Audio is too quiet, then clips in other areas?

[Twinkle88]

I have quite a bit of background noise in my recordings, so I like to record with my mouth as close to the microphone as possible and then, along with noise reduction, de-amplify the finished recording a couple decibels.

However, I've been struggling with some sounds (certain vowels, I believe, or when the character in the story gets a little excited ) clipping, while other sounds are quite quiet (often the last few words at the end of a sentence). It makes me wish Audacity had a larger threshold(?) for noise -- that wouldn't cause so many words to be clipped?

I use the compressor tool to even everything out, but still I like to de-amplify to help get rid of background noise... I just wish I could get the louder parts quieter and the softer parts louder without amplifying my background noise....

[ej400]

This is strange because I've been experiencing the same thing. The only thing that I have been doing to keep the noise down after amplifying the quieter parts, is finding the noise in that area just amplified and then doing a noise reduction on that. But it would be nice if there was another tool or something.

Elijah

[tovarisch]

Twinkle,

Recording too close to the microphone is risky IMHO because with slight movements of your head you will change the sound pressure much more (relatively speaking) than with the same movements at a larger distance.

Recording at about 6 to 8 inches away from the mic is good, anything closer than that becomes difficult to manage in post-processing.

Also, as far as excitement goes, do more than one take, see if you can teach yourself to move away from the mic a bit when speaking louder (shouting) and moving in when whispering. It's part of the technique and needs to be learned, and I bet you will eventually develop that skill.

Keep doing it. Practice makes perfect!

[Twinkle88]

Thank you, Tovarisch! The only problem with moving the microphone farther away is the amount of background noise that I am currently unable to avoid. If I record farther away, I will not be able to de-amplify after I am done recording (--along with applying noise reduction--) to reduce the background noise.

But I see what you mean about moving the head during the "shouting" moments. I wondered how people do those successfully! -- They have their mics positioned farther away, so moving their head doesn't change the pressure sound of their voice.

[Twinkle88]

This is strange because I've been experiencing the same thing. The only thing that I have been doing to keep the noise down after amplifying the quieter parts, is finding the noise in that area just amplified and then doing a noise reduction on that.

Thanks for the tip!

[knotyouraveragejo]

Twinkle,

When you say you have background noise that you can't avoid, where is it coming from and what have you tried? It sounds like if you could reduce the background noise while recording, then you could use the mic at a more comfortable distance - I agree with tovarisch - about 6" works well - and solve a lot of your problems at the same time.

[Twinkle88]

Thanks, Jo! Between outdoor vehicle traffic and "people" traffic, there is literally no room I can go to right now for an ideally quiet environment for recording.

Maybe I could construct a sound booth for myself. I always wanted one of those!

[mightyfelix]

I'm about to make a little sound booth for myself. There's a little alcove in our spare bedroom that I've been wanting to fix up for awhile. If I hang a curtain over the opening and put some foam around, it should be really nice!

[loon]

NPR had a little video clip showing a reporter stacking any and every available pillow all around the mic - everywhere except directly between the person speaking and the microphone. It works if you are on the road and end up in one of those hotels that provide 27 pillows with every room.

[knotyouraveragejo]

I have adapted the bottom of a closet by fastening old comforters to the walls using a staple gun and piling up various size pillows behind the monitor and some foam alongside the microphone which both sit on a small table in front of which I have my chair. The laptop itself is outside the closet on a small stand with the necessary cords running under the door. It's a little claustrophobic, but it works and I only record for an hour or so at a time so I don't strain my voice. I typically record at night when it's quiet outside and turn off the heat/ac while recording.

[Twinkle88]

Wow, that is so interesting about the different ways to create a sound booth! Thank you for the ideas!