So I use a Zalman clip-on mic, and I've always thought its performance was a bit average. I know I get what I pay for, but I've heard other people (including streamers, I think rays had one for a while) with the same mic and they can sound pretty good. Maybe my deeper voice is harder to handle with it too, but the main problem I have is with background noise/fuzz.
Interestingly enough, it apparently doesn't have this in mumble, but when I stream, the noise is so noticeable and obnoxious that I have to use push to talk. I'd really like to improve this if possible. Are there any software filters or anything of the sort for this purpose, or is it purely a hardware issue (mic goes to the motherboard, I don't have a sound card)? I don't know a great deal on the subject as you may have noticed.
EDIT: Stream is twitch.tv/thejesterthejester if you want to see what I'm talking about, I should have some vods from yesterday still up. Hopefully they don't get muted.
So I use a Zalman clip-on mic, and I've always thought its performance was a bit average. I know I get what I pay for, but I've heard other people (including streamers, I think rays had one for a while) with the same mic and they can sound pretty good. Maybe my deeper voice is harder to handle with it too, but the main problem I have is with background noise/fuzz.
Interestingly enough, it apparently doesn't have this in mumble, but when I stream, the noise is so noticeable and obnoxious that I have to use push to talk. I'd really like to improve this if possible. Are there any software filters or anything of the sort for this purpose, or is it purely a hardware issue (mic goes to the motherboard, I don't have a sound card)? I don't know a great deal on the subject as you may have noticed.
EDIT: Stream is twitch.tv/thejesterthejester if you want to see what I'm talking about, I should have some vods from yesterday still up. Hopefully they don't get muted.
I used to have one of these mics. You're referring to the white noise, correct?
You'll encounter this problem with a number of different mics. The best way I've found to combat it is to get the mic as close to your mouth as possible and to turn down the amplification to be as low as possible.
That said, the clip on is a pretty low end, entry level mic. It works well for mumble but for streaming you might want to consider upgrading. You can also use the push to talk feature in OBS or other streaming software.
I used to have one of these mics. You're referring to the white noise, correct?
You'll encounter this problem with a number of different mics. The best way I've found to combat it is to get the mic as close to your mouth as possible and to turn down the amplification to be as low as possible.
That said, the clip on is a pretty low end, entry level mic. It works well for mumble but for streaming you might want to consider upgrading. You can also use the push to talk feature in OBS or other streaming software.
Talk louder and put that sucker right next to your face. The Zalman is an omnidirectional mic so it picks up a ton of noise if you boost the amplification. Barring that, get a better mic.
Talk louder and put that sucker right next to your face. The Zalman is an omnidirectional mic so it picks up a ton of noise if you boost the amplification. Barring that, get a better mic.
I got the Zalman recently too and had to play with it to reduce the background noise, here's the settings I ended up using:
Input level: 100
Microphone Boost: +10db
Realtek HD Audio Manager settings: Enable "Noise Suppression"
Increasing the Microphone boost above 10db drastically increased the white nose level. The Realtek noise suppression really helped clean up the sound as well (as long as it was only +10db boost).
With these settings the audio is really clear for me.
I got the Zalman recently too and had to play with it to reduce the background noise, here's the settings I ended up using:
Input level: 100
Microphone Boost: +10db
Realtek HD Audio Manager settings: Enable "Noise Suppression"
Increasing the Microphone boost above 10db drastically increased the white nose level. The Realtek noise suppression really helped clean up the sound as well (as long as it was only +10db boost).
With these settings the audio is really clear for me.
Mumble has automatic noise suppression which eliminates repetitive/constant background noise (aka fans and stuff) so that's why the mic sounds better in mumble. With that in mind, a significant part of that background noise could very well be your motherboard's built in audio and not the mic itself. Watch the last part of this video, starting at 2:15, to hear the difference between motherboard audio and a cheap (think $5 dollars) USB soundcard on a Sennheiser PC 230 headset.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnnOALkQqLA#t=134
EDIT: I didn't realize onboard audio came with built in noise suppression now, so if that's the case then listen to TechDude instead of spending money. :o
Mumble has automatic noise suppression which eliminates repetitive/constant background noise (aka fans and stuff) so that's why the mic sounds better in mumble. With that in mind, a significant part of that background noise could very well be your motherboard's built in audio and not the mic itself. Watch the last part of this video, starting at 2:15, to hear the difference between motherboard audio and a cheap (think $5 dollars) USB soundcard on a Sennheiser PC 230 headset.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnnOALkQqLA#t=134
EDIT: I didn't realize onboard audio came with built in noise suppression now, so if that's the case then listen to TechDude instead of spending money. :o
There's also OBS' noise gate option, in case you can't fix the background noise with the other suggestions.
There's also OBS' noise gate option, in case you can't fix the background noise with the other suggestions.
Here's a couple options that I think would produce the best results, better than the on-board noise suppression most likely.
Option 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bLrZ43pkU0
Option 2)
https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/guide-remove-static-from-mic-mic-voice-activation.3302/
Of course, TechDudes suggestion takes way less effort so I would just go with that if you are okay with how it ends up sounding.
Here's a couple options that I think would produce the best results, better than the on-board noise suppression most likely.
Option 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bLrZ43pkU0
Option 2)
https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/guide-remove-static-from-mic-mic-voice-activation.3302/
Of course, TechDudes suggestion takes way less effort so I would just go with that if you are okay with how it ends up sounding.