I hope to get us both back on this tonight. Excuses are just that. So I won’t make them. I just remembered today to carry head phones to work with me and I did listen to the file. I did hear the “tick” sound, though, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I might have missed it. This is a very intimidating task. We plan on going through all the links you have supplied and doing what you have suggested.
I have two friends who have helped from my end. One (Tom) has visited this thread. I could ask him to drop in and participate. I feel I am pressed to my limit right now. Even my friend has had trouble getting hold of me lately. But I do intend to follow through. All our “help” is volunteer. Actually, Tom has gone way beyond the call of duty. Your assistance is also greatly appreciated. I know your time is valuable.
all the links you have supplied and doing what you have suggested.
The ACX links in the past couple of posts are production hints and techniques like how to maintain good loudness consistency, not troubleshooting the ticks. That’s an important side road problem.
“Now that we have the sound and quality issues licked, turns out the computer’s broken.”
It’s AudioBook Whack-A-Mole which is why if you’re that busy, maybe somebody else should be whacking. I understand the siren song is to set up a microphone on the kitchen table and I know people who do podcasts like that, but ACX requires a close cousin to broadcast sound quality and that trips up many people.
Between the first and the second test recording we did change some settings on the Sampson Softpre program. Is it possible that the “tick” is a result of that, rather than a “broken computer?”
We listened to “How to succeed at audiobook production, part 1” tonight and will continue to work through these materials. My wife, Jerreth, will work on some more sound proofing and do a longer read tomorrow morning. We will see if there are any more “ticks.” If there truly is a problem with the computer, we have a couple of options. But all of them will take considerable time for reason of the logistics of configuration and/or repair.
We have some friends who are helpful resources. But none who are available to actually do this project. Either we will plod through and manage, or else we will fail.
A common cause of disturbances, ticks or pops, is a computer that can’t keep up with the constant stream of data that happens when you record audio (or video). I don’t know how to troubleshoot that exactly other than removed tasks from the computer. Turn off the internet or wifi, close Skype if you have it running in the background. Restart the computer and only run Audacity.
You have almost the complete opposite problem of most people who have noisy recordings with bad sound levels and a working computer. You got the hard part, the sound part, licked and you can use any good sound recorder to capture the show.
I could drive up with my laptop and given your “studio” environment, could produce a good sound recording in fifteen minutes.
I’m glad. And, I know it’s a long long trip. But if you ever get out to Central Oklahoma, you have a place here, with us.
About a month ago Jerreth tried doing a recording with our Canon Pixia HF r500 video camera. It came out as an mp4 file. We have this camera and a Zoom H4N Handy Portable Digital Recorder because of a web site we are working to lauch (on self sufficiency skills). Anyway, a couple of days ago, while filing raw video footage, I ran across her recording. I took the time to learn to convert it to a wav file and ran it through Audacity. I was impressed. Though my lack of expertise leaves me vulnerable to misjudgments. I’ll try to locate that file and upload it here. All that to say we have these two recording devices as well as another, more modern computer, which I could fix and put into use. Also, I believe we could use the Shure microphone and folio notepad.
We will plug away at this, trying to work at it more steadily.
Cool. Plug the Shure microphone into the bottom of the H4N with a short XLR cable and tell the H4N to record from it instead of its own built-in microphones.
You can use the scratch test to make sure the right microphones are working.
Set the studio and recording settings so a comfortable speaking style puts the H4N’s recording meter peaks up to about -6. Roughly. You can easily go down a little lower, but under no circumstances push the sound meter all the way up. That will create permanent sound damage.
Your H4n is going to have different controls and windows than my much older H4, but I recently recorded a successful field sound performance with the built-in microphones, fresh batteries and a cup of Starbucks (optional).
Some have advanced the idea of shifting the recording chip between the H4 and the computer and you can do that, but I plug the H4 into the computer with its USB cable and hot transfer files that way.
My H4 has no provision for Time and Date. I assume the H4n does? In either case, perfect bookkeeping is strongly advised.
“Where’s the sound test we shot back on April 9th?”
“Ummm.” [blank look]
My H4 will insist on recording two tracks or four, not one, so you may get a stereo track with only sound on the left or right.
That’s a trivial fix. Let us know if you get that far.
Oh, and don’t get the bright idea of connecting the H4n as a live microphone into the computer. It is possible to do that. The whole object of this exercise is to stop recording on the computer.
Okay, we have a full plate with all this great info! Sorry, I thought Jerreth would do the recording today. But work stuff came up and she wasn’t able to set up. But she says she’ll try to get home early and work on it tomorrow (April 10). We will also read the directions and try the H4N.
Your last problems have to do with shortcomings in the computer. I think I can get you on the road by simply stop using the computer for recording. Of course you do have to get good at driving the H4n.
Okay, here’s a short file recorded with the H4N Handy Recorder. Jerreth did it is a closet, which should have some good qualities, due to the closes already in there and the blankets she hung. I have not yet managed to get the H4N to recognize the Shure microphone. After some attempts we decided, at least, to do a recording with the native microphone. Though I need to learn more on how to operate this machine, I am encouraged that it is very straight forward and logical.
I believe I just got the Shure microphone to work on the H4N. Soon as I can get the wife off her other tasks I will have her do a test recording with the Shure microphone and a good set of earphones.
This will be my last post for this evening. It’s getting late, so I’ll have to work on this more tomorrow. Here’s the best we managed with the Shure microphone. The volume is way too low.
This is an “adjusted” version of the Shure track, and yes, I found the same problem with my H4. This is odd because someone else claimed good performance using this H4 and I’ve used it for other jobs.
The first track with the built-in microphones is picking up hum and room noises. I wonder if you weren’t speaking into the right end. I couldn’t rescue that one.
The patched Shure track is just a touch off ACX compliance. The overall loudness is too low (no surprise there) but it didn’t come up enough when I applied adjustments. I did have to use Noise Reduction and ACX doesn’t like us doing that.
I can dump the correction details on you so you can do this, too.
Okay, well, I’m not sure where to go with the H4N at this point. I suppose I’ll take it to work with me and work with it on breaks.
This evening (as in the next hour) I hope to try one more recording with the Samson microphone, Sampson Softpre program (Windows XP) on the Dell D800, to see if I get the clicking sound with any adjustments.
I am also going to see, if perchance I can install the Samson Softpre program on my wife’s Windows 8.1 laptop. If I can, that might solve our problem.
Do you think I should ask Jerreth to try another recording with the built in microphone in the H4N? She told me that she was watching the screen when she did the other recording, which means it was not right up close to her mouth.
Then, if all else fails, I have a Gateway NE56R45u laptop with 6 GB if memory. It has a cracked screen, so I’ll have to put it on an external monitor (which I have). I’m thinking of installing Windows XP on that machine, though I hate to totally lose the Windows 8.1. I may be able to partition the hard drive and make a dual boot system with Windows XP. But I know how Windows 8 balks at any change in partitions. At any rate, I could put XP on that computer and try the Samson Softpre and Samson microphone on it. Surely the more modern computer could handle the audio demands.
Going to get to work now and see what I can accomplish.
I’ve been speaking with the other elves and it’s probably possible to produce a reasonable track with the Shure microphone and the H4n. Some of the tools are new in Audacity 2.1.0 and I don’t have the swing yet. I used the obvious processing tools without bothering to tune the violin.
I can show you the spells and incantations. But yes, it is extra processing work instead of just pressing stop.
So you can count that as one way to produce vocal work and that can be the backup if you can’t get anything else to work. The reason I liked that performance is the acoustics, breath, and presentation were good. I don’t know what happened to the built-in microphones…
And again playing Mr. Cold Water, that was an eight second clip. You’ll have to keep that going at the same quality for a whole show.
Oh, and you can certainly use a WinXP license as long as the machine doesn’t connect to the internet. Remember, no security updates…
Yes, of course! I wouldn’t think of going on the Internet with Windows XP. I originally I purchased the D800 to set up solely to use for offline word processing, for Jerreth’s translation and interpreting business. I just had to switch operating systems to try it with the Samson.
I can still work with the H4N then. But not tonight. I generally rise at 3:30 AM in order to do chores and prepare for work.
I tried another recording with the D800 and the Samson microphone. It clicked terribly. I’m going to discard that as a possibility and put the machine back to Linux and use it for word processing.
I did install the Samson Softpre program and drivers on Jerreth’s Windows 8.1 laptop. It appears to work. What do you think? Once we have an acceptable option I’ll have her do a longer clip.
I long for the days of test4_1_2015.wav Remember that one? “This is a test of Tom’s mic…” That’s the clip that made ACX compliance with just the slightest tiny volume adjustment. The clip with the ticks in it?
Windows8_Samson_Softpre_test4_12_2015.wav won’t pass easily. It’s too noisy. I can live with the small hiss (fffffff) but the frying mosquito whine and the power supply hum are a problem. If I had to guess at it, you were running the laptop from shore power — the wall brick, right? That’s probably where the hum is coming from. The whine is a dislike some computers and USB microphones have for each other. There is no easy fix. Flynwill got rid of his noise by taking his USB device apart and redesigning it. I’m guessin’ you’re not up to that.
Noise Reduction can help, but that whine sound is like a baby screaming on a jet. The show can be “ACX legal” and I can still hear it.
Wasn’t Test4… done with the straight microphone, sound mixer and the UCA-202? Is there anything wrong with moving that whole thing over to the new computer?
And way down on the bottom of the list, did you change anything in the room? It’s not serious, but I swear I can hear more “broom closet” honk in that last clip. I compared it to other clips and they sound more natural and studio-like. We know you can do this because you did it already, so we should concentrate on getting the recording system working.
Here are four recordings using the Samsom microphone and Samson Softpre software and driver on Jerreth’s Gateway NE56R45u laptop (Windows 8.1). In each recording my mouth was about 9" from the microphone. In two recordings Samson Softpre was set at 0 dB. In two it was set to 27 dB. Two were done in the old office studio. Two were done in the bathroom, with the sound proofing she set up. I think I hear more of a hollow sound in the old studio recordings.
We’re not getting the analog microphone back are we? I can force this clip to work.
“Selecting the whole clip” repeats itself, but after the first one, you just have to make sure it’s still selected. Some of the steps do not have the whole clip selected, so you have to pay attention.
Select the whole clip by clicking just above MUTE.
Effect > Normalize: [X]Remove DC, [X]Normalize to -3.2dB, OK
Select the whole clip by clicking just above MUTE.
Effect > Equalization > LF Rolloff for Speech, OK
Select the whole clip by clicking just above MUTE.
Effect > Notch Filter: Frequency 80Hz, Q 6.0, OK
Drag-select 0.5 sec to 2.0 sec (room tone segment).
Effect > Noise Reduction: Profile
Select the whole clip by clicking just above MUTE.
Effect > Noise Reduction: Settings as in attached picture.
That clip sounds clear and passes all three Audiobook specifications.
Yes, of course! I wouldn’t think of going on the Internet with Windows XP. I originally I purchased the D800 to set up solely to use for offline word processing, for Jerreth’s translation and interpreting business. I just had to switch operating systems to try it with the Samson.
