Originally Posted by Steve Cooke
You also asked for feedback on improving the sound.

There's quite a bit of hiss in the background. Not sure if that's because of the place where you recorded it or the technology. Perhaps you could specify the gear that you used - primarily the make/model of the audio interface (soundcard) and the software involved.

I noticed a pop/click around 0:45, which sounded rather like the sort of thing you can get when the buffer settings of the audio interface aren't quite right. If you find you're picking up those kind of noises fairly regularly, try experimenting with the buffer settings. There's no 'correct' setting that can be advised in advance, though, because each computer is different and the particular software being used may affect it too. It's just a case of trial and error.

Keeping the computer connected to the internet while doing audio work can also cause that kind of problem. Best to disconnect or disable your connection while recording and mixing. Also make sure that any software you're not actually using for the recording project is closed. Instant messengers and suchlike, popping up to demand attention, can cause that problem too. And there may be a setting to disable your anti-virus/firewall software while working on audio projects. On the BitDefender anti-virus program that I use there's a 'gaming mode', intended to optimise the machine for playing games, but it also helps to reduce the activity of the program while you're recording, thereby reducing the likelihood of pops and similar.

It's a good idea to edit the track in order to get rid of the shuffling around at the start (and at the end too). I don't know what software you've got, but a freeware program like Audacity can do that. Just block-highlight the part of the wave immediately before the music starts and 'mute' it. If the appearance of the instruments seems too sudden, apply a brief fade-in there and it will be subtler (I mean for a fraction of a second, not an elongated gradual start to the song).


Steve,

I'm using a program called MixCraft. I have an M-Audio USB Interface/external sound card. It is very basic set-up. I have one condenser mic. It's a Baby Bottle Blue that I bought used off E-bay about two years ago. I use the same mic for vocals and guitar. For guitar, I put about 6 or 7 inches from the 12th fret. I also use the pop filter when I play. Seems like that helps somewhat.

The MixCraft software has lots of stuff on it. I did use Audacity before on my old computer. I'm not sure if it was my old computer, Audacity, or my lack of skill, but I never could get the click track function to work and I had a hard time trying to edit in Audacity. Audacity did have easy effects (fade-in/fade-out and reverb). I'm still messing around with MixCraft, trying to become more familiar with it. At least I could record with a click track, which is nice. The room I record in is a converted garage and there is carpet, but it is noisy. There is a highway outside and the hot water heater rumbles, the air kicks off and on, etc. I also tend to try and sing quietly because I'm typically doing recordings at 1 or 2 a.m. when everyone is sleeping. My house is at its most quiet in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, that's also when I'm least functional too. It's a bad combination. I hestitated to even buy the software and put it on my new machine b/c I was thinking maybe the solution would be to find a small studio and just do one little project at a time in a studio enviornment.

I suppose there could be some things I could do to the room that might help the sound situation. Also, I need to learn how to do those basic things like edit the shuffling sounds etc. I'm always afraid to take that stuff out for fear it will make the tracks become misaligned and then mess everything up. That's what always happened when I tried it in Audacity. I would clip off that stuff at the beginning and the timing of the track would shift and then it wouldn't line up with the vocal. Rather than chopping the vocal to match it, I opted to just leave the shuffles and chair squeaks in.

I did hear that pop too. I wasn't sure what did that, but now that you mention it, I think my computer might have started running a back-up.

Thanks for listening and the audio pointers. I don't think the interface has any a buffer setting. It has two dials and that's it. I think they just control the recording volume.

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