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#1
Posted to rec.audio.tech
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Recording speech
Hi, I'm probably too knew to audio to be posting here, but I do know I'm
lacking knowledge and hopefully you won't mind me asking. This weekend I was experimenting with the new sony minidisc MZRH1B and some borrowed equipment, a sanken lavalier mic and pre-amp to try to record good clean speech. The minidisc was set to low mic sensitivity and linear PCM. I adjusted the pre-amp gain to max and then back to mid but I still could not get an acceptable volume. When I changed the minidisc to high mic sensitivity, the volume increased but I heard too much background noise. The house was fairly quiet but the dishwasher was going in the next room, I thought it was quiet, but obviously not. How practical is this setup considering that I'll be recording speech in other people's homes? I'm thinking of investing in this mic pre-amp setup from the local audio recording pro shop. I've returned the equipment now and I really need to talk to them further before buying. Is there a better affordable setup? Do you know of a website which would expain the process and equipment I need to acheive my goal which doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Any comments would be appreciated. Joy |
#2
Posted to rec.audio.tech
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Recording speech
On Mon, 6 Nov 2006 20:47:16 +1300, "Joy" wrote:
Hi, I'm probably too knew to audio to be posting here, but I do know I'm lacking knowledge and hopefully you won't mind me asking. This weekend I was experimenting with the new sony minidisc MZRH1B and some borrowed equipment, a sanken lavalier mic and pre-amp to try to record good clean speech. The minidisc was set to low mic sensitivity and linear PCM. I adjusted the pre-amp gain to max and then back to mid but I still could not get an acceptable volume. When I changed the minidisc to high mic sensitivity, the volume increased but I heard too much background noise. The house was fairly quiet but the dishwasher was going in the next room, I thought it was quiet, but obviously not. How practical is this setup considering that I'll be recording speech in other people's homes? I'm thinking of investing in this mic pre-amp setup from the local audio recording pro shop. I've returned the equipment now and I really need to talk to them further before buying. Is there a better affordable setup? Do you know of a website which would expain the process and equipment I need to acheive my goal which doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Any comments would be appreciated. Joy The ratio of the wanted sound to the background is simply a function of the relative distance to each. If you are getting too much background sound on your recording, you need to move away from the source of the sound. That's about it really. Buying better kit may make the dishwasher sound a bit clearer, but that is really all it will do for you. As for the sensitivity setting, use whatever seems appropriate for the wanted sound. d -- Pearce Consulting http://www.pearce.uk.com |
#3
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Recording speech
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#4
Posted to rec.audio.tech
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Recording speech
"Laurence Payne" lpayne1NOSPAM@dslDOTpipexDOTcom wrote in message ... On Mon, 06 Nov 2006 08:02:58 GMT, (Don Pearce) wrote: The ratio of the wanted sound to the background is simply a function of the relative distance to each. It might also be a function of an automatic gain control. These can be unavoidable on consumer gear. If the dishwasher was loud enough to be noticed, AGC would assume it was worth recording and turn up the gain whenever the speaker paused. Does the dishwasher noise fade up in silent sections? No it didn't. I'm not sure the minidisc has AGC but the AVL setting on the minidisc was turned off during the experiment. |
#5
Posted to rec.audio.tech
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Recording speech
On Tue, 7 Nov 2006 09:10:04 +1300, "Joy" wrote:
No it didn't. I'm not sure the minidisc has AGC but the AVL setting on the minidisc was turned off during the experiment. OK. So you need a more directional mic, or one placed nearer to the speaker's mouth. You say it was a lavalier type? So, presumably an omni? (There's no way a body mic will ever be pointing in a useful direction :-) Theatre folk have at last admitted that a body mic anywhere except on the cheek-bone is not terribly useful. If you insist in recording in noisy surroundings, perhaps this (or a headset mic) would be best. Should this really just go down as operator error? The real answer was to turn off the dishwasher. You'll notice it next time :-) |
#6
Posted to rec.audio.tech
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Recording speech
Also, what was the preamp? Such things normally drive a Line input,
not a Mic input. |
#7
Posted to rec.audio.tech
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Recording speech
"Joy" wrote ...
"Laurence Payne" wrote ... (Don Pearce) wrote: The ratio of the wanted sound to the background is simply a function of the relative distance to each. It might also be a function of an automatic gain control. These can be unavoidable on consumer gear. If the dishwasher was loud enough to be noticed, AGC would assume it was worth recording and turn up the gain whenever the speaker paused. Does the dishwasher noise fade up in silent sections? No it didn't. I'm not sure the minidisc has AGC but the AVL setting on the minidisc was turned off during the experiment. AVL is just an alias for AGC. I'm not aware of any portable MD recorder that does NOT have AGC/AVL/whatever you want to call it. Some method of automatically setting recording levels. Furthermore the universal complaint about portable MD recorders is that the auto-level (by whatever name) always defaults to "ON" and is difficult to turn off on many models. Get (and KEEP) the microphone as close to the talker's mouth as practical. But not in the "blast zone" directly in front of the lips. Minimize ambient noises by watever means you can use. Certainly turning off a dishwasher is well within this rule. You may not be able to unplug a refrigerator, etc. But you certainly don't have to run the dishwasher while recording dialog. Moving into a quiet room, closing doors/windows, are all in order here. ALWAYS use headphones while recording. You have learned that the microphone doe NOT hear the same way you (or any of us) do. There is no substitute for proper monitoring while recording. Else it is like shooting video without a viewfinder. |
#8
Posted to rec.audio.tech
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Recording speech
Hope FlexiMusic Wave Editor Software would suit best to record the audio or
speech. http://www.fleximusic.com/ "Joy" wrote in message ... Hi, I'm probably too knew to audio to be posting here, but I do know I'm lacking knowledge and hopefully you won't mind me asking. This weekend I was experimenting with the new sony minidisc MZRH1B and some borrowed equipment, a sanken lavalier mic and pre-amp to try to record good clean speech. The minidisc was set to low mic sensitivity and linear PCM. I adjusted the pre-amp gain to max and then back to mid but I still could not get an acceptable volume. When I changed the minidisc to high mic sensitivity, the volume increased but I heard too much background noise. The house was fairly quiet but the dishwasher was going in the next room, I thought it was quiet, but obviously not. How practical is this setup considering that I'll be recording speech in other people's homes? I'm thinking of investing in this mic pre-amp setup from the local audio recording pro shop. I've returned the equipment now and I really need to talk to them further before buying. Is there a better affordable setup? Do you know of a website which would expain the process and equipment I need to acheive my goal which doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Any comments would be appreciated. Joy -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
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