Hullo everybody.

I am trying to record an audio for an animation. I am using an altec microphone that I have but even if the voice quality comes out fine, when everything is quiet the mic captures all of the "ambient noise".

When I was using Yahoo Messenger and I would do the "microphone calibration" it would read the "ambient noise" to see what it had to "ignore", however I don't use it anymore so I don't know of any other way to calibrate the ambient noise so that the mic will ignore it and record only the voice...

Does Windows ship with any kind of utility that I can use to do that?

Thanks

I dunno, man. what they use in macs is called amadeus.

I can only think of hardware solutions. Get a noise gate and set that up. A noise gate will cut off the mic whenever audio goes below a certain threshold. Migt be a godo idea to coupel that with a compressor to make you volume more even. Just a thought back to my sound man days. Ther emight be some sort of noise gate software out there do a search.

Quote - I can only think of hardware solutions. Get a noise gate and set that up. A noise gate will cut off the mic whenever audio goes below a certain threshold. Migt be a godo idea to coupel that with a compressor to make you volume more even. Just a thought back to my sound man days. Ther emight be some sort of noise gate software out there do a search.

 

Where can find more info about that? I am not that familiar with audio recording :p

I mentioned this to nemirc..

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Great little free audio editor..

There are a lot of free plugins for it as well..

Audio is my profession, so drop me a line if ya need any help..

This is kind of a hack (okay, it's a serious hack ) but what I do for short bits of voice work or hand-generated sound effects is to throw a blanket over my head and monitor while sitting at my desk, with the mike on a stand in front of me. It's awkward, but it works really well. I learned this from a friend in the radio business who used to do voice over work from home sometimes.

That's a great suggestion..

By doing so, you would be reducing the ambient noise..

Noise gates and compressors would help...but, it's best to do what ever you can to start with a good signal..

besides, you can really make a mess of things if the tools aren't used properly..

This plug-in might help..looks simple to use..

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/nyquistplugins

Variable Duration Silence Generator

This plug-in will generate any length of silence from 0.000 to 60.999 seconds. I wanted it so that I could add a specific length of time after a sound (such as Steven Jones' Risset Drum), in order to repeat the audio for a rhythmic effect.

there are two edit fields: one for thousandths (1/1000) of a second (0.000 to 0.999 seconds), and the other for whole seconds (0 to 60), for 0.000 to 60.999 seconds.

Copy the file into your audacity plug-ins folder. Next time you open Audacity, Variable Duration Silence Generator will be in the generate menu.

 

 

One other thing to consider is that the microphone you are using is most likely

"omni directional"

It's designed to pick up stuff all around it..

http://mixguides.com/microphones/basics/audio_glossary_basic_microphone/

Attached Link: http://www.surfpack.com/downloads/FASOFT-Compressor/477.html

Mics are another thing. Using a different mic can change that. Depends on teh quality you want. A hypercardiod pattern will eliminate most unwated noise by haveing a very narrow reagion where they pick up.  A condensor mic is very sensitive and will pick up unwanted sounds more but they are very good at picking things up where you need sensitivity. (acoustic guitar for example) Here is a download site for a free noise gate/compressor.

Good luck

A quality mic would definetly help, but eliminating ambient sound is the right way to go !  Pro mics can cost hundreds of dollars, and will likely pick up MORE ambient sounds, not less.  

 You don't need a fancy studio, but any room that could be "sound deadend" is a reasonable ( read: cheap!)  task.  Just my humble opinion

You can also temporarily reduce the background noise. Turn off the air conditioner/heater for a little while. Close the windows. Send the wife and kids out shopping. Turn off the TV and radio. Even turn off the fan. Try to put some distance between you (with the mike) and other electronics and try to keep the mic cord away from power cords (sometimes being too close to electronics or power lines causes hum). Use a mike stand instead of holding the mike. Place the mike 2-4 inches from your mouth and make sure and speak up if possible. Pronounce things clearly. If the sound coming from your mouth is strong and clear it'll make the background noise relatively quiet and less noticable.

I'll just add one or two things to all the excellent advice here, if you're using a mic on a stand, you can build a mini-soundbooth using foam-rubber "egg carton" textured material tacked into the corner of a room, or I built a little hinged booth that's just a wood frame with a foam egg-carton-textured mattress cover (got it at a fabric store), and this works pretty well. You just face into the corner of the booth and it really kills the echoes. Also, if you're using a mic & stand, get a pop screen (any musician store will have one), it makes a huge difference. Still, follow Bobasaur's advice and turn off the house, since even with the best tech, you can only clean up the sound so much, and the best way to get clean sound is to start with it.--Tim

http://www.digitalprosound.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=89503

Here is a hand little sound bootha  voice over pro has built on the cheap and on the go.  It is great for eliminating background noise, though using it in conjunction witha  blanket as Captain Jack suggested would be your best combination.

I work with Audio for a living (TV Editor) and I'll tell you right now, never rely on sound compression and noise gates and all of that.  They are great in emergencies and great for effects later on, but if you can get the cleanest sound to begin with, you will save yourself a hell of a lot of time later on.  Plus a lot of post work on sound can really muddy it up and while int he end you might have gotten rid of the ambient noise, you will find that what you are saying is no longer clear and recognizable.

Mics make a big difference too, but not everyone can affor 200 plus for a good VO mic.

Check out the article above, it is a fantastic solution!

Oh, if you are using a laptop or other portable device for recording, know that one of the best sound booths around is a parked car.  Just make sure to park someplace secluded.  It is an old audio engineer's gimick, but it is the truth, a car is perfect for nice clean acoustics!