Feedback on rejected Audition
Hi, I recently auditioned for Voicebunny and was rejected. It was an obvious reason; -The volume of your audio is undesirably low. Please normalize the volume level to -3dBFS, as per our quality control requirements-.
I have fixed the volume issue and would love some expert diagnosis of what I need to improve in order to be accepted next time. I was a bit nervous auditioning and made a dumb mistake, but If I could get some feedback on the volume adjusted version, it'd be much appreciated.
https://soundcloud.com/duo-tronix/voicebunny-audition-02/s-cRCz9
Thank you so much for your consideration.
Devon Jarred.
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Hi Devon,
The volume is ok now but unfortunately, there's loud background noise/ hiss affecting your recording. This could be caused by the equipment or recording space. Could you share with us what equipment you're using? That way we'll be able to further assess your case.
Lastly, there are some distracting mouth noises/clicks that could be edited out to improve the quality of the recording.
-Seb
Hi Devon
I agree with Seb's comments. The hiss noise is very, very loud. Are you, by any chance, using a USB microphone? If so, this could be the culprit. Let us know how you're recording! We may be able to point you in the direction to find where the noise is coming from.
Hi, thanks for getting back so quickly. The microphone that I use is the MXL 992, and my interface is the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. I record in a vocal isolation booth that was made from a closet,(walls, ceiling, and floor covered with carpet, foam on top of that, and moving blankets folded in half covering all of that), with a solid door attached(the inside of which is also covered in all of the above). I record and edit into Reaper. I have a usb extension cable attached to my interface's cable, so it can reach the computer which is in the next room to try and avoid picking up the fan while I'm recording. I also use Sennheiser HD 280 Pro monitor headphones.
That's pretty much it.
The mouth noise i can easily fix, but the hiss I can't figure out yet. If you guys can help with some suggestions on that, I'd very much appreciate that.
Thank you.
Devon Jarred.
Oh, and I also turn off everything electric that may get picked up, air conditioners, fans, etc.
Thank you.
Devon Jarred.
Sometimes USB extensions can cause issues, maybe try recording without it and see if it that helps. The Focusrite shouldn't be causing hiss (quite a few other talents use it with no issues) and also the MXL isn't a particularly noise mic. Make sure the gain isn't too high, avoid going beyond halfway.
Hope that helps!
Hi Devon
Agreed with Seb's comments. I'd say the USB extension could be giving you trouble as well as adding too much gain on your preamp. I believe you should try the fixes one by one. First, lower the gain and record. if the problem is still there, try plugging the interface to a different port. If that doesn't work, try the other preamp on your interface. Maybe the one you're using could be damaged and causing excessive noise.
Share with us the files when you have them so we can give you our perspective, too.
OK, I've been working on getting this to a better quality. I used a noise gate on the first one, but nothing on the second one.
Noise gate.
https://soundcloud.com/duo-tronix/time-magazine-fx/s-BunD8
No noise gate.
https://soundcloud.com/duo-tronix/time-magazine-nofx/s-GoQou
I just need to know if the room sound on the second one is too much.
Thank you,
Devon Jarred
Hello Devon.
I've listened to both of your recordings and I believe the hiss in the second one is quite noticeable.
Are you using balanced cables? Have you implemented what my colleagues have mentioned?
Best,
Oscar
Yes. I've replaced my entire set up. I had an audio engineer inspect my vocal booth and set up and he didn't find any problems. He also brought a mac laptop and hooked it up to my recording equipment and the hiss was still there. He also brought his own cables and mic and still the same thing. I've looked around for the answer to what would get the hiss out(for about a year now) and I haven't found anything. I used two different interfaces that were both recommended here and other information sites (BEHRINGER U-PHORIA UMC 404HD, and Focusrite Scarlett 2i4) and the level of hiss was the same. It doesn't seem to matter how low or loud the gain is either. When I record, the noise floor is below -60db and the peak is between -16 and -12, and when I normalize, the hiss gets worse. I can not understand why this is happening.
Thanks.
Devon Jarred.
Btw, full disclosure, these are the first interfaces i have ever worked with. I've always recorded with analogue and digital hardware recorders and never had noise problems (even when recording vocals in the middle of a non-sound absorbing living room). I knew there would be a learning curve but, this is straight-up ridiculous. I have no idea what's causing all of the hiss. I've never had this problem. I've tried different gain levels, different levels when normalizing, and no normalizing at all. Nothing has worked so far. I wish that someone, anyone had some simple answer that would knock me right over and fix something I've been missing, but I'm all out of options at this point.
Thanks for getting back to me Oscar. Cheers.
Devon Jarred.
I really want to do this voice over thing too. I've got the acting and performance part down, but the technical aspects are bloody killing me!!!! :-)
Cheers,
Devon Jarred.
I totally understand this whole thing can be frustrating, Devon.
Have you tried plugin everything into one single power outlet? There's this phenomenon called "Ground loop" that's caused by connecting your devices into different sockets, therefore a loop gets created and your cables start picking up signals as if they were one big antenna.
Another alternative would be to purchase an isolation transformer. It seems to be very effective so if you can give it a try it would be awesome.
Let me know.
Oscar
Is there a specific isolation transformer that is good for a voice over set up?
Thanks,
Devon Jarred.
To be honest with you I don't really go with any specific brand in this regard, Devon, as I've not had to use one personally; a power surge protector by Belkin has worked for me (the noise reduction goes up to 75dB in these and they have a lifetime guarantee)
If you have a return policy where you shop, you could get a couple from different brands and try them out, so you can confirm whether they work for your setup.
Hope that helps.
Oscar
Cool, thanks Oscar. I think it will help. I googled Isolation transformer and a lot of different ones came up. I wasn't immediately sure which one i should be looking for.
Thanks,
Devon Jarred.
Awesome, Devon.
Let us know, please.
Best,
Oscar
Ok, so i have only my computer and monitor plugged into a surge protector with broad band noise filter on it(I couldn't find any specs on it, so I'm not sure how much in terms of db) and no change in the noise level. The surge protector i used is pretty old tho. I've got a brand new one coming in tomorrow so I'll hook that up and see if it makes a difference, but it's not looking good.
Thanks,
Devon Jarred.
Perfect, Devon.
Hopefully, that'll help.
Let us know.
I just plugged in the Belkin 12 outlet surge protector with the -75db noise filter and I got the same result as the previous recording I sent. The only other thing it could be at this point is the interface itself, which I had replaced the previous Behringer interface with, but had the same noise problem. I think the odds on getting two of them that were not properly working one after the other are astronomical. But I'll be placing a call to Focusrite tomorrow. It's the only thing possible that's left. Other than that, maybe a setting inside of Reaper that i am unaware of is the only other thing i can think of? I am just about completely lost at this point.
Thanks,
Devon Jarred.
There are more things that could be affecting the amount of hiss.
What settings are you recording in?
Also, how are you exporting these files?
Lastly, mics can also cause hiss. I haven't had experience with that particular mic but it could have a high self-noise. Although, you did say you tried another mic? Which was it?