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I started recording with the Zoom H1 but noticed a weird issue when I played it back on the speakers (Macbook Pro)

The right speaker (channel) was way more dominant than the left.

So I split the channels to test it out.. now there's a clear difference between the left and right channel, even though visually it looks almost identical in Audition.
And the worst thing is, the playback sounds different on the Macbook speakers, on my iPhone and also on headphones.

This is the sample recording: http://voca.ro/j06l4WLhveW

Anybody knows what's going on and how to record so both channels are equal?

Comments

Boswell Tue, 12/24/2019 - 09:13

It is likely to be a playback problem. Your clip has you speaking centre - more to the right - more to the left - centre again. Is that what you intended? I don't think there is anything wrong with the recording - the centre really is centre.

Was the posted clip the file as received on the Macbook?

What exactly do you mean when you say you "split the channels"?

Where are you plugging the headphones in: Macbook, iPhone or both?

Does what you hear on the phones correspond with what you hear on the Macbook speakers?

McCloud94 Tue, 12/24/2019 - 09:26

After I recorded the file in Quicktime I played it back and heard the right side is louder than the left..

So I wanted to check what the individual channels sound like.. this is what I did in Audition (that's the file from above)
This is what I also mean by splitting channels.

I plugged in the headphones in the Macbook.. with the headphones it actually sounds even.
Just with the speakers the left side sounds weak.

On the phone it's different but still sounds a bit weird.

McCloud94 Tue, 12/24/2019 - 09:50

Boswell, post: 462986, member: 29034 wrote: I think this points to an amplifier/connector/speaker problem on your Macbook rather than a recording problem.

I tested it now with 2 other notebooks... same thing.

Also, I never had any sound issues on my notebook.

So this makes me think it's something about the way the file is recorded.. does bitrate and depth play any role in this?

Boswell Tue, 12/24/2019 - 10:12

Think about it: the screenshot you posted shows the L and R channel with roughly equal amplitude when the sound is in the centre. The sound clip corresponds with the screenshot. There is no visible or audible out-of-balance in the recording.

You state you hear imbalance when you listen to the Macbook speakers or when you plug your headphones into the iPhone. You should diagnose the problem by elimination. Try going to a completely different internet-connected computer with speakers, bring up this page and play your posted sound clip. Try the computer's speakers, check for the sound being central, and then plug your phones into the computer instead of the speakers. Listen again.

I've checked your internet clip and there's no out-of-phase cancellation going on. When I play the clip on speakers, it sounds correct. I don't have access to any headphones where I am at the moment.

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