So, I started recording my podcast, standing up, script on screen, fridge turned off, wall clock in another room, telephone unplugged.

You'd think that would make a perfect recording environment. However:

• someone outside decided to yell for no apparent reason
• some children left through the stairwell, playing rather noisily
• my cats decided that because I didn't pay any attention to them, that it was feline playtime (if I lock them in a room, they start meowing)
• someone decided that he needed to put that picture frame on the wall, using a nail and a hammer

Can we have a bit more silence, please?

I tried to cut out the bad parts, but my concentration suffered from all those "distractions".

So, after 1.5 hours of recording, I turned on the fridge, put the clock back on the wall, and plugged the telephone back in, after I turned off the audio gear.

This is probably always going to be a uphill battle against noise pollution from my neighbors and strangers outside, and, not to forget, those wonderful companion animals with pointy ears, which think life is all fun and play, next to eating and sleeping. Of course, now I'm done for today, they fell asleep.

I've only have a few minutes of recording. I wonder how other podcasters deal with those distractions.

We always run into the summer dilemma. Close up the recording room, turn of the AC, and bake...or....open up the windows and listen to our neighbors mow 72 times a day. Even in the winter, we run into cars that have no muffler deciding whenever we record is the best time to drag race up and down the street. I have found that if the noise is consistent (like AC or the hum of a fridge), it often just ends up sounding like the baseline -- listeners tend not to notice it (until they turn the show off). Sometimes you can edit out the spiking type noises -- when we have a car racing by, we wait for it to pass, repeat the last things we said, and I edit it together. Oh, and I swear to the Almighty Podcasting God (APG) but that has done little to help.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has those problems, and who has to edit it all out.

Since moving to Brazil, it has become impossible to eliminate all the background noise. I just leave it in, so my listeners can hear the ambient sounds of Brazil.

I often record late at night for this reason if possible. Another thing I have done is record outside the house. For my My Thought Spot podcast this works out well. You can certainly tell when I am recording outside and you tend to ignore it. Or, at least, I hope so.

When I am in the mood to record the neighbors are throwing a party. When I am ready for bed, it is totally quiet outside.

I happened upon Harlan Hogan's article on the Portabooth:

http://digitalprosound.digitalmedianet.com...le.jsp?id=89503

And then followed Jake Luddington's instructions:

http://www.jakeludington.com/podcasting/20...ing_studio.html

to build one of my own. It's not perfect (still some echo from the desktop), but it does cut down on a lot of ambient noise. Might help you out some.

Although, before I built the booth, I was recording the end of an episode and my cockatiel would NOT shut up. So I left him and told the audience what they were hearing. So far nobody has complained.

Now, that IS a handy solution. Thanks!

On our last couple shows you can hear our puppy snoring. We just left it in because we thought it cute.

I actually built one of those. I couldn't find the collapsible cube, so I bought a hard-sided cloth covered box. Despite the fact that I used good acoustic tile inside, when I recorded a test with my mic inside, it sounded like I was talking into a toilet bowl.

Hmm, I don't think I would have described the sound as "toilet bowl" but maybe I just don't have enough experience with the porcelain furniture. I found that my setup (not nearly as well thought out) tended to sound like I was talking into a well too. I found that if I put a sheet over my head and box that it would help cut down on the amount of room reverb that I got into the mic. But I did not want to keep doing that.

Of course, I live in a concrete house with tile floors. There is no way to knock out all the room noise.

Unless you have a room inside a room, like this WhisperRoom, or a DIY equivalent of it.

You know, you're not going to find many spaces that are much more acoustically perfect than the inside of a car. Unfortunately, I don't think it's practical for me to haul my mixing board, microphone, and recorder down to my minivan every time I need to do a show.

I've got a corner of my office that I've been seriously thinking about soundproofing. It's a little nook that would be perfect. I could put a curtain there for a door, and cover the walls with acoustic tile. I just doubt my wife would go for it.

I've found a cheap mic works for me. It's so cheap that it only picks up sound when I keep it near my mouth, so background noise isn't recorded. It does require a good loud speaking voice and I have to do some leveling on the recording afterwards, but on the other hand, I've been forced to improve my speaking.

Funny, I just created an entry in my audio blog about speaking clearly. Unfortunately for you, it is in Dutch, and it is rather dry. It is scripted (that's why it is so dry), only 9 minutes, and I needed 3 hours to record it in two 1.5 hours sessions. I often did three takes and threw away the audio, and kept the fourth or fifth take.

Nevertheless, I have never spoken so clearly. Only in a few instances in the recording I lost control and started shallowing syllables. You have to know I suffer a bit from a small speech impediment after years of using narcoleptic medicine. It's a bit like trying to walk normally while you have a slight limp. You can do it, but it takes a lot of concentration.

You know about those curtains, I have cats here, and they'd love nothing more than hang out in the draperies all day, or chew on the cloth. Your tip on the cheap mic is sound, because mics with large diaphragms force you to upgrade your sound studio, I'm told.

Here you go. This would solve your noise problem:

http://www.dawbox.com/DAWBOOTH.htm

Tut-tut-tut. Now you're starting to cross-post as well

Yeah yeah ... I know. At least it's relevant. Besides, no one replied to my thread over there, so it doesn't count

True, and it still seems to be a cool booth to build and use. I was just teasing you.

I'm so tempted to get one. It's completely an utterly impractical, but I WANT ONE!

Following Scott Sigler's lead, I record in my bedroom closet. It's a very small space without an air vent, I can close the door, and the clothes act kind of like acoustical foam. I just have to make sure I don't bump the clothes or the hangers rattle.

Mignon

That's exactly what I do. I've been recording audio that way for years. I have my mixer and mic on a rolling cart, and when I'm ready to do my show I just roll it on in there. It's really as good as any audio booth I've used.

I remember many months ago you were on Stickam recording Grammar Girl with your sound muted (on Stickam). Seeing all your dynamic facial expressions and gestures without hearing what you were saying is one of my favorite podcasting memories. I always picture that when I listen to Grammar Girl, and I can't even imagine you doing it from a closet.

Have you tried putting a cardboard box over your head? It would seem easier. Or maybe a blanket? Sure you look silly while recording, but they should be effective noise reduction methods. (Fortunately, I have a reasonably quiet area to record in and the mic I'm using isn't very sensitive.)

Great. Now I'm picturing Mignon with a blanket over her head screaming, "Leave Britney alone!"

A cardboard box would echo. A blanket works great, though. I can't say I've done either, but I have put a jacket over my head.

Why do I get that Linus feeling?



Oh yes, that's why!

Hi everyone:

I'm just glad I live alone - (Cue up Eric Clapton) ALL BY MYSELF

No recording booth neccessary.

A good, directional mic (cardiod) carefully placed can help quite a bit.

At PodcampSLC I had a chance to talk to an audio expert, and he helped me simplify my mic setup and improve my audio. The echo from the desktop went away, my noise floor dropped below -40dB and my audio generally improved. *shrug*

I'd played with desktop booths, blankets, boxes and was on the verge of buying a new, expensive mic. Aligning my cardiod condensor made all the difference in the world.

Well, I record in my basement in a non acoustical room. It sounded like an echo chamber when I started. Time to experiment. After nailing blankets on the walls, I bought a directional condenser mic and set my recording level low so the mic only picks up from a short distance. I then amplify later. It mostly works. People can walk around upstairs, creaking boards, and the mic does not pick it up. I can hear the television but the mic does not. The only excess noise that normally can get through is when one or more of my six parrots start screaming. Nothing can keep them out of a recording. So, for the most part, I wait until we put them to bed before I start.

I had this problem as well. I live in New York City and there are car horns going 24/7. I solved the problem by going to Guitar Center and picking up a mixer and a dynamic or as some call it, a directional mic. Now I can record with the tv on and the window open and all it records is my voice. All the background noises are blocked out completely. I know a lot of podcasters will tell you to use a condenser mic, but I think a dynamic mic is the way to go if your worried about other noise in the room.

This is the one I got, it was on sale for $100 : http://www.guitarcenter.com/AKG-D-5-Superc...348-i1177872.gc

Now my cat can meow till she is blue in the face. The mic just don't pick her up. I don't have to use headphones anymore either while I record and there is 0 feedback. The only drawback to using a dynamic mic is you have to speak right into the mic. But it only took me a few hours to get use to doing that and the return you get is worth any inconvenience.

That mic might be a good option for interviewing people in noisy environments, like DragonCon.

(First Post)

I think I'm doing something like what InTristan is.

My setup is actually made for recording music. It's all put together on the cheap, but that's what it is.

I have a $50 dynamic / stage microphone (that came with a free stand, no less), hooked into a 4-Track recorder which outputs directly into my computer's Line-In jack. My kid has run into the room screaming for my attention. From a yard away, he couldn't be heard.

(Realistically, I think one could also be hooked into a less expensive TonePort for much the same effect.)

My friends on MMOs get annoyed when I start setting it up during a game, but the quality is great once it's all together.

Benadryl will make a cat snooze.

I have an idiot neighbor with a loud motorcycle. The bass rumble gets picked up no matter what I do. Fortunately, he doesn't rev it too much, and usually leaves after a few minutes. I just have to stop recording when he's got it going. (If I were to complain he'd sit outside my window and rev it for an hour.)

I also have kids who occasionally scream at each other. I deal with this by telling them to STFU.