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Please clarify my rejection so I can improve my quality. Thanks!

  • Angela Serrano #830202147
      1

    Hi Don

    Thank you for sharing the file!

    I was listening to it and the hiss is indeed very noticeable. The noise floor of the recording is, indeed, quite high. If it's not cause by external causes, it may be time to review your equipment. 

    What microphone and interface combo are you using? More likely, the hiss is coming from your microphone or your preamplifier.

    Let me know so we can check! 

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  • Don Cipolla #1131094724
      1

    Hello Angela,

     

    Thank you for reviewing this and for your ongoing support. 

    After listening to this again, I can hear a higher noise floor. I am not sure if it should be considered unacceptable or unfix able, but I do hear it somewhat. I am also not sure of the sibilance issue that was described. I performed it in a normal, conversational, North American style. After a revision perhaps, I think that should of been something the client could of decided on before it was rejected, just my opinion. A good read gone to waste. Oh well, moving forward. 

    In my insulated studio, I use an SM7b mic primarily. I like it but it does require lots of gain. It also has 2 response switches on the back that I change on occasion to get a different sound. Still deciding which way is best for my use. I have that directly into a Cloudfilter and that goes into my Mackie ProFX8v2 mixer. I have only had the board a few years but I seem to like it. It has a built in preamp on it which makes it more convenient as it doesn't require an interface. I have all of that into an hp laptop. I use Audacity for my DAW. I used to use Adobe Audition, I may go back to that. I do not use compression, normalize or the limiter very often. However, I wonder if there is a better way to utilize Audacity as I am some what new to it. I feel my issues are either with Audacity or from the fact that I sometimes do not turn my f6 speaker key off. The sound is different when it is on I think. 

    So, the trouble shooting continues. 

    As I always try and continue to improve things, I am really hoping to get less rejections and more work.  I feel as if sometimes I have too many rejections because I have very little work that comes my way on here. I do the very few that come in that fit my profile. I try and provide samples when I can, as well. 

    I am open to anything that I can do to improve my performance and my audio quality. 

    Thanks again,

    Don C.

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  • Angela Serrano #830202147
      1

    Hi Don!

    Thanks for sharing!

    My guess is that the problem is coming from the Mackie. This control surface is designed for live applications which may not necessarily require such high fidelity on their preamps. Live mixers have many components inside, pre amplifiers, EQ, compressors, gates, reverbs, etc. which, similar to what happens with USB mics, may not be the best for in studio recording. In studio recording requires very high fidelity components which is not the focus of live applications.

    Have you considered getting an interface? There are very good 1 - 2 channel interfaces that have awesome preamps! Alongside your Cloudlifter, you're more likely be able to get rid of the extra hiss that is damaging your recordings at the moment. Maybe it works!

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  • Don Cipolla #1131094724
      1

    Hi Angela,

    Thank you for responding. 

    Yes, the Mackie does come with many components but I bypass the EQ and I record in mono. The only function I use is the volume of course, and the preamp. No compressor, gate or reverb coming from the mixer. All of those functions are set to off. I have considered an interface but my Mackie has served me well as I have completed several national spots for my agent and I have never had any complaints until recently with Voicebunny. As I mentioned before, the hiss seems to dissipate when I turn off the speakers when I record. I will try and get an interface when finances allow it to see the difference.  In the meantime, I have completed over 150 projects with 12 rejections using the same exact equipment. I don't like any rejections but it seems that a majority of my work is accepted on the same equipment I am using as we speak. Why are most accepted and others aren't using the same equipment? I have been favored by many clients with great reviews so far. That is what is puzzling to me.

    Thank you so much for the input. I will see what I can do about getting an interface to see the difference. 

    Thanks,

    Don C.

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  • Angela Serrano #830202147
      0

    Hi Don!

    Thank you for your openness!

    The thing is not if the components are bypassed, but rather the quality and the application they're built for. Usually, these type of consoles have a lot of components that are of lower quality that if you got them separately to be able to build a device that is cost effective and works for what it's supposed to. Live applications don't need such high fidelity most of the time, so the components tend to be good, but not that high-end. 

    If you have someone that can lend you one so you can try it out it would be great! There are also some stores that let you try some pieces of equipment before buying them so you can also check that, too.

    Hope this helps!

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