will a preamp and compressor nix recording white noise?
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Posted on Dec 29, 2009 03:48 am
liquidecho
Member Since: Dec 29, 2009
Hi there.. maybe someone can help me
I do live recordings of choirs and bands. i always get a good sound until there is a quiet or silent part and then there is a lot of hiss. i belive this is from the gains of my condensor mics.
i need someone to help me figure out what to use while recording to take out the hiss.
from my understanding.. a preamp will give me more clean power whch will help reduce hiss and then a compressor will not let sound go through that is too quiet and too loud..correct? help me out please
i would like to purchase a couple of rack effects that i can tweak and make a clean recording... thanks!
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cruxTypo SzarMember
Since: Jul 04, 2002
Dec 29, 2009 05:05 am The preamp will give u a better signal to work with, but if ur using condensors already it means u have some form of preamp right? ofcourse the quality of them will dictate how little noise there will be. To save from just getting more equipment try experimenting with their gain and connections to eliminate noise first as well as EQ and such.
The effect that ur asking for in terms of the compressor sounds more like a noise gate. R u recording to a daw or to tape? coz u can use a noise gate plugin which would be cheaper and more flexible to clean up the trax after the recording. And yes a compressor would not let the signal get too loud, but if ur mostly cleaning up noise ur loudness should be ok im guessing
generally i would say mess around with mic positions and setting ur levels before investing in more stuff... coz y not right?
TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Dec 29, 2009 11:33 am What equipment are you currently using? Filling out your gear bio will help everybody asess your current setup and make recommendations about how to use it to its fullest, or maybe purchasing new equipment.
Dec 31, 2009 02:46 am I am using a roland 880ex recorder two inputs with 2 akg c1000 that run on 9 volts monster cables. thanks for helping
Jan 07, 2010 11:32 am ok your question is basically listed under components 101 white noise is produced when a signal gets too low and thats what an amplifier does it amplifies the electronic signal to send out clearer sound with a higher ratio for volume so yes an amp will help your cause as long as your mic is not the problem so like the others told you try to adjust your levels first. turn the mic volume down on the recorder and up on the program that should help some and so will gating.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Jan 07, 2010 06:19 pm Knowing if it's a buzz, or a hiss will help you find the problem. Often in churches there are dimmer switches, which are known problems for introducing buzz.
Fluorescent lights also can introduce buzz.
I bet Fluorescent lights on a dimmer switch would be really nasty =).
Anyway, the C1000 are condenser mics, so they need phantom power to operate correctly. You posted that you are using 9 volts monster cables. I'm not sure what that is, but if you're using 9 volts as phantom power, then the mics aren't running correctly, possibly only at a fraction of their intended potential.
So, as phantom power is ~-48vdc, and you're using 9v, then you may be having to turn the gain WAY up on the desk to hear stuff. This could give you the hiss you're experiencing: normal hiss from components, which you usually never hear unless you turn your input gain WAY up.
Try and see if the desk has phantom power switch, and turn that on (turn down your other volumes, so you don't pop your ears). If your desk does not offer phantom power (i can't believe it doesn't) then you'll need either 1) a preamp that offers phantom power, or 2) dynamic mics than don't need phantom power.
hmph, i can't easily find pix of the thing. or if it even has XLR inputs, or just 1/4" inputs. Let us know what type of inputs the thing has, and we can help more.
* edit * If the thing doesn't have XLR inputs, then you probably don't have proper preamps in the chain. This certainly will give you problems. Again, let us know what type of connections the thing has, and how (exactly) you're connecting things.
Hope that helps.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Jan 07, 2010 06:27 pm A compressor will pull down the volume if the signal gets above a set amount.
An expander does the opposite: brings up the volume if the signal gets below a set amount. You probably don't want that.
A compressor will make a signal sound more level, as you can turn up the resulting output: the lower-than-threshold is louder, but the over-the-threshold is dropped down some.
There's a ratio involved, usually, more louder above the set threshold, the more the volume is pulled down.
There is a live sound section on this site, that Rob Stemple is active in. He'd probably be helpful in augmenting your live sound, with maybe a preamp, and a live sound component (EQ, compressor, etc).
