Muffled audio

[hamsterwuv]

I am using Windows 7 and my built in laptop microphone. When I record i get a lot of whitenoise and after about 10 seconds the audio gets muffled and almost silenced.

[steve]

In the first 10 seconds are you also getting the proper sound recorded as well as the "white noise"?

[kozikowski]

You're doing this on headphones, right? It's a common mistake to use the built-in microphone and built-in speakers -- or even desktop speakers at the same time. They will interfere with each other.

You can also get really wacky results if you're on a newer Windows machine and don't turn off the conferencing services.

http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic ... ncellation

And last, do you like to record YouTube or other on-line services? you need to turn off recording Mix-Out our whatever it's called on your machine. That interfere's with straight music recording -- assuming you're making the music.

None of this has anything to do with Audacity.

Koz

[hamsterwuv]

Yes, for the first ten seconds the audio is decent but I also get white noise. What do you mean not to use the built in speakers and microphone? I unchecked the audio options that the other thread mentioned. Hopefully this will help.

[kozikowski]

Many people doing live recording for the first time want to hear themselves as they do it -- they leave speakers running while they perform.

You can't do that.
http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/wynonna2.jpg

She's not doing that by accident. Having a speaker and microphone running in the same room is a problem. Much better headphones, or don't listen at all.

Unchecking the "Advanced" features should have gotten rid of the volume changing by itself.

The white noise may be more of a problem. Now we need to know about the show. What is it? Are you singing? Playing the guitar?

Koz

[hamsterwuv]

I believe the white noise might just be the laptop fan or other part. I usually just use the noise removal effect which greatly helps but there is still some buzzing.This happens both when I record drums and guitar. I plan to have a separate track for drums, guitar, bass, and vocals. Should I just mute my computers speaks while recording or is there a way to do this with the control panel?

[kozikowski]

Are you building up to wanting to do overdubbing, instrument over instrument? It will be required that you have headphones or earbuds. If you're on an electric guitar or electric keyboard (direct connection), you could get away with listening quietly to the original tracks with speakers to guide you, but the instant you involve a microphone, you're dead without the headphones.

There is a test to tell where the noise is coming from. If you have the noise built-in to the microphone amplifier (they all have noise), that will be white or pink for real. If you're experiencing fan noise, it may sound well behaved like white, but if you use Audacity to analyze it, there will be a signature.

Record ten seconds or so of nothing. Quiet room and don't play any instruments. That should give you a base line track with the hiss or buzz on it.

Press Stop.

Analyze > Plot Spectrum.

If it's really the microphone white noise, the picture will be neat and orderly with few lumps and bumps in it.

If it's the fan, it will have significant hills and valleys -- maybe not quite as bad as this...

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/piano_G1.jpg

The bottom of that picture, toward the left, will give you the settings I used to get that picture. Click on the picture to magnify.

Which noise do you have?

Koz

[kozikowski]

And no, you can't ever get rid of everything evil if you have a noisy performance. You should make every effort to get a clean performance in the first place.

Noise Reduction isn't set and forget. It's the reason for pages and pages of forum discussions as to the best way to go about it and with which tools.

Koz

[hamsterwuv]

My plot looked like the second half of your picture. What should I do about this? Earlier you mentioned turning off the recording mix out. How do I do this? I do plan on overdubbing guitar and bass.

[kozikowski]

My plot looked like the second half of your picture.

That would suck. That means almost certainly you're listening to the ventilation and fan system in your machine. Some machines turn the fans off and on as the machine heats up. Does yours?

You need to get used to the idea that you may not be able to use that microphone for your recordings. Build-in microphones only work really well when the computer is dead silent.

I need to look at some Windows settings. Hang in.

Koz