Static Noise Due to Mic Gain Being Too High

Hello all!

My friend and I recorded our first podcast this week. Due to lack of experience, we put the gain on his mic too high. I was trying to get him around -20 Db, but it required me to turn his gain almost all the way up.

To fix this, I have tried using the Noise Reduction, but, when I put the inputs to what is required to filter out the static, it also distorts his voice. Right now i was using 12 - 6 - 6 as the settings.

Thank you

This isn’t that kind of noise. If you did have the microphone volume up too high, it may have overloaded the channel and clipped or distorted the sound. There are short portions where Audacity is not following the voice. That would only be bad, but when a microphone does that, it starts making up its own sound. That’s that clicking, popping, and crunching.

There is nothing to filter out. Shoot it again. This is why people shooting live work wear headphones and listen to themselves. The distortion shows up immediately.

Koz

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You may just be trying too hard. This is a portion of an interview I did in a restaurant.

I did it in with Lossless Voice Memo on an iPhone.

The phone is lying on the table with its butt pointed half way between the people speaking.

I checked this at home. Voice Memo has a system to prevent overloading and cracking such as what you have.

Sitting flat on the table is on purpose. That’s called Pressure Zone Configuration.

I’m not making that up. Don’t slam your coffee cup down.

Koz

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I’m not compulsive, but I am obsessive. When I shoot something important, I double record it. In your case I would throw out the damaged fancy recording and use the backup interview I shot on my phone.

This is a test I shot in my quiet office with that phone. It passes audiobook technical standards.

Koz

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Thanks Koz, appreciate the replies. I am going to scrap the recording and redo, with a backup. We did not use headphones, as it was odd hearing yourself in one ear and the other person in the other. I am using an audio interface with a headphone jack splitter.

Doesn’t matter how you do it. You get the idea. You were flying blind and that time it didn’t work out.

I don’t know you’re both in the same room, etc. If you’re not both in the same room then it does get a little magic.

Koz