Tips on voice recording?

InCreator · Wed 17/03/2004 07:45:26

Yeah, I agree with Guybrush. Goldwave is a program that can fix everything, even having a microphone built of set of broken headphones. Just learn how to use the program and you won't need any wind screens nor a studio.

Azure · Wed 17/03/2004 11:33:19

Goldwave does have very good tools but spending some time testing using the microphone from different places does help. I find Goldwave can cause horrible distortion sometimes.

Pet Terry · Sat 27/03/2004 16:52:11

*bump*

Err, yeah. Today I tried recording my voice a bit. I plugged my mic to my minidisc player and went to a closet because the cord of my mic is a bit too short. When I got the voices on my computer I didn't hear humming on the background. Now I need to get that thing you put on the microphone to reduce pops and clicks, and also a mic stand, because keeping the mic on my hands made nasty clicks on the sound.

Moox · Sat 27/03/2004 16:58:33

Audacity is a good open source program

Azure · Sun 28/03/2004 19:06:46

You honestly don't have to buy loads of stuff. For recording a mic on a stand does perfectly well. Most click pop problems fall into two areas.

Hardware
Put your mic ( if it's a stand one)At least two hands away from you. Try not to touch during recording. If it's one you have to hold it and can't get a stand hold it to the side of your mouth.
Try putting headphones in when you record as sometimes you might be getting feedback

Check the microphone is plugged in properly! if you're using an adapter ( one that changes form the large size to small) it might be that.

Software
Try several recording programes. Windows Sound Recorder is pretty awful.

Play about with the recording volume. Some sound cards record well when it's up some don't.

Most VAs I know use cheep microphones on stands. Then one I had until recently came with on old Maxis game XD I don't know how much pop shiles are but if its more than Â£20 then get a USB mic. I had a logotech one on a stand and it's fabulous!

Erwin_Br · Sun 28/03/2004 20:10:19

The pop/hiss reduction filters on programs as GoldWave and CoolEdit don't always work. Many times the pops and hisses are indeed removed, but at the cost of a weird metallic sound. A voice would then sound like someone speaking into a metal can.

The best tip I've heard is speaking a few centimeters above the mic, avoiding you blowing air into it when pronouncing certain letters (F, for example). The pantyhose works extremely well too!

And I always keep the mic quite far away from my mouth and set the recording volume to it's max.

--Erwin

Czar · Thu 01/04/2004 21:38:54

I dont know if this was mentioned, but if you have no else program, you can always use the Nero wave lab which you get with your Nero burning rom ( if you have a CD rw, oc )

Ginny · Thu 01/04/2004 22:59:21

Heh, these are some great useful tips here, but anyone know where I can connect the microphone behind the pc? before we got our new screen our mic connection was on the side of the screen, and now... No place to put the miscrophone!
Btw, what do you mean by USB mic? with a USB connection?
Any tips on how to get an area that may be loud (cars, barking, wind, fridge, tv, etc etc...) to work well as a quiet studio? Stuff you can put on the door or windows?

Azure · Fri 02/04/2004 22:13:17

To connect a microphone in you need to find your audio in socket, modern one have a picture of a mic or something that looks like a soundwave printed nest to 'em.

As for USB microhpones they are pretty new but instead of plugging into you audio in they plug into a USB port.

After a quick google search it turned up this:
http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/microphones/logitech-980186-0914.asp

I didn't buy it from there but thats the microphone I now have ^^

Paper Carnival · Fri 02/04/2004 23:09:38

Wow, is this topic still on?

Anyway, check behind your tower if it has a microphone slot... It should be on the soundcard.