Samson C01U USB Mic

[DaveG]

I noticed in a few old threads that a couple of people here have one of these mics, and I was hoping that one of you could answer a question for me. I got one for Christmas that I'm using it with a Windows based laptop running Audacity. I'm trying to record fingerpicking with no vocals. It seems to work pretty well except I have to turn the gain up pretty high to get a good input. The problem is, when I do this I start to get some noise (hiss). It's not real bad, but loud enough to be annoying. Is this normal for these mics, or am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Thanks,
Dave

[gteague]

is there another application you could try the mic with to try to figure out whether it's the mic or the software? perhaps take it to another pc to try?

i have the mic but so far have only tested it once or twice using garageband on the mac platform. i think i had the gain up about 60-75% and heard no hiss--it was very clean recording acoustic guitar.

/guy

[Fran Guidry]

Fingerstyle guitar is a _very_ quiet source. It's just extremely hard to record without hiss and noise, because there isn't a lot of sound coming out of the darned guitar.

This is one reason I love to use omni mics for recording fingerstyle - you can get them reeeeaaaal close without the bass emphasis that comes from proximity effect.

Fran

[roadking]

Some time back, someone (I think it was bobc) started a thread about noise reduction in recording software. I think he was using Adobe Audition. You might want to check that out.

[jhchang]

noise cancellation can kill some fidelity also. The mic is not ideal for recording fingerstyle; only for casual vocal recording is fine. FS recording is high demanding job so higher quality gadgets are important. You'd need some condenser mic with mic preamp.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by DaveG

I noticed in a few old threads that a couple of people here have one of these mics, and I was hoping that one of you could answer a question for me. I got one for Christmas that I'm using it with a Windows based laptop running Audacity. I'm trying to record fingerpicking with no vocals. It seems to work pretty well except I have to turn the gain up pretty high to get a good input. The problem is, when I do this I start to get some noise (hiss). It's not real bad, but loud enough to be annoying. Is this normal for these mics, or am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Thanks,
Dave

I'll double the condenser mic recomendation, but check out some USB interfaces that have phantom power. I have the mxl 990/991 pair and I assume that the vocal mic is dynamic and it works fine - too good as it picks up my dog walking in the adjacent hallway. I use the Tascam US-122 which was about 3 bills, but there are also less expensive USB devices out there also. I saw a M-Audio usb device for $99 recently.

[DaveG]

Thanks for your replies, everyone.

Regarding the condener mic suggestions, this is a condenser mic with the preamp built in. I don't know how the quality compares to others, but it's supposed to be pretty good for the price. Anyway, this is what I have, and replacing it with something more expensive is not an option for me. This is a real low budget operation .

I've tried the noise reduction in Audacity. This helps, but as was stated, it does affect the fidelity somewhat. Again, using other software is out unless is is freeware like Audacity is. Anyway, I'm pretty sure the noise is not coming from the software.

I'll try using another computer and see if that helps. I may just have to live with it.

Thanks,
Dave

[DaveG]

Originally Posted by Fran Guidry

Fingerstyle guitar is a _very_ quiet source. It's just extremely hard to record without hiss and noise, because there isn't a lot of sound coming out of the darned guitar.

This is one reason I love to use omni mics for recording fingerstyle - you can get them reeeeaaaal close without the bass emphasis that comes from proximity effect.

Fran

I think that is a big part of the problem. Not only is it a quiet source naturally, but I'm also a pretty quiet player. I've been able to move the mic real close and use the hi-pass filter to cancel out the bass. That helps a bit, but if I move the mic any closer I'll be able to use it to play slide .

Dave

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by DaveG

I think that is a big part of the problem. Not only is it a quiet source naturally, but I'm also a pretty quiet player. I've been able to move the mic real close and use the hi-pass filter to cancel out the bass. That helps a bit, but if I move the mic any closer I'll be able to use it to play slide .

Dave

This is not a problem, it's an opportunity <grin>. You've already figured out part of the solution, using EQ to counteract proximity effect. Now you might use this as an exercise in raising your acoustic playing volume. Several excellent guitarists have recommended learning to put some volume in my fingerstyle playing, in order to get more tone out of the guitar, and to add dynamics to my playing. Maybe you could make a part of every practice session a search for more volume??

Good luck and have fun,
Fran

[Timothy Lawler]

Originally Posted by DaveG

...I've tried the noise reduction in Audacity. This helps, but as was stated, it does affect the fidelity somewhat. Again, using other software is out unless is is freeware like Audacity is. Anyway, I'm pretty sure the noise is not coming from the software. I'll try using another computer and see if that helps. I may just have to live with it.

The noise is likely coming the mic and its internal preamp. All mic's and pre's produce "self-noise" of some kind, and the better ($$$) ones have noise levels that are low enough to capture very quiet sources and still have their own noise levels be inaudible. Inexpensive gear used on a very quiet source can have problems. I would suspect that a mic with a preamp built into it's housing would have a pretty high self-noise level. Playing louder as Fran mentioned is a good solution.

Also, it's common for condenser mic's, since they're so sensitive, to pick up sounds you're maybe not noticing while playing - the computer fan (even on a laptop) or hard drive, hum from lights, the refrigerator motor, traffic noise... and it can end up sounding like a loud hiss or wooshing on the recording. If you're recording in the same room as the computer, fan noise is a very common problem.

The recording software isn't going to add noise.

Tim

[DaveG]

Originally Posted by Fran Guidry

This is not a problem, it's an opportunity <grin>. You've already figured out part of the solution, using EQ to counteract proximity effect. Now you might use this as an exercise in raising your acoustic playing volume. Several excellent guitarists have recommended learning to put some volume in my fingerstyle playing, in order to get more tone out of the guitar, and to add dynamics to my playing. Maybe you could make a part of every practice session a search for more volume??

Good luck and have fun,
Fran

You sound like a real optimist . Playing louder is something I definatly need to work on. I'm just afraid that then people will be able to actually hear me. Thanks for the advice.

Dave

[DaveG]

Originally Posted by Timothy Lawler

The noise is likely coming the mic and its internal preamp. All mic's and pre's produce "self-noise" of some kind, and the better ($$$) ones have noise levels that are low enough to capture very quiet sources and still have their own noise levels be inaudible. Inexpensive gear used on a very quiet source can have problems. I would suspect that a mic with a preamp built into it's housing would have a pretty high self-noise level. Playing louder as Fran mentioned is a good solution.

Also, it's common for condenser mic's, since they're so sensitive, to pick up sounds you're maybe not noticing while playing - the computer fan (even on a laptop) or hard drive, hum from lights, the refrigerator motor, traffic noise... and it can end up sounding like a loud hiss or wooshing on the recording. If you're recording in the same room as the computer, fan noise is a very common problem.

The recording software isn't going to add noise.

Tim

Thanks for the input, Tim. I think you are probably right about this. I thought it was pretty quiet where I was recording, but several of the sources you mention are in the area. I'll try to find a more secluded area next time.

Thanks,
Dave