Dangit! Running ACX check ruins my Noise Floor!

[sharcmerman]

I've been relying on GarageBand for.. some years now.. until just recently trying to branch into audiobooks with ACX. I recorded my first 15 minutes, submitted for approval, got approved, but saw I failed the ACX submission requirements. Been doing a lot of research this past week trying to figure out how to troubleshoot, found audacity and the handy ACX check tool, even found some nice tutorials for setting up a chain (now called macro) to apply all of the mastering tools in one swoop and now my "ACX" macro, per https://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Audiobook_Mastering, includes all of this:

Effect > Filter curve... > Manage > Factory Presets > : Low roll-off for speech > OK.
Effect > RMS Normalize: Target RMS Level -20dB > OK.
Effect > Limiter: Soft Limit, 0.00, 0.00, -3.50dB, 10.00, No > OK.
Analyze > ACX-Check.

I can tell it's working but every time, my noise floor is too high after applying these tools. (Right now it's ending up around -55.7dB after applying the macro)

Screen Shot 2020-05-08 at 3.39.10 PM.png (618.57 KiB) Viewed 188 times

To be clear, I am not uploading the audio from my previous recording in GarageBand into Audacity, as I'm assuming I'll just need to re-record all of that once I find settings and tools that will work. So the clip of audio in the screenshot is just a test recording (one of maybe a hundred I've tried over the past few days ugh) I've read in some forum posts here that the problem is usually with original recording so I've tried turning my microphone's input settings all over the place and nothing *fixes* my final outcome.

I'm recording in a vocal booth I constructed out of PVC and double layered moving blankets, which closely resembles a https://www.bookablevo.com/tri-booth although mine goes all the way to the floor and there are more blankets, so the space is very dead sound-wise.

I'm using a Blue Spark Microphone, through a Steinberg UR-22 audio interface, to a MacBook pro running Mac Os Catalina 10.15.3 and Audacity version 2.3.3

Note I am aware (I believe) Audacity isn't currently supported on anything beyond Mac OS X because of a restriction on permissions to microphones, but I found a workaround (I think on these forums) to type in a line of code into terminal, and keep that open to utilize audacity with this set up, and that has worked well.

Hoping there's a setting I'm missing here and all of the work I've done building this setup has not been in vain. I feel like I'm so close! Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

[kozikowski]

(now called macro)

Do you remember where you got the Macro from?

If you're still set up, can you record a sound test? We can't tell enough from a finished and mastered failure to know what's happening.

https://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/Tes ... _Clip.html

Other than cutting it to length, Do Not Touch Anything. No effects, filters or corrections. Read down the blue links. They're very short. Export the WAV and post it to the forum.

Koz

[sharcmerman]

I put the macro together myself just adding each tool that is recommended with the corresponding settings.

Screen Shot 2020-05-08 at 5.18.49 PM.png (208.06 KiB) Viewed 182 times

Here's the sound test. One take reading this for the first time -- no judgment haha!

sharcmerman sound test may8.wav

(1.48 MiB) Downloaded 5 times

[kozikowski]

Thank you for all that. Prizes awarded if you can make it through the whole sentence without taking a breath <g>.

This one's a puzzler. I can't find anything broken...but it doesn't work.

Yes, there's too much noise in the presentation, but there's nothing special about the noise. It's plain, ordinary, straight-off-the-shelf, pink noise. (gentle rain in the trees—shshshshsh) The kind of noise all electronics makes.

But it should not be doing that. It's a respectable microphone plugged into a respectable preamp. Anything magic about them? You got a "really good deal" on eBay because someone was upgrading to another microphone?

The Steinberg has the option of two different power systems on the back. Which one do you use?

Are you plugged into #1? Where is INPUT 1 GAIN set? Where is INPUT 2 GAIN set? Are you capturing in Stereo and deleting the blank right-hand channel?

Ummmm.

You should be speaking roughly into the BLUE company name. It's a side-fire microphone. The two switches should be flat (no bend) and 0 (not -20dB).

Anything there?

The studio worked. I don't hear anything but the electronics hiss. No dogs, clocks, or refrigerators. Voice quality is perfect.

Koz

[kozikowski]

Can you post a text file of the whole macro?

Koz

[sharcmerman]

Good morning Koz! So, nothing magic about the mic/preamp - bought both new Guitar Center a few years ago.

Plugged into Mic 1, INPUT 1 GAIN was set pretty high on that test recording because everything I've seen says to sound check so occasional peaks are around -6 dB. Although compared to all my previous recordings in other programs, that's pretty high. Then again, when I've kept the input lower, around maybe 60%, after mastering, maybe I've imagined it but the "pink" noise seemed to be worse. Attaching a couple test recordings at different input levels here.

sharcmerman input 50% test.wav

(666.44 KiB) Not downloaded yet

sharcmerman input 75% test.wav

(587.49 KiB) Downloaded 2 times

Audacity setting says I'm capturing in Mono.

Screen Shot 2020-05-09 at 10.05.22 AM.png (469.85 KiB) Viewed 165 times

[sharcmerman]

...Cont'd

Shot of preamp (Hi-Z button pressed in)

IMG_1107.JPG (485.96 KiB) Viewed 165 times

Here's a shot of my mic and pop filter roughly 7 inches distance, speaking into the blue company name side. I'm actually not sure what you are describing by "The two switches should be flat (no bend) and 0 (not -20dB)."

IMG_0147.JPG (1.08 MiB) Viewed 165 times

Text file of "ACX" macro attached as well.

ACX.txt

(370 Bytes) Downloaded 2 times

[kozikowski]

.

Screen Shot 2020-05-09 at 13.35.45.png (216.54 KiB) Viewed 161 times

I need to come back later.

Koz

[kozikowski]

I was really hoping you had your -20 dB switch in the wrong position. That would have been such an easy fix. It satisfies all the symptoms. 20 dB higher noise than normal, pink noise type, perfect voice, etc.

That switch is used when you want to perform a massively loud instrument (trumpet, bugle, trombone) into the microphone. It reduces the sensitivity of the microphone so it doesn't misbehave, overload, or distort. Many microphones can do that.

If you try to speak into the microphone with that switch on, it will seem that the noise is 20dB too loud. -55 dB instead of -75 dB which is would be normal. It's so perfect you should go into your instructions and see if there is a way to set that switch even though there isn't a physical switch.

Is there a special driver app or communications software package?

Koz

[kozikowski]

Shoot a normal, short, voice microphone test. Stop. Shoot the same voice with the microphone backwards. Speak into the rear of the round grill on top with the BLUE name away from you. Try not to change the studio very much when you do this, and don't change any settings. Just flip the mic around. It's a volume test, so you don't need the pop and blast filter.

Slate the sound: "This is the Spark from the front...this is the Spark from the front."

"This is the Spark from the back...this is the Spark from the back."

Koz