Hiya,
I am on windows 10 and audacity 3.3.2 (the latest version). I recently purchased a RODE XLR mic and Steinburg UR 12 Interface and Berhinger headphones. Whenever recording in audacity the mic works perfectly fine BUT on playback but there is always this background tv static noise when recording. I consulted with my voice actor friend of mine and they mentioned the gain was too high so I reduced it to their suggested 5% as well as also normalising the sound…but there still is this ongoing static… I know I won’t get any voiceover jobs because the static just ruins the takes. Any suggestion of how to rid of the static or at least limit it so when audio engineers playback the file its just my voice.
It worked very briefly yesterday… but i don’t know why and my only guess is because I didn’t have my new headphones but I don’t think the headphones is the issue. My partner suggests its the issue with the XLR cable.
Any other ideas?
Thanks <3
So it could also be a buffering issue (or something else running on your computer) or a static whine from your interface. May I suggest posting a 10-20 second unprocessed sample illustrating the issue. Someone will take a listen.
A constant hiss or whine in the background is analog noise from the preamp. High-pitch whine is usually power supply noise that gets-into the interface through USB power.
You can pick-up similar acoustic noise in the room.
Dropouts (little gaps) often sound like noise, but dropouts should be unnoticeable during silence.
Dropouts are caused by interrupts and buffer overflow when recording, or buffer underflow during playback.
Is this a dynamic mic or condenser mic? A dynamic mic gives you a lower signal so you need more gain and any preamp hiss/whine becomes more noticeable. (Any room noise goes down with the signal so they type of mic doesn’t affect the acoustic signal-to-noise ratio…)
Digital recording levels are not critical as long as you are not clipping (“trying” to go over 0dB and distorting).
Turing-down the gain turns down the signal and noise together… It doesn’t improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Eventually, you’ll have to amplify or normalize and that will bring the noise back-up.
It DOES help to get a good-strong acoustic signal by getting close to the mic (but not too close) and speaking/singing with a strong-confident voice.
Thank you for the help. It says new users cannot upload attachments so I will find another way to upload the sound after work. 
Thank you from the help I understand it better… i believe my mic is condenser mic but I will upload the issue once I am back from work
The test audio file. The static is just…there 
The test audio file. The static is just…there…
So for my poor ears in this limited length recording I hear what appears to be various room noises particularly at the end. Let me suggest making a longer recording. @kozikowski recommends using this phrase: Record A Voice Sample
Done the voice sample
JoannaEve, Excellent Recording! Now about the static.
You have -53dB of white noise in there - which as you know is much more that you should be getting with your equipment. Unfortunately, other than getting closer to the mike, I can’t point you in the right direction for solving this problem. Fortunately, there are others here who can including: @kozikowski, @Trebor, @DVDdoug.
Also, check that your Audio Enhancements are Disabled: Disable Audio Enhancements - Microsoft Support