My problem is similar to problems earlier discussed, but I still haven´t found a solution to it … I´m trying to avoid static noise when recoding with my Samson G-Track. I´m using audacity 2.0.0 and I think I installed it from the .exe installer. My OS is WIndows 7.
In Windows 7 you can adjust the input level between -192 and +30 dB resp. 0 and 100 %. I read in several boards that the level has to be adjusted on at most 4 dB to avoid static noise when recording. But when I do this,
1.The button to confirm the modification remains grey,
The input level control in audacity and in Windows 7 correspond with each other, so that any change I try do do in Windows 7 will be undone as soon as I touch the level control in audacity and vice versa.
I was already told that this was how it is meant to be. But: This would mean that one can only record with the input level 0,1 in audacity, because any higher input level in audacity would automatically mean a higher input level in Windows 7, which would result in unacceptable static noise.
Right now, I can record my voice when singing 20 cm from the microphone. But I can not put the microphone 1 m in front of me and record my singing and guitar playing, for example. It will be either to quiet ot there will be much static noise.
I think you may have some conditions confused. You’re talking about crackling noises during high volume, right? Every time you talk or sing, the words are crunchy?
That’s overload/clipping. It’s digital damage, sounds terrible and it’s permanent.
Given your computer is working correctly…
Turn the speakers off. Unplug your headphones.
Set up for a recording and change the volume settings – without listening to it – so the red recording meters are in the upper quarter of the range, but never go all the way up. Same with the blue waves. The waves should never completely fill the timeline top to bottom.
Make a recording typical of the work you normally do. Stop.
Now plug the speakers back in and play the work. It’s clean, right, but maybe not loud enough. Even with the speaker volume up, it doesn’t sound dense or full enough.
That’s compressor tools or effects in post production.
Store-bought music or shows go through intensive post-processing to get that loudness and density you hear. It doesn’t happen at the recording step. If you try to do it at the recording step, you will permanently damage the show.
Other recording programs might allow that, but Audacity does not. Audacity does not apply effects in real time. Only later.
No, Im actually talking about Pink Noise. Sorry if I confused you by the phrase “static noise”, I picked that up somewhere and thought it was right. English is not my native language.
With the input level at 0,1 in audacity, I get result which I find too quiet - if I adjust the input level higher, there will be Pink Noise. Anyway, it might be the case that I´m just expecting too much. At first I was listening to my recordings using my headphones. Now, sitting in front of my Creative speakers, the noise does not sound THAT bad …
The input level control in audacity and in Windows 7 correspond with each other, so that any change I try do do in Windows 7 will be undone as soon as I touch the level control in audacity and vice versa.
Don’t touch the level control in Audacity. Use the Mic gain knob on the front of the mic to set your levels.
Right now, I can record my voice when singing 20 cm from the microphone.
That’s about right. Have you seen pictures of people recording in recording studios?
But I can not put the microphone 1 m in front of me and record my singing and guitar playing, for example. It will be either to quiet or there will be much static noise.
That’s normal at that distance. There is always some electrical noise and some acoustic noise. As you increase distance, of course the signal you are trying to record gets weaker. Since the noise doesn’t change, your signal-to-noise ratio gets worse. If you later boost the volume, you are boosting the signal and noise together and the noise becomes more noticeable.
You may be able to reduce the acoustic noise in the room, but the electrical noise is a characteristic of the microphone’s analog electronics.
I’d say get as close as you can, while still maintaining a good mix of vocal & guitar. You’ll have to experiment with mic location and mic angle/aiming, and in the end you may have to compromise.
The pro studio solution would be to record the guitar 1st, and then record the vocal and mix later. Or use a 2nd mic for the guitar. (More than one USB mic at a time is “tricky”. I do NOT recommend buying a 2nd USB mic. If you want to go with a multi-mic setup, I’d start-over with regular analog mics and a multi-channel USB interface.)
Solo vocals and solo acoustic instruments are some of the most difficult things to record. With more instruments and more vocals the “denser” sound tends to mask the noise. (Although, live rock bands are not easy to record either…)
