Always Get Hiss

JRV · Mar 8, 2011

Hi all. This forum has been very helpful in the past so I'm hoping it will help me with a problem I've been having. I am always getting hiss with audio recordings. It doesn't seem to matter what I use. I have an H1 recorder and a Rode VideoMic and I still get hiss. My equipment is obviously not great but I don't think it is that bad either. Am I doing something wrong?

robduckyworth · Mar 8, 2011

what are you recording? hiss is usually the result of a high noise floor.

are you boosting the gain quite alot on your recordings? are you using a high shelving EQ on your recordings?

what are your sound sources?

JRV · Mar 8, 2011

robduckyworth said:
what are you recording? hiss is usually the result of a high noise floor.

are you boosting the gain quite alot on your recordings? are you using a high shelving EQ on your recordings?

what are your sound sources?

I am just in my room when I record. I want to do podcast type stuff.

I play with the gain and notice that the noise is much worse when the gain is up. When I lower the gain the noise is reduced buy my voice is very soft even with the mic close to my face.

robduckyworth · Mar 8, 2011

when you bring up the gain, you are bringing up the noise floor. its unavoidable. different mics have different output levels and some have lower noise floors than others.

you need to have the mic pointing directly into where the sound is coming from. if you are talking, point it straight at your mouth, as close as possible. a pop shield is useful for vocal recordings to reduce plosive b and p sounds.

the pickup pattern needs to be a direct one, such as cardioid. do you have any switches on your mic? like an EQ switch, or polar pattern switch?

a H1 has quite a good sound. what are you using to edit? have you tried compressing the audio instead of just boosting the gain, and using the make up gain on the compressor to boost the signal?

JRV · Mar 9, 2011

robduckyworth said:
when you bring up the gain, you are bringing up the noise floor. its unavoidable. different mics have different output levels and some have lower noise floors than others.

you need to have the mic pointing directly into where the sound is coming from. if you are talking, point it straight at your mouth, as close as possible. a pop shield is useful for vocal recordings to reduce plosive b and p sounds.

the pickup pattern needs to be a direct one, such as cardioid. do you have any switches on your mic? like an EQ switch, or polar pattern switch?

a H1 has quite a good sound. what are you using to edit? have you tried compressing the audio instead of just boosting the gain, and using the make up gain on the compressor to boost the signal?

I haven't tried fixing the hiss in an editing program yet. I was hoping that the mic and H1 would help with that. I have tried noise reduction in the past and found it only worked a little.

robduckyworth · Mar 10, 2011

well, try editing it in audacity or something similar. first try compressing the signal: using the makeup gain to determine the overall loudness.

if you still hear noticable hiss, get an EQ, and use a very narrow cut around the main area that the hiss resides.

Always Get Hiss

JRV

robduckyworth

JRV

robduckyworth

JRV

robduckyworth

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