Behringer Uphonic interface and a unknown Mike [Condenser] from China//. Well if that is the case then its Zoom all the way. I am going to try and work around this though as Due to bills I cannot spend money thriftfully…The Behringer inteface is actually quite reccommended online but there is now way I can afford a higher end condenser Mike… Perhaps my vocal microphone from my gigging days might just do a better job but then it wont be supported by the interface…Do you think my suggestions last post might work??
Behringer Uphonic
Closer. I have quite a bit of Behringer kit. There’s always a number on there somewhere. I have a U-Phoria UM-2 interface. Which one is yours?
Can you look up your microphone and post the link? How did you buy it? Do you still have the box?
I think you’re just using your microphone system wrong, but I can’t talk you down without knowing what you have.
And no, I don’t think buying another recorder is going to help.
Koz
OK Koz.
I have a BEHRINGER UM2 U-PHORIA 2X2 AUDIOPHILE USB AUDIO INTERFACE.
Microphone is a PROFESSIONAL NEEWER NW-800 STUDIO AND BROADCASTING AND RECORDING MICROPHONE.
Computer is an ACER, Windows 10.
Hope this helps Koz as I am loathe to spend money on a problem that could be solved.
Much better. I need to sit in a corner with the instructions and illustrations. Right away I see that one of the illustrations for the Neewer is wrong.
Did you get an instruction manual or papers in the Neewer box?
As we go.
Koz
OK. I think I got first pass at this.
The Neewer is a side-fire microphone. No matter what any of the ad pictures say, you should be talking into the side grill where the company name or logo is. The microphone is naturally mounted straight up or down (doesn’t matter). The microphone in my picture is facing you for a performance.
You should be about a Shaka away from the front grill…
…unless you are using a pop and blast filter. Then the spacing shrinks to a power fist.
Behringer Settings
You should have the +48 light. Switch on the back of the UM2. This microphone takes +48v phantom power. Ignore the web pages that say you can plug the Neewer directly into a computer. Even Neewer complains that will give you bad sound.
Turn the right-hand two UM2 knobs (INST GAIN 2) (OUTPUT) all the way down. Turn MIC/LINE GAIN 1 all the way up. Speak into the microphone. You should get the green SIG light.
Never blow into a microphone!!
Speak louder and get closer (as a test only) until the red CLIP light starts flashing. That is the loud limit for your performance. The red light should never come on during a normal performance.
My UM2 runs just fine with normal speech, spacing, and the first knob all the way up. This will change with the microphone.
I didn’t make any soundproofing changes, so you may hear the cars on the street.
Now you can plug in your headphones to the UM2, press DIRECT MONITOR, and turn up the OUTPUT knob until you can hear yourself.
Don’t change the other knob or performance. You need to stay loud enough to light up the green SIG light.
Now run Audacity and record some voice. The blue waves should look about the same size as the ones on my attachment.
Record a test…
http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/TestClip/Record_A_Clip.html
Master it with the mastering tools and see if it passes ACX-Check. Post the numbers.
Koz
This is what happens when I just jam everything together for a quick test. The noise still isn’t quiet enough (it juuuust passes), but, again, I didn’t take any care at all when I made the test recording. I was holding everything up with my hands and my elbows on the desk.
That and I didn’t use any Noise Reduction, either.
You know you’re doomed when you go into a recording session knowing you’re going to depend on Noise Reduction.
Koz
Be sure to press the DIRECT MONITOR button on the UM2 for the headphones to work while you’re recording.
Koz
Hi Koz.
Well I have done exactly what you said and still the F…… noisefloor fails every time… I have tried the mic/line gain one knob in all different settings to barely above audible to full… same with the output knob… Pass the noisefloor but fail on the RMS so everytime I amplify the track to RMS levels I fail again on the noisefloor even though I cannot hear anything at all through my headphones… It seems that my equipment is just generating too much noisefloor to pass the RMS TEST even though it is barely turned up at all…
Hi Again.
There is a very pronounced SSSSS Hiss in my headphones that increases or decreases with use of both the gain and the output knob…It seems that this Hiss is wedded to the knobs so every time I decrease the volume so I cannot hear it or myself it is still there to be amplified along with the waves in Audacityno matter how much I play with settings on my Behringer or the input volume in Audacity…My instincts point towards the Microphone as there is no logo on it. This hiss is present with volume yet vanishes when volume decreases but is then amplified when I bring the RMS volume to -21 in Audacity and fails me completaly on the noisefloor…I am starting to suspect that its my gear…
If that didn’t work, then we need to analyze what happened. You are replacing the studio and experienced recording engineer.
I need to drop for a while.
Koz
From the beginning.
You have the Neewer plugged into the UM2 with a 3-pin XLR cable similar to this, right?
Turn up knob one—all the way—and knobs two and three down. Stop listening on the headphones. Just put them on the desk.
Do you have the +48V light?
Can you speak normally into the side of the Neewer and get the Green UM2 SIG light? Can you speak louder and closer and get the Red CLIP light—even if you have to yell (Never blow into a microphone).
That seems stupid, but it’s important to know if the Neewer has enough range to record your voice. If you can’t ever get the red CLIP light with the first knob all the way up, then that’s the end of the Neewer.
Post back.
Koz
i Koz. The cable is correct. Now, I borrowed a different model Neewer just to test and plugged it in. Instantly the HISS went right down though I still could not pass the ACX test noise reduction after amplification…both mikes sound fine with all settings down low but the signal waveform is too low RMS wise so amplification is needed using the audacity amp effect and the second I use that the previously inaudible noise floor comes back and wrecks it… Believe me I have tried all the different permutations of the knobs and the fact is the noise floor is still thier and it seems a permanent part of this set up… I cant help but think that if I used a RODE or a Neumann Microphone of a better quality this would be fixed…
The Mike levels sound fine from the side.48 phantom is engaged. the problem is the HISS , it seems that something is not shielded as it is electronic. Using a different though same make of mike as explained in my last post with its corresponding HISS reduction seems to point to a crap microphone.
“Shielding” rarely has any effect on “hiss”. Shielding problems are usually characterised by “buzz” or “hum”.
That would be my guess.
Condenser microphones have electronics inside. That’s generally where the hissss noise comes from. If you can never get a combination of loudness and noise even close, then that may be the end of your Neewer.
It’s not unusual for people not to perform both RMS and Noise at the same time, but they can’t be miles apart.
Believe me I have tried all the different permutations of the knobs
The Mike levels sound fine
But you could never get the red light on the UM2 no matter how loud you speak? How about the green light? You keep dancing around that. I need those English words. It’s not good to ignore some of the tests, particularly if you’re trying to avoid spending additional bux.
I once had to record a lovely Asian lady who had a terrific speaking voice but never got above the volume of tissue paper hitting the floor. She was almost impossible to shoot no matter what microphone I used. That is still one possibility.
Koz
The green light does indeed glow and the red does manifest if I speak louder. Also my voice starts to distort on full volume
The engineer at ACX who replied to me implied that ANY noise reduction is bad and must be fixed pre-production. Now seeing that I cannot use that how do I get rid of the hiss?? Also is it better to bin my old Mike and get the other one that I tested that does not Hiss so bad and possibly get away with a intsy weenie little bit of noise reduction just to pass?
The engineer at ACX who replied to me implied that ANY noise reduction is bad
They always say that. It’s not unusual for new users to produce a crappy voice track at home and then try to rescue it by beating it up with processing. Nobody is going to pay money to hear you read a book in cellphone voice.
get the other one that I tested that does not Hiss so bad
Which one? You knew I was going to ask the model number, right? How long can you use that microphone? Long enough for a quick sound test?
Koz
Yep will do I shall do a sound test then get back to you…shortly… I shall do it without any noise reduction…I shall also give the model number…I got rid of the old Mike and got this one instead…second hand…
Hi Koz well the Mike is A NW-1500 NEEWER. The first file is without reduction…The second file is noise reduction 0f 8/6/6 which passes the ACX test though I feel that the ACX engineer will feel differently.