Recording advice please

[sfhole2stretch]

I want to start recording. I'm going to give myself a headset with mic for Christmas. Noise canceling is best obviously. Any recommendations?

I would also appreciate any info on how to create a quiet environment living in a busy city. Thanks.

[sarnoga]

[Calimore]

I also bought a nice microphone which happened to be incompatible with my my computer's sound system, along with a nice set of Sony headphones (which I still use). I opted to use CoolEditPro, which is the software Sony bought and turned into Audiology or whatever.

So, I spent too much on my mic, use a piece of abandonware for editing, and adore my Sony headphones. Oh, be sure to have lots of room on your hard drive (because quality audio eats up 100's of MBs) and try to have the mic slightly off to the side to help avoid "p pops" and the like. Lastly, if you make a mistake or external noise, just reread it from well before the mishap and keep on rolling. Editing is a tedious but magical process that, used right, will allow you to record your whole file in one take if you don't get flustered but go back, reread and just keep rolling.

And Good Luck!

[sfhole2stretch]

Thanks very much Sarnoga and Calimore. You both make enjoyable files. I very much appreciate the insights.

[DKaiser]

[bandler]

I have been recording Hypnotherapy CDs for a few years now, and the advice above is excellent. I started with a cheap mic, then moved up to the $40 mic, which was better, and now I have an $80 mic - Samson C01U USB studio condenser mic. It is MUCH better than the others, and because it is USB, it works with my PC so I can adjust the sensitivity - volume so that ass scratching is not recorded.
I use the noise cancellation feature of Audacity, and I find that it works best when I record at medium volume, then run noise cancellation, followed by amplification to a higher volume level. The result is a louder voice with no 'clipping' from the noise cancellation.

[tech53]

recording with a headset mic won't get you the quality you want. You need to spend a few hundred dollars and get a GOOD dynamic microphone. Don't worry about a condenser, that is more than you need and a lot of trouble anyhow. They are expensive (far beyond a few hundred) and break easily. Get something with a coverage pattern like you'll need, something like a shotgun mic might work if you have noise behind you. Get a pop filter for the mic, or make one with pantyhose and hangar wire...look online for instructions. Check the mic to see if it boosts or cuts any frequency ranges...if you get one that does make sure it does so for voice, and is meant for speaking or singing, not music. You will want to do one thing thought that is probably the most important of all and is free. Cover as much as you can as far as walls and floors and ceilings with blankets, sheets, whatever is soft and will absorb sound. It makes a world of difference when you dampen that sound. Now. I figure that's enough to prove I have the knowledge i claim.

[tech53]

noise cancelling is a bad idea if you are talking headphones. It creates sound inside the headphones to cancel out that which is outside, but this can create other problems, and will. You want headphones that are, maybe not high quality studio ones but invest between 50 and 80 bucks for a pair of dj headphones. They will last forever and sound great. Plus they cancel noise PASSIVELY (with padding) like no other. DJs have to hear their headphones during shows where it is LOUD...nehoo.