Audacity Forum

Hi
I have the Beta version of Audacity I am a beginner and very ignorant on how to use these kinds of software and even a normal PC mic
I have been trying several times to record my own speech, the sound is great, amazing, but there is always this background, not so much noise, as much as this vibration or this low zzzz noise in the background, like some frying oil sound, is not a smooth sound
I have a good quality mic, at least I was told so, it is a headset mic, the one you use in Skype or Google talk,

I have tried the noise removal in different sliding options, but nothing really changes, the OFF-set seems less on the visual side, but when listening, still the zzz vibration or noise is still there, no changes, there must be a reason why I am getting this vibration

I wonder if it has to do with the kind of microphone I am using, or because i am not choosing the right option on my own PC volume mixer (Have the sliders all to the left, not in the middle, when I put the sliders in the middle, it is even worse)
but the sliders in Audacity is in the middle of both options, and it is stereo, The mic is muted, of course and so are the PC speakers, but the zzzt comes out in anyway

Can anyone advise on what else I can do to remove these vibrations and also can some one recommend a good type of PC mic that I can buy that might maybe remove this zzz background vibration noise
Thank you so very much
Anna

I know this is going to be a little rough, but try to be more compulsive with the details.

Not "I bought a microphone," but "I bought a Logitech Model H330 USB headset." I plugged it into my Lenovo ThinkPad X201 laptop and I'm recording with Audcity 1.3.12 under Windows 7.

It's almost impossible to give us too much information.

Koz

HI , thanks a lot and sorry for not being very specific, here below are more information:
The mic I am using has the following specifications:

Cyber Acoustics AC, 850 USB Stereo, Boom Mic w/ Speech Recognition
(# Voice recognition certified
# DNCT4: Direct Noise Canceling Microphone Technology
# Monaural headset
# Adjustable headband
# 180 degree microphone)

the version of Audactity I am using with this microphone is the Beta version 1.3.1.2
and the version of Windows is Windows XP 2002, home version
The rest of the message is still the same and I have copied and pasted it below
____________________________________________________
Hi
I have been trying several times to record my own speech, the sound is great, amazing, but there is always this background, not so much noise, as much as this vibration or this low zzzz noise in the background, like some frying oil sound, is not a smooth sound

I have tried the noise removal in different sliding options, but nothing really changes, the OFF-set seems less on the visual side, but when listening, still the zzz vibration or noise is still there, no changes, there must be a reason why I am getting this vibration

Can anyone advise on what else I can do to remove these vibrations and also can some one recommend a good type of PC mic that I can buy that might maybe remove this zzz background vibration noise
Thank you so very much
Anna

Let's start by taking Audacity out of the mix. Close Audacity and leave it there. Open Windows Sound Recorder.

Start > Programs > Accessories > Entertainment > Windows Sound Recorder.

WSR will follow whatever you have selected in Windows Control Panels, and you can go directly there if you need to with Edit > Properties.

Make a simple, quick recording and WSR will pulse the green timeline while you talk or sing. Stop.

When you finish, File > Save As > Change Format (on the bottom of the panel) > Name > CD Quality > OK.

Name the file (letters and numbers only) Save In > Desktop.

When you play that file, does it still fry at you? Was the green line in WSR always thick and rough even though you weren't talking?

Koz

This is not a Post Production/Noise Removal problem. You will never get rid of frying noises without damaging the show, so we need to find out where the noise is coming from and get rid if it in Pre Production.

Koz

ok Thank you Koz
GOT IT
WILL DO IT but I need to know
WHICH FORMAT DO YOU WANT ME TO CHANGE IT TO, THERE ARE TONS OF OPTIONS IN THE DROP-DOWN MENU and there are 2 drop down menus, Sorry I am really not familiar at all with all the options?
Wait for your answer before saving the file and then hopefully we will find out what is causing this huming noise in the background
Thank you so much
Anna

Are you on Windows Vista or Windows 7? Those panels are going to be very different from my Windows XP. We need to wait for the Windows elves to help. I know much more about the Mac services than Windows.

Do you see a setting for Windows PCM, 44100, 16-bit, Stereo? That's the long version of "CD Quality."

Before you ever save the file, just play it with your speakers turned up. Do you hear the sound damage?


Koz

Hi Koz

my PC is not Vista or Windows 7, is Windos XP 2002, I think is the latest version of XP, there was another one in 2000

But yes I found that format, exactly what you told me, thank you!!!!I am just waiting as they are cutting some trees outside and is noisy at the moment

Before I do I wanted to ask you a question you might find silly, but I am ignorant about all that

As my mic is composed of 1 headphone which I connect to the speakers' jack, and then of one mic which I connect to the mic jack, OK, --do I have to have both of jacks connected to the PC while recording?
Or only the mic jack, i have been recording with both of them connected and I wonder if that is the reason for the humming noise? My speakers also have a woofer and I wonder if that might also be the reason?

Also, could you guide me through the options for the Windows mixer equalizer?
If you open the Volume Control icon in Windows, there are 9 columns/options:
1 VOLUME CONTROL---2 WAVE---3 SW SYNTH-- 4 CD--- 5 LINE-- 6 MIC----7 ZOOM VIDEO--8 PC SPEAKER-- 9 PHONE IN
I have the slider in each of them moved all the way to the left, as if I leave it in the middle, my recording has a terrible echo.
and which one of the 9 columns has to be muted? I have muted MIC PC SPEAKER and PHONE IN as I realized it was less noise that way, is it right?
Thanks, waiting for reply (and for trees cutters to finish) before I go ahead and record and save
Thanks a lot
Anna

The headphone and the microphone are generally completely independent. You can record from the microphone by having the plug (pink?) plugged in to the computer and nothing else.

I regularly use a headset at work as just headphones and fold the microphone up out of the way until I need it.

However, you should not have a speaker running at the same time as your microphone. That will give you howling and feedback. Much better use both the headphones (which cut out the speakers) and the microphone.

You are seriously down to Windows settings that I don't know anything about. If the Windows Sound Recorder sound clip sounds OK in Windows Media Player (not Audacity), then there is some Audacity problem. Much more likely, it's still noisy and you may have a damaged microphone.

Koz

OK Koz
thanks so much for your help
I did exactly as you suggested

I tried all kinds of options with the speakers switched off, w/ speakers on, with both jacks connected

Anyway, I did save the file and then listened to it on Media Player, yes the vibration humming is still there
so it must be the microphone then? Even though while I record, i do not hear this noise? But i hear it only when I play it back?,

I also noticed that when the slider in Volume Control panel is in the MIDDLE (recording stereo??) the humming is amplified, when is just to the left, is a tiny less

Also the noise is amplified when listening through the headphone rather than with my speakers, so there must be also another reason maybe even simple, that is causing this??

I know that you do not know much about Windows, but i think that the Volume control panel is pretty much standard in any system, even Linux No?
is there a way you could just open it in the system you are using, (unless is a MAC) and see what is that I am trying to ask?
I just want to know which is a standard procedure when your record with Audacity, to record with the slider in the middle of each column or just to one side )left or right)?

And also, when the slider is in the middle, is that called STEREO option? or it has nothing to do with it

Bottom line, if that is the case, is it ok to record in a MONO option if the file will be saved as a STEREO instead? and burned into a CD that I will listen with two headphones stereo ?

To me it does not make any sense, you know what I mean
If it will be a stereo file, how can I record it using the Mono option?
Does it make sense?
Can you please help me, as I think that the right settings and options might also help in figuring out how to reduce the noise
If you cannot answer to this questions, can you suggest to where I could post this post in order to receive the answers?
Thanks a lot
Anna