Utterly clueless, need help with "swishy" noise problem

Hello, I have no idea what I’m doing…
I’m trying to record a podcast using a Marantz Professional MPM1000 Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone with Windscreen, Shockmount, Tripod Stand and XLR Cable but I’m having real trouble with the sound quality. It sounds “swishy” and I have no idea how to fix it.
I’m using Windows 7 and audacity version 2.2.0. I was very careful to make sure that none of the cables cross each other because I read somewhere that could cause an issue.
I’m recording at home, and there is local traffic noise so I have the microphone inside a large cardboard box with a blanket draped over it. Should I be setting up padding or something inside the box as well?

The last recording is here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vbwqbtiyklw9vrq/AACuiPv6K4Ey3FY0UYHN1OkOa?dl=0 (please ignore the silly person shouting in the background, he knows he’s getting edited out)
Any tips you can offer on how to improve my setup, what settings I ought to be using, what effects I should or shouldn’t use, etc would be gratefully received (especially if you can dumb them down for me… I’m not very technical.)

I’m having trouble getting your Project. It’s possible DropBox doesn’t “know” what those filetypes are. Please Export a WAV (Microsoft) of the work and post that.

However, even without hearing it, Windows, left to its own devices will try to help you by applying voice processing. The voice itself may sound OK, but the background noises and even your breathing sounds may turn into whispering into a wine glass or rain barrel.

There are some standard places to look for that setting.

http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/faq_recording_troubleshooting.html#enhancements

Most people want to chat or business conference and it’s good to have the system suppress the noise behind you, but it’s less handy if you’re trying to produce a stand-alone show.

Koz

a Marantz Professional MPM1000 Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone with Windscreen, Shockmount, Tripod Stand and XLR Cable

Nothing wrong with any of that, but what did you plug the XLR cable into? There are no XLR connections in most computers and the computer connection causes a lot of troubles.

Koz

I’ve put a WAV in the dropbox folder as well now, thanks.
I have a Stagg SAC1MPSX Minijack 3.5mm to XLR Female Balanced Audio Cable to connect to the computer with.

Doesn’t that microphone take phantom power? Is there a box you plugged in and forgot to mention?


https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/devils-adapter/46592/1

Compare that to the home-made cable I produced to do the same job.

Note my adapter only has one dark band on the 1/8" plug.

You can get into all sorts of trouble if your 1/8" plug has two dark bands.

I will download and listen to your work. That may tell me if you’re going to have problems.

Remember this is a forum not a help desk, so I may need to drop out and play Real Life here and there.

Koz

Your recording level is far too low. Turn up the recoding level and get really close to the mic (use a “pop shield” to avoid wind blast)

Also, check that all Windows “sound enhancements” are off? (see: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/faq_recording_troubleshooting.html#enhancements)
It sounds like “noise cancellation” or “echo cancellation” is being applied.

Also, set recording to “1 channel (mono)”.

Closer.

Apparently, this is going to take the rest of the afternoon to download. Can you cut and post a minute or 30 second clip and post that. Make sure the cutting has the damage.

Koz

Yes sorry, that’s an InnoGear I229

Oh. It does. What does that mean?

I’m flying blind until I hear the work.

Apparently, I’m trying to download the entire half-hour show in WAV. Can you cut down, like select the first minute and File > Export Selected?

I don’t have the best internet connection. I have to go out every so often and shoo the birds away from the wires to keep it going.


On some production soundcards, that “devil’s adapter” can produce an odd sound file with the left and right sound out of step with each other. In addition to all the other problems called out by Steve above, you could have a show which will not play on mono players or music systems that mix down to mono and don’t tell you.

It’s particularly evil because if you send a show to five clients, for example, one or two may write back that you sent them a silent show. The others are just fine with it.

???

You can go round and round for days trying to figure out what’s happening. It’s a damaged sound file that’s not obviously damaged.

I listened to a podcast a day or two ago that was recorded with this damage. On my music system, the performer sounded like she was standing behind me. That’s another oddity of this problem.

I’m on the edge of my seat.

Koz

There should now be a file called “SF 1906 take 3 clip” in the dropbox folder I linked earlier, that’s just the introduction.

If it’s this “devil’s adapter” thing, what would be the solution? Would an XLR to USB cable be better?

I’m in the field right now. It will take me a bit to listen.

My personal favorite is an actual microphone USB adapter. I have a Behringer UM2. If you do that, you won’t need the little phantom power device because Phantom Power is built-in to the UM2.

That’s it to the left of my laptop.

Don’t go crazy until I hear the work. As in Steve’s posting, you could have more than one problem.

Just a side issue, where did you get the Devil’s Adapter from?

Koz

There’s some very serious problems with the clip.

It’s very low volume and it has noise reduction processing applied to it. That’s why it sounds like talking in a tube or a wine glass.

I’m not sure where to start.

Audacity has two different ways to tell your recording volume. The blue sound waves and the bouncing green sound meter.

If everything is working OK, it should look something like this. The sound meter should occasionally bounce up to -10 or -6, and the blue sound waves should go about half-way up (0.5).

This is a detail of the sound meter. That’s the important part. Your meter will look a little different.
Screen Shot 2018-02-06 at 16.01.17.png
Start a recording as a throw-away just for testing. Doesn’t matter what the words are. Get closer and closer and speak louder and louder until your Audacity looks something like that. Never, ever blow into a microphone, but it doesn’t matter how loud you speak.

Can you ever get loud enough?

Koz

In short, no.


To get the blue waves to that point I had to get my face right up to the mic. The bouncing meter only went up to about -16.

The adapter was ordered online, I think it came from a music supplier.