I'm not sure how to fix this hum issue. Despite the large amount of noise reduction I apply, there's still a lot of hum.

[5k33t3r]

https://voca.ro/1gkhcFLVKv8o

With this clip, music is played in the background, and the most recent audio track is mixed with it. Only thing that's changed with the original audio track is the decreased volume courtesy of Premiere Pro's level feature.

[Trebor]

Okay, how does this sound? ...
https://voca.ro/1dQ8NucaJrDa

It's still distorted. Try turning-down the gain knob on the Yeti.
[Also turn off Windows audio-enhancements & mic boost if they are on ].

... I'll then be editing it in Premiere Pro ...

Even Pro software cannot undo distortion.

[5k33t3r]

I don’t quite hear the distortion. It sounds just fine to me. Wouldn’t it still be acceptable for a video project?

Alternatively, couldn’t I just turn down the gain level in Audacity?

[kozikowski]

I don’t quite hear the distortion.

How are you listening? Top quality, wired headphones? Good quality office music system?

Is your hearing OK? Distortion tends to gather in the wispy, high-pitched, hiss, fuzz ranges. That's the first thing to go when you're turning into a codger or codgerette.

The upper-case "P" Producer (you) gets to decide this stuff, not us. If you're happy with the work and the viewers/listeners are good with it, then you're done. We can almost always find something wrong.

It's the Producer's job (between writing checks) to pull the plug and get the job out the door.

Koz

[Trebor]

I don’t quite hear the distortion. It sounds just fine to me ...

Yours is almost bullhorn-level of distortion. It's understandable but harsh on the ear.

Here are 10 examples of increasing compression/distortion ..

increasingly compressed (10).flac

High compression causes unacceptable megaphone-like distortion

(620.63 KiB) Downloaded 19 times

IMO you're a ~7/10, should be <4

Alternatively, couldn’t I just turn down the gain level in Audacity?

Turning down the gain on a distorted track won't remove the distortion.
Compression modifies the shape of the waves, not just their level.
After hammering a square-peg through a round-hole it is no longer square.

[5k33t3r]

Sorry it's taken me so long, but I'm ready to respond.

Let's say you're a viewer. Would you be too offput by the sound of my voice as is portrayed in this recording? Would you be invested in simply hearing my voice if this is what I went with? I've received positive reactions from other people, but I'm conflicted as to whether I should keep the recordings the way they are. You'd probably say I'd be wallowing in mediocrity if I stayed the same, which is another reason I'm conflicted.

[steve]

Let's say you're a viewer. Would you be too offput by the sound of my voice as is portrayed in this recording?

If you intend it to sound like a WW1 Tannoy system / field radio, then it works, but I wouldn't like to listen to a lot of speech that sounds like that - OK if you're just giving short introductions to music tracks, but I'd find even that a bit tiresome after a while.

[5k33t3r]

Let's say you're a viewer. Would you be too offput by the sound of my voice as is portrayed in this recording?

If you intend it to sound like a WW1 Tannoy system / field radio, then it works, but I wouldn't like to listen to a lot of speech that sounds like that - OK if you're just giving short introductions to music tracks, but I'd find even that a bit tiresome after a while.

I'm now about to test recording with a lower gain level (the median gain rather than the max). Once I'm done editing it in Audacity, I'm going to show that sample. Be prepared for that.

[kozikowski]

There's a volume meter on the front of a Yeti-X. The microphone light should be on and you should speak or adjust the volume until you just occasionally get a yellow light.

Screen Shot 2020-12-01 at 09.48.02.png (11.83 KiB) Viewed 290 times

The Yeti-X is a side-address microphone. You speak into the side grill just up from the company name.

Screen Shot 2020-12-01 at 09.42.33.png (43.35 KiB) Viewed 290 times

Koz

[5k33t3r]

Here's the new voice file:

https://voca.ro/1nZrVmpm2lLZ

Here's what I did:

1. My mic is standing at a 90° angle.
2. My Gain level is set to 6/11.
3. I sit straight up and am moderately close to my mic.
4. There was a finger snap in the recording, but after applying the soon-to-be-mentioned noise reduction parameters multiple times, it's no longer audible.
5. Noise Reduction parameters
* Noise Reduction: 8 dB
* Sensitivity: 12.50
* Frequency smoothing: 2 bands

I've faced far less distortion with this setup, so hopefully that should solve that issue.

Sorry for the lack of posts. Should I dedicate a new thread to getting feedback on fixed sound recording issues?