Hiss Problems

[Emorgan_Voiceovers]

I am using a tube pre so I know there is going to be some hiss. The amount I am getting in my opinion is unacceptable. The problem is that even though hiss reduction takes care of some of the problem, it tends to compromise the audio too. Is there any filter or something I can use to help kill the hiss without compromising the audio quality? My audio chain is simple. AT4040 mic with an ART V3 Tube Pre. I use Adobe Audition for the most part. Version 1.5. Any advice would be great. Thank you in advance.

[chucktaylor]

I'm not Colin, but I'll take a stab at this. I too use a tube pre with Audition, and I find that the easiest way to get rid of hiss without hurting the audio is to highlight a section of audio where you have silence. Using the noise filter, choose the get profile from selection button, and then select ok. By doing this, you are capturing whatever noise takes place in your silence, ie your hiss, and eliminating it. You then select your entire piece of audio and eliminate the noise using the profile you just created.

ct

[SueColas]

Sometimes our tube pre's hiss if the input gain is too high.

[PierceVoice]

I'm totally talking out of my tube, here. but I've experienced computer audio bleeding into my vo recording b4. I use a Pro Tools Mbox, but first route everything (including mic, PC, DVD, thisthatandtheotherthing) through a board w/phantom. It's caused me trouble in the past if I record too low and have to increase gain after the fact in editing (which increases the noise, too), but if I record at a good vol. and have the gain my special little way, it seems to kill whatever the heck it is.

I love hearing about all this cool gear stuff... even if I don't always know what's going on. :)

Good Luck!

[Jacob Ekstroem]

I'm not Colin either, but anyway...
As with most things, but in this case particular: prevention is better than cure.

In the long run, it really can't be gratifying knowing you have to fix this hissing-problem with a cheap band-aid, can it?? Instead, fix the cause of the noise. I'm not familiar with the V3, but it may not be the right pre for your mic. Or, it can be faulty. Or, your cables can be bad.

On a totally different note, I just visited your website. Nowhere do you state your name. IMHO, that's not very professional. So if I were you, I would fix that, too... hope you don't mind me saying.

Nice voice, btw!

[jsgilbert]

I aksed someone about any inherent problems as far as hissing goes with the Art Tube V3. Avoid the presets, which can color sound and potentially introduce hiss. Also this unit is a very inexpensive piece of gear and you can't expect it will deliver sound under almost any circumstances that would rival Joe Meek, Drawmer, let alone Avalon.

The culprit could very well be the unbalanced output and whatever method you're using to get audio into the computer. It could also be bad cabling (most likely not the microphone, but the output cable. And lastly, one of the 12AX7 tubes could have problems. Those tubes are availble from Groove Tubes dealers and on eBay, although good quality replacement tubes may run more than the ART tube pre did.

There is also some sort of turbo type button for maxing out gain and that could be the culprit. The other problem is you may just be one of those people who routinely records hot. Typically professional studios will record to around a -9db range (-12 to -6). Afterwards, it's usually considered okay to normalize your audition to -0. If you are using dynamic compression that would also show up as hissing if overused and can also cause problems with sibilance.

The suggestion I have is to bring your microphone to a professional audio dealer. ask for it to be hooked up to a few different mic-pre's to determine that the problem isn't with your microphone. You might also bring in your mic cable to also determine it isn't the problem. You could also bring in the ART and hook up a different microphone in the store to it to determine that it is the culprit.

If neither appears to be the problem, then the issue is with whatever your connection to the computer can be. Many older sound cards caused hiss and RF issues becuase they convert the analog signal to digital inside the computer, whihc isn't considered to be the best methodology and why professional studios employ external AD/ DA convertors.

If it appears the ART is the problem, then ask to audition the lowest priced mic pre they have and critically listen. If you are happy with the sound then buy it. If you are not happy, then ask for the next highest priced mic pre and continue upward until you're happy.

You could also try another ARt pre to see if it's just an issue with yours.

[Emorgan_Voiceovers]

Thank you all for the input. I appreciate it. Oh, and Jacob, no I don't mind you saying something about my website. I am fairly convinced now that the pre is just not right for the mic. I was able to borrow a mic processor and run through that. That took all of the hiss out. Unfortunately I had to give it back. I know it isn't my cables as they are broadcast quality, heavy duty, shielded cables. So I am assuming it is the pre, which I will replace as soon as possible. Thanks again for the input.

[Jacob Ekstroem]

You're welcome!