Is there an acceptable level of hiss?
Hey Everyone,
I've been working to fix issues with my recordings ever since my first rejection from VBunny (there have been 2 for those curious), and for the most part I've fixed them! But one issue that seems to always be present in my recordings is the "hiss" noise. It doesn't matter how I set the gain, because even if the noise floor is -80db or higher with a lower gain I'll still have to end up increasing the volume one way or another later and that brings the hiss to an audible level.
When I first posted on this website I was told it was coming from my pre-amp or mic or cable, so I upgraded.
Right now I have a brand new Shure SM7B, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, a Mogami gold XLR cable, and I'm recording on a 2015 MacBook Pro in TwistedWave.
Still getting hiss, and it's very, very frustrating.
Below I've attached two links to my Room Tone and a Test recording of my voice at the same gain level, so would really, really appreciate some help here. Since I'm relatively to the voice over scene I'm not sure if their is an "acceptable" level of hiss that can, or should, be in a recording, if there has to be zero, or whether there are other things that could be causing it that I don't know about.
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Hi Joseph!
Thanks for sharing the recording. The hiss noise is very very high. I believe this is because you're using a dynamic microphone directly with your interface's preamplifier. Dynamic microphones like the Shure SM7B (which is one of my fav microphones!) usually require much more gain to work than condenser microphones. This is because they're not that sensitive and require a bit more power to work.
When you have to push the gain of your interface too much, the natural noise of the equipment becomes higher, too, which creates this hiss noise that we're listening. A good solution (and most common) for this, is to get a signal lifter. This device increases the gain without having to add extra gain in your interface and reduces the hiss noise a lot! You can also get an external preamplifier but usually, those are a bit expensive when they're of good quality.
Do you have, by any chance, a condenser microphone you can try? If my theory is right, the hiss noise should be gone when you use a more sensitive mic. You could also try with a signal lifter like the CL-1 or the SS-1.
Hi Angela --
I was rejected for having sibilance and background hiss. I've listened to my recording (at a high headset (AKG K712s) audio level that would pick up even the fainted hiss and I can't find any. I'll admit to a stomach gurgle that occurred at one point. I don't hear the sibilance either.
Here's the track: https://soundcloud.com/user-250884254/vb-ivr-audition
My sound chain is a Sennheiser 416 mic -> FMR RNP8380 preamp -> Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 -> Mac LogicPro X (with input signal level recorded ~ -10dB)
The noise floor of my recording space is <-70dB, and I use Acon Digital Denoise the cleans that out down to <-90dB.
This recording has no noise gating, so you can hear inhales - which I thought was the point. (Regarding the "properly edited" bit, that's bogus - the client producer/engineer would arrange the final track within the context of the spot)
One could critique the performance as good or bad, but I'm trying to address this so-called "hiss" thing.
I would love your opinion,
Dave Saunders.
Hi Dave
The file does have a lot of hiss noise. As you're using a Denoiser it comes and goes. It's very present when you're talking and it fades right on the edit. The breaths sound heavily processed, more likely because of the denoiser. This filtering could be, more likely, the one boosting the excess sibilance that's present in it.
I suggest you toss away all your processors. The denoiser is definitely not helping to the noise floor but rather filtering the recording in a way it sounds too filtered.
I'd also connect the microphone directly to the Scarlett to see if the preamplifier is the one adding the hiss. I would definitely say the hiss is coming from a piece of equipment you're using as it's very constant and loud. It could also be the case because I don't pick up any room echo behind the hiss.
I'd also suggest you reset the gain of your interface and add it again to ensure you're recording at healthy levels always.
Angela -
thanks for the response, but it doesn’t make any sense to me.
“The file has a lot of hiss noise…I would definitely say the hiss is coming from a piece of equipment” do you mean line noise, like during the days of tube amps and vinyl phonograph records?
With a pro mic, XLR cabling, a pre-amp with 125dB signal to noise ratio, and 96Kb/s ADC, you conclude there’s “a lot of hiss” coming from - the equipment??
Are we listening to the same track?
And then you point to a denoiser as hurting, not helping get rid of line noise? That the denoiser was increasing sibilance? seriously? (that would be EQ related, wouldn’t you say?)
“The denoiser is definitely not helping to the noise floor but rather filtering the recording in a way it sounds too filtered.” I think you’re trying to describe a “noise gate” - which is a completely different thing, and I wasn’t using a noise gate. It’s troubling that you don’t seem to know the difference between the two terms.
The faint reverb you heard during the read turns out to be noisy tensioning springs on the scissor boom of my mic, which resonsated with my vocal frequency. I finally found it after searching long and hard. It was faint, but there. I’ve damped the springs, so that’s gone now. So what you heard was effectively room noise, (not to be confused with “room tone” - two more similar sounding terms).
You said, “I don't pick up any room echo behind the hiss”.
VB’s elite high bar to get accepted completely fails with this analysis. You sound like you’re not getting any help or backup from an actual audio engineer.
If VB had just said, “Sorry, you’re not skilled enough to join our service.” I would’ve accepted that and gone off to get better, and try again some day. But instead, I’ll keep my modern gear, DAW and recording space, and wish you and VoiceBunny all the best.
cheers.
Hi Dave
I appreciate your comments. However, I am a sound engineer myself. I have 6 years of experience and also took a specialization course in vocal production. If something I said was confusing I apologize!
Keep in mind that denoisers are a combination of processes which include but are not limited to compressors, gates, and equalizers to find and control the noises present in a recording. Denoisers can, then, modify the frequency response of a recording depending on which frequencies the noise it detected has its most predominance. If the noise is too loud, as I picked up in the file you shared, the process can affect the main source of sound (in this case your voice) and change its properties. This is when a denoiser stops helping and starts making a negative impact on the main recording.
Hope this cleared up my comment!
Dave, listen to your recording with "in ear" headphones and you will be able to listen to the hiss, which is indeed very loud.
Just use regular in ear, like the ones that come with your smartphones.. It is incredible the difference it makes in comparison to listening with very good quality big headphones, that often seem to not pick up the hiss at all.