What's wrong with my recording??? [Solved?]

Post your questions & get help from friendly LibriVoxers
mightyfelix
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 11103
Joined: August 7th, 2016, 6:39 pm

Post by mightyfelix »

Help! I was on a roll, recording a fun little poem, but something's wrong! I heard some electronic whine at the beginning, but I thought maybe it was just my speakers, and anyway, it would clean up in noise reduction, right? But now it's worse, and then static, and then.... Garbledygook! :shock:

https://librivox.org/uploads/xx-nonproject/garbledygook.mp3

:help:

I'll try troubleshooting myself, but.... Well, I am worried.
mightyfelix
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 11103
Joined: August 7th, 2016, 6:39 pm

Post by mightyfelix »

I can't see that any settings have changed. But now when I record, I don't get an electronic whine at all, but my recording is far too quiet. When I amplify, the whine is there. Noise reduction does take it out nicely, but I am worried that I will get garbledygook again. :?
Availle
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 22428
Joined: August 1st, 2009, 11:30 pm
Contact:

Post by Availle »

How do you record - laptop mic, usb mic, external recorder?

Could it be that it's as simple as your equipment crapping out?

Also - and I can't believe I need to say this to an admin... :twisted: - for these sort of tests and other things that don't need to stay around forever, please use the "tests" folder. It's cleared out periodically and doesn't require every file to be checked individually as to its long term usefulness.
Cheers, Ava.
Resident witch of LibriVox, channelling
Granny Weatherwax: "I ain't Nice."

--
AvailleAudio.com
mightyfelix
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 11103
Joined: August 7th, 2016, 6:39 pm

Post by mightyfelix »

Lol yeah I guess it would make more sense in tests. Honestly, I was so flustered that I almost put it into my own folder! :lol:

It is a USB mic. Samson Meteor mic. I've had it for about four years, as near as I can remember. I hope it's not crapping out.

I did just plug it into a different USB port, and that seems to have made a difference. Maybe?
Availle
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 22428
Joined: August 1st, 2009, 11:30 pm
Contact:

Post by Availle »

You can use your own folder too. It's just that most of our readers don't have one. :wink:

It's always a good idea to check your equipment; maybe there's also a connection with that usb port if it sounds different. I recorded on a usb for a while and when my laptop (!) was dying, it introduced a whole bunch of new interferences.

The last part of the recording sounds like it's been sped up too much. I wonder if audacity / your recording program ran out of memory space for a while, needed to do something drastic, and lost part of the recording during that time. But really, I have no idea what happened there.
Cheers, Ava.
Resident witch of LibriVox, channelling
Granny Weatherwax: "I ain't Nice."

--
AvailleAudio.com
InTheDesert
Posts: 7447
Joined: August 20th, 2019, 8:25 pm

Post by InTheDesert »

Sounds fine to me. Must all be in your head ;)

1) Are you using Audacity?
2) If so, which 'Host' are you using? (On Windows: MME, Directsound etc.)
3) Was you laptop plugged into power/not plugged in? (ie: did you do something different to normal when it comes to power?)
4) Did you check that Audacity was even using your microphone?
5) On Windows: Sound icon on the taskbar -> Right Click -> Open Sound Settings -> Input/Device Properties -> Additional Device Properties -> Advanced -> What's the 'Default Format'?
American Trials Vol. 3 95% 5 left!
Female Scripture Characters by William Jay (1769 - 1853) 93% 2 left!
Devotional Commentary: Apocalypse 85%
Emotions
PL pls: DPL DPL DPL 43 27-28
mightyfelix
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 11103
Joined: August 7th, 2016, 6:39 pm

Post by mightyfelix »

InTheDesert wrote: July 19th, 2021, 8:15 pm Sounds fine to me. Must all be in your head ;)

1) Are you using Audacity?
2) If so, which 'Host' are you using? (On Windows: MME, Directsound etc.)
3) Was you laptop plugged into power/not plugged in? (ie: did you do something different to normal when it comes to power?)
4) Did you check that Audacity was even using your microphone?
5) On Windows: Sound icon on the taskbar -> Right Click -> Open Sound Settings -> Input/Device Properties -> Additional Device Properties -> Advanced -> What's the 'Default Format'?
1) Yes.
2) I had to double check on this one, but it is MME. Whatever that means.
3) Yes, plugged in, as it usually is. So no, not different than usual.
4) Yes, and it was using the correct mic.
5) 2 channel, 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD Quality) What does that mean? This is certainly a setting that I've never changed.
InTheDesert
Posts: 7447
Joined: August 20th, 2019, 8:25 pm

Post by InTheDesert »

mightyfelix wrote: July 19th, 2021, 8:29 pm 1) Yes.
2) I had to double check on this one, but it is MME. Whatever that means.
3) Yes, plugged in, as it usually is. So no, not different than usual.
4) Yes, and it was using the correct mic.
5) 2 channel, 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD Quality) What does that mean? This is certainly a setting that I've never changed.
When you record a new track in audacity, what's the sample rate? 44100Hz or 48000Hz?
American Trials Vol. 3 95% 5 left!
Female Scripture Characters by William Jay (1769 - 1853) 93% 2 left!
Devotional Commentary: Apocalypse 85%
Emotions
PL pls: DPL DPL DPL 43 27-28
mightyfelix
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 11103
Joined: August 7th, 2016, 6:39 pm

Post by mightyfelix »

44100
mightyfelix
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 11103
Joined: August 7th, 2016, 6:39 pm

Post by mightyfelix »

Well, with the mic plugged in to the other port, I was able to make it all the way through my section without any more weird noises. So I guess things are all good again? But it sure would be nice to know what exactly caused the problem, so I can avoid it in the future.

Thanks everyone!
InTheDesert
Posts: 7447
Joined: August 20th, 2019, 8:25 pm

Post by InTheDesert »

mightyfelix wrote: July 19th, 2021, 8:57 pm44100
A mismatch here will cause problems. Change the 'Default Format' to 44100. It probably reset when you changed which port it was connected to.
American Trials Vol. 3 95% 5 left!
Female Scripture Characters by William Jay (1769 - 1853) 93% 2 left!
Devotional Commentary: Apocalypse 85%
Emotions
PL pls: DPL DPL DPL 43 27-28
mightyfelix
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 11103
Joined: August 7th, 2016, 6:39 pm

Post by mightyfelix »

I'll do that, thanks!
lurcherlover
Posts: 1206
Joined: November 10th, 2016, 3:54 am
Location: LONDON UK

Post by lurcherlover »

It sounds as if when the mic was plugged into the original port, that port may have become faulty - some component playing up. Changing to another port by-passed the circuitry which had the problem. What is the interface you are plugging the mic into?

Peter
mightyfelix
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 11103
Joined: August 7th, 2016, 6:39 pm

Post by mightyfelix »

I'm not certain what an interface is, but I think it's some piece of equipment that I don't have. My mic plugs directly into my laptop.
lurcherlover
Posts: 1206
Joined: November 10th, 2016, 3:54 am
Location: LONDON UK

Post by lurcherlover »

mightyfelix wrote: July 19th, 2021, 9:09 pm Well, with the mic plugged in to the other port, I was able to make it all the way through my section without any more weird noises.
What was the "other port" you plugged the mic into? Was it a USB connection?
Post Reply