VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

mcm · Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 8:04 am Post subject: external interfaces - again

This has been talked about a lot here, I know, but there are lots of new people and new opinions and changing technology....

My signal chain is a Soundelux U195 mic through a Mogami Gold cable to a Symetrix 528E (no processing) to an (internal) Echo Mia Midi sound card in a muscular Dell PC (Windows XP Pro) with plenty of RAM running Adobe Audition 1.5. The mic and computer are in separate rooms. The recording chamber is a nice padded cell (with carpeting made of 100% undetermined fiber!).

I have noise in my recordings that I must filter out every time and I am sooooo sick of it. Also, I don't get enough volume and always have to raise it in post and am so sick of that too. I would like to try an external audio interface instead of the Echo card to see if that helps since I've tried pretty much everything else. I've been thinking about an Edirol UA25. I tried a Firewire 410 months ago and it was a disaster. M-Audio products are not for me unless I decide to get ProTools. Their tech support people can't cope with anything else.

Does anybody have any thoughts about the choice of this particular interface? Whatever I get will have to be returnable if it doesn't work out. Rejoicing in advance for any suggestions.

steveanthony · Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 8:49 am Post subject: Noise?

What kind of noise? Is it room rumble? A hiss? Flourescent lights? Is it always present or only when you talk? Would you post a sample?

bobsouer · Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 8:54 am Post subject: Re: Noise?

Tom Greenlee · Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:27 am Post subject:

Mary.....I don't know if this will help you or not, but I posted this in another thread. It is a voice sample. I recorded this using my mic into the Edirol UA-1000. I believe the UA-25 and the UA-1000 are the same except the UA-25 has less inputs. I am providing the link so you can hear the noise floor of the recording....no processing was done to the signal at all except I slightly de-essed it. Prior to this setup, I was going into my soundcard and had horrible hiss that always had to be removed from every recording, sometimes destroying my audio. Take a listen.....virtually no noise.

here
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"Communication without intelligence is noise; Intelligence without communication is irrelevant."

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mcm · Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:31 am Post subject:

Here are some samples:

The empty, dark room

The empty room with the fluorescent light on

The room with voice-talking, followed by same sample made louder after recording

These are .wav files. The gain knobs on the Symetrix are turned almost to max (4 o'clock). The Echo mixer has been adjusted upwards too. More gives me more noise.

Thanks for the help/interest in helping Smile

Bill · Guest

Mary,

Just wanted to make sure, mic is going into the rear mic input, mic is selected on in the pre amp, the 15 db pad is disengaged, as is the compressor and both the mic pre and the output gain are both at 4 o'clock?

steveanthony · Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 12:12 pm Post subject: Two things

Mary,

I'm hearing two different types of noise - a low level rumble, and hiss.

To check the low level rumble:

Do you have a computer monitor close to the mic? If there's a monitor, turn it off and see if that quiets things down. Next, are any audio cables running parallel to AC power cables? Audio cables and AC don't always play well.

Is the mic mounted on a shockmount? How is the mic stand mounted? Sometimes rumble gets sent through the stand (or mount). Take the mic off the stand and lay it on a pillow.

After that, stick the mic outside the room and see if the rumble noise increases. The source of that noise may be outside your room.

As for the hiss, it sounds like hiss generated from a high gain setting.

That's how I would proceed.

Steve

mcm · Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:35 pm Post subject:

the mic and computers/monitors are in different rooms. And I don't think the computer monitors make any noise anyway. There is a shock mount and the cables all seem to be positioned okay. The gain is set high because the volume is not high enough.

My original question really is about the external interfaces and I wonder if anybody with volume troubles has found any relief through the use of them. I need something that will boost my volume without amplifying noise.

Maybe I need to start shouting.

Tom, your sample wouldn't load for me.

Tom Greenlee · Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 2:44 pm Post subject:

hmmmmmm...I just tried it from my work computer and it loaded right up. It's no big deal tho....it's just a recording of my voice. I just wanted u to hear that there is virtually no audible noise......that is a result of going to the Edirol instead of my machine sound card. The mic gain increased significantly as well by going to the Edirol.
_________________
TG2

"Communication without intelligence is noise; Intelligence without communication is irrelevant."

Gen. Alfred. M. Gray, USMC
Former Commandant of the Marine Corps

bobsouer · Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 3:25 pm Post subject:

donrandall · Guest

Mary, I recorded your audio and then namalized it at -1db, which seemed to be appropriate, as it approximates real world use.

I then played with my noisegate until I could quiet the noise. I started at -50 and kept adjusting until I was able to quiet the noise. I finally got it quieted at -38db. I am using my on board soundcard and it is much, much quieter than that.

I recently had some private exchanges with another who was having problems much like yours. After checking all the usual suspects, I asked him (or her) if there was any chance he (or she) was talking into the back side of the mic - the dead side of the element. As it turned out, that was the problem. That made it necessary to run everything wide open in order to get sufficient level - and as a result - it increased the extraneous noises quite dramatically. I have also noticed that some electronics will generate some electronic fizzing when ya floor it - even the high dollar stuff can do it.

I will add that having the mic turned wrongside around was an easy mistake, since his (or her) mic was not labeled with a trademark or other designator that was highly visible.

mcm · Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 5:01 am Post subject:

I wish it were as simple as the mic being turned the wrong way - I know what that sounds like. Everything is facing the right way and the all the switches are in the right place. I've been working on this problem for a very long time Smile

This mic is not one of the more sensitive mics on the market and my voice is not loud. I think I will try the Edirol and see what it can do for me.

Thanks to all for your thoughts.

bobsouer · Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 5:46 am Post subject:

I've heard very good things about the Edirol. And it should work well with your Dell computer. (Edirol USB devices tend not to play well with computers with SIS chipsets.)
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