Microphone went dead after supper...

[James Perrett]

Can you post a short sound file somewhere so that we can hear it? It is hard to get an idea of the signal to noise from a picture. I'm also not totally sure whether it is the Cloudlifter or interface that is causing the problem from the description so far. Can you feed a line level signal to the interface and does it sound OK?

[audio_jungle]

Can you post a short sound file somewhere so that we can hear it? It is hard to get an idea of the signal to noise from a picture.

If everything I bought wasn't broken, I would have had time to set up my webserver so I could do that?!

Can I use Imgur or something else that is free and doesn't require registration - as I have too many online accounts now!

I'm also not totally sure whether it is the Cloudlifter or interface that is causing the problem from the description so far.

Can you feed a line level signal to the interface and does it sound OK?

What do you mean by that?

I have been trying to record some more voiceovers using just my Onyx and my SM7B without the Cloudlifter.

The recordings sound as good as they can being handheld, but the signal is wickedly weak.

That being said, I am pretty certain something happened to my Cloudlifter.

BTW, what would be a good solution moving forward as far as preamplification goes?

As mentioned before in other threads, I am in a hotel while I work out of state, so I try to keep my material possessions to a minimum.

Once I get better at voiceovers, I'll probably want to use my Ride NT2A condenser mic, so would I be better off getting a more professional audio interface/preamp? Maybe a mixer too? (And just ditch the Cloudlifter?)

I am actually ordering from B&H Photo tonight, so I welcome any recommendation fo where to go from here!

Or should I just buy a replacement Cloudlifter and see if the manufacturer will give me a refund of the (2-year old, yet still new) defective one?

[James Perrett]

Can you post a short sound file somewhere so that we can hear it? It is hard to get an idea of the signal to noise from a picture.

Can I use Imgur or something else that is free and doesn't require registration - as I have too many online accounts now!

How do you deliver your voiceovers to clients? I use Google Drive but others use Dropbox and similar services. You can also use WeTransfer for short term online storage (just send a file to yourself and then post the link they give in the confirmation email here). Soundcloud is also good for this sort of thing (and there are various Soundcloud alternatives popping up).

BTW, what would be a good solution moving forward as far as preamplification goes?

As mentioned before in other threads, I am in a hotel while I work out of state, so I try to keep my material possessions to a minimum.

Stick with the Mackie for now. If it is working it will be fine and I still think that you shouldn't need the Cloudlifter - especially if you can get fairly close to the mic. As I said before, don't be afraid to turn the gain up. Modern preamps bunch most of the gain up at the last few segments of the gain control knob (traditional older preamps have a pad button which means the gain control doesn't have to have such a wide range). I would expect you to be using the gain control at 3 o'clock or even higher - that's totally normal and not an indication that the interface doesn't have enough gain.

Resist the temptation to buy more gear until you gain more experience and have a better idea of what you really need. Acoustic treatment will be the biggest improvement for the sort of work you do and duvets strategically hung around you will make a huge difference.

Given your makeshift recording location, maybe you need to start choosing hotels based on the acoustic qualities of their duvets.

[audio_jungle]

How do you deliver your voiceovers to clients? I use Google Drive but others use Dropbox and similar services. You can also use WeTransfer for short term online storage (just send a file to yourself and then post the link they give in the confirmation email here). Soundcloud is also good for this sort of thing (and there are various Soundcloud alternatives popping up).

I am starting a company offering many things including podcasts.

Since it is about provacy and security, I'm leery of posting my voice on a site where I would lose control - at least until I come out of my shell and (maybe) become famous.

Let me see if I can get a temporary webserver set up and post files there.

Stick with the Mackie for now. If it is working it will be fine and I still think that you shouldn't need the Cloudlifter - especially if you can get fairly close to the mic. As I said before, don't be afraid to turn the gain up. Modern preamps bunch most of the gain up at the last few segments of the gain control knob (traditional older preamps have a pad button which means the gain control doesn't have to have such a wide range). I would expect you to be using the gain control at 3 o'clock or even higher - that's totally normal and not an indication that the interface doesn't have enough gain.

Without the Cloudlifter, I have been running the Gain around 4-5 o'clock. I turn it up until I hear hum, and then back it off until it goes away.

Resist the temptation to buy more gear until you gain more experience and have a better idea of what you really need.

Good advice, but since I ultimately want to use my NT2A condenser mic, I will need more amplication that my Onyx puts out.

So should I buy a replacement Cloudlifter (US$150), or get a nicer audio interface/mixer/preamp?

Acoustic treatment will be the biggest improvement for the sort of work you do and duvets strategically hung around you will make a huge difference.

Given your makeshift recording location, maybe you need to start choosing hotels based on the acoustic qualities of their duvets.

Ha ha. Yeah, I should probably get out my PortaBooth Plus that I bought. I just find it a PITA to set up, somewhat unstable on the mic stand I have, and the biggest setback is I have no practical way to read off of my lap or even a larger script because the PortaBooth is so small.

I will have to play around with treating my hotel room, once I get my audio gear working...

And once I can post some voiceover samples, I am sure everyone's feedback will help immensely!

[CS70]

Crossposted with Sam.

One more thing that may help: it’s called “phantom power” but it’s not “power” in the technical sense

Erm - phantom power IS power but just not very much as the current is limited to 14mA (7mA in each leg). The maximum power that could be delivered to a mic would be just under 170mW although most condenser mics should require less.

I was wondering whether you might be confusing this with the polarising voltage needed by standard condenser capsules? This requires virtually no current but it also requires the use of a preamp with a very high input impedance placed close to the microphone capsule. This preamp will require a certain amount of current (and therefore power).

Er, no? In technical terms power is the rate of energy itransfer per unit of time. It’s measured in watts, which is joules per second. Phantom “power” indicates the presence of a voltage differential - which is measured in volts. You can get power out if it, but it’s no power by itself.

The distinction is not particularly interesting for a mic user, which is why the loose usage is fine (and my comment). The OP seems to favor rather precise definition and that’s what physics is there for..

[Drew Stephenson]

I'm with Sam - you probably don't need the Cloudlifter. Don't be afraid to turn the gain up to 50 or 60dB - you'll probably hear a little hiss if you listen carefully but the results should still be usable.

First off, based on what I said above, do you think my Cloudlifter is toast?

Or is my SM7B toast?

I just took the Cloudlifter out of the "chain", and did "Take 1,000,000".

It sounds okay, but I have to crank up the Gain to near max, and the signal is really weak.

BTW, when the Gain is cranked up, what exactly are you hearing?

Is that room noise or is it from your electronic components?

Here is what "Take 04" with my SM7B, hand-held, and no Cloudlifter looks like...



It doesn't sound too bad for a newbie voiceover guy, but the signal is so wickedly low I am blow away!!

Can I even work with a signal that small?

(It doesn't help that I am still without a broadcast arm, which is why some more preamp would help!)

Apologies if this is an egg-sucking post but it can be tricky to work out how much someone has picked up when they're new...
Is it the size of the visual waveform that's bothering you here? You say it doesn't sound too bad but you're obviously still concerned about how it's appearing.
I don't know Audacity, but in Reaper, if you've recorded at a sensible level (peaks at minus 12) and you're at the default zoom setting, then the waveform will look similarly small. That's fine, just zoom in to whatever size allows you to do your editing. The key thing is the level not visual. Once you've done all your tweaking and you're ready to raise your levels for distribution you can just zoom out again.

[Sam Inglis]

since I ultimately want to use my NT2A condenser mic, I will need more amplication that my Onyx puts out.

No, this isn't the case -- the NT2A requires much less preamplification than the Shure SM7B.

The NT2A is a capacitor mic and thus has an active preamp circuit built into it (you could think of it as having a built-in Cloudlifter). This circuit requires 48V phantom power.

Having said that, there's no guarantee that you'll prefer the results from the NT2A for voiceover -- the SM7B is a classic mic for this sort of application and can be used up close, which will help to minimise the amount of room sound that gets captured.

[James Perrett]

Without the Cloudlifter, I have been running the Gain around 4-5 o'clock. I turn it up until I hear hum, and then back it off until it goes away.

Do you mean 60Hz mains hum? If you hear mains hum you have a cable problem as you should normally just hear the background sounds of the room and maybe just a little hiss from the preamp. I would also suggest setting your gain to give you the right voice level and ignore the background noise - it will still be at the same level relative to the voice with the gain turned down but you could be adding more noise from the later stages of your interface.

[audio_jungle]

Apologies if this is an egg-sucking post but it can be tricky to work out how much someone has picked up when they're new...

No apologies needed. I'm as green as they come, and this may be the friendliest and most helpful forum on the Internet, so know that I'm happy to be here and learn!!

Is it the size of the visual waveform that's bothering you here? You say it doesn't sound too bad but you're obviously still concerned about how it's appearing.

I don't know Audacity, but in Reaper, if you've recorded at a sensible level (peaks at minus 12) and you're at the default zoom setting, then the waveform will look similarly small. That's fine, just zoom in to whatever size allows you to do your editing. The key thing is the level not visual. Once you've done all your tweaking and you're ready to raise your levels for distribution you can just zoom out again.

Yes, I equate the visual waveform with what has been captured. (Not sure how that isn't the case, but that is for another thread.)

I was able to record all of my voice-over tracks for my various IVR systems.

This morning I need to listen to them all and pick the best ones.

Then I am going to set up an account with AudioJungle and get some music for a soundbed on some of my IVRs.

Oh, btw, last night I plugged in my Rode NT2-A and had it hooked up directly to my Onyx. (Rather scary hand-holding a condenser microphone?!)

It *appears* that I can use a MACBOOK ==> ONYX ==> SM7B/NT2-A configuration for now and be okay.

This week I will have to see if I can get any warranty support for my failed Cloudlifter...

So, until I can get a replacement Cloudlifter or a a more sophisticated audio interface with a beefier preamp, I guess what I have will do for my basic needs.

To steer the conversation back to its original intent...

Would you all agree at this point that my Cloudlifter did indeed die?

(I think I have pretty much proven that with all of my testing, although I am sure there are people out there who would say, "That could never happen!")

[audio_jungle]

since I ultimately want to use my NT2A condenser mic, I will need more amplication that my Onyx puts out.

No, this isn't the case -- the NT2A requires much less preamplification than the Shure SM7B.

The NT2A is a capacitor mic and thus has an active preamp circuit built into it (you could think of it as having a built-in Cloudlifter). This circuit requires 48V phantom power.

Oh, okay, I stand corrected. (And thanks for the explanation!)

Having said that, there's no guarantee that you'll prefer the results from the NT2A for voiceover -- the SM7B is a classic mic for this sort of application and can be used up close, which will help to minimise the amount of room sound that gets captured.

Funny you mention that, because I hung up my NT2-A after a few test runs last night, and ended up finishing out my voiceovers using my SM7B!

Once I either go back to my PortaBooth Pro (or set up a similar, smaller encasement with my Auralex foam), maybe I will have better luck with my NT2-A, but I honestly preferred how my SM7B sounds.

I think if I had a deeper, richer, more "manly" sounding voice, then the NT2-A would be a better choice, but I like how I can get right up on the SM7B and get consistent results.

And, yes, I think the SM7B will be much easier to work with in my hotel room.

On a side-note, I must say that I was surprised that I got as good of results with both mics as I did hand-holding them?!

The good news is that I ordered a hopefully better broadcast arm (Rode) last night from B&H and should have it by next Friday, so that will help a lot!

[audio_jungle]

Without the Cloudlifter, I have been running the Gain around 4-5 o'clock. I turn it up until I hear hum, and then back it off until it goes away.

Do you mean 60Hz mains hum? If you hear mains hum you have a cable problem as you should normally just hear the background sounds of the room and maybe just a little hiss from the preamp.

I probably used the wrong adjective, and, no, I don't think I have a cable or setup problem with all of my experimenting and swapping things out and simplifying things.

Hmmm.... How to explain...

If I crank up the Gain to past 60 on the outside scale (i.e. +45dB on the inside scale), then I don't hear a hum per say, but it just sounds like "life on steroids"?! I mean because the microphone sensitivity is so high, you can hear EVERYTHING in the Universe! Like I heard a loud cracking and realized it was the saliva in my mouth slapping around?!

Am doing a test now as I type, and my refrigerator which is 2 feet from me just shut off...

I hear some noise in the background... Not sure how to describe it... Kind of a white noise sounding things like an air conditioner or something...

Things are so sensitive that I can hear the cleaning people talking down the hall occassionally...

I guess it is "white noise" and NOT a "hum", if that helps?

I would also suggest setting your gain to give you the right voice level and ignore the background noise - it will still be at the same level relative to the voice with the gain turned down but you could be adding more noise from the later stages of your interface.

So to repeat, it is better to get a stronger voice signal knowing there could be some minimal background/white noise, and then potentially edit that out later versus having no noticeable background/white noise in the recording, but then when I "amp it up" that could introduce new distortion that is worse than what you are proposing??

BTW... All things considered, I think I have a pretty decent recording environment. Once I can get my webserver set up and post things for you all to listen to, then I might find out differently. But normally my room is pretty quiet, and once I get this pre-amp/broadcast arm/foam around mic/ etc figured out, I think I will have a good environment for my needs.

Of course I am a newbie, so what do I know?!

[CS70]

maybe I will have better luck with my NT2-A, but I honestly preferred how my SM7B sounds.

You aren’t the only one. I wouldn’t touch the NT2A with a pole. The 7B sounds way better.

[audio_jungle]

You aren’t the only one. I wouldn’t touch the NT2A with a pole. The 7B sounds way better.

[Hugh Robjohns]

(Rather scary hand-holding a condenser microphone?!)

There's nothing to be scared off! There might be a few rumbles if you hand-hold a large capacitor mic, but that's all. I routinely test capacitor mics while handling them...

It *appears* that I can use a MACBOOK ==> ONYX ==> SM7B/NT2-A configuration for now and be okay.

Hurrah! Getting somewhere -- although the signal flow is actually, SM7 => Onyx => MacBook, of course..

[quoute]This week I will have to see if I can get any warranty support for my failed Cloudlifter... [/quote]

While it is possible for the cloudlifter to fail, it's not very likely - they are pretty robust devices generally. I'd want to check the XLR cables and phantom power thoroughly before condemning it as faulty.

Would you all agree at this point that my Cloudlifter did indeed die?

I remain to be convinced. It's possible, of course, but it's much more likely that you have one or more broken XLR cables. Your mention of hum suggests to me that at least one of your cables has a broken screen connection. That would result in hum with the SM7, and no phantom power reaching the cloud lifter or NT2.

I'd recommend investing in a simple cable tester and using it...

(I think I have pretty much proven that with all of my testing, although I am sure there are people out there who would say, "That could never happen!")

I'm not convinced that all of your testing has been sufficiently logical or consistent to prove tha at all...

[audio_jungle]

It *appears* that I can use a MACBOOK ==> ONYX ==> SM7B/NT2-A configuration for now and be okay.

Hurrah! Getting somewhere -- although the signal flow is actually, SM7 => Onyx => MacBook, of course..

I'm a computer guy, so I think the other way, but yeah!

This week I will have to see if I can get any warranty support for my failed Cloudlifter...

While it is possible for the cloudlifter to fail, it's not very likely - they are pretty robust devices generally. I'd want to check the XLR cables and phantom power thoroughly before condemning it as faulty.

I have 4 XLR cables all with less than 5 hours on them.

Replaced the ones that were on the rig when things failed.

Tried the new cables and had the same issue.

Also, if my audio interface was bad, then my NT2-A condenser mic wouldn't have worked, right?

When I got out my NT2-A, I plugged it in with phantom off, and it didn't work. Then I turned on the phantom power and it did work, although the signal is week.

If I hook up the Cloudlifter, I get the issues I described earlier.

Seems like all roads are pointing to the Cloudlifter, although I don't have any tools to test.

I remain to be convinced. It's possible, of course, but it's much more likely that you have one or more broken XLR cables. Your mention of hum suggests to me that at least one of your cables has a broken screen connection. That would result in hum with the SM7, and no phantom power reaching the cloud lifter or NT2.

I retracted that statement above and changed "hum" to "whitenoise"...

(Unless I was sitting next to you and you could show you what I hear, it's hard to say how you describe what I hear. Likewise, unless I was next to you and could see what you classify as a "hum", it's hard for us to share experiences accurately. I'm not sure what to do since we are in an online forum?!)

I'd recommend investing in a simple cable tester and using it...

Just placed an order with B&H, but maybe next time?

BTW, I ordered a replacement Cloudlifter, so if I get the same issue with the new one, I'd say that points to another component. If it fixes the issue, then it is likely the Cloudlifter.

We shall see...

[Ariosto]

Here is a link to a comparison of how a voiceover/narration should sound. Check this against your recordings. How does it differ?

This was recorded with the pre-amp on about 40% of it's potential gain and the recorder (or interface) set at zero gain.

Listen particularly to the background (room sound) on my recording. Does yours sound (more or less) like this? (OK this was recorded with a high quality mic and pre-amp but yours should not be too different to this).

Here is the link ...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ph21bemf6ohvw ... r.mp3?dl=0

(I will only leave it as a live link for a day or two ...)

[audio_jungle]

Here is a link to a comparison of how a voiceover/narration should sound. Check this against your recordings. How does it differ?

I am starting to think I have a much larger issue which is my hearing loss...

I cannot discern any background noice on your recording, of course you don't stop talking ong enough for anything to jump out at me.

Am going to try and get a server set up this weekend so I can post some samples on it and let you all diagnose what I have so far.

BTW, I listened to this YouTube video, and I had a hard time hearing any real difference between his "good" and 'crappy" recordings...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMajhJfgM7o

With my Sony MDR-7506's on, I can hear some slight differences, but I would be happy if my "good" recordings sounded as bad as his supposed "crappy" voiceovers!

[Ariosto]

There isn't much difference with the "crappy" youtube recording because he's close miked. But when he was talking normally in his kitchen he was further away and you could hear more room sound and reverb.

I've killed my recording now as it is only a small part of a big project which will be published soon. But it is I think a reasonable example of a dry recording in a reasonably well treated room. Hope it helped.

[audio_jungle]

There isn't much difference with the "crappy" youtube recording because he's close miked. But when he was talking normally in his kitchen he was further away and you could hear more room sound and reverb.

I've killed my recording now as it is only a small part of a big project which will be published soon. But it is I think a reasonable example of a dry recording in a reasonably well treated room. Hope it helped.

I will start another thread on this topic soon, as it really deviates from my OP.

BTW, I go to pick up my audio gear tonight after work, including a repalcement broadcast arm and Cloudlifter.

Will give everyone an update this weekend on what I find out, but I am confident that my original Cloudlifter is toast.

Either way, I am strumbling through all of this trying to reach greatness, so wish me luck!

[Rich Hanson]

Is there anybody nearby that could possibly come round to give you hands-on help? I got tied up in knots once, many moons ago, and getting somebody in the same room who could see what I couldn't was a great help.

[audio_jungle]

Is there anybody nearby that could possibly come round to give you hands-on help? I got tied up in knots once, many moons ago, and getting somebody in the same room who could see what I couldn't was a great help.

Sadly, no.

My closest resources are mainly in the UK here on SOS!