In this very first episode of the Home Music Studio 1 Podcast, we will give 3 tips to removing those unwanted hums and buzzes from your audio tracks.
If your like me, there have been times when you've setup your gear to record, only to discover a nasty buzz bleeding into your audio interface channel. You may find yourself asking, "why does my mic buzz?"
Join me in this podcast as we talk about some simple things to both identify, and eliminate those annoying background noises.
I have just recently been introduced to multitrack recording in a professional studio. I have reconnected with an old high school professor that has operated a sound company for many years. Live productions and in studio recording. The studio has been dormant for about 4-5years. I was wondering if you had any additional suggestions for hum or buzz on a channel.
I was checking all XLR in’s from the studio live room to the Soundtracs MRX 32/8/2 board. I used a laptop playing some music as a source and the same mic and cable and moved it between all studio input to eliminate any variables like a bad cable or mic. What I found was channel 6,12 and 18 had a hum or buzz present. To eliminate the possibility that is was anything to do with the channel in particular, I bypassed the EQ’s. This hum or buzz was present at any fader level and was also present on all Aux’s 1-6.
I have not checked if this hum/buzz is also noticeable if using Line in. Not certain if that’s worth looking into or if it would make a difference.
I’m not really sure what else I can do to isolate where this buzz is coming from. Any suggestions?
Regards,
Dennis
Hi David, I’ve just started listening to podcasts, and this is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Thanks for the great tips. I have a few questions about mic buzz. My setup is fairly simple: I have a small 12-channel mixer that I use for phantom power. I am plugging a condenser mic into this with an XLR cable. I deal with a low level of mic hiss that becomes really prevalent when I layer tracks.
1. My mixer is connected to my computer via the microphone jack. I have a cable that has stereo 1/4″ jacks on one end and a single 1/8″ jack on the other. You mentioned using a USB mixer. Do you think that using the mic jack vs. USB is affecting the hiss and/or audio quality?
2. I have my mixer plugged into a power strip, not directly into the wall. The power strip has 3-prong outlets, and says it’s “grounded.” Do you think that plugging it directly into the wall would do anything about the hiss?
3. I’ve been reading up on other interfaces that can replace my mixer, either a USB mixer or a preamp. For some reason, I thought it might have an effect on the hiss. Or is this a myth?
Thanks again for this great podcast!
Hi Jordan,
There are several elements that could be in play here. First, definately using a mixer via a USB out will be a lot cleaner than the typically mic in on your computer. I don’t ever recommend using a typical onboard sound card ever for any type of professional quality recording. An audio interface is the best option for this. Keep in mind that a mixer with a USB out is a mixer with an internal audio interface and thus you’ll get the quality in in one unit compared to your onboard cards mic input.
On your powerstrip issue. The only thing that may affect this would be to lift the group using a 3 to 2 prong adapter on the power side of thing. Never do this with a power amp but you can get by in a pinch with a mixer. The best solution is again to use an audio interface that is designed for recording.
I do most all my recording now days with the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 USB interface. Thats worth a look for sure.
Great, I will look into this interface. Very helpful, thank you.
Very informative, I found after changing to XLRs where possible, and expensive , but worth it, gold tipped, Monster Cables for my guitar, sweetened the sound! So not only do you get rid of buzzes, and interference, I believe it can actually help overall tone!
Great job, and thanks for the tips(pardon the pun)!
It amazing how much of a difference good cables make, that’s for sure.