Home recording with screaming kids
Ever tried recording your voice with kids under the same roof?
It's like trying to kill flies on a window pane with a hammer.
But if you really must do it, it's (somewhat) possible. You need the right equipment.
This is the Coles 4104 "lip" microphone. It's called a lip mic because you position it right against your upper lip. It's supposed to cut out most of the sound coming from other directions. This mic costs a bundle. If you pay full price (don't), it could set you back 1000 $. I got one from the UK for under 500$ new, with the pound sterling being pretty low thanks to Brexit.
I didn't know what to expect. I knew the hype couldn't be true, that it wasn't going to be a sound booth in your pocket, as some have called it. And I was right. It will pick up background noise, albeit a lot less than a regular mic. It's actually pretty impressive when you talk into the side of the mic and it sounds like you're across the room, then you talk into the front and it's at full volume.
One unpleasant surprise was how quiet the mic is. You need a VERY GOOD PREAMP to use it. If you use any old preamp, you'll have to crank it up so high that the hiss will be unbearable. I learned this the hard way.
Luckily, there are two low-cost options: the FetHead and the Cloudlifter CL-1. They are noiseless preamps, phantom powered. I settled on the FetHead because it's so compact. It will fit seamlessly inline with the mic cable. It's only slightly longer than a regular XLR connector.
This will give you the extra dBs you need to hear the Coles 4101. But don't plug it into just anything. The device you're using to record needs to be low-noise also, because you're going to be cranking it up too. I use a Zoom H5 recorder:
With inputs set about half way (50%), you still need to amplify the audio in post-editing. The audio is too weak to be used directly, which means that if you want to use it for live audio, you'll need some kind of software that will amplify on-the-fly. UPDATE: I noticed that the H5 was only peaking around -12dB. If I went highter on the dial, it clipped above -12. After fiddling with the options in the menus, I managed to get it to peak at 0dB, which greatly increased the volume for live audio and eliminates the need for software amplification.
The Zoom H5 is a great interface for recording directly to the computer, and as a bonus you can record in the field to an SD card. The whole setup (microphone, recorder, preamp, cable, earbuds) is barely noticeable in a briefcase.
Even using good equipment, you'll still have some internal noise (hiss). But with this setup, the noise that's left is very manageable. Even raw recordings have tolerable internal noise, and if you must, you can completely filter it out with no noticeable distortion in Audacity, though I would recommend only moderate filtering.
Now that we've solved the internal noise problem, let's get back to the external noise problem: recording with kids (sigh).
Like everything in the audio world, it's a question of compromise. You'll have to accept that some kid screams will be heard. The goal is making them manageable. I've found that if they're not actually screaming right outside the door, I can keep the noise quiet enough to make usable recordings. If I were to do a little sound-proofing, the result would be much better.
If you don't have kids, you still might want to consider using a Coles 4104. It will greatly reduce all kinds of moderate background noise, like echo from bare walls, street traffic (if the window is shut), air conditioners, computer fans, noises from moving around in your chair, those kinds of things.
There are of course down sides. The Coles 4104, being so close to your mouth, will really bring out the p, s, f, and t sounds. There are ways to reduce them in post-editing as a last-resort option, but they'll always be more noticeable than a regular mic. Also, since you have to hold it, you can't use a stand and you'll only have one free hand. There are many situations where you would like to have both hands free while recording (UPDATE: I have built a brace to go hands free).
And if you record in front of a webcam, you'll look pretty strange with the thing in front of your mouth, like this guy:
UPDATE: There's an interesting video on Youtube comparing the 4104 with an SM58 with really loud noises. I have to admit that the SM58 seems to do a better job in the video. So I did some tests of my own, comparing a Sennheiser e835 dynamic microphone (similar to the SM58) and the Coles 4104, but instead of using really loud noise, I checked how the microphones handled softer noise (my son practicing violin in the next room). My tests reveal that the 4104 is considerably better at reducing such noise, and without the proximity effect of dynamic microphones. There is however more hiss, but it's the kind of noise that can be easily removed in post.
It's like trying to kill flies on a window pane with a hammer.
But if you really must do it, it's (somewhat) possible. You need the right equipment.
I didn't know what to expect. I knew the hype couldn't be true, that it wasn't going to be a sound booth in your pocket, as some have called it. And I was right. It will pick up background noise, albeit a lot less than a regular mic. It's actually pretty impressive when you talk into the side of the mic and it sounds like you're across the room, then you talk into the front and it's at full volume.
One unpleasant surprise was how quiet the mic is. You need a VERY GOOD PREAMP to use it. If you use any old preamp, you'll have to crank it up so high that the hiss will be unbearable. I learned this the hard way.
Luckily, there are two low-cost options: the FetHead and the Cloudlifter CL-1. They are noiseless preamps, phantom powered. I settled on the FetHead because it's so compact. It will fit seamlessly inline with the mic cable. It's only slightly longer than a regular XLR connector.
This will give you the extra dBs you need to hear the Coles 4101. But don't plug it into just anything. The device you're using to record needs to be low-noise also, because you're going to be cranking it up too. I use a Zoom H5 recorder:
The Zoom H5 is a great interface for recording directly to the computer, and as a bonus you can record in the field to an SD card. The whole setup (microphone, recorder, preamp, cable, earbuds) is barely noticeable in a briefcase.
Even using good equipment, you'll still have some internal noise (hiss). But with this setup, the noise that's left is very manageable. Even raw recordings have tolerable internal noise, and if you must, you can completely filter it out with no noticeable distortion in Audacity, though I would recommend only moderate filtering.
Now that we've solved the internal noise problem, let's get back to the external noise problem: recording with kids (sigh).
Like everything in the audio world, it's a question of compromise. You'll have to accept that some kid screams will be heard. The goal is making them manageable. I've found that if they're not actually screaming right outside the door, I can keep the noise quiet enough to make usable recordings. If I were to do a little sound-proofing, the result would be much better.
If you don't have kids, you still might want to consider using a Coles 4104. It will greatly reduce all kinds of moderate background noise, like echo from bare walls, street traffic (if the window is shut), air conditioners, computer fans, noises from moving around in your chair, those kinds of things.
There are of course down sides. The Coles 4104, being so close to your mouth, will really bring out the p, s, f, and t sounds. There are ways to reduce them in post-editing as a last-resort option, but they'll always be more noticeable than a regular mic. Also, since you have to hold it, you can't use a stand and you'll only have one free hand. There are many situations where you would like to have both hands free while recording (UPDATE: I have built a brace to go hands free).
And if you record in front of a webcam, you'll look pretty strange with the thing in front of your mouth, like this guy:
UPDATE: There's an interesting video on Youtube comparing the 4104 with an SM58 with really loud noises. I have to admit that the SM58 seems to do a better job in the video. So I did some tests of my own, comparing a Sennheiser e835 dynamic microphone (similar to the SM58) and the Coles 4104, but instead of using really loud noise, I checked how the microphones handled softer noise (my son practicing violin in the next room). My tests reveal that the 4104 is considerably better at reducing such noise, and without the proximity effect of dynamic microphones. There is however more hiss, but it's the kind of noise that can be easily removed in post.
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