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anonymous 21 April 2005

My Computer Monitor produces a lot of line noise when recording through a mic or an acoustic guitar pickup. By moving around and aiming the mic/guitar in different directions I can greatly reduce the noise that is picked up but not eliminate it totally. And If I turn the monitor off, I have a very clean, noise free sound.
I'm in a very cramped space (the forward cabin of a sailboat) and so just getting far enough away from the computer monitor is not the answer.
Anybody know of any great filter/device for addressing this type of noise?

Thanks!

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anonymous Thu, 04/21/2005 - 10:02

zemlin wrote: LCD
:shock:

lol
I know that would be a cure, but I sure do like my bright 19" CRT, and would prefer to find another fix.

sqg wrote: And If I turn the monitor off, I have a very clean, noise free sound. [quote=chriscavell]Seems like you answered your own question...

If that just didn't make it so difficult in using Cakewalk..
erm..
lets see... on THE COMPUTER! :roll:
-lol

I'm hoping that maybe someone has used some type of circuit Isolator or some such thing that might help.
But thanks for playing :D

anonymous Thu, 04/21/2005 - 10:26

It's an RFI issue...so you'd pretty much have to turn it off, replace it with a bright 19" LCD, build yourself a farraday cage to sit in while you record, or try filtering the noise out after the fact. The end result will always be better if you remove the source of the noise as opposed to erasing it later.

Yes, you're working on your computer, and it's been quite a long time since I've worked with cakewalk, but aren't there keyboard shortcuts for the transport, pre and post-roll settings, etc?...it shouldn't be that difficult to treat it as you would a tape recorder (yeah, remember those, they didn't have computer screens...but many used and still use them today) while tracking your guitar.

If you simply can't get around not "seeing" what your recording while you're recording, then you'll have to resort to other means. Most of the RFI will be harmonic multiples of the refresh rate of your screen, along with harmonic multiple of the base AC power frequency. That should give you some idea where to start applying notch filters...

anonymous Thu, 04/21/2005 - 10:43

:shock:

*eyes shark cage and calculates faraday conversion*

-lol

Yep! You're also dead on target there. Seem's that the most logical would be to remove the source rather than attempting all types of futile patches and fixes.
And actually I am from the old school of recording. But it's been some time since I've used my 'Degree of knobology' skilz being as how everything is on the computer screen now. -lol

Thanks for the input chris!

karbomusic Thu, 04/21/2005 - 15:43

Kswiss wrote: i think in most recording programs the spacebar starts and stops.... so i just set up the track to record, turn off the monitor and roll..... when i'm done i hit the space bar and turn the monitor back on..... it works well for me.....but i'm saving for an LCD

k

Yes, this works. Also, most proggies use * for record as well as the spacebar for play. Also, on many of them when you hit the spacebar to stop recording the wave you just recorded is the only thing highlighed so just hit delete. There are even more ways to do this such as setting up a cycle record that stacks each track so you hit record once... let it loop an play for as many cycles as needed then hit the space bar, turn on the monitor and delete the ones that are not keepers.

Here are some steps for basic "blind" tracking that work in many programs such as Logic, Cubase & Nuendo:

Get the track ready...
Turn of monitor...
Hit the * button on the number pad to begin recording
Hit the Space bar to stop recording
Hit Delete to delete the track if needed.
Repeat and Rinse till you are ready to start playing back and listening to the track.

Other ideas are setting a "Mark" if the program doesent auto return to the initial record position etc. You can also map key commands as the other poster said to either the querty keyboard or even a midi keyboard (logic and nuendo I think) Should be able to accomplish what you need with most software...

Outside of that, as others said... Get an LCD...

Best regards-

Karbo

dpd Fri, 04/29/2005 - 18:37

Actually, it's probably NOT RFI, it's the low-frequency magnetic field produced by the electronics in the CRT.

If you can't replace the CRT with LCD then the next idea is to orient the mic so that it's null is pointing at the CRT, which will reduce the interference.

Change the mic! Some mics are less susceptible to this type of pickup than others. I faced this same problem in the studios at the radio station where I work. I ended up replacing the mics (17" LCDs were HUGELY expensive at the time) and, since nobody liked the sound of the mics in the production rooms, I killed two birds with one stone.

After that, try this: record silence for a minute. Look at the signal's frequency spectrum on a plug-in. My bet is that it will have discrete frequencies. Null them with an EQ (some do harmonic nulling, like power line noise). That should help clean up the mess.

good luck

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