Boomy sound in recording

Audacity 3 Help Forum Windows
1

When I record on Audacity, I am getting a boomy sound.

If you want to hear a sample, you can hear it at
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vomgiiqgtywm952/03%20Watch%20What%20Happens.mp3?dl=0

The original didn’t sound that way. It only happened when recording it on Audacity. I am using a windows 8.1 Toshiba.

Here is the device info:

Default recording device number: 1
Default playback device number: 3
==============================
Device ID: 0
Device name: Microsoft Sound Mapper - Input
Host name: MME
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.090000
Low Playback Latency: 0.090000
High Recording Latency: 0.180000
High Playback Latency: 0.180000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 1
Device name: Stereo Mix (Realtek High Defini
Host name: MME
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.090000
Low Playback Latency: 0.090000
High Recording Latency: 0.180000
High Playback Latency: 0.180000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 2
Device name: Microsoft Sound Mapper - Output
Host name: MME
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.090000
Low Playback Latency: 0.090000
High Recording Latency: 0.180000
High Playback Latency: 0.180000
Supported Rates:
    8000
    9600
    11025
    12000
    15000
    16000
    22050
    24000
    32000
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    176400
    192000
    352800
    384000
==============================
Device ID: 3
Device name: Speakers (Realtek High Definiti
Host name: MME
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.090000
Low Playback Latency: 0.090000
High Recording Latency: 0.180000
High Playback Latency: 0.180000
Supported Rates:
    8000
    9600
    11025
    12000
    15000
    16000
    22050
    24000
    32000
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    176400
    192000
    352800
    384000
==============================
Device ID: 4
Device name: Primary Sound Capture Driver
Host name: Windows DirectSound
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.120000
Low Playback Latency: 0.000000
High Recording Latency: 0.240000
High Playback Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 5
Device name: Stereo Mix (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Host name: Windows DirectSound
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.120000
Low Playback Latency: 0.000000
High Recording Latency: 0.240000
High Playback Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 6
Device name: Primary Sound Driver
Host name: Windows DirectSound
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.120000
High Recording Latency: 0.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.240000
Supported Rates:
    8000
    9600
    11025
    12000
    15000
    16000
    22050
    24000
    32000
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    176400
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 7
Device name: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Host name: Windows DirectSound
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.120000
High Recording Latency: 0.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.240000
Supported Rates:
    8000
    9600
    11025
    12000
    15000
    16000
    22050
    24000
    32000
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    176400
    192000
==============================
Device ID: 8
Device name: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Host name: Windows WASAPI
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.003000
High Recording Latency: 0.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.010000
Supported Rates:
    48000
==============================
Device ID: 9
Device name: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio) (loopback)
Host name: Windows WASAPI
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.003000
Low Playback Latency: 0.000000
High Recording Latency: 0.010000
High Playback Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 10
Device name: Stereo Mix (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Host name: Windows WASAPI
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.003000
Low Playback Latency: 0.000000
High Recording Latency: 0.010000
High Playback Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Selected recording device: 1 - Stereo Mix (Realtek High Defini
Selected playback device: 3 - Speakers (Realtek High Definiti
Supported Rates:
    8000
    9600
    11025
    12000
    15000
    16000
    22050
    24000
    32000
    44100
    48000
    88200
    96000
    176400
    192000
    352800
    384000
==============================
Available mixers:
==============================
Available recording sources:
0 - Master
==============================
Available playback volumes:
0 - PCM
==============================
Recording volume is native
Playback volume is native
2

The original didn’t sound that way.

It sounds OK to me.

Tell us all about the original. Are you the Sax performer? Is this your band?

Depending on your answers, we may be able to point to Windows filters and effects which get to the sound before Audacity. Windows machines come out of the package set for corporate communications and conferencing. They’re not plain machines any more. Echo and noise cancellation hates music.

Koz

3

Sounds good actually, not any boominess that I could make out.
I assume it’s not a live performance, recorded into Audacity, otherwise congratulations.

4

No boominess here either.
How are you listening to the playback? Are you playing back in Audacity or some other program? Are you listening with USB headphones, computer speakers, or …?

I’m guessing this is something that you have recorded off the Internet?

5

Listen to the drums to hear the effect. The original didn’t sound like that and I play back on windows media player.

6

The original didn’t sound like that and I play back on windows media player.

Now you get to answer all the questions we’ve been asking. No fair cherry-picking. Are you one of the performers?

Koz

7

No. i am not one of the performers. It was streamed off the internet.

bob

8

Make sure that not any effect or equalization is active in WMP.
For me, the cymbals/rides (e.g. compression pumping) are more of nuisance than a boominess from the kick/snare.

Note that your mp3 is actually too hot, the peak is over 0 dB. Try exporting the original by first normalizing to about -2 dB.
You might also want to try the equalization effect.
From the intro bars, I would suggest (in graphical mode):
Hertz dB
100 -3
125 -
160 -5
200 -6
250 -2
315 -1
400 -6
Try if this sounds better.
Robert

9

By “the original”, do you mean "the internet audio as played by your web browser?

Windows Media Player has a built-in graphic equalizer and other effects. To get “normal” (clean) playback from WMP, all the effects need to be turned off. (I think the “Wow effect” is usually on by default, and that adds “boominess”). Alternatively you could try playing the file in a better media player - one that does not add effects by default. Personally I like Foobar2000, it’s a fairly minimalist audio player that plays just about any type of audio file, including several the are not supported by WMP, and by default it adds no effects (and it’s free: https://www.foobar2000.org/)

10

Even if I take the file and put it in my mp3 player, I get the same sound. It’s not caused by Windows Media player.

11

What recording device are you choosing in Audacity’s Device Toolbar?

Assuming you are using Stereo Mix, try Windows WASAPI loopback recording instead. That will also help keep the recording level from getting too high.

Audacity does not add effects when recording. Right-click over the Speaker icon by the system clock then choose Playback Devices to open the Playback tab of Windows Sound. Right-click over Speakers, choose Properties then look around for enhancements or advanced settings that may be adding sound effects. Also look in the Windows Control Panel to see if Realtek has a control panel where you can disable effects.

If you still prefer to use Stereo Mix, right-click over it in the Recording tab of Windows Sound, Properties, then look for any effects you can turn off.


Gale

12

Did you try Equalization? If the settings Robert don’t give you the desired result, just go-ahead and experiment. The bass (low frequencies) are on the left.

It would be best if you can avoid editing the MP3 copy because MP3 is lossy. It gets decompressed when you open it in Audacity, and then it goes through a 2nd generation of lossy compression re-export to MP3. So if you didn’t keep a copy as an Audacity project or as a WAV file, you might want to re-record. But, go-ahead an experiment with equalization first to see if that’s going to help.