vkuehn
DC
Joined: 24 Apr 2013
Posts: 688
Location: Vernon now calls Wisconsin home
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 Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 6:58 am Post subject: I made lemonade yesterday. |
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We have this folksy bit of advice which says: When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade. Well yesterday I made a pitcher of "audio lemonade".
Our winter weather in North Georgia is pretty bland compared to what many of you are experiencing, but we had a doozy (by our standards) night before last. I losrt power at 10:30 Monday night and it came back on at 2:30 Tuesday afternoon, and I am among the luck. Thousands are hoping they get power back here on Wednesday.
As I sat here in my boredom, I realized I had a chance to capture a "laboratory standard audio speciman". I went into the studio with my Android phone, and plugged in my USB audio chain. (the power of the phone battery will power the Presonus unit.) I made a recording speaking at the pace and volume I would usually do in a book narration. I left three significant pauses so my software could measure and analyze the "silence". When the power came back on, I went in and did the same thing... after I turned off EVERYTHING that can be turned off. I wanted to know if my house has any ability to generate noise even when the power is off.
As one final test last night, I made a recording using my Audient (which requires external power in addition to the USB circuit) but also using the Andorid rather than my Windows computer. Same reading three times. The combination of ambient room-tone plus internal mic noise is -59 dB below "program content level".
So, on a normal day of recording, if the noise level is that low or close to it, don't go fighting windmills... the original recording is as good as it is going to get. Anything better than that will be created in the software process.
Weather footnote: Our problem was 1/2 inch of ice on power lines, on trees, on anything standing still. Lady at the power company told me that she has worked there 25 years and it has been a long, long time since we had one anything this bad. I trimmed a lot of low branches off all my trees last fall. Then I had the pro come in and take out four trees beyond my skill-set after I had taken out 3 or 4 smaller ones. But this morning I have half a dozen significant pine limbs (3 and 4 inches in diameter) laying in my yard and one 40 foot Water Oak cracked and bent double like a little twig. Now if I can remember where I hid my chainsaw!!! |
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