Background noise

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bhavya
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Post by bhavya »

Hello!

I am really interested in reading for linrivox however when i record i get a lot of background noise from moving traffic(since i live next to a high traffic road).
Any suggestions on how to reduce it ? ( i tried closing windows and doors but it didnt work).
Also how much noise is acceptable?
Is occasional honking ok?


Thanks!
Bhavya
tovarisch
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Post by tovarisch »

Bhavya,

There are methods of reducing the amount of noise permeating into your recording area from outside, like special blankets that can be hung over your windows and doors, or even use of specially constructed audio booths. Many of those methods are prohibitively expensive or cumbersome, though. A better solution that I use is to record when the outside noises are at the minimum (late night).

Low-frequency rumble can be cleaned out from the recording by applying a high-pass filter. Loud sounds occurring while you record, usually do not last long, and you can simply re-record the phrase when you discover that there is a sound that you don't care to keep.

Whether occasional modern noises in the final recording are OK, I believe, depends very much on what you are recording. If it's a technical/scientific article, for example, it's the information and not the ambiance the listener is after. If, OTOH you are recording a dramatic reading of something that was happening mid-nineteenth century, on an estate in English countryside, perhaps sounds of busy traffic, honking, emergency sirens, are not what the listener expects...
tovarisch
  • reality prompts me to scale down my reading, sorry to say
    to PLers: do correct my pronunciation please
bhavya
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Post by bhavya »

Thanks!
ProDigit
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Post by ProDigit »

Get a better microphone.
There are lots of microphones you can choose from.
Personally, I'd advise the:
- 'Blue Snowball' as a starters microphone on a budget. $60
- 'Blue Microphones Yeti', as a beginner-intermediate, best bang for the buck, has better background noise cancellation. $110
- 'Audio Technica AT2020USB' for intermediate; semi professional sound, a good microphone, and if you know a thing or two about audio, you could use this one in pro studios as well. $135
It's my mic of choice, due to it being sharper (like Sennheiser), which accentuates the voice a bit more.
- 'Rode NT-USB' intermediate microphone, and great alternative to AT2020USB, in case you're not too fond of the high frequency bump, and want to sound more natural. $165
- 'Razer Seiren', at $220 it's the most expensive one of the bunch; but provides a bit more low end boost over the Rode. Great for deeper voices. Some people say it's good for skype, but not for audio books. Though opinions differ from person to person, and voice to voice.
- 'Audio Technica AT2020USBi' intermediate-advanced, the highest quality microphone by far; tops the razer; Records in 24 bit, has an extremely high S/N ratio. You can start making money with this; $199


I prefer USB microphones.

Aside from that, you can buy sound dampening foam, A good and affordable solution being this one, and tile off some walls.
They don't necessarily prevent sounds from coming in your room, but they certainly help with bouncing echos, and absorb some of the background noise.

And lastly, you can pre-edit the raw recording data with software, before you encode it for upload.
Sometimes, background noise on the recording will be lost during the conversion (filters out low noise levels).
bhavya
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Post by bhavya »

Thank You!
Cori
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Post by Cori »

And bear in mind, you don't need to foam the whole room, necessarily. Recording in a roomy closet (if you have such a thing) can work. Or an arrangement like this: http://www.audiomasterclass.com/newsletter/the-ultimate-portable-vocal-booth
There's honestly no such thing as a stupid question -- but I'm afraid I can't rule out giving a stupid answer : : To Posterity and Beyond!
lurcherlover
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Post by lurcherlover »

It is also important to record close miked as this emphasises the spoken word and minimises any room acoustics and background noise. When I say close miked, I mean 6-12 inches from the mic.* Also use plenty of gain and record at about -10dB or even -6dB. The use of duvets, blankets and sheets also reduces reverberation and reduces background noise as well. Using a cardioid dynamic mic can also help reduce noise as it is directional and will reduce other areas which are not immediately in front of the mic.

* There is a danger that this will result in popping, on words with 'p' and 's' and 't' - so it can be good to slant the mic away from the lips so that air blasts do not hit the mic diaphragm full on, or the use of a pop filter, which can be as simple as a nylon stocking fixed to a metal coat hanger. Commercial pop filters can be bought quite cheaply and some mics come with them and these are designed to be screwed in front of the mic. (Example, the Rode NT1A mic comes with such a pop filter).
Monaxi
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Post by Monaxi »

Welcome, Bhavya!

I'm able to clean out a lot of background noise with Audacity's noise cleaner. I'll run it once before I begin to edit. Then, if I'm noticing noise while editing, I'll run it again with a new noise sample.

How much honking? Might depend on the topic being recorded...but, yes, that's going to be a challenge. Are there times of day with less honking? I find that from noon - 1pm there is less construction noise while the workers are having lunch, but there is more train noise (which is easy to wait out and delete later).

Best wishes! Have fun!

Peace be with you,
Sister
JayKitty76
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Post by JayKitty76 »

I like to noiseclean, but if that doesn’t work, I’d recommend simply getting a new microphone. My Logitech headset is awesome- now I rarely need to Amplify and I almost never need to noiseclean, it’s that good.
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bhavya
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Post by bhavya »

JayKitty76 wrote: October 13th, 2018, 10:30 am I like to noiseclean, but if that doesn’t work, I’d recommend simply getting a new microphone. My Logitech headset is awesome- now I rarely need to Amplify and I almost never need to noiseclean, it’s that good.
Thanks!
lpeders
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Post by lpeders »

I appreciate the suggestions on this thread and have a subsequent question. I have been recording a few projects over the last few weeks and repeatedly need to use Noise Reduction in Audacity due simply to the hum of my desktop computer. As a result, I have wondered if a very quiet laptop would minimize this problem. Now having read your posts though, I wonder if just a new noise-cancelling microphone would do the trick?
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

Noise-cancelling microphones can do more harm to your recording than good, so it really depends.

Upload a few seconds of your computer hum, and we'll see what we can do. If it's in one or two wavelengths, they should be easy to filter out using the Notch Filter.

Upload it to the tests folder and post when it's ready. :)
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tovarisch
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Post by tovarisch »

lpeders,

I hope it's not going to be some kind of bubble-bursting for you, but no, please do not use anything with "noise canceling" in its name. They just don't work well for voice-over work.

Yes, a quiet laptop would be of help, no doubt. I am thinking of a fanless PC for this particular role, but haven't picked out all the specs yet. Some folks record with a portable recorder in a very noise-isolated closet, for instance (no fan/drive noise to speak of).
tovarisch
  • reality prompts me to scale down my reading, sorry to say
    to PLers: do correct my pronunciation please
lpeders
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Post by lpeders »

TriciaG wrote: October 20th, 2018, 1:58 pm Noise-cancelling microphones can do more harm to your recording than good, so it really depends.

Upload a few seconds of your computer hum, and we'll see what we can do. If it's in one or two wavelengths, they should be easy to filter out using the Notch Filter.

Upload it to the tests folder and post when it's ready. :)
https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/lpederscomputerhum.mp3 (0:05)
Thanks for listening. If you think it can be fixed, I would appreciate direction on the use of Notch Filter.
Lauren
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

OK, I think you'll still have to use the noise reduction, but in addition, you can highlight your entire file and do Effect / Notch Filter. Set the numbers to:
Frequency: 1004
Q: 10

Then do the same thing, but using Frequency: 2008

That should knock out the higher pitched whistle/hum.

If you want to knock out the lower tones, you can also do an Effect/Equalization and Select Curve: "Low Rolloff for Speech". But this isn't as big a deal as the high pitched hum.

Hope this helps!
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
Humor: My Lady Nicotine
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