Noise During Recording: Part 2

Today we’re talking about external noise in your recording system. This would be something like traffic noise, the hum of an AC unit being picked up by a mic, or any noise external to your recording system that the mic is picking up. Ambient noise, in other words.

Solutions to External Noise: Acoustic Panels

Place acoustic panels around your mics and sound sources. The worse the ambient noise, the more panels you should use and the thicker they should be, up to 360 degree coverage around a mic and source. Position your panels between the noise source (a busy street, for example) and your mic. These are very, very effective at reducing ambient noise getting into your mics-essential equipment!

Make em thick! The thicker your panel, the greater the noise reduction and the lower the frequency your panels will effect. 6-12 inches thick, ideally.

Solutions to External Noise: Mic Techniques

-Get closer to the microphone while recording; this can improve your signal to noise ratio.

-Use any null patterns on your mics to your advantage: arrange your mic so that noisy street is placed right where the null of the mic is.

-Choose the correct mic. If you’re recording in a noisy space like a bedroom, using an expensive studio condenser mic with super high sensitivity is not usually the right choice. Dynamic mics are your best friend in the home studio; their sensitivity falls off rapidly with distance, so they naturally won’t pick up as much background noise. A much better fit for this kind of setting, and a choice that will make for a better recording with less effort.

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Ambient room noise can reflect off of walls and back into your mic if you’re set up close to a wall. Try recording down the longest axis of your room, and minimize any opportunities for sound to reflect back into the mic. If you’re singing into a mic, for example, try putting your back to a corner rather than a flat wall. This will avoid 90 degree surfaces behind you reflecting noise directly back into the mic.

Place as much air as possible between the mic and the reflective surface; this will reduce the apparent noise of the reflections.

Additional Solutions

If none of these techniques work, your last result is to record in a quieter space, or use an isolation booth. You can make your own portable isolation booth by taking 5 of those thick acoustic panels you’ve got, and making a cube! One panel for each of the four walls of a box, plus the ceiling.