Getting rid of background noise

[BelGarion]

Ok, here is your sound test clip. Also I dug out my Snowball, though I can't find it's USB cable as of yet. >.< Old school USB printer cable to boot.

[kozikowski]

Old school USB printer cable to boot.

Also known as USB-A to USB-B.

You may not need it. You need to come up with a "studio." Your job is not to peel off "background noise" from your performance. You need to separate two mixed performances from each other. This is a cousin to splitting the instruments from each other in a band or orchestra.

Audacity won't do either one.

Even if you do get the gate to work perfectly, it's going to give you TV-stained words over velvety blackness. The instant you both talk at the same time, you're dead. See: 8 seconds in your sample.

Start looking for heavy blankets or furniture moving pads.

Do you drive? I know that's a silly question in Los Angeles, but I have had people turn out very good voice tracks from the back of their car. You don't have to worry about trudging through the snow to get there, either.

Koz

[Trebor]

... here is your sound test clip ...

Noise-gate does more harm than good on that ...

'Sound Test', before-after gating.flac

(336.12 KiB) Downloaded 22 times

IMO buy uncle a belated Christmas-present of wireless headphones.

[kozikowski]

Christmas-present of wireless headphones.

Maybe not wireless. You can't plug those into a microphone, interface, or sound mixer.

Koz

[BelGarion]

Well, so much for a cardioid microphone, which the Snowball is. It still picks up background noise, but only when I am talking. O.o

[kozikowski]

so much for a cardioid microphone, which the Snowball is.

It's switchable with the little switch on the back. For directional, make sure it's in position 1 and then make sure you're talking into the company name. Cardioid microphones are not a gift from the angels. You still need a quiet room—or a blanket to hide under.

It still picks up background noise, but only when I am talking.

That's the noise gate.

The only cure for your problem is to use a software generated voice and not try to record your real voice.

Koz

[BelGarion]

It is in switch position 1 and, no, unedited, unless VoiceMeeter (which I need as Win 10 doesn't have a microphone boost for the Snowball, does for the lapel, but not the Snowball) is doing some sort of Noise Gate type effect. I barely understand it, followed a tutorial and when it's quiet it sounds reasonable. Without VoiceMeeter it's too quiet in position 1 and can be barely heard in position 2 so I assume 2 is the -10db pad setting. In position 1 I use these settings and it is good, doesn't clip at all. But it does that noise gate thing on it's own. I should have kept the test recording but I was disappointed. Started out good but then when I started talking is when I started to hear the tv again. >.<

https://gyazo.com/a4368200c768bd4cac81ef607ae48ac3