Heat is killer for recording

kri · Post by **kri** » July 19th, 2006, 3:40 pm

I just started to record something, and remembered I have a fan blowing on me. I stopped the recording to listen, and heard a constant fuzz from the fan. It's not unacceptible by LibriVox standards, but knowing I can do better I deleted it. Bah why can't it cool off so I can record something!

kayray · Post by **kayray** » July 19th, 2006, 4:07 pm

How to cool yourself without air conditioning:
http://www.wikihow.com/Cool-Yourself-Without-Air-Conditioning
Lots of helpful and SILENT techniques there :)

Starlite · Post by **Starlite** » July 19th, 2006, 4:54 pm

Cool ideas

(ha ha)

MermaidMaddie · Post by **MermaidMaddie** » July 19th, 2006, 5:14 pm

kri wrote:I just started to record something, and remembered I have a fan blowing on me. I stopped the recording to listen, and heard a constant fuzz from the fan. It's not unacceptible by LibriVox standards, but knowing I can do better I deleted it. Bah why can't it cool off so I can record something!

Ha! I'm glad I'm not the only one with this problem. I've been having the same problem for weeks, since nearly every day is in the 100's. Even at night it doesn't cool down enough in my old like house (which traps the heat like an oven in the summer, and is like an igloo in the winter) to turn off the a/c and fans. (And the a/c is one of those lame wall units that has to blow constantly to acheive any relief.) And it's right next to my computer, so the noise is absolutely impossible to clean out---it causes alot of distortion too.

The only time I can record is in the middle of the night,
and even then I have to turn off the a/c, record, then turn the a/c back on.

It feels like I am living on the sun right now...I've been tempted to go out and sleep on my front porch the past few nights, LOL. If I had a chaise lounge I probably would have.

I'll have to check out that link, although they probably cover cooling oneself more than one's house.... and don't take into consideration that some people still live in old houses that are like the inside of a brick oven and have to use the a/c or get heatstroke

harvey · Post by **harvey** » July 19th, 2006, 5:18 pm

kayray wrote:How to cool yourself without air conditioning:
http://www.wikihow.com/Cool-Yourself-Without-Air-Conditioning

Thanks, Kara. Looking over the list of ideas, I can attest to the
effectiveness of a wet cloth draped around the neck ... and to bare feet.

I haven't tried recording while I have the room fan blowing on me.
Wonder if the sound would be picked up by my noise canceling mic?

kayray · Post by **kayray** » July 19th, 2006, 5:21 pm

Oh, and I forgot to mention this:
http://coolorheat.com/
We just bought one for my husband a few weeks ago. He's always hot and sweaty but I'm usually chilly (i'm actually enjoying this heat wave because I'm WARM ENOUGH for a change) and the AC is expensive and dries out the air and makes me miserable. Now he sleeps on his cool-or-heat seat pad every night and also lies on it when he's lazing about on the couch. It's making a world of difference to his comfort and mine. It looks gimmicky but it really does work as described :)

And I anticipate using it in winter to stay warm!

Starlite · Post by **Starlite** » July 19th, 2006, 5:47 pm

they probably cover cooling oneself more than one's house.

We installed a blower fan in the attic on one of the gable ends. That attic is an oven and holds the heat all day and transmits it into the house at night. This has made a huge difference. Its thermostaticaly turned on at 80 deg. (The thermostat comes from a greenhouse)

thistlechick · Post by **thistlechick** » July 19th, 2006, 6:14 pm

harvey wrote: I haven't tried recording while I have the room fan blowing on me.
Wonder if the sound would be picked up by my noise canceling mic?

I finally broke down and bought the Logitech USB noise-cancelling headset microphone ... the heat was so bad this week that I tried recording in the bedroom with the window air conditioning unit running on high... I was surprised to NOT hear the sound of the AC running in the background of my recordings (I was afraid it might also be echo-y because it's a small bare room, but it doesn't seem to be)... I find this odd, because when I'm in the living room, the noise-cancelling microphone pics up all sorts of humming from the many computers fans...

Anyway, here's a clip from the recording done in the small room with the AC running on high:
http://betsie.info/librivox/misc/clip_with_ac.mp3

(Yes, I know there are clicks in the recording... I think those are from the microphone being the headset version ... I can't seem to record anywhere without them no matter how hard I try to not move while recording *sighs*)

kri · Post by **kri** » July 19th, 2006, 6:29 pm

Thanks for the cooling ideas. Corey and me have taken to having lots of cold baths. It helps to reduce our body temperature, and keeps us cool for a while afterwards. Plus, it's a great place to read!

You know Betsie, I think you're right about not hearing the AC in that recording. I wonder if it's due to sound absorbing qualities in the room??

thistlechick · Post by **thistlechick** » July 19th, 2006, 6:34 pm

kri wrote: You know Betsie, I think you're right about not hearing the AC in that recording. I wonder if it's due to sound absorbing qualities in the room??

I'm not sure about that... when I'm reading aloud in that room, it sounds rather echo-y to my ears... and I was glad that that distortion didn't get picked up by the microphone either... *shrugs* who knows why that room is special.. but Thank Goodness!!! now I have a place to record when it's sweltering here.... (note: sweltering to a Northerner is probably a joke to the rest of you who would think it chilly... but it sure is uncomfortable anyway =)

I had tried recording with the windows open and enjoying the breeze from outdoors... but the breeze caused too much noise against the microphone and resulted in a crackle effect in the recording that was not acceptable to me.

I'm nearing the point where I just don't care anymore about the background noise and extra "effects" that are getting into my recordings.... it feels like just when I have one problem fixed, another one appears.... and every recording ends up with some sort of sound that I can't do anything about beyond quit recording (which isn't an option =)

kayray · Post by **kayray** » July 19th, 2006, 8:08 pm

thistlechick wrote: I'm nearing the point where I just don't care anymore about the background noise and extra "effects" that are getting into my recordings.... it feels like just when I have one problem fixed, another one appears.... and every recording ends up with some sort of sound that I can't do anything about beyond quit recording (which isn't an option =)

I'm with you. I try to avoid anything really super distracting or constant (like the turtle tank pump -- trickletrickletrickle -- THAT I turn off), but when the budgie starts chirping or a helicopter flies over, I just keep reading.

Peter Why · Post by **Peter Why** » July 19th, 2006, 11:43 pm

I have the impression that a big part of the problem is that the microphones are way too sensitive. I'm still using an electret microphone which I have to use less than two inches from my face; incredibly inconvenient, but it picks up almost no background noise.

Difficult choice.

Peter

raezel · Post by **raezel** » July 20th, 2006, 1:09 am

Peter Why wrote:I have the impression that a big part of the problem is that the microphones are way too sensitive.

That indeed is my biggest problem. I'm using a large membrane condensator microphone (T.Bone SC400), and it's great for recording voice, but it pics up background noises very easily.

I live by a road so every time I record something, I have to close the windows so the noises of the passing cars won't get picked up, but my small apartment gets hot very quikly when the windows are closed. And my fridge making its's "sluurp.. sluurp" sound and three computers humming don't make it any easier to get a "clean" sound..

earthcalling · Post by **earthcalling** » July 20th, 2006, 2:42 am

Same here, raezel! If I don't close the windows before I start, you can bet there'll be a police siren when I'm in mid-flow. And the fridge! I think it's not too loud, but can notice the change in background noise if it comes on part-way through a recording.

opheliad · Post by **opheliad** » July 20th, 2006, 1:59 pm

I remember listening to something recorded by Kara (might have been the Secret Garden) and while the sound was clean, once in a while I heard the sound of a bird singing somewhere close by. It was completely delightful!