"Reducing Noise" in my recording

[Dr. Varney]

Personally I don't mind noise. There is a considerable amount of noise on many of my favorite "big time" albums at quiet parts if you listen.

Just my 2 cents.

I heard you can hear traffic noise on one of the Beatles albums... It wasn't intentional, it just filtered through from the road outside the window and they kept it. Don't know how true that is.

Dr. V

 

[Todzilla]

Modern gear, even the cheapest of the cheap, should be quiet enough that noise is not an issue. It is most likely the environment or mis-use of the equipment. Turn off everything: The airconditioner, the heat, the 'fridge, the TV, the ice maker, etc. That's most likely the problem. What your everyday untrained ear chalks up as "quiet" is not nessicarily quiet to a microphone.

Barring enviromnetal issues, check your gain structure. For instance, if one bit of gear is turned down way too low and the next bit of gear in the chain is turned up way too loud to compensate, you'll get noise.

So check that gain structure, but my bet is the environment.

Check your gain structure.

Each analog component should be set to feed the maximum pre-distortion audio levels to the next stage in the chain. That next chain will attenuate the input (thus reducing the noise floor as much as possible) until it sends its maximum pre-distortion audio to the next stage in the chain. The idea behind noise is it only matters in terms of its relative level compared to the sound you want. If the signal is very strong compared to the noise, you're good. This is true even of pro equipment (although there's less noise overall to start with).

This even holds true for various stages of signal processing in parts of you board. A strong signal coming in to your board can be attenuated at the trim, so that the rest of the circuitry can manage the signal with reduced noise.

Does this make sense?

 

[RAMI]

Modern gear, even the cheapest of the cheap, should be quiet enough that noise is not an issue. ......

check your gain structure. .....
check that gain structure

Check your gain structure.

(I realize this is a 3 year old thread, but since it got revived, it's still a relevant topic)
I know everyone else is trying to help, but it's amazing how so many people's first reaction is to suggest some "magic" plug-in.

You use the words "gain stucture" and you can just see everyone's eyes glassing over, ignoring it, and going back to looking for a magic plug-in.


(learn about and)Check your gain structure.

 

[Todzilla]

(I realize this is a 3 year old thread, but since it got revived, it's still a relevant topic)
I know everyone else is trying to help, but it's amazing how so many people's first reaction is to suggest some "magic" plug-in.

You use the words "gain stucture" and you can just see everyone's eyes glassing over, ignoring it, and going back to looking for a magic plug-in.


(learn about and)Check your gain structure.

And of course, you can buy a vintage Neumann U-47, an original Neve 1703 preamp, feed it through a UA1176 "F" series compressor, into a Cranesong A/D converter, ignore the gain structure and guess what? Hiss and noise will abound.