[krissovo]

Hey All

I belive I have all the right ingredients to make good quality recordings but there is a hissssssss that I cannot remove.

My Setup is a Alesis USB mixer into my PC 9Using USB), when using a monitor or headphones I dont think there is much hiss if any at all but when I record there is a hiss pressent. I record in to kristal.

Is there a filter I can apply?
What volume settings would be optimal on the mixer and in kristal?

[X4StringDrive]

I'm not sure where your hiss is originating from, but what I do, is to leave a few seconds of blank space before I actually start playing. Then use this part of the recording to capture a profile and then use "noise removal" to clean it up. Not sure if Krystal has such an option, but I would think it does. I use Adobe Audition and I know audacity also has the option available.

[solidwalnut]

Originally Posted by krissovo

Hey All

I belive I have all the right ingredients to make good quality recordings but there is a hissssssss that I cannot remove.

My Setup is a Alesis USB mixer into my PC 9Using USB), when using a monitor or headphones I dont think there is much hiss if any at all but when I record there is a hiss pressent. I record in to kristal.

Is there a filter I can apply?
What volume settings would be optimal on the mixer and in kristal?

Well, I'm not sure where your hiss is coming from, and maybe this would be important to nail down and fix. I would plug/unplug until you find the culprit. One thing you can always do during or after recording is use a notch filter in your eq program at about 8k.

Steve

[Ellenback1]

Ok, Steve, 'splain yourself - a notch filter??? Does Audacity have that?

[Stratrat]

Elle - I have an add-on notch filter in Audacity - can't remember which VST pack I downloaded it from, though.

The easy way is like Kenny said - leave a few seconds blank space at the beginning as a "sample". When you're doing your mixing after recording, choose "Effect > Noise Removal". It will pop up a window telling you to select a few seconds of just noise, then click "Get Noise Profile". Select the blank space at the beginning of the recording, create a profile for it and then you can remove it from the recording.

[X4StringDrive]

Notch filters are used in live sound reproduction (Public Address systems, also known as PA systems) and in instrument amplifier (especially amplifiers or preamplifiers for acoustic instruments such as acoustic guitar, mandolin, bass instrument amplifier, etc.) to reduce or prevent feedback, while having little noticeable effect on the rest of the frequency spectrum. Other names include 'band limit filter', 'T-notch filter', 'band-elimination filter', and 'band-rejection filter'.

from...Band-stop filter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

hope it helps

[pwgrahamster]

a few answers to the following questions and maybe i can help:
1. How do you monitor? Is it through the desk or through the PC?
2. Are you using any external effects or compressors?
3. How hot are you typically recording (-10, -30, 0db peaks?)?

[solidwalnut]

Originally Posted by Ellenback1

Ok, Steve, 'splain yourself - a notch filter??? Does Audacity have that?

Well, you got good answers so far. But let me try another tack to see if this clicks. Think of an audio waveform. Now think of a filter that actually notches out a portion of the waveform when it detects a certain frequency.

Does that make any sense, or can I do better?

Steve

[Rockerbob]

Noise removal is a compromise at best. Noise avoidance is the best route. Find out where the noise is coming from and fix/replace/eliminate/reconfigure the suspect to reduce the noise. Environment causes lots of noise. Computer fans in the background sound just like electronic hiss. If you use microphones, make the room as quiet as possible.

[pwgrahamster]

"Noise removal is a compromise at best. Noise avoidance is the best route. "

Couldn't agree more, Bob. All you're doing with filtering is chopping out great whacks of sound along with only part of the hiss.

[Ellenback1]

Originally Posted by solidwalnut

Well, you got good answers so far. But let me try another tack to see if this clicks. Think of an audio waveform. Now think of a filter that actually notches out a portion of the waveform when it detects a certain frequency.

Does that make any sense, or can I do better?

Steve

Hmmm Steve, should I ask your wife that, perhaps? LOL

Nah, I got it now, your visual helped me to understand it....

[Tekker]

In addition to what has already been said, also check the gain level on your mixer, because you can get hiss if the gain is too high. As you turn the gain down you'll have to compensate by turning the volume fader(s) up.

-tkr

[solidwalnut]

Originally Posted by Ellenback1

Hmmm Steve, should I ask your wife that, perhaps? LOL

Lisa's quite happy

[krissovo]

Thanks for the replies and appologies for delay in responding, went away for a few days....

Anyway...

It looks like it was/is a couple of things, the following each contributed to some noise.

1. The mic, its a cheap sure 606 (oe something) but I had the gain up quite high. Turned that down a bit and adjusted eq and helped.
2. One of my guitar inputs (hendrix pedal) I had the jack for my guitar hanging over a radiator. I acidently switched the pedal on so the input was making noise. Fixed it by buying a boss A/B switch to switch between my hendrix pedal and the zoom g7.
3. My laptop was placed next to the mixer and it looks like there was interfearence between the two, bought a longer USB cable and that was cured.

OK so I now have near zero noise when playing but I will get some noise when I select a recording input using kristal. As soon as the input is open on a waver then a small hiss starts straight away. Is this a feature of my mixer I wonder????

Well its now 100% better than it was, maybe more tweaks required so thanks to all.

[muchojackdaniels]

Hisss comes from your mic most of the times, so check you mic setting.