help requested identifying the source of hiss

[mc1]

i arranged and recorded a tune for the gordon lightfoot thread. it can be heard (or downloaded) here:

https://soundcloud.com/mc1mc/guitar-...ased-on-if-you
(edit: that is an even newer version - previous versions below)

i would like to identify the source of the hiss that is present so i can reduce it in future recordings. if you listen to the very end it is easiest to hear, but it is always present.

i recorded it with a zoon h2n about 18" away from the soundhole, with the gain set at about 7. is the hiss due to too low of a recording level, self noise from the zoom h2n, the mic being too far away? a combination, or something else?

thanks for any and all help.

edit: i rerecorded it with the gain turned slightly down and the h2n closer, and i think it reduced the hiss.

in the links below, iycrmm_1 is the original:
https://app.box.com/s/3bwg72w04z0bhy7njpyl

and iycrmm_2 is the newer version:
https://app.box.com/s/aezlrb8pm8xgne8841cw

[RRuskin]

Originally Posted by mc1

i arranged and recorded a tune for the gordon lightfoot thread. it can be heard (or downloaded) here:

http://soundcloud.com/mc1mc/guitar-s...ased-on-if-you

i would like to identify the source of the hiss that is present so i can reduce it in future recordings. if you listen to the very end it is easiest to hear, but it is always present.

i recorded it with a zoon h2n about 18" away from the soundhole, with the gain set at about 7. is the hiss due to too low of a recording level, self noise from the zoom h2n, the mic being too far away? a combination, or something else?

thanks for any and all help.

I think you are running up against the limitations of the built-in mics and preamps. They are decent but will never be stellar. Getting closer and lowering your input setting will probably help with the hiss but you run the risk of sound changing in more ways than just level. Try a distance of 12" and see if you like it or not. BTW - the little bit of hiss aside, it's a nice sounding recording.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by RRuskin

I think you are running up against the limitations of the built-in mics and preamps. They are decent but will never be stellar. Getting closer and lowering your input setting will probably help with the hiss but you run the risk of sound changing in more ways than just level. Try a distance of 12" and see if you like it or not. BTW - the little bit of hiss aside, it's a nice sounding recording.

thank you for your help, rick. i had the h2n about 12" away but ended up moving it back a bit because it seemed a little too midrangy when closer. but i didn't experiement with the placement a whole lot, just a few different places.

[rick-slo]

You might try lowering the gain on the zoom. Some units have a more critical optimal gain setting beyond which internal noise goes way up - can't say for sure about your zoom unit as I don't use one. You can always bring up the volume post recording.

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by mc1

i arranged and recorded a tune for the gordon lightfoot thread. it can be heard (or downloaded) here:

http://soundcloud.com/mc1mc/guitar-s...ased-on-if-you

i would like to identify the source of the hiss that is present so i can reduce it in future recordings. if you listen to the very end it is easiest to hear, but it is always present.

i recorded it with a zoon h2n about 18" away from the soundhole, with the gain set at about 7. is the hiss due to too low of a recording level, self noise from the zoom h2n, the mic being too far away? a combination, or something else?

thanks for any and all help.

I plugged in my headphones and cranked the volume on my laptop all the way up - I hear no hiss. Are you playing back at reasonable levels? I've done several comparisons of handheld recorders where I isolated the tails and cranked the gain to find the noise, only to realize that the noise was inaudible at realistic playback levels.

My phones are Shure SRH840s, pretty balanced tonal spectrum. Is it possible that your playback chain is added some high frequency emphasis that makes the hiss more prominent? Have you listened to the track on more than one playback chain?

Fran

[rick-slo]

I definitely heard the hiss - preamp or mike noise.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by mc1

…i recorded it with a zoon h2n about 18" away from the soundhole, with the gain set at about 7.

Hi mc1...

I heard no objectionable hiss.

Which microphone setting did you use? With the H2n you have options…which may have affected the results.

And where was the H2n in relationship to the guitar? (where was it aiming)

[mc1]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

You might try lowering the gain on the zoom. Some units have a more critical optimal gain setting beyond which internal noise goes way up - can't say for sure about your zoom unit as I don't use one. You can always bring up the volume post recording.

thanks rick. that's a good idea that i never thought of. the manual suggests going for a peak level of arond -12 dB, so that is what i was doing. i'll try a lower setting.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by Fran Guidry

I plugged in my headphones and cranked the volume on my laptop all the way up - I hear no hiss. Are you playing back at reasonable levels? I've done several comparisons of handheld recorders where I isolated the tails and cranked the gain to find the noise, only to realize that the noise was inaudible at realistic playback levels.

My phones are Shure SRH840s, pretty balanced tonal spectrum. Is it possible that your playback chain is added some high frequency emphasis that makes the hiss more prominent? Have you listened to the track on more than one playback chain?

Fran

hi fran, thanks for your help. i will admit that i have it turned up louder than usual, and my desktop speakers accentuate treble sounds. however, i just listened through headphones as well as with an mp3 player through other speakers and headphones and it's still there. not as much as when loud through my desktop speakers, which i think does make the hiss more prominent.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi mc1...

I heard no objectionable hiss.

Which microphone setting did you use? With the H2n you have options…which may have affected the results.

And where was the H2n in relationship to the guitar? (where was it aiming)

hi lj, thanks for listening. i used the xy stereo mic setting, and i had the h2n about 18" in front of the guitar, pretty much in front of the soundhole. i also tried it closer and more in front of the 12th fret body joint, but i wasn't much bass sound and i had to rotate the front of the mic toward the bridge quite a bit to get the stereo levels more equal.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by mc1

hi lj, thanks for listening. i used the xy stereo mic setting, and i had the h2n about 18" in front of the guitar, pretty much in front of the soundhole. i also tried it closer and more in front of the 12th fret body joint, but i wasn't much bass sound and i had to rotate the front of the mic toward the bridge quite a bit to get the stereo levels more equal.

Hi mc1...

Thanks for the info...

[mc1]

thank you everyone for the help. really appreciated.

Originally Posted by rick-slo

You might try lowering the gain on the zoom. Some units have a more critical optimal gain setting beyond which internal noise goes way up - can't say for sure about your zoom unit as I don't use one. You can always bring up the volume post recording.

i reduced the gain from 7 to 5 (after trying a few different settings), and brought the h2n closer, and it really seemed to reduce the hiss.

in the links below, iycrmm_1 is the original:
https://app.box.com/s/3bwg72w04z0bhy7njpyl

and iycrmm_2 is the newer version:
https://app.box.com/s/aezlrb8pm8xgne8841cw

i also updated soundcloud with the newer version and edited my op. thank you for the help. that little bit of hiss reduction seems to make a noticable difference to me.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by mc1

thank you everyone for the help. really appreciated.



i reduced the gain from 7 to 5 (after trying a few different settings), and brought the h2n closer, and it really seemed to reduce the hiss.

in the link below, iycrmm_1 is the original and iycrmm_2 is the newer version.
https://app.box.com/files/0/f/184769...11025824433048

i also updated soundcloud with the newer version and edited my op. thank you for the help. that little bit of hiss reduction seems to make a noticable difference to me.

Congrats! You need to make that link public. It's asking me to log in.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Congrats! You need to make that link public. It's asking me to log in.

i think i fixed the sharing now.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by mc1

i think i fixed the sharing now.

Still private