[solved] Noise-cancelling headphones suddenly catching noise

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JayKitty76
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Post by JayKitty76 »

I've had Logitech USB headphones that are automatically noise-cancelling, and they work wonderfully! Until today. I tried to record and the phrase I recorded was filled with TONS of background noise! Like super, super thick waveforms. I tried fiddling with the height of the microphone, changing the microphone pickup volume in Audacity, jiggling the wires to make sure everything is connected (which it seems to be)...I just don't know what's wrong with my headphones and I don't really want to be recording with ultra-thick, annoying waveforms that are filled with so much background noise. I tried noise reduction but it sounded tinny once applied.
Does anyone know what's going on, and can they help?

Any advice appreciated.
Last edited by JayKitty76 on February 4th, 2019, 2:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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JayKitty76
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Post by JayKitty76 »

Update:
I looked on Amazon for some customer reviews and it seems that a small percentage (around 160 customers out of 5,000+) experienced their headsets of the same make as mine to stop working. It's a little frustrating, but it seems like these aren't the highest-quality ones in the world...
I'll research more good headsets.
They worked fine for me for maybe 4 months, but then I guess they've just broken?
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mightyfelix
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Post by mightyfelix »

I hate to tell you this, but my Logitech headset crapped out on me after about four months, too. It didn't do what you're describing. Instead, it just stopped recording at all. The computer wouldn't recognize it. I contacted customer service and they eventually sent me a new pair (it took forever, though; customer "service" was an absolute headache to deal with, start to finish), and the new pair worked for about a week until the same thing happened.

I do hope you find something you're happy with, if you don't figure out the problem with this one. I upgraded to a Samson Meteor Mic that has served me well for two years now. I prefer a desktop to a headset, personally, because you have more options for positioning. There was one time when, for a dramatic reading, my character was supposed to scream. Having my mic on the desktop allowed me to back away from it for the scream so that I wouldn't shatter the eardrums of my DPL. :lol:
Last edited by mightyfelix on January 9th, 2019, 10:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mightyfelix
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Post by mightyfelix »

Do you think you could post a short recording of the kind of noise you mean? Maybe one of us could find some noise reduction settings that work better than what you used. Could you record a short snippet of something, whatever you want, (make sure to follow up with several seconds of just dead air, so we get a pure sample of just the noise by itself) and then upload it as normal? You can use the "non-projects" folder instead of choosing an MC. Also, what settings are you using for the noise reduction tool?

Let's see if we can't figure this out! :D
JayKitty76
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Post by JayKitty76 »

Ok. I'll see what I can piece together today :thumbs: Thanks!
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Post by JayKitty76 »

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

I know it's soft, at 71-point-something dB, but that's part of what makes recording like this so strange. I have it set to my usual pickup levels (exactly .25 percent in Audacity) which usually works fine, but right now that's not the case.
My usual noise reduction is Noise Reduction: 10, Sensitivity:3 and Frequency Smoothing: 1, but yesterday I went with what it recommended and set the Noise Reduction to about 16. I can amplify and make changes, if you'd like, but today I left it completely raw with not even any noise reduction.
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JayKitty76
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Post by JayKitty76 »

I have no idea if you use a Blue Yeti too, but I read a review that said the Samson Meteor mic worked better than the Blue Yeti.
Could you give me a little more info on the Samson Meteor? What are the pros and cons?
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mightyfelix
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Post by mightyfelix »

Yowch, you're right, that level of noise should definitely not be there. From my nightmare experience with my own headset, and from hearing this test, I agree that you'll probably need a new mic or new headset. :?

Just to see if I could, I fiddled with it a bit, and got the following result (so thank you for posting completely raw, that's what I wanted!) I'll go ahead and say now that in general, it's better to do a small amount of noise reduction several times than to do a lot all at once. For instance, it's better to do two round at 8 dB each than to do one round at 16.

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

I think for LV standards, it's passable, but definitely not anywhere near the first recording of yours that I heard. Here's what I did, in this order:

Noise reduction 10 dB (I left the other settings at 6 and 6. I don't understand these two numbers enough to fiddle with them, so I just leave them at default levels.)
Amplify entire recording 20 dB
Get new noise sample
Noise reduction 10 dB twice more

If someone else comes along and is better at tweaking the settings than I am, then fine and dandy. I hope you're able to find a solution, one way or another. Keep us posted!
Last edited by mightyfelix on January 10th, 2019, 6:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
JayKitty76
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Post by JayKitty76 »

Thanks for the noise reduction, that sounds better.
The feedback seems to go back and forth between slightly loud and soft, hurting my head (by the way, that is NOT your edits, that's just my broken headset :cry: ). Really disappointed with this headset, because I just got it about 4 months ago! It's frustrating because just a few days ago, I got such a nice recording and now...I'll have to finish my solo with a junky headset or go back to the staticky clip-on mic or...save up for a new mic.
Sigh.
Thanks for the editing :) Just disappointed that they are really broken and not just needing a little tweak :cry: :cry: :(
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mightyfelix
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Post by mightyfelix »

I've never used Blue Yeti. I've heard rave reviews of it. Some of our volunteers here swear by it, I do believe. But it's out of my price range.

What I like about my Meteor mic is that it doesn't take up a lot of space, and it's super easy. Just plug it in to the USB. You don't need to download anything or install anything. It's nice and compact. It has three little legs that actually fold up close to the body if you want to pack it away, and it comes with a nice little carrying bag, so it's really very portable if you need portability. (I don't, but it's nice to know that I've got it, in case I ever did need it.) There is a little socket in the bottom where you could screw it onto a stand, if you don't want you use the built in tripod. It's about 6 inches high with the tripod and has a very nice sound. (My segments for the new year's podcast were recorded on it, so that gives you an idea of audio quality.) And it only takes up 4 or 5 inches of desk space. From what I've heard, it's one of the best quality for its price point. I spent about $50 or $60, I think. (I paid about half of it cash. The other half was the rebate from my Logitech! :lol:)

EDIT: Oh yeah, plus it's just SO PRETTY! :9:

I'm considering getting a portable voice recorder so that I can record away from my computer. Some of them run very high, but I saw one that has good reviews for a little under $50.
Last edited by mightyfelix on January 10th, 2019, 6:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
JayKitty76
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Post by JayKitty76 »

Thanks! That was very helpful and informative.
I will research further into it and see what I find :thumbs:
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