LibriVox Forum

Hi everyone,
I started my test recording today. For some reason, I can hear static in the background.
I am using audacity on Windows 10. The Mic I chose is the USB Pro-Mic condenser. Uni directional microphone with pop filter.

I have adjusted recording volume levels both on the mic and audacity. It's still there????

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Cheers

If I'm not mistaken, uni-directional means that it's picking up sound from every direction, correct? So that makes a bit of sense. You could try piling towels, pillows, or something else soft behind the mic, if you can, to cut sound from that direction.

Some static can be native to the mic. My suggestion is to post the 1-minute test so that we can hear your static (how bad it is) and offer specific suggestions.

Great! Thank you. here is the url for the test recording.

Thanks again.


https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/LibriVox_test.mp3

Tricia, "unidirectional" is not the same as "omni-directional" and the latter is the pattern which picks up the sound equally well from all directions ("omni" means "all" in Latin).

cstew64, are you sure you selected your microphone in Audacity? It may not be your default one. If you have any other microphone (pre-dating your new one), it might be the default source of sound... Did you start Audacity after plugging the mic in or before?

cstew64,

I just downloaded and listened to your recording. It's not static. It sounds a bit like mains hum or your computer's fan or some kind of interference. Record a few seconds of just this noise (without speaking), give it a more specific file name and upload it again.

Most likely it can be cleaned out. Some inexpensive microphone's circuits are not very well isolated from interference, so noise reduction effect is your friend.

tovarisch wrote: ↑August 24th, 2019, 4:26 pm Tricia, "unidirectional" is not the same as "omni-directional" and the latter is the pattern which picks up the sound equally well from all directions ("omni" means "all" in Latin).

I stand corrected. Call it a mental lapse after strenuous physical activity today.

Here's an audio file with no voice. Just the static.


https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/no_voice_static_sound_test.mp3

cstew64 wrote: ↑August 24th, 2019, 5:46 pm Here's an audio file with no voice. Just the static.


https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/no_voice_static_sound_test.mp3

Audacity's noise reduction can clean that right up. You should have no problems.

In the winter I run a heater with a fan at my feet and audacity does a great job in removing its 'hum.'

Do you how this is done? I can explain it, I think.

cstew64 wrote: ↑August 24th, 2019, 5:46 pm Here's an audio file with no voice. Just the static.


https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/no_voice_static_sound_test.mp3

Thank you. The "noise floor" on this is quite low. If amplified a ton (like 30 dB), then we can hear that it's mostly static with a few frequency spikes at 100Hz, 180Hz, 200Hz, 240Hz, etc., which suggests that some current seeps in. It's very mild. Very. As Kevin says, the noise reduction will make it even less noticeable. See this wiki page for more.

Thanks everyone! All your help has put me at a bit more ease. Appreciate all the responses.