible without clipping, then use the output/trim to control the recording volume.
 
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