Constant Static

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

Hello,

I have been using audacity for a few months now and never had any problems. Now I went to open the program today and when I went to record I am getting constant static. There is never any silence at all and it does not matter if my microphone is plugged in or not. It just constantly sounds like I am recording in a hurricane. I have not changed my location from previous recordings, I am in a quiet room with no noise so there should be no external factors creating this. What can I do to fix this issue? Thanks!!

2

What are you trying to record?
What equipment are you using?

3

I am using a blue yeti microphone and just recording audios for a podcast I do. Everything has worked fine for the past 4 or 5 months just randomly this started happening I did not change anything I am using.

4

Are you also getting the sound of your voice, or it is only noise?

5

I get the sound of my voice also but it is almost inaudible because it is distorted and the background noise is so loud. This crazy static noise starts right when I press record, doesn’t matter if I have my microphone plugged in or not.

6

Is your voice audible in the recording if your microphone is not plugged in?
I know that sounds like a silly question, but please try it.

7

No it is not. Even without the mic being plugged in the same thing happens.

8

Not sure if this info helps at all or not but I just clicked on the “click to start monitoring” button by the speaker icon at the top and the bar is green moving back and forth all the way up between the 12 and 6. I am assuming this is my problem because it probably should not be moving or picking up anything at all until I am talking and that is why I can’t get it to just hold silence ever.

9

Sorry, but that doesn’t make sense.

You previously said:

My question is:
If the microphone is not plugged in, can you still get the sound of your voice in the recording (at all)?

If, as you say, “the same thing happens”, then I expect that you “get the sound of my voice also but it is almost inaudible”. Is that the case?

10

Yes I still can get the sound of my voice without the mic plugged in. However it just sounds the same as if the mic is plugged in, both cases my voice is so engulfed by the static that you can hardly make out what I am saying.

11

Yes I still can get the sound of my voice without the mic plugged in.

In that case, you’re recording from your laptop’s built-in mic, not the Yeti. You need to select the USB mic as your recording device. (But, I don’t know where the static is coming from.)

12

Correct, but the same thing happens when I have my Yeti plugged in and have it selected. Either way with the mic plugged in or not when I press record, there is never any silence that it records, it just goes right into constant static noise. This happens even if it is completely quiet in the room.