Audacity Forum

We were recording last night, and for some reason, when we played the audacity file back we were shocked to hear back chatter that sounded like a talk radio station that was recorded during the entire song. This radio station back chatter was at the same level as our voice and guitar. We then did some test recordings, and they recorded clean. Tried recording again, and this time there were 2 radio station back chatters recorded at the same time as our song.

There was no radio on. I had no internet windows open. We have one mic and one guitar plugged into the PA system, then the PA system plugged into my laptop mic port. Usually works just fine.

Can anyone tell me what's happening? Anyone seen this before?

<<<Anyone seen this before?>>>

Oh yes. It's amazingly easy to "make" a radio. If you are in the "A Contour" (really close) to an AM radio station, it's possible to hear the station with a lead pencil, a razor blade and a set of headphones. No batteries or electronics at all.

Look around you. Do you see any tall red and white towers with (depending on your location) red pulsing or white flashing lights?

If that's what this is, it can be rough to get rid of. If you connect just the right guitar cables and stand in just the right place, you might make a good antenna. Change anything and it goes away, like stand in a different place.

There are correct and tested engineering ways to eliminate this interference, but it's far better and easier (and a lot cheaper) to just practice the band somewhere else.

This kind of thing can also happen at bad connections. Clean all the plugs with alcohol (unflavored Vodka works) and paper towels, dry them and plug them in multiple times to make sure the connection is perfect.

One diagnostic tool is a transistor radio. See if you can find the same show you're recording. If the radio overloads and the show appears more than one place on the dial, then you have your answer.

There are places such as City Island in New York where two very powerful radio stations share one antenna, but that's not normal.

Koz

Hey Koz! Wow. There is an AM Radio station in my City, but it isn't close, and this is the first time I've picked it up on a recording. How amazing. Hmmm... it was humid/muggy outside that night too....

I definitely need to clean the cables and will try again. Thank you for helping!

~Nita