There is a lot of hiss sound in my recordings

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waqasalmas

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I guess this is my first post.
I am using the following equipment for recording narration for a DVD production of mine.

  • Behringer Xenyx 2222fx
  • Behringer B1 Condensor Microphone
  • Behringer USB Audio device for sending audio to my computer
  • Sony Vegas 9 pro

My question is, why i am getting a constant hiss noise in my recording.Can any piece of equipment be responsible for that noise?
I am not using a complete sound booth rite now but the external noises are minimal, nearly 0.W

What could be the possible reason?
Need help!
 
It could be a lot of things. Is the air conditioner on? If so, how loud is it and is it blowing into the microphone? Your computer fan could be too loud. It could be the preamps in your mixer.

Where are you doing the recording? Give us some details.



And.....welcome to the boards.:)
 
Thanks for the reply and the warm welcome:)

I dont have an AC installed in my room.The CPU fan has noise but its not that much.How can a preamp in my mixer cause noise? please explain.

I am recording in my room which is not near a road so no traffic noise as such.I am afraid m not using a proper audio device for letting my computer record my audio.My mic manual says its better to use a gold plated XLR connector cable as Behringer B1 comes with gold plated pins.Can that be a reason?

For the detail part, i am recording through RCA cables from the CD/TAPE section of my mixer into the USB audio device.
 
I work in a music retail store that sells alot of behringer equipment.
most of their products are good, especially their mixers. But NOT their USB audio interfaces, honestly nothing but trouble.
HOWEVER the behring F-Control FCA202 firewire audio interface is much better and would most probably cure your problem.
 
ALSO using the fca202 allowed use you to use the 1/4" "main out" on the mixer, into 1/4" inputs on the mixer.
Tape out/rca is going to create noise.
 
Are you sure you are getting phantom power to the mic? Make sure you have an XLR cable and the phantom power button is on. Do you have the hiss when you listen to headphones directly on the 2222?

If you do then it's not your USB device. If you don't then it probably is.

If it is the USB device, then make sure you don't have it switched to the phono input. Use the line level option and no gain from the USB. If that doesn't work then the USB device may be bad.

If it's not the USB device then narrow down the problem using one mic and one channel at a time. Pull all the faders down and turn all the pre's off. Set channel one and the master fader to infinity and turn your pre up just enough to hear the mic at a normal speaking volume. Do you hear the hiss? If yes then try another channel. If you get the same on the other channels then swap out the mic cable. If it continues try another mic. Swap out only one piece at a time and you'll find it.
 
the gold connector story is a load of poopoo, its not an issue and uneccasary.
 
NYMorningstar said:
Are you sure you are getting phantom power to the mic? Make sure you have an XLR cable and the phantom power button is on. Do you have the hiss when you listen to headphones directly on the 2222?

If you do then it's not your USB device. If you don't then it probably is.

If it is the USB device, then make sure you don't have it switched to the phono input. Use the line level option and no gain from the USB. If that doesn't work then the USB device may be bad.

If it's not the USB device then narrow down the problem using one mic and one channel at a time. Pull all the faders down and turn all the pre's off. Set channel one and the master fader to infinity and turn your pre up just enough to hear the mic at a normal speaking volume. Do you hear the hiss? If yes then try another channel. If you get the same on the other channels then swap out the mic cable. If it continues try another mic. Swap out only one piece at a time and you'll find it.
Click to expand...


the ehringer usb audio interface has only rca phono l/r in, rca phono l/r out
 
Does that model have FX?.. The FX on my behringer mixer give off loads of his try turning down the FX return... Are you main out faders on zero? If they are turned up too loud that will cause his.. Get the volume from the gain not the faders always boost volume early on in the signal chain, keep it flat everywhere else... I don't think it could be the preamps i tried the new xenyx pre's and was amazed at the lack of noise compared to the older IMP pre's I have on my desk...

Whats it running through just the mixer or any outboard?
 
First of all, Behringer gear is prone to hiss issues, among other serious problems. I bought a 16 channel mixer of theirs a while back and it's far and away the noisiest piece of gear I have. So much so, I could never insert it into the recording chain.

I suspect another contributing issue is improper gain staging. If you're passing nice healthy signals from one component to the next, you're getting more signal to noise. If you're not gain staging properly, you're sending a weak signal from one component to the next, then compensating by boosting that input until the weak signal is loud enough. Problem is, you've boosted the noise considerably to get that.

To over-simplify, you want the strongest undistorted signal coming out of each component, so the next component can manage the signal without boosting noise. Even if you're only using the Xenyx unit, it has several points at which the signal is passed to other internal components. You'll want to set the trim on the board to get as strong an undistorted signal as possible, leaving your faders at reasonable levels.
 
Todzilla said:
First of all, Behringer gear is prone to hiss issues, among other serious problems. I bought a 16 channel mixer of theirs a while back and it's far and away the noisiest piece of gear I have. So much so, I could never insert it into the recording chain.

I suspect another contributing issue is improper gain staging. If you're passing nice healthy signals from one component to the next, you're getting more signal to noise. If you're not gain staging properly, you're sending a weak signal from one component to the next, then compensating by boosting that input until the weak signal is loud enough. Problem is, you've boosted the noise considerably to get that.

To over-simplify, you want the strongest undistorted signal coming out of each component, so the next component can manage the signal without boosting noise. Even if you're only using the Xenyx unit, it has several points at which the signal is passed to other internal components. You'll want to set the trim on the board to get as strong an undistorted signal as possible, leaving your faders at reasonable levels.
Click to expand...

What I was trying to say lol...
I only disagree that the mixer is def the prob, I got a Beh 2442fx and only noise is from mic pre's (if turned up full) and the return from the built in FX, apart from that the signal structure seems pretty low noise and very uncoloured.... I doubt it would contribute to the extent the OP mentions here.
 
Even with that setup, you should be able to get ultra low noise recordings. I can almost guarantee it's a gainstaging issue. You don't need gold plated connectors, you just need to set up your mixer correctly.

is there a good newbie gainstaging article anywhere? That is the hardest thing to grasp when starting out, but is absolutely necessary to getting clean recordings.
 
I second the points about making sure you have phantom power for the mic turned on, the point about proper gain structure, and to make sure you have the fx part of the mixer turned off first to see if you're getting noise from the fx section.

As far as the gain structure thing, click on the icon in my signature line, and when the main page of the IRN website comes up, find the icon in the lower right that says "Metering and Gain Structure" to launch an applet that goes through the topics of (of all things) metering and gain structure. While the whole thing contains useful information, if you click on the mixer icon in the lower right of that applet for information ofa common method for dialing in good levels on your mixer.

Also - this is going to sound stupid, but you'd be surprised how often this happens to real people, even the smartest ones - male sure you have your B1 mic facing the right way. It's easy to accidentally point a round can away from the source instead of towards it, causing you to crank the preamp gain and get more room noise than desired sound.

G.
 
my guess is your mic/EQ.

get closer to the microphone to narrate. (put a pop screen 2 inches away from it and stick your nose against it.)

if you are speaking 2 ft away, you are going to have to turn the gain up to make it sound like you're directly speaking into it... then you get all the hiss with it.

try this, as well:

if you understand eq'ing put a tight Q (8.5) on your high mids... then gun the gain to 12db... roll the frequency dial back and forth until the hiss is super loud... then lower the gain back down on that frequency... (-5 to 10db) it will probably be around the 8 - 8.5 khtz area that is giving you all the hiss. now widen out the Q to get as much hiss out as you can without making your voice sound weird or dull/flat. i hope i explained that well; it's a lot easier to just show someone.

anyways, give it a try. it's called 'mid sweeping' and it's been used for years as a way to stop bad frequencies from ruling the world. :)

s
 
Disease8 said:
What I was trying to say lol...
I only disagree that the mixer is def the prob, I got a Beh 2442fx and only noise is from mic pre's (if turned up full) and the return from the built in FX, apart from that the signal structure seems pretty low noise and very uncoloured.... I doubt it would contribute to the extent the OP mentions here.
Click to expand...

With improper gain staging, any mixer can hiss. Behringers are pretty hissy, in my experience, although proper gain staging can minimize hiss.
 
generally the xenyx mixers run pretty quiet,
but that interface (from experience) doesnt.
 
NYMorningstar said:
Are you sure you are getting phantom power to the mic? Make sure you have an XLR cable and the phantom power button is on. Do you have the hiss when you listen to headphones directly on the 2222?
Click to expand...

Yes i guess, as when i put the trim on my mic channel upto 60-70% i can hear a lot of hiss already...i believe there is definitely something wrong with my USB device.

I have tried searching stuff on gain staging too.one of the folks here who runs this IRN website directed me to his website and i got some pretty neet stuff there..Thanks for that bro!!!

Last nite i tried recording with having my channel fader near to zero mark and the trim know upto 60% and i recorded a lot of hiss in my files.

M letting the signal cross through mic channel to main mix then to cd/tape from where it is being transported into my computer via the USB device.

Any kind advices?

Thank you all for the valuable input and replies
 
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