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Do you sound crap ?

by Stevewoody82
13 replies
As a noob at recording a product series I used my standard mac microphone, when I watched back the content (using screen flow) I could hear a hum so I tried a lapel mic, same problem.

I spent most of the day testing trying and finally after playing with removing background noise and playing with settings got to something I found ok

Then this evening I found out that my partner had a blue yeti sitting in the loft.

The quality is amazing and I just want to urge you all to consider if you are recording products to get a great audio recorder for the job.
#audio #blue yeti #crap #recording #sound
  • Profile picture of the author Clausenlt
    I am an Audiophile, and there are a variety of reason why recordings sound like crap, not the least of which is the source...I.E. the method used to record...etc, also, the PC sound settings as well as the sound card...too many things really to mention is a short generic post. However, I good mic is never bad!
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  • Profile picture of the author Enfusia
    Yes, the Yeti by blue is very good. Much better than their Snowball in my opinion.

    If you need a Mic for travel the Samson Go Mic is the best travel mic I've ever seen.

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    • Profile picture of the author minisitedevil
      Originally Posted by Enfusia View Post

      If you need a Mic for travel the Samson Go Mic is the best travel mic I've ever seen.
      Yes, I have this mic and the Samson C01U USB Condenser Mic (a full sized desktop mic). I get excellent results with both.

      A small high quality audio recorder such as the Zoom H2N Handy Recorder may do the trick as well and offer the advantage of self-contained portability.
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      • Profile picture of the author Clausenlt
        Originally Posted by minisitedevil View Post

        Yes, I have this mic and the Samson C01U USB Condenser Mic (a full sized desktop mic). I get excellent results with both.

        A small high quality audio recorder such as the Zoom H2N Handy Recorder may do the trick as well and offer the advantage of self-contained portability.
        I am just trying to sound like I know what i am talking about ...:p...


        no I do, but I have very little experience on this side!
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    Even with great microphones you will find some of them pick up background noise. It might be the humming of your computer or even your computer fan.

    That's why you should always leave a gap of about 5-10 seconds (with no talking) at the beginning of each recording you do so you can easily come back and take out any background noise later.
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    • Profile picture of the author ronr
      Yes agree with what Will says. Then you can use a free program like Audacity to get rid of any hum or background noise. In fact you can often get away with a decent headset microphone by doing this.

      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      Even with great microphones you will find some of them pick up background noise. It might be the humming of your computer or even your computer fan.

      That's why you should always leave a gap of about 5-10 seconds (with no talking) at the beginning of each recording you do so you can easily come back and take out any background noise later.
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      • Profile picture of the author e4job
        as RonR said, we have had good experience with Audacity and use it to make voice overs for our Windows Movie Maker vids - you can see a few on our home page
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    • Profile picture of the author Brandon Tanner
      Just an FYI guys... virtually all USB mics are "condenser" mics, and will pick up a lot of background noise, because that is how condenser mics work. And that's why condensers are used so much in recording studios, because they are great at picking up all the little "nuances" of instruments and vocals, even from several feet away. Of course, recording studios don't have to worry about "background noise", which is why they can get away with using them.

      But for the average person recording something in their bedroom, background noise can obviously be an issue. If it is, then it's much better to use a dynamic mic, as it won't pick up anywhere near as much background noise as a condenser will. The Shure SM-57 is a very good one. Something like that, with a foam windscreen wrapped around it, will eliminate virtually all room noise.

      Now hum is an entirely different issue altogether, and is normally caused by an electric "ground loop". Sometimes it can be eliminated at the source with a line conditioner, but if the wiring in the house isn't great, then sometimes you're just stuck with it. Luckily though, hum is pretty easy to get rid of in post production by notching out everything below about 70hz via EQ.
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Another vote for the Samson USB mic.

        And I really like my little Olympus WS-300M voice recorder. Fits in a shirt pocket and plugs into a USB port to transfer recordings for editing. Another neat feature is two mics, which works nicely for recording interviews.
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  • Profile picture of the author Clausenlt
    Ground loops very often cause hum as well that could be mistaken for background noise.
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  • Profile picture of the author dbrwn
    I have to agree that having a good voice recorder to record your products is a must in this business especially if you're recoring audio information products.

    Sony makes really good digital voice recorders and there are even voice recorders that record directly into MP3 file format as well. Just make sure that you get a recorder that has really good microphones and can pick up sound really well.

    Also make sure that the recorder doesn't produce any background sound such as pops, hiss, or hum. If that is a problem with the recorder's built-in mikes, then try using extermal ones. That can actually help to cut down on the noise.
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  • Profile picture of the author rmolina88
    I have a Blue Yeti with a pop filter for voiceovers and a regular headphone/mic combo for quick recording via skype.
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  • Profile picture of the author mr2020
    Just got the blue yeti a month ago.

    Whoa.

    Best $100 spent in a loooong time.

    (Better than 1/2 the wso's... I've wasted money on.)



    Originally Posted by Stevewoody82 View Post

    As a noob at recording a product series I used my standard mac microphone, when I watched back the content (using screen flow) I could hear a hum so I tried a lapel mic, same problem.

    I spent most of the day testing trying and finally after playing with removing background noise and playing with settings got to something I found ok

    Then this evening I found out that my partner had a blue yeti sitting in the loft.

    The quality is amazing and I just want to urge you all to consider if you are recording products to get a great audio recorder for the job.
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