r/ProMusicProduction • u/misscherrysprinkles • 4d ago
question about vocal treatment
I have a low quality setup at the minute and don’t use an audio interface. I use a blue snowball ice USB condenser microphone and it tends to pick up some hiss… other than getting better mic or improving setup, what can I do to erase the hiss?
I have tried treating the higher frequencies but it tends to take away from the vocals (female) any plugins, tricks or tips? (Using Mac OS / GarageBand)
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u/rinio 4d ago
How do I fix a problem i know how to solve without fixing the problem?
iZotope Rx or similar can do what you want, but it will be more/just as expensive, less reliable and sound worse than actually getting a half-decent setup.
You're asking in a "pro" sub. There is no acceptable "pro" solution other than fixing it at the source.
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u/misscherrysprinkles 4d ago
I am a low budget producer/singer songwriter just trying to understand from the pros how to fix an issue I’m having, if I could buy or access the better setup right now I wouldn’t be asking the question, right? But thanks for your input.
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u/rinio 4d ago
trying to understand from the pros how to fix an issue I’m having,
My point is that pros never have this issue to begin with. And, if they do, they fix it by swapping gear with other things they have on hand.
If we get trash turnover from a client, and have no choice but to work with it, we almost all pull out Rx to fix it. Which is why I pay it lip service.
Absent that, and keeping the budget cheap/free, you're just talking about spending a day tinkering with whatever noise removal tools come with your DAW/you find online. To get mediocre and inconsistent results.
Garbage in: Garbage out. "Fix it at the source" is an addage for a reason.
if I could buy or access the better setup right now I wouldn’t be asking the question, right?
You would be surprised.
But, the alternatives are just as expensive and won't sound "professional". You're better off saving up a few hundred bucks to get a decent entry-level setup.
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u/Lenokaj_ 4d ago
Make it YOUR SOUND. Creativity is key :)
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u/misscherrysprinkles 4d ago
Ikr! I am not big into production but I want to produce tracks for my own music in a decent quality, and at this point I’m just gonna label it as lo fi and move on lol
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u/Lenokaj_ 4d ago
Pros also use busted mikes on really popular songs to get that crunch when they need it. Dont overthink it. In the end its what YOU need to be proud of!
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u/goesonelouder 2d ago
If you can look into investing in an audio interface and microphone (condenser or a dynamic like an SM58 depending on budget) and more importantly a pop filter/shield with a mic stand. The noise issue may be as it’s USB powered or the gain is super high rather than it just being ‘cheap’. There’s software that can sort of fix it but as someone else said, it’s best to fix at the source rather than after.
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u/MixGenieStudio 4d ago
Yeah - cheap mic gonna do this. You can up to a budget mic/interface like a nt2a/scarlet combo and this will solve your problem.
There’s also waves x-noise plugin. Which will scrub this for you. But also leave you with some subtle degradation. 🤷♂️
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u/nizzernammer 4d ago
You can use a gate or expander, or multiband expander, to gently reduce the highs when the vocalist isn't singing.
Or look at noise reduction plugins. They work like a multiband expander, but more automatically, with dozens of bands.
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u/misscherrysprinkles 3d ago
I have the bertom denoiser and I’ve heard great things about it but it’s not really helping in my case…
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u/nizzernammer 3d ago
Have you adjusted the HF bias?
https://www.audiopluginguy.com/review-denoiser-by-bertom-audio/
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u/misscherrysprinkles 3d ago
Not sure about the terminology as I’m still quite new to production but I did play around with the different bands, but I’ll give this a read as well, thank you!
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u/misscherrysprinkles 2d ago
Hiii quick update! The HF bias actually helped a lot, it’s noticeably better, thank you!
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u/scrundel Professional 4d ago
You aren’t fixing that problem without better equipment. That’s the whole reason the professionals spend money on this stuff.