hiss noise ( Samson Q2U MIC USB )

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

i have problem with samson q2u mic ( usb )
i set mic db on 25 or 26 but first the sound don’t loud enough and when i normalize it , i hear hiss in it !
i try to do what i can but i can’t resolve it
by the way i have 2 mic (q2u)
what is the problem ?

2

Noise is an analog problem. The noise comes from the preamp built into the mic. All amplifiers/preamps have some noise. A better preamp would have less noise.

The only thing you can do is boost the acoustic level hitting the mic (for a higher signal-to-noise ratio). i.e. Get closer to the mic, or get louder.

After recording, you can try the noise reduction effect. If the noise is low enough, noise reduction can work very well. If the noise is worse, noise reduction can give you artifacts (side effects). If the noise is bad enough, sometimes “the cure is worse than the disease”.


P.S.
Sometimes noise gets in through the USB power. In that case it’s usually more of a whine than hiss. In that case, some computers will have more noise on the USB power line than others, and some mics will be more immune to this than others. It’s still analog, getting into the analog electronics in the USB mic.

3

When you record in Audacity, it’s best to make the recording sound meters bounce in the yellow -6 range like this:

If your voice or performance is lower than that, then the noise may be too loud. The noise is always there on all microphones. Your job is to make your voice so loud you don’t notice the noise.

This microphone can be used in analog as well as digital USB. That’s the three gold pins on the bottom. If you plug it into an analog mixer, then the hiss may be adjusted by adjustments on the mixer.

In USB, the problem may be harder to fix. What happens when you push the volume up until the recording meters bounce around -6?

Live recording is always a juggling act between so loud that it overloads and so quiet that has hiss noise.

Koz

4

We may be able to help you with Noise Reduction adjustments.

Record and post a ten second sound test like this:

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

Koz