The Sound of Silence
As I posted earlier today, I was working on reducing noise levels in my office cum studio. And boy, did I ever.
I wanted to get my computer moved out of the room where I do my recording, but needed a way to actually still use the thing. I ripped an old wall heater out, got a hole saw and punched some holes into cabinets that line the wall on the other side.
From there I put in some ABS pipe bushings- basically I went to the hardware store and grabbed a couple of fittings the right size- to provide a cable run and moved the PC into its own space where the noise it makes won’t be in here.
I’ll just let the results speak for themselves, shall I?
Before moving the PC out:
[audio:http://cyclometh.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/backgroundnoise_before.mp3|titles=Ambient Noise – Before]
After moving the PC out:
[audio:http://cyclometh.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/backgroundnoise_after.mp3|titles=Ambient Noise – After]
What did I learn? Well, the PC was a HUGE source of background noise. After removing it, the recording is practically noise-free. There is a tiny bit, but I think that what I’m hearing is from the sound card itself, which is why I’m glad I have an external soundcard on my “to purchase” list. It’s interesting that removing one source of noise reveals another one that was totally hidden before.
With the amount of noise on the recording, I can effectively eliminate noise entirely from my recordings with a minimal amount of processing, resulting in a far higher quality final product.
The main problem with noise in your recordings is that you can use a noise removal tool like the one in Audacity, but it reduces the overall quality and can really only effectively work when you’re not speaking. When you are speaking, the noise will still come through a bit, but is “drowned out”. The lower the noise floor the better your final product will be.
Oh, and pics!
Cable runs from the studio side. I still need to put in a cover.
The other side, showing one of the cable runs and a corner of the PC.
The Beast in its new (and quiet!) home.