Blue Yeti/G35 Background Static (frying mosquitos)

Special Interest Groups Recording Equipment
1

So as the title has humbly said, I have a static like, or hissing background noise with both my microphones. Both microphones are USB plug in, and I have plugged both in multiple different areas in my PC, and also tried switching power supply outlets on the wall.

As most already know, there seems to not be any real solution to this problem other then buying a new microphone that is XlR and has 48 volt phantom power. With that said, I wasn’t 100% certain if that would fix the problem or just help?

I have about $250 to hopefully fix this problem.

There are a few bundles on Amazon, and I don’t really know what I’m doing, so I was wondering what would get me, the closest to fixing my audio problems.

Bundle one: http://amzn.to/1O5nLOY the AT2020 normally the most recommended microphone for streaming on Twitch.

Bundle two: http://amzn.to/1O5nLOY This is the set up Pewdiepie uses and well I figure if a guy who makes millions uses this, it must hold some amount of weight.
If I was to go this route would I buy an icicle? that seems to be normally bought with it, uncertain what mixer and amp Pewdiepie uses.

I was told that the AT2020 and Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 were most recommended by many.

I plan to use the microphone for Youtube, and streaming on Twitch.

Here is some audio samples, in these audio samples around half way through, I mute the mic to show that USB, I believe is creating the extra noise. I in fact went so far as to turn off all lights in my PC and cut LED wires from my fans in hopes they might of been the cause of the static/hiss background noise.

Blue Yeti Samples:
Enhanced http://vocaroo.com/i/s0HiGGOfpSwq

Normal http://vocaroo.com/i/s0Mv0FLi2IAk

G35:
Enhanced audio http://vocaroo.com/i/s1xVQGsLQbP8

Normal http://vocaroo.com/i/s1XvtbOhEzjL

In summary I’m looking for permanent solution, under the range of $250-$300. I don’t really got any friends into audio, so hoping to get some real help here.

2

Your two “bundle” links point to the same page, the pre-sonus interface plus the Audio Technica mic.

I also don’t hear anything in either of the clips you posted that sounds like a microphone problem. The G35 clip is VERY quiet, too quiet, I suspect that it has some sort of noise gate or compressor built into it somewhere. The bulk of the noise in the Yeti clip sound like it is acoustic noise in your recording setup, either your computer nearby or other equipment. There is the normal microphone hiss. I don’t hear the 1kHz USB whine (aka “frying mosquitoes”) in either clip.

The Audio Technica mic paired with a good preamp is probably quieter than the Yeti, but I wouldn’t guarantee it without a chance to do a side-by-side test. The Yeti is notable in that it does not have a published noise specification. If you are looking for extremely low noise the Rode NT-1a has probably the best specifications. (5 dB vs 12 for the AT2035). However, none of that is going to do you any good if you are trying to record in a room with 40 dB background noise.

3

I can come back to this in a couple of hours (portable machine not that good at listening to test clips).

We did have another chapter on the ongoing saga of the Yeti Curse. It’s possible that the Yeti didn’t used to do this in an older or legacy design. It’s only the newer ones. If I had to guess at it, I’d say somebody found a newer internal chipset that was much less expensive and only “moderately” noisier. Noise filtering is expensive.

So the bookkeepers won and I can also imagine some designer/engineer sobbing in a corner somewhere at the corruption of their design. Or much more likely, working somewhere else.

Both the Snowball and the Icicle appear very briefly in the ACX list of recommended hardware, but only as also-rans. “Some people use these,” but they immediately snap to much more expensive and likely to work devices.

As we go.

http://www.acx.com/help/video-lessons-resources/200672590

Koz

4

It is common for the environment to kill you before the microphone. You need to see the Audacity recording meters during the performance so that’s a problem with a noisy computer. People have been known to park the computer outside the room and use a remote monitor.

This is a major problem with the game recording people. Super gaming computers with lots of horsepower are not known for their quiet, restrained operation. “How do I get rid of the keyboard clicks in my dialog?”

Sound recording isn’t the snap everybody thinks it is.

Koz

5

We appear to have joined in the middle of the movie. What are you doing? What’s the goal, recording an AudioBook? Also which computer, operating system and the exact three-number Audacity version.

Koz

6

I wouldn’t buy the Presonus. It’s an old and trusted reliable workhorse, but you’ll get longer support on a recent interface such as the Focusrite, especially on Windows.

The preamps on the FR 2i2 are really nice and a little better than the ones in the Presonus.

If you see the chance to test recordings on a couple of mics, the AT2020 is one you’ll have to test. There is not much better in it’s price range. Just above, the Rode NT1a is the quitest mic you can get.

Mics for voice are very personal. What sounds good on your voice, doesn’t necessarily adapt well to someone else’s voice.

If you buy blind, go for the AT2020. You can always add another one when you know what to look for. And don’t worry, for podcasting most decent mics will do…

7

Sorry about that here is the pewdiepie correct bundle I was looking at. Amazon.com

There is defiantly background noise when the mic is muted. The biggest issue is I can’t get my recordings to a -6db to 0db without making this hissing/static very noticeable, any editing of it since it’s such a high frequency causes big distortion in my audio. OBS is telling me the noise is at least -14 db and with the mic muted the background noise it’s putting out while muted is constant -40db of sound.




Something must of happened since, this problem seems to be occurring much more often.


My goal is Youtube teaching channel with the highest audio quality I can, I want to do teaching lessons, so it’s important to be able to hear me crisp and clearly with no background noise. I also want to stream and do the same, both require me to be loud enough to hear very well understandable when talking and well hopefully inspiring as well. I’m guessing I need audio to come out at -6db to 0db that is my guess, I’m no expert to know best db level for Youtube.

Here is output of CPU-Z of my computer specs http://imgur.com/6gtmYJ7,dDFnMGl,hngJSns,GdHOmTd,UKiOPxX,FfB9bjL

Audacity 2.1.0

Hopefully using the right version I have windows 8.1

8

I also want to stream and do the same

That one step will put you in studio territory. You can squirm your way around a noisy microphone or background noises with post production processing/filtering/effects (the kind ACX would rather you didn’t use), but the instant you stream, your voice has to be studio quality right out of the gate (no pun intended). Audacity doesn’t do anything in real time. It’s a frequent Frequently Asked Question.

“How do I apply a noise gate so I can stream my game commentary?”

Let us know if you find a way to do that.

As we go.

Koz

9

That -6dB thing is a goal we settled on a while back. If your voice routinely peaks around -6 with occasional peaks over that and many under, that’s about as perfect as you’re likely to get. Much over that and you could hit The Red Zone on the Audacity meters which is a danger sign. So a lot of red zone is not good and if your voice ever goes all the way up to 0dB, that’s the damage point. Crunchy audio and it’s permanent.

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/RecordingMetersMinus_6.jpg

Many people are horrified that they need to watch the meters at the same time as reading. Yes. Watching the meters is what the recording engineer would normally be doing.

Much lower than -6dB could put you in competition with noise, wherever it’s coming from. All microphones have noise. Your job is to make your voice louder than that (or get a new microphone or microphone system.

I need to leave for a bit.

Koz

10

If you produce a test clip, please do it according to this formula:

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/TestClip/Record_A_Clip.html

Recording processed audio doesn’t tell us anything useful and a clip with no natural audio or voice has no reference point. Having a good low noise point doesn’t help you when your natural speaking voice is the same volume as the noise. But we won’t know that without the voice.

The forum limit is about 10 seconds which is normally enough to tell what you’re doing. If you post on a separate service, you can go longer. Stick with WAV. MP3 makes sound damage and you can’t stop it.

Koz

11

Ok looking at the file:
Blue Yeti Samples:
Normal Vocaroo | Online voice recorder

past the 6 second mark (were I assume you hit “mute”) the noise level falls to -96 dBFS. If you amplify it enough you will see there are only 4 or 5 codes there. That’s the limit of 16-bit data. You will have to go 24-bit recording to improve on that…

But! It’s also not relevant. What matters is the noise level when the mic is not “muted”. As I said earlier most of what I hear in that circumstance is acoustic noise from your “studio” (whatever that is). I’m sure there is microphone noise in there, and it will be considerably louder than the “muted” level, but (as Koz would say) it’s “not horrible”.

My guess is that if you can find a sufficiently quiet place to record the Yeti will be adequate.

12

I’m catching up.

There is defiantly background noise when the mic is muted.

If you’re hearing hiss or noises with the microphone muted, then the playback system needs work. According to flynwill, the sound file goes to the Blackness Of Space silence when you mute the microphone—as silent as the digital system gets. If your speaker or headphone system still has noise, then it’s broken—or not doing its job.

It could be set wrong. Windows (if that’s what this is) has lists of things that it can do to the sound to “help you.” It can damage recordings with Windows Enhanced Services and it can damage playback with Cathedral Effects or other fun software. I’m not a Windows elf, so you’re on your own there.

Koz