I've been trying to record voices with the blue yeti microphone in adobe audition, but it always peaks whenever I yell, even when I have a pop filter on. Regular audio is recorded cleanly, but I can't really raise my voice. otherwise the audio shown being recorded will hit the top of the screen. Are there settings in the Mic I need to adjust or in Audition?
At 10/8/16 01:53 AM, ElectroJoe wrote: I've been trying to record voices with the blue yeti microphone in adobe audition, but it always peaks whenever I yell, even when I have a pop filter on. Regular audio is recorded cleanly, but I can't really raise my voice. otherwise the audio shown being recorded will hit the top of the screen. Are there settings in the Mic I need to adjust or in Audition?
i dont think a pop filter is going to prevent being too loud. decibels only go so high before it peaks resulting in clipping. remember to listen to your audio and clean up any unwanted noise in it if you find it if you can.
on to your question,
youll need to lower either the gain knob on the back of the mic, or reduce the microphone input levels in your computers sound management (right click the speaker on the bottom right, recording devices and choose your mic. you should be able to lower it there) or in audition to allow for things like that.
EDIT: im not sure how familiar you are with microphone patterns, but make sure to use cardioid when recording voices if you arent already.
Do it in two takes. If it sounds too unnatural then I guess you'll have to separately select the parts that are quieter than the yelling and amplify them a little to somewhat normalize the voice audio. (you can also lower the volume of the yelling parts after, then turn up the whole thing too I guess.) Windscreens are also good for getting the lowest self-noise from the mic. A pop filter won't help peaking at all, it just disperses air from sharp stabby puffs of air that come out with hard sounds like p's and s's and light breathing. It's easier to select quiet audio and turn it up on a recorded track in audacity, than it is to make a clipping track sound tolerable.
Dunno if he goes into it, but this dude's (lanipator) got a pretty loud natural speaking voice and yells into a mic alot, here's some tips from him, though it seems slightly dated:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIxKVisUw8U
At 10/8/16 01:53 AM, ElectroJoe wrote: I've been trying to record voices with the blue yeti microphone in adobe audition, but it always peaks whenever I yell, even when I have a pop filter on. Regular audio is recorded cleanly, but I can't really raise my voice. otherwise the audio shown being recorded will hit the top of the screen. Are there settings in the Mic I need to adjust or in Audition?
Your mic is gained too high. Take it down some. If that's not possible, compress it at a ratio of around 2.5 to 3.1:1 and set the threshold to around -6db. Hard attack, and around 120-200ms release/hold. Also try to scoop out some harsher frequencies. I usually take out about 2.5dbs from 4khz with a Q of around 8 to 10 so it scoops out 2.5k-6k. This will help cut down on the distortion you're hearing.
Furthermore... although that's a good mic, it isn't great. Your yelling may be pushing higher SPLs than that mic can handle. Try adding some distance between yourself and the mic. Also, don't bury your face in the pop screen; you should be around 4 inches to a foot away from the mic... it's a condenser mic.. you don't eat those like you would an SM58.
If you're still clipping/distorting... purchase a new mic. There's a reason why we don't use USB mics professionally; they suck.
And side-note:
Peaking is not a bad thing. 0db is not a bad thing. Clipping (which is distortion) is a bad thing; It means the input is gained too high. If it's good at normal levels of conversation or singing, but distorting when your being particularly loud, then it may just be your dynamics, in which case; see how it fares with the compression on it.
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