JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Microphone and Vocalist Forum How to fix Shh and Thh sound

Hello all,

I have a recording problem, it's a home recording.
There always annoying strong hiss like "Shhhs", "DUHhh", "Thhh", "Ssss".

Using a good condenser mic and pop filter in a vocal booth, but still.. it produced the hisses too strong. I can fix it with my software (Au) but is there something I can do in the recording process? so I don't have to fix it too much.

Thanks.

With not hearing the recording I would say it may be your technique. It may be you doing those sounds. If the overall recording sounds clean and not distorted it may be you.

Microphone's are very sensitive and will pick up sounds you tune out normally and do not notice. Condenser Mic's are even more sensitive that dymanic Mics.

Some of what you describe may be breathing, especially if you're close to the mike. I like to hear that sometimes anyway. Makes it more human.
Vic

Are you describing a steady background hiss or are you talking about sibilants when you pronounce those particular sounds in your vocals?

If it is the latter, you can cut them out when you edit, but it is much easier to sing the words with just a tiny amount of sound on the esses and thes. Try not to even pronounce the ess when you sing it.

Thank you guys.

I'm not the one who did the vocal track. I don't really know about the singing technique. I think you're right, it produced by the singer because she was too close to the mic, and probably she need to not to emphasize the strong syllable with letter "S".

Colin, the hiss showed up every time she say words with letter "S". I fixed it by reducing the treble level on the EQ (hi-cut) and sometimes I need to lower the volume on the hiss part too.

Here is the mixed recording (link below). In this version, I reduced the hiss (I don't have the original vocal track anymore, didn't make a copy of it - my bad). There are also some kind of alien "WOo" behind, in all over the place after the first chorus, I think it's a windy sound. I'm still trying to figure out the way to fix it, other way beside re-record the vocal. Here is the link:

http://www.ronaldhutasuhut.com/?p=794

Thanks again!

Ronald,

The gain was set too high for how close she gets to the mic, (pre amp used? limiter?)

Plus, she doesn't know how to use a mic. Most don't that aren't pros using a mic a lot

Setting the gain properly is the key, along with knowing how to sing using a mic. Maybe she sings a lot without a mic, then had to come into the studio?

Hello Johnny,

I don't know how the gain was set up. It's a pre amp, in that case, I will ask her to reset the pre-amp and lower the gain. I also will ask her to set up her software properly.

And yes, this is the first time she record her vocal, but she sang on stages pretty much. I don't know what the difference between using mic on the stage and using mic for recording, but I will ask her to find the answer.

Thanks for the advice!

The producer/engineer should know how to properly set the gain for anything. If you don;t have one or the other, and you are doing the recording, read up on recording techniques. Lots of info in the recording/technical forums here.

With the singer also not knowing the basics, you have two strikes against getting a good recording. Many people do record when not ready to do that. There is no advantage in recording poorly.

Take the time to get everyone on board with the basics, and work up from there. Your end results will be something to at least be worthy enough to put out to the pubic. Otherwise, what's the point? Was like me wanting to put out in invention I once came up with that didn't even have the basics of the needed engineering laws it have it be worthy of acceptance. I jumped the gun due to I had something "I thought on my own" was ready to present. Man, was I wrong! Got to learn the ropes of whatever we are doing before putting them "out there". You get one first impression of a song or sound.

Learn and then DO! Your players and singers too. Everyone! From machines to vocals, the basics at least are needed.

Onwards and Upwards!

Johnny

Thanks again for the advice, Johnny. I appreciate it.

I'm a composer. I do the creative process to make music. I hand it over to musicians and studio engineers when the song ready for a demo. I do have some basic knowledge in recording materials but still it doesn't make me an expert on that field. I only record basic ideas with my gears in my home.

It was an online collaboration. I provide the accompaniment and she do the singing. The accompaniment was alright and I can't blame the singer if she doesn't know how to record her vocal properly for she did it by herself without experience in recording vocal. The important thing for me is that she have a beautiful voice, at least for my ears.

I agree if there is no advantage in poor recording, but that if you ready to make proper demo for public or producers/labels. I agree if you creating a perfect final product to sell. In my case, we only need clean vocal track with a good accompaniment; we will ask people to give us some peer review on the song, not on the recording quality.

It's not like we don't want to do our best, as you can see, I'm trying to get the information and advise here. If we ready with the song, we will do our best to get the demo recording properly. It cost, as you probably know, $300 to $500 to record demo by pros and the singer will make the vocal track in studio, so we need to make sure everything prepared correctly (and make sure people like the song). It doesn't have to be perfect recording at this level for us.