I am recording French students speaking and am finding that there is static in their recordings only when the students are speaking not during the silent pauses. The static does not prevent me from understanding the students but is rather annoying that I cannot figure out how to get rid of it. I am using a Logitech USB headset with mic. boom. Any suggestions how to make it more crisp and free/clear of this static?
Thanks.
I guess it should be noise gate. Do you connect this headset to usb or to soundcard? If you connect it to the soundcard, it looks like a problem with preamplifier. Try to find some this static in your file, but without any speaking and use the Noise Reduction. The result can be better, but not as CD quality either. Otherwise you can try another microphone.
BUT
It can also be problem with sampling rate. Can you send me some of this recording to analyze it?
It may also be distortion rather than static. If the blue wavy waveform on the track goes right up to the top or right down to the bottom of the track, then it is likely that the peaks in the loud part are being cut off. If that is the case then you need to reduce the recording level a little.
You don’t even have to change settings for a test. Start a recording and talk normally. Slowly back away from the microphone until you’re very clearly way too far back to get any kind of good quality.
If if you pass one distance where most if not all of the damage fades away, then you are overloading something. If the damage gets quieter with the distance, then there may be a much more serious problem.
Koz