PC - laptop
I bet there is someone out there who knows an answer to this:
I have a Compaq laptop from 2001 and a brand new Dell laptop and they both have the same problem.
I can be sitting there with nothing plugged in, no microphone, nothing lined in, should be silent right? the VU meters are bouncing around -25db! If I record with no inputs there is a visible wave with the most hellish hiss. Then if I amplify that I can hear the hard drive clicking and spinning. So I have a brand new laptop here but instead of using it I am recording on a 10 year old Dell desktop with W 98, and ntrack version 4.2.1 b 2099. Surely someone out there knows the answer.
OK I can take it, don’t be afraid to write me with bad news.
Go to the Windows mixer by double-clicking the little speaker icon in the System Tray. Navigate around the mixer until you find the recording controls. It’s a PITA but they are there under Options > Properties or some such. MUTE, de-select or pull the fader down for the Mic input. All that crapola you are hearing is what the laptop’s internal mic is picking up.
Bear in mind though that most lappy soundcards are inherently noisy so seeing a bit of junk bouncing around the Vu meters is probably “normal”.
D
Three possiblities…
(1) There’s a built-in mic that is enabled and on. Record that “silence” and tap the surface of the laptop with your finger. If you can hear the tapping in the recording then that’s the problem.
(2) The input is that noisy, and what you are hearing is what’s not filtered – digital noise. It’s normal to hear the hard drive doing it’s thing. This is a common problem with many cheeeep soundcards. Even if the inputs are not turned on, the circuitry can be such that it picks up poorly filtered digital grunge from the close quarters of the typical laptop anyway.
(3) Both of the above.
I’m leaning toward (2), but the last two laptops I had where both afflicted with both. (Toshiba and Dell).
Quote: (phoo @ Jun. 12 2008, 10:56 AM)
I'm leaning toward (2), but the last two laptops I had where both afflicted with both. (Toshiba and Dell).
Yeah... I have a Compaq (personal) and a Dell (work) both were suffering from "internal mic-itis". It only takes a minute to turn 'em off though. The thing that sucks is the Compaq has NO line-in! That pretty much renders the onboard card useless for recording. Got my little USB Tascam in the laptop sack anyway...
D
Nice work team, all of you were right about something, I turned down the mike input and it reduced the noise, but it’s still way to much for music recording. Tapping also got the VUs to jump. My Dell had the same problem, like was mentioned, it seems like the soundcard too cheap and the stuff is too crammed together inside there to really get a quiet signal. But hey thanks for the info, I will have to keep recording on my ol’standby desktop.