Audacity Forum

Hoping I can get some serious help here because I am in dire need.
I am currently trying to produce an audiobook for ACX but no matter what I do my noise floor can't get down low enough, so I am wondering if there are any steps I can take to pass the ACX requirements?

A bit of background: The way I learned to master each chapter was export the file as a WAV then run it through a free app called "Levelator" and then normalize in Audacity to -3db and things should be smooth sailing. For me though I feel like it just makes it sound worse, probably because my noise floor sticks at about -57 to -54.

Anyway, I have attached a raw file with nothing done to it, just my voice and I hope that by some miracle there is something I can do.

Thank you!!!

Turn off the cement mixer?

Thank you for the good sample.

I couldn't do it, either.

I prepared a boosted sound clip of your noise. The little periodic sharp tick isn't real. What in your house could be making that noise? It's bad enough I don't think anybody's going to be able to get rid of it without affecting your voice quality.

It sounds like you're waiting for clearance from the control tower to take off, doesn't it? Let's see. Single engine Cessna, I think.

If you need too much Noise Reduction, you start sounding like talking in a wine glass. ACX will not accept either one, the noise or the glass.

So where do you have a large pump or other large motor? Want to start from the beginning? Which microphone do you have and is it sitting on the table?

Koz

If you have trouble hearing that low pitch rumble (I'm serious, cement mixer), you may have the second common home studio problem. Bad earphones or speakers.

How are you listening?

Koz

Sometimes, you can have one "thing" making noises and it will produce interference with several tones an octave apart. Not yours. It sounds like mixing rocks.

Koz

Oh boy,

Unfortunately, I don't know what is making the noise. When I am just sitting in my space it is incredibly quiet and the microphone reads at -57 which I know still isn't great but I didn't realize it was that terrible. If this helps, I am using a Mac with Audacity 2.2.1 with an ATT2020USB mic. I'm listening through both of the ear headphones and then ear buds most of the time when I edit.

I'm afraid the culprit must be something in the building?

Now, here is the twist. I downloaded the ACX check from this forum while waiting for a response, and oddly enough when I went through the Levelator and Normalize to -3db and had the entire clip selected...it passes for Noise floor??

kozikowski wrote:Which microphone do you have and is it sitting on the table?

It's an ATT2020USB mic and it is on a corner desk that I have actually padded with blankets. Plus the entire corner I have padded and then I close myself off with moving blankets held up by a shower rod. If that helps anything...

it passes for Noise floor??

Not that surprising. The motor went off. That's not the good news. That means you have an unstable studio.

By the way, that's an AT2020USB, not what you said.


Suspended?



Sitting on the desk? How did you do it?

Koz

I went with large motor instead of cooling fan in the computer because computers typically don't make that much powerful rumbly noise. They make EEEEEEEE screaming and insect noises.

I guess it could be the computer......

If somebody wanted me to bet money, I wouldn't do it.

Koz

kozikowski wrote:I went with large motor instead of cooling fan in the computer because computers typically don't make that much powerful rumbly noise. They make EEEEEEEE screaming and insect noises.

I guess it could be the computer......

If somebody wanted me to bet money, I wouldn't do it.

Koz

Hmm perhaps? Although I keep my computer away from the mic, it is outside of the moving blanket/curtains that I have drawn on another desk, so it is a few feet away from it.

Soooo am I basically screwed then?

Third time.

Do you have the microphone sitting on the table?

Koz