Hi!
I'm trying to improve the quality of my audio set-up: I use the fifine SC3 + Shure MV7x. To improve the quality of the voice recording (which is sometimes a bit muddy and lacks depth) I've added a fethead triton, but this makes the sound completely saturated, even with the Fifine SC3's pickup turned down to minimum.
Do you have any advice?
#Problem with Shure MV7x + Fifine SC3
fickle hollow
upper shoal
Hey! Gonna need some audio samples to really have an idea of what you're dealing with; with and without the preamp. Also do you have an effects rack you usually use that you're applying to this new setup? What's your gain set to on your interface?
fickle hollow
Hi! Thanks, I record with Wondershare Filmora without any special effects or settings. Don't hesitate if you have any questions and thanks for your help!!!
upper shoal
Sweet thanks. So the only thing to try, is if you can turn the actual mic volume down on your Windows settings, or use something like audacity to set your record levels lower, that could work. Cause yeah that's peaked as hell I get ya now. 😅
Otherwise, I wonder if you've been mislead. So, line-in preamps do not 'improve' sound quality. They take the raw signal from dynamic mics that have weak signals on their own, and boost it wayyyyy up before the signal gets to your interface. While this can reduce noise (which comes from your interface's gain), it does absolutely nothing in terms of sound quality. It literally just makes your mic louder, that's all
It's a shure mic, they're typically pretty flat like that. How far away are you from the mic usually? When it comes to improving sound quality, that usually comes down to how you record and how you process your recordings.
You can turn down the gain a little (ignoring the preamp for now) and get closer and talk louder.
Next you can get Audacity or a free DAW like reaper (I'm not familiar enough with wondershare to know what type of filters they have, but I'm sure they have some!). Play around with (light) noise reduction, some de-reverb, a little bit of EQ to bring out the high frequencies in your voice, maybe a tiny bit of lowering of your mid frequencies, and then do a compressor or a limiter down to like -4 or -3. It's gonna take time, adding extra bits of gear usually isn't necessary when you've already got a decent raw sound like you've got 🙂
fickle hollow
Thank you for acknowledging my pain 😂 I wonder if I'd be better off in the end returning the Triton Fethead and changing my Fifine SC3 for a better quality amp. Normally I speak close to the mic as recommended with the Shure.
Generally speaking, my pain point is that I know that the quality of the voice on my videos is key, and I don't really know where to improve it: whether it's a question of equipment or audio processing (which I don't master at all).
Thanks a lot for your help!
upper shoal
Technique over gear! It takes time and practice, like anything else, there's diminishing returns on spending money. A $40 setup can sound just as good or just as bad as $2,000 worth of audio gear.
Again, replacing your interface won't improve quality, it will reduce noise. An SSL 2 would be your best bet if you never want to buy an interface again, as it's one of the lowest noise ones out there.
I think the biggest improvement would be working on reducing reflections around your space, since it sounds like your mic is picking up a lot of your room's echo. Sound treating the room you record in will fix that. Even for cheap you could get a few moving blankets and wall off where you record. You can look up tutorials on how to build your own sound tiles on youtube.
And then yeah, learning to process your audio will round it off for ya. Which will take a lot of trial and error 🙂 don't have to master anything, just play around with noise reduction, de-reverb, EQ and a limiter (or a compressor) - you can get your desired sound with all of those.