MAJOR Static issue while recording podcast / voice...

[stimulatedboredom]

I record a podcast / internet radio show, therefore only voice (with the exception for importing MP3's for brief musical intros and outtros). I have used both versions of Audacity (Beta and stable) and am having the same problem. I use a Samson USB condenser mic, am running on XP, 2GB RAM, Dual Core with plenty of space and I defrag / clean my system often.

My problem is that roughly after an hour of recording, my voice becomes bathed in distracting static to the point that people have to tune off my show. There is no visual indication in my levels when it happens, so I don't find out until after I record. I usually record 1.5 hours of content per segment (3 segments per show) and as a result of the static have had to reduce the length of my show (since within an hour it seems to be ok before static appears.

I have used the same system for years, the same mic etc and have had no problem, the only common denominator seems to be the software. This is a relatively new issue, since the static just started appearing. I have always used Audacity and judging from the forums, I am not the only one getting the static (whether for voice or importing LP's etc).

I was hoping that Audacity was aware of the issue and that a patch might fix it, unless someone knows of another fix. It has really been detrimentally affecting my show, as I will record and put so much effort into my show segments, only to find that half of it is ruined by static.

If anyone has any information, it would be GREATLY appreciated. You can hear an example of what I mean by going to http://www.stimulatedboredom.com this week (jun 29 - jul 6), the 'Listen Now!' page and fast forwarding the player that loads to roughly 47 - 48 minutes in, where the static appears.

Thanks!

[kozikowski]

I hear the show and can stop and start it, but I don't get Speed Ahead buttons. Can you post a bit of just the problem -- say a portion where it starts? I believe you can zip it and the forum will let you include it as an attachment.

Does it start instantly? One instant it's clean (the portion I heard is very nice) and the next it's crunchy? Or does it slowly fade in -- get noisier over time?

Do you have a different microphone? You do'nt have to perform into it, just connect it and go to lunch. Is it crunchy when you come back? Doesn't the Samson get it's operating voltages from the USB connection? When was the last time you pulled the plug and replugged it several times? Different USB port?

Audacity doesn't make up its own sound. It just record the bitstream presented to it. The most likely place for damage like this is the microphone itself, or much more likely, the connection or a failing USB port.

<<<There is no visual indication in my levels when it happens,>>>

No visual indication on the bouncing meters, but does the waveform change? There are some heavy math reasons why flat hash static doesn't show up on meters, but the blue waveform should have changed -- a little.

Koz

[stimulatedboredom]

Thanks Koz,

The best way to hear the static is to let the player load for a bit (since it's streaming), once it does, you can drag the slider to about halfway or closer to the end and you should hear it. That particular segment is roughly 1 hr 20 minutes, the static comes in at 47 - 48 minutes for the rest of the segment. The show is also on iTunes, so you could also download the segment and F-FWD from there, but the streaming player on my site loads pretty fast, so after a few minutes you should be able to slide it further into the segment.

I will try to change the USB connection for the mic to another port, as I have been using the same one for awhile. I have been using the Samson condenser for about year, year and a half, before that I was using a 2.5 headset mic. The condenser has not had any issues and the static did not occur until recent months. Since I saw forum postings mentioning static, I assumed it must be a software issue (since it wasn't isolated to just me).

When you get to the static, you will know, it is very distracting. It almost sounds like you are trying to tune in a radio station that is out of range, where you can barely hear the DJ.

As for the levels, I record the show in one take, no editing in between (more natural, conversational that way), so I do not make any adjustments on the fly. When I am done recording the areas with static and the areas where it sounds fine are identical, there is no 'shaky' looking levels with the static. That would actually be helpful, as I can see them while recording and can stop when they appear, but there are none to let me know it might be happening.

I had not thought to try a new USB and will do that. But any other advice is appreciated.

[kozikowski]

Many of the other postings have to do with USB turntables -- notoriously unstable and troublesome. You can buy a whole turntable system for what I recently paid for just the cartridge for my top of the line turntable. So what did the USB electronics cost? Three cents? Four cents? Nobody wants to admit that they are going to throw the turntable away when they transfer the last album.

So. Yes. I'm perfectly clear that the bitstream from the microphone to the computer is unlikely to become damaged, but 5 volt battery from the computer to the microphone has a long and colorful history of causing problems. I had a USB sound device I put in the garage because I could hear the internal hard drive spinning up under my show. Weeeeeeeeeee-click.

Followed by me cursing.

The problem would vanish if I put the device through an external USB hub powered from a wall supply, not the computer.

Koz

[stimulatedboredom]

Thanks again Koz.

The condenser mic that I use does not require phantom power or any battery, it is all built into the mic itself and is designed for podcasting. Therefore it draws it's power from the USB and there is no other way to power it.

I will try my next show by using another USB port. I sincerely hope that is the issue and it is resolved that way.

Thanks!

Dana