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I'm using the MXL 770 along with the Behringer U-Phoria UM2. Now, the Behringer use to make a lot of noise until i updated a driver. I knew it was the audio interface since i disconnected the actual recorder from it, and the laptop still allowed me to record. Now after that problem is gone, i still find background noise when connecting to the condenser mic. When i turn the mic down to a small level, you don't hear the noise until you speak, then it distorts your voice. When at a higher level, you can hear the sound in the background. I've seen plenty of youtube videos with people using the MXL with not so much as white background noise, and am wondering why mine does. I've uploaded one audio of the recorder at a high setting, which makes the background noise sound worse than it normally would during recording, and one at a low setting, which shows how my voice can be distorted if i significantly reduce the mic settings to get rid of the background noise which only appears when i speak. Please let me know of any suggestions, thanks.

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Lelouch Thu, 02/23/2017 - 18:45

DonnyThompson, post: 447762, member: 46114 wrote: I think he should use what he has right now, and get his demo "reel" out there. Those who would be interested are going to be listening to him first... how he sounds as a performer, what his voice is like, and how good he is at reading copy.

I did, and most of it really sucks since I did it for the sake of having a demo reel fast xD ! http://lelouchsvoice.weebly.com/ : This is my website, I have zero traffic on it as expected ! I have some different versions of some of the recordings since they were bad ! But I haven't update it. The links are from this site from when I posted them before since this site hosts the links for me.

Boswell Fri, 02/24/2017 - 05:13

The problem that the Home Studio Master had was that he was using a Shure RE20 and not an EV RE20. I have to admit I've never seen a Shure RE20, but that's what his full-screen caption (0:45) insisted it was.

Somebody needs to tell him you need extra gain for a dynamic mic - it's part of the deal.

pcrecord Fri, 02/24/2017 - 08:11

Lelouch, post: 447798, member: 50238 wrote: And a triple post here, I trust The Home Studio Master with my life tbh.

Is the reason I'd much rather prefer a condenser mic then a dynamic.

I can make any microphone sound bad. Pretty easy when you don't know how to work with a specific technology ;)

I could record good VO on a 100$ SM57 if I needed to... got to get close to it tho... (1-2 inches instead of 1-2 feet)

Did you hear in the video that with the EV RE20 we don't hear the room anymore ?

It's like comparing a horse and a camel. They will bring you where you want, but they can't be driven the same way.. :)

Lelouch Fri, 02/24/2017 - 19:47

Boswell, post: 447804, member: 29034 wrote: The problem that the Home Studio Master had was that he was using a Shure RE20 and not an EV RE20. I have to admit I've never seen a Shure RE20, but that's what his full-screen caption (0:45) insisted it was.

Somebody needs to tell him you need extra gain for a dynamic mic - it's part of the deal.

Yea, he wasn't using enough gain, but I think that was on purpose. And I think the RE20 only comes as the electro voice ? I just searched it and I couldn't even find an re20 that wasn't electro voice !

Lelouch Fri, 02/24/2017 - 19:52

pcrecord, post: 447809, member: 46460 wrote: I can make any microphone sound bad. Pretty easy when you don't know how to work with a specific technology ;)

I could record good VO on a 100$ SM57 if I needed to... got to get close to it tho... (1-2 inches instead of 1-2 feet)

Did you hear in the video that with the EV RE20 we don't hear the room anymore ?

My studio is far from soundproof, but again, I'v never had a recording with noise on it after I found the correct usage of things. And the reason he doesn't recommend dynamic mics for VOs and likes Condenser mics, is because a condenser mic means you can be further from it, and it'll sound more the way people usually hear you. Unlike the dynamic mic which had a different way of conveying the voice then the condenser mic did.

Anyway, thanks for the help guys, but it seems in the end all this recording stuff really is mythology as Dan Lenard said. I'll see what I think is best for me and I'll check it out. Thanks guys.

pcrecord Fri, 02/24/2017 - 20:52

Lelouch, post: 447835, member: 50238 wrote: Anyway, thanks for the help guys, but it seems in the end all this recording stuff really is mythology as Dan Lenard said

I guess someone who just learned additions and substractions would think algebra is mythology.
If you ever persist and learn the craft, you will read this thread in a few years and just won't stop doing this :

Lelouch Fri, 02/24/2017 - 21:16

pcrecord, post: 447837, member: 46460 wrote: I guess someone who just learned additions and substractions would think algebra is mythology.
If you ever persist and learn the craft, you will read this thread in a few years and just won't stop doing this :

I'm sure your right. BTW, by saying that this recording stuff is like mythology, he just meant that not one thing is " better " then another because the equipment that makes one person sound great, can be the equipment ruining another's performance. ~ Mentioned that since I worded it weirdly so you may have interpreted it differently. Either way, I can't differentiate between opinions on here. You guys know more and better then I do, so me being left with multiple opinions for multiple people still leaves me wondering what I should actually get. But as you said pcrecord, I have to try these things out and see what's good for me.. I'll make sure to tell you what equipment I'v bought when I'v decided.

Lelouch Fri, 02/24/2017 - 21:20

Kurt Foster, post: 447836, member: 7836 wrote: RE20's use a '">variable D design and are relatively free from proximity effect. there are other EV mics that have variable D as well like the PL6. i am not as enamored with this guy as you seem to be. i question a lot of the info in that video.

He seems very knowledgeable to me, especially with this as his career and is in a collective of voice actors and audio engineers who have dubbed him " The Home Studio Master ". But again, I'm just a newbie, I could just be overly taken by this guy.

pcrecord Sun, 02/26/2017 - 05:18

My first choice (in your situation), specially if you don't intent to buy an external preamp, is the iD14 because it has better preamps
But it doesn't have line-in. If later you want to add an external preamp without the coloration of those preamps, the preamp will need to have a digital output or you will need an extra digital converter. (keep in mind there isn't alot of preamp available with integrated converter (digital output))

If you still want to buy the VMS and an audio interface at the same time ; then the 6i6 is the choice because it has 2 line ins.

Lelouch Sun, 02/26/2017 - 09:13

pcrecord, post: 447894, member: 46460 wrote: My first choice (in your situation), specially if you don't intent to buy an external preamp, is the iD14 because it has better preamps
But it doesn't have line-in. If later you want to add an external preamp without the coloration of those preamps, the preamp will need to have a digital output or you will need an extra digital converter. (keep in mind there isn't alot of preamp available with integrated converter (digital output))

If you still want to buy the VMS and an audio interface at the same time ; then the 6i6 is the choice because it has 2 line ins.

Thanks, I'll end up buying one of those . If I can afford the 6i6 and the VMS, that'll be my top pick. Thanks again.

BTW, does the iD22 have a clean line input ?

Lelouch Fri, 03/10/2017 - 21:38

It's been a while and wanted to tell you guys what I'm planning to do ! I wasn't in any hurry so I'v been taking my time looking at different mics and such. I'm probably going to get the iD14 along with whatever mic I choose. And I'll have a little blind test ! I'm going to run the mic through the iD14, then through the U-Phoria UM2 and see if you guys can spot which recording was done with which interface. I'm sure you'd be able to tell, but I feel like testing it out anyway. I also wont say what mic I'v picked out and recorded with until you guys have had a chance to comment on the recordings that I'll post from it.

Still though, I'm not in a rush to order these things, so perhaps I'll have ordered it and it can be here all by the end of this month or beginning of the next. Thanks for all the help so far !

pcrecord Sat, 03/11/2017 - 07:41

Lelouch, post: 448503, member: 50238 wrote: I'm sure you'd be able to tell, but I feel like testing it out anyway.

The more tests you do, the more your ears are trained.

When ever I get a new preamp, I test it with all my mics and when I get a mic I test it with all my preamps.
That's my only way to figure out what my gear is good at and what kind of recipe I could cook for any recording situation thrown at me ;)

Lelouch Sat, 03/11/2017 - 19:12

pcrecord, post: 448519, member: 46460 wrote: The more tests you do, the more your ears are trained.

When ever I get a new preamp, I test it with all my mics and when I get a mic I test it with all my preamps.
That's my only way to figure out what my gear is good at and what kind of recipe I could cook for any recording situation thrown at me ;)

Yea ^-^ . After listening to so much different audio from so many different sources , I feel I'm able to pick up on these things. I can hear how hyped up the bass is on my apple earphones and other speakers, I'v noticed the difference between mics through frequency response and sometimes just plain audio quality ( Like this video here :

- Most people couldn't tell the difference, but I could clearly hear a weird quality drop in the voice whenever the $50 mic was recording .

And you're right, I really want to hear how different a recording will sound when the interface being used changes ! Thanks for the help !

Lelouch Sun, 03/12/2017 - 22:20

Now, weird question.. I'm buying soon, so I wanted to get this question out of my head. The Zoom H5 ( idk if you know about it or not ) is a portable interface. Has converters, preamps and everything. It's about $270, so I'm not really saving compared to the iD14. The zoom h5 is here : https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/H5 . Now the question is whether Zoom H5 holds up against the iD14. I'm sure the zoom is great, but it can't be better than an " actual " full sized interface like that one, right ?

pcrecord Mon, 03/13/2017 - 05:13

Lelouch, post: 448550, member: 50238 wrote: Now the question is whether Zoom H5 holds up against the iD14. I'm sure the zoom is great, but it can't be better than an " actual " full sized interface like that one, right ?

The zoom products are fine if you must do field work but the ID14 preamps and converter are far better.

Lelouch Mon, 03/13/2017 - 18:29

pcrecord, post: 448555, member: 46460 wrote: The zoom products are fine if you must do field work but the ID14 preamps and converter are far better.

Alright, thanks. I'm going to be ordering these things today.. So once they arrive, I'll let you guys HEAR the audio before I tell you what I'v purchased !

Lelouch Thu, 03/16/2017 - 18:37

Well, one last update ! The interface has arrived along with a new ( But still very cheap .. ) set of headphones. The microphone will be here tomorrow. And then the stand and cable actually needed to record at all .. will be here Tuesday ;-; . Ordering from 3 different sites was cheaper, but now I have to wait longer ! I'm very impatient xD ! And I wanted to rant about it. Anyway, I'll be posting when everything gets here by Tuesday ( or hopefully sooner ! ).

Lelouch Fri, 03/17/2017 - 19:05

I borrowed an XLR cable to be able to record since mine hasn't come yet... I also don't have my stand yet , so I'v been holding the mic in my hand ! Either way, one of these was recorded with an iD14, the other with the Behringer UM2. I could immediately tell the difference between the 2 interfaces when monitoring my audio ! Anyway, can you spot which is which ?

The second recording is slightly louder than the first.

[MEDIA=audio]https://recording.o…

[MEDIA=audio]https://recording.o…

Once you've checked them out and replied what you think, I'll tell you what mic I'm using. And I could use some help figuring things out with the new setup, the audio sounds very weird to me .. The iD14 has an application that changes gain and such. I feel I have too much gain, but still getting use to all the controls.

Attached files

Test One.mp3 (683.7 KB)  Test Two.mp3 (720.4 KB) 

Lelouch Wed, 03/22/2017 - 06:59

pcrecord, post: 448773, member: 46460 wrote: With what mic was this recorded with ?
Did you apply any processing ?
What are the peak levels in the DAW ?

The first line in it was processed and gained differently . The rest hit around -6 . It was just quick so I think i clipped a few times . It had a very small conpression and i EQed out under 20h and over 20kh. Otherwise there's just a gate.

The mic is the sennheiser MKH 416

pcrecord Wed, 03/22/2017 - 07:24

Your level should average around -18db and/or peak around -10db to get the cleanest results.
Higher than this, you risk having saturation from the preamp and you don't want to record digital cliping...
At what resolution are you recording ? Try 24bit 44khz or better

Lelouch, post: 448778, member: 50238 wrote: The mic is the sennheiser MKH 416

Interesting choice, after all that has been said here.
The good thing is, it's a hypercardioid and will pick less of the room if you record at close range. althought it doesn't have bass proximity effect most LDC have. I'm sure you can adjust that in post.
If you didn't had a gate, it means the sound is clean, clear and noiseless which is all that we didn't like of your hold setup. The ID14 holds it's reputation here !

Lelouch Wed, 03/22/2017 - 08:04

pcrecord, post: 448780, member: 46460 wrote: Your level should average around -18db and/or peak around -10db to get the cleanest results.
Higher than this, you risk having saturation from the preamp and you don't want to record digital cliping...
At what resolution are you recording ? Try 24bit 44khz or better

Interesting choice, after all that has been said here.
The good thing is, it's a hypercardioid and will pick less of the room if you record at close range. althought it doesn't have bass proximity effect most LDC have. I'm sure you can adjust that in post.
If you didn't had a gate, it means the sound is clean, clear and noiseless which is all that we didn't like of your hold setup. The ID14 holds it's reputation here !

It has a lot of proximity effect actually, and is well at rejecting the room tone. Therefore , I can use a lighter gate . I'll try recording again in a bit the way u recommended , thanks !

pcrecord Wed, 03/22/2017 - 08:21

Lelouch, post: 448781, member: 50238 wrote: It has a lot of proximity effect actually,

Most of the time when we talk about proximity effect it implies a boost in the low frequencies. I didn't hear that in your recording.
Room rejection is great when the room isn't tuned for recording.
If you post more, please add a RAW version (no processing) and one processed to your taste. Just curious to compare ;)

Lelouch Wed, 03/22/2017 - 09:53

pcrecord, post: 448782, member: 46460 wrote: Most of the time when we talk about proximity effect it implies a boost in the low frequencies. I didn't hear that in your recording.
Room rejection is great when the room isn't tuned for recording.
If you post more, please add a RAW version (no processing) and one processed to your taste. Just curious to compare ;)

Well, not in the frequency response, but it gets really deep when i get close to it . And sure , ill put a raw and processed file up when i get to it later tonight. Thanks for all the help

pcrecord Wed, 03/22/2017 - 12:17

Lelouch, post: 448785, member: 50238 wrote: not in the frequency response, but it gets really deep when i get close to it

This doesn't make sens, deep sounding tells me more low frequencies..
Anyway, if it does have more bass when you get closer, it gives you another way to tune the sound you want and that's good ! ;)

KurtFoster Wed, 03/22/2017 - 12:29

Lelouch, post: 448785, member: 50238 wrote: Well, not in the frequency response, but it gets really deep when i get close to it . And sure , ill put a raw and processed file up when i get to it later tonight. Thanks for all the help

asked and answered more than once in this thread.

again, that's how any cardioid (unit-directional) mic works. the closer the source is to the mic, the louder the lows get. and you're right, it's not a frequency response difference but a difference in how loud the low end is. with a hyper cardioid shotgun like you are using the artifacts can get even worse. hyper cardioid's are generally frowned upon for recording purposes. in a typical VO situation, a Neumann U87 or a dynamic mic like an EV RE20 are standard the go to's.

to eliminate proximity effects you can try an omni-directional mic but you will need a good room to record in because an omni will pick up everything from everywhere.

it seems to me this has gone on long enough. how many pages and posts does it take to find out how to record a simple voice over? we are at 12 pages and 231 posts. :sick:what you're getting is what you're going to get. sometimes it all comes down to personal experience and chops gained by just doing it.

Lelouch Wed, 03/22/2017 - 14:01

Kurt Foster, post: 448787, member: 7836 wrote: asked and answered more than once in this thread.

again, that's how any cardioid (unit-directional) mic works. the closer the source is to the mic, the louder the lows get. and you're right, it's not a frequency response difference but a difference in how loud the low end is. with a hyper cardioid shotgun like you are using the artifacts can get even worse. hyper cardioid's are generally frowned upon for recording purposes. in a typical VO situation, a Neumann U87 or a dynamic mic like an EV RE20 are standard the go to's.

to eliminate proximity effects you can try an omni-directional mic but you will need a good room to record in because an omni will pick up everything from everywhere.

it seems to me this has gone on long enough. how many pages and posts does it take to find out how to record a simple voice over? we are at 12 pages and 231 posts. :sick:what you're getting is what you're going to get. sometimes it all comes down to personal experience and chops gained by just doing it.

This mic is very often used for voice over is pro studios .. its an " industry standard " . Not sure where the hatred towards shotgun mics came from ! Anyway , pcrecord is helping me a lot , help i kinda need to proceed .

Lelouch Wed, 03/22/2017 - 14:03

pcrecord, post: 448786, member: 46460 wrote: This doesn't make sens, deep sounding tells me more low frequencies..
Anyway, if it does have more bass when you get closer, it gives you another way to tune the sound you want and that's good ! ;)

Yea , it's the proximity effect from getting close to the mic . I just wasn't close to the mic when I did those recordings . Its proximety effect is shown here :