Noise on recording

[Halswell]

Hello,

I have been having fun collaborating with various members and laying down vocals here on my laptop and daw (Presonus audiobox usb). I'm hearing a hissing sound that's also showing up in recordings. I've tried the suggestions from the Presonus forums- turning down the volume, changing cables, etc., and the electric outlets in my apt are fairly new. I just read somewhere I should get a shorter usb cable.

Any thoughts on other things I can do to try to reduce the hiss? Is it possible this is just what I get for buying a $250 setup?

On the other end, what do you do when you get a stem from someone else that has some noise on it? I'd like to keep collaborating with folks, but obviously want to give them something that's quality and pitch-worthy.

Thanks for any help.

Halley

[kyleblaque]

If your not using a mixer to your Audio Interface, then there can't be much beyond the gain on the pre-amp or the mic. I tried to use the pre-amps in Presonus Firebox when I first got it, but it just gave a fuzzy sound for me. I ended up getting dedicated pre-amps. That may be something to look into if you think the mic is ok.

As for after it has been recorded, you can look into your DAW and see if they have a de-noise plugin. I've used the one in Logic a lot. There are more expensive software that do an even better job, but for that amount of money it may be worth just finding the actual issue in the recording chain.

Here is the Izotope RX3 restoration suite. Its really good, but a little expensive compared to say a GAP-73 or ART MPA of some sort on Ebay that may solve the problem without other processing.
https://www.izotope.com/en/products/audio-repair/rx/

I would also check out KVR for other restoration/de-noise plugins. I've only used the one in Logic 9 and a demo of RX3, but there have to be others.
http://www.kvraudio.com/q.php

Take it easy,
Chuck

[andygabrys]

Both channels of the Presonus show the same hiss / noise?

I agree with Chuck. Yes a standalone preamp could give you more clear sound without having to jack the preamp gain in the presonus (if that's what's making the noise). Noise reduction plugins can work well and in the past I have used Waves Z-noise (or x-noise always confuse the two) quite a bit to clean things up, but this is only if I am sent tracks to mix.

one drawback to noise reduction - usually you lose some of the quality of the actual recorded signal in the quest to get rid of noise. Usually that is treble cause that is where the hiss lives. You are always balancing getting rid of noise and getting all the quality of the vocal recorded.

If I am making the tracks, I re-record them without the noise (i.e. figure out what's causing the noise and take it out of the record chain).

but all things considered:

a preamp is going to cost several hundred $$.
A good noise reduction plugin is going to also cost a bit.

you might just get a new interface for less and get rid of the problem. A lot of people have had good experiences with the Focusrite line. Inexpensive interfaces are much better in general that they were years back.

my 2 cents.

[eeoo]

And you're sure it's not your mic? Phantom power? Or if you're using a dynamic mic sometimes the gain on your pre isn't powerful enouugh to get a hot enough signal without introducing noise. Just a couple thoughts.

eo

[Halswell]

Thanks for the responses! I'm going to poke around a bit more and see if I can solve for this with your advice as there's a lot I hadn't yet tried. I'm sure my Sweetwater rep will be happy to hear from me if I start looking intro pre amps or a new mic!

Halley

[andygabrys]

Something to consider if you use a lower output mic like the Shure SM7B or a ribbon mic, is that like EO said, jacking the gain on the preamp in the presonus might get noisy, and if you don't get a standalone preamp you can also try something like the cloud lifter which is available at Sweetwater and is basically a fixed gain preamp. Might be cheaper than a standalone preamp unit.

[Halswell]

Hey,

Just wanted to thank you guys for the feedback. It's my condenser mic. I went and checked all of the channels with new cables, etc. and the hiss comes when I push the phantom power button. Interestingly enough, when I plugged in the dynamic mic I had lying around the hiss went away, even with the gain turned up pretty high. As you mentioned, the signal is low, but it doesn't sound too bad.

Now, any recommendations for condenser mics you like?

Chuck, Andy, Ethan, thanks!

[andygabrys]

what are you using right now (the condenser mic?)

its unusual that the mic itself would be that noisy but maybe its defective or.....

Rode NT-1 has very low self noise, but some people feel its very bright and maybe a bit crispy / sibilant.

the Gauge ECM-87 is okay, inexpensive as they come.

[eeoo]

Budget? I love spending other peoples money!

[Halswell]

Andy to answer your question, it's the Presonus M7 condenser mic that comes with the package:
http://www.amazon.com/AudioBox-Studio-R ... B00DV1T1C8

To be perfectly honest here, I dropped this mic not once, but twice. I think I mentioned before, but I switched it out with my Beyer Dynamic mic and was really impressed with the sound once I got the gain up a bit, so I'm feeling pretty confident that it's the mic.

Ethan, my budget is $300 and under (wouldn't it be nice to say 6k?).

Cheers,
Halley