VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

Frank F · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 12:33 am Post subject:

Thanks Don, I am glad you thought of that.....

To re-iterate, I amplified the noise by 7500% to approx -3db, ran it through some Forensic Audio filters and did some magic I use to identify sounds.

My ears hear a high speed motor with an electronic hum. Could be a 'hard drive', cooling fan, or possibily an external source... as there are some interesting sounds I cannot identify - yet.

Frank F
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mcm · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 5:01 am Post subject:

Hart dear, would you mind identifying your new avatar for your friends????? What in the world could be so important as to replace the picture of your beloved canine?? Hmmmmmm?

Rognog · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 6:22 am Post subject:

Wow, that's alot of possibilities! OK, here we go:

I recorded it as a stereo file and exported it as an MP3. Would the hum go down if I exported it as a WAV?

The cords I have near the box are the ones running in & out of it: mike, speakers, firewire, headphones, power cord. The power cord is touching the firewire cord, now that I look at it.

No AC, no fan going. My computer is only a few feet away from the closet I record in and the tower is in a "hollow wooden box", my computer desk!

Donrandall, I listened to the sound file you made and there is a glaring difference!

I got an email from the guy in Japan this morning and he needs me to re-record the project because of this hum issue. Also, I have to do this Hoboken Cigars commercial by the end of the day. Man, I hope I get this worked out soon!

Thanks for helping me out with this. You guys rock!

Hart · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 6:34 am Post subject:

No, that sound has nothing to do with if it's a wav or mp3.

Make sure the power cord and the mic cord are as far away from each other as possible. Unplug and reconnect your audio cables. I doubt that will fix it but you never know.

So you have a XLR (mic cable) running into the audio card and then a firewire cable going from the box to your computer right? Do you have another mic cable you can try? What about a cd player or guitar or something you can run in the 1/4 inch jacks on the Presonus box to see if the noise is still there. Once we isolate where the noise is coming from it becomes easier to fix it.

I'm still a bit confused on why it's left channel only. Your mic is a mono source. I don't know jack about firewire, but it's all digital right? So the noise is happening before it hits the computer. If it was something external (like the air conditioner) wouldn't it be in both channels? Anybody else want to chime in here?

EDIT: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/closeup/Inspire1394--img_rear.jpg

If this is the back of your unit you could try plugging a cd player into inputs 3 and 4 and see what happens. standard RCA jacks.
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Mike · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 7:03 am Post subject:

brianforrester · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 7:55 am Post subject:

Okay, here's my quick a vey dirty advice...

First, begin recording in mono only... your mic is mono therefore you only need to record in mono...

Second, try moving your mic as far away from any noise sources as possible. If you have a 25' cable, then put your mic 25' away from your computer and position the capsule perpendicular to the computer (this will reduce the ability of the mic to pick up the computer noise)... my suspiscion is that it's the computer fan giving you problems, as well as some electrical interference.

Third, and this is not a permanent solution, but it might help you to get things done for today... unplug any cable that lead from your microphone to your computer... re-route them as far away from any other electrical source as possible... if all the other cord drop to the floor and then to the left after they leave your computer, then pick the mic cable up and suspend it off of the ground and to the right... run it along the top of a row of chairs until it gets to your micrphone, but definately keep it as far away from other cables as possible... this will reduce any direct electrical interference... if you're recording in a room that has a cordless phone, wireless internet router, wireless keyboard or mouse... try to keep your cable away from these sources... heck, turn them off while you record and see if it helps. Basically, anything that could possibly emit an electrical pulse could possibly be introducing noise to your cables.

Hopefully this will help you to get through the sessions that you have to record today.

If anything in number 3 works, then after you have finished your sessions, start plugging things back in and turning things back on, one item at a time. See which one is causing the problem and go from there... you may need to look very seriously at your cable routing the the type of cable that you're using.

I certainly hope that this helps you!

Good Luck.

Brian
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Rognog · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 8:36 am Post subject:

Ok, this is what I'm doing:

I switched Audacity from Stereo to Mono.
I moved the mike cord and the power cord as far away from each other as I could.
I unplugged and replugged everything going to and from the box.
"So you have a XLR (mic cable) running into the audio card and then a firewire cable going from the box to your computer right?" RIGHT
I don't have another mic cable, but this one is brand new.
I don't have any cable to run my CD player into the box so that's out.
I don't know jack about firewire, either, but I assume it's all digital.
Yes, that's the back of my box but I don't have RCA cables to run into them. I may need to take a trip to Radio Shack!
I need to re-record most of it anyway based on the producer's notes but thanks for the offer, Maiku.
I'm going to try to move my computer as far away as possible, but I'll be lucky if I can move it a foot or two.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll post some room tone soon...

Rognog · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 8:58 am Post subject:

OK, here's the room tone and a piece of the Hoboken Cigars spot I just laid down:

www.tomdheere.com/RoomTone.wav
www.tomdheere.com/HobokenCigarsSample.wav

I think it sounds better. Please let me know!

Dave · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 9:28 am Post subject:

Rognog · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:04 am Post subject:

Can I filter out the hum using Audacity? The only thing I know of is the Noise Removal effect but it always results in distortion...

Hart · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:17 am Post subject:

Yeah, it's better but still there.

I ran a quick and dirty noise reduction at 75% in Audition to get it like this:

Hoboken Cigars Sample MP3

I would imagine Audacity can do the same. If not, if this is good enough I would be happy to do it and send it back to you if you need. NR is always a tricky beast and best used only when needed. Too much and it ends up getting a sound in the background like a "hissing" through a pipe. 75% is about as high as I ever go.
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Rognog · Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 2:41 pm Post subject:

I laid down both spots and sent them off a few hours ago. I haven't heard back from either client. I'll let you know if they're happy!

Rognog · Posted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 9:22 am Post subject:

I still haven't heard from Cablevision but I just got an email from the guy in Japan and says the hum is no better than it was before. The only thing I can think of is to move my PC even farther away from the closet that I record in. Is there such a thing as a firewire extension cord? HELP!!!

Bill · Guest

one quick question, where is your mic?

long time ago I had an issue at work with a low rumble, turns out since I had to have the PC on the desktop because of a too short proprietary cable for vid, the mic stand on the desk was picking up vibrations from the PC.

just a thought.

Rognog · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 2:44 pm Post subject:

My mic is in the closet facing away from the PC.

Everything seems to be good now. All the clients I'm currently involved with are now satisfied with the quality and I got some confirmation from fellow VO talents here on the forum. I also picked up a pop filter today so I think I'm good to go!