weird modulation(?) on audio recording - help!

[Trebor]

... I still see that rippling on the spectrogram view ...

It's possible to reduce the ripple with equalization ...

Applying this EQ twice is worth a try.

RR EQ.png (26 KiB) Viewed 64 times

ReduceRipple.XML

Data for "ReduceRipple" curve to be imported into Audacity 2-3-2 equalizer.

(26.5 KiB) Downloaded 4 times

before-after RippleReduction equalization.flac

"after" has 1 application of "ReduceRipple" EQ curve.

(1.63 MiB) Downloaded 9 times

Before-After 1 application of "ReduceRipple" EQ curve.

B-A RR.gif (95.36 KiB) Viewed 64 times

[rayw]

Good heavens! Even listening to that sample there's a marked difference. How did you do that? I was playing with graphic EQ for hours before I posted originally.

How does one import that into Audacity to use? I've read elsewhere that one cannot import EQ xmls in 2.3.3?

Questions though, as I'm still trying to understand the initial issue.

It's a resonance caused by the space the micrphone is in? It's not dodgy kit* or troubles with Audacity? If I changed the space, I would lose this effect? (I have experimented with different shaped spaces by putting mic and me in a duvet, so I'd say 'yes' to that.)

Will this EQ preset work for ALL resonance disotortions I hear on the clips posted thus far or others recorded in the same space after? Is the resonanse a specific frequency? IS that the right question?

There's so much about audio post I don't know and learing on the fly is always tricky.

*it can't be if the same thing happens with different boxes and mics, can it? Must be the space.

edit:typos

[Trebor]

Good heavens! Even listening to that sample there's a marked difference. How did you do that?

There is an Audcaity plugin which can provide an equalization curve which will make source audio sound like some target reference audio.
Now the bad news: the current version of Audacity is not able to import EQ curve data that plugin generates.

Will this EQ preset work for ALL resonance disotortions I hear on the clips posted thus far or others recorded in the same space after?

The EQ preset is specific to the setup your booth, the mic used & its position therein.
(the colouration will mainly be due to the the dimensions of the booth and the reflectivity of the surfaces,
including table-tops & computer screens).

Is the resonanse a specific frequency? ...

If you record hand-claps in the booth and view them in Audacity the waveform & spectrogram will reveal the frequencies the booth is ringing at & how long they take to decay. You can use such recordings to evaluate any changes you make to the booth.

*it can't be if the same thing happens with different boxes and mics, can it? Must be the space.

The mic is accurately recording the acoustic-resonance in the booth,
(assuming headphone-bleed has been excluded).

[rayw]

Wow! That looks exceedingly comples, but I'll have a go with that when I've got this project out of the way. Deadline's ready to whoosh past me. I'll let you know how I get on when that's all donr. Have a good few days to mess about then.

[kozikowski]

Since this message thread is cranking up to its fifth chapter....

You can get a baseline for your kit by recording outside on a windless day. It's a laptop, right? Say a public park or a place with no loud natural noises and no reflective surfaces. I know that's a career move, but that recording will tell you if there's something going on in the computer or interface.

There is no room. Basic troubleshooting. Split the system up into parts and make sure the parts work on their own.

Koz

[kozikowski]

Do you have a car? One of the production people showed up at work with remarkably good clear voice tracks and I asked him how he did it. "The back of my Toyota," he said.

Koz

[rayw]

Hello, Koz. Seen a lot of your posts on here and have taken your advice on things in the past, nice to speak finally!

No, i don't have a car, and the current situation means that going out is difficult for me. I can try the kit in different rooms of the flat, but that's about it until this general shambles is over.

The thing is I've produced recordings with no issues in the same space before, and so there must be something I'm not doing right.

Overall, I see that there's an issue and in my old work, i could troubleshoot very well. This is not a situation I'm that familiar with at this depth and I do realise that the discussion is moving out of the arena of Audacity itself as it looks to me more of a general set up issue and I'm *sure* a five-page thread of me not setting a mic and interface up correctly is informative reading for anyone.

I'll take the advice that's been very well laid out here, thanks to Trebor for that, and see what happens.


edit:sarcastic asterisks

[Trebor]

... "The back of my Toyota," he said ...

Other brands are available ... https://youtu.be/kO8Fl1IQVNA