EXS 24 Logic Sampler Users Group

Message posted by Paul Belbin <paulbelbin@...>:

I own an imac G5 and hve recently bought a Samson CO3U USB MIC - there is
massive background noise!
I really did n't think my MAC was that noisy. I have tried moving the MIC
further away from the MAC but apart from moving the MAC out the room  ANY
ideas!?

Paul

Paul Belbin wrote:
> I own an imac G5 and hve recently bought a Samson CO3U USB MIC - there is
> massive background noise!
> I really did n't think my MAC was that noisy. I have tried moving the MIC
> further away from the MAC but apart from moving the MAC out the room ANY
> ideas!?
Sensitive mics and noisy computers are obviously a bad mix in a room. 
You can use the directional patterns of the mic to reject the computer 
noise to some degree but the real solution is to encase the computer in 
a sound absorbing box of some kind. These Isolation boxes can be bought 
from some places but they aren't cheap.

You can also build your own out of timber and/or drywall and sound 
deadening materials quite cheaply but you have to maintain ventilation 
or your machine will run hot and fail. Having access to DVD slots and 
power switches etc and being able to see hard-drive lights etc are other 
issues. Ideally you should be able to easily open the box and access the 
machine and if the front panel is glass or perspex you can get visual 
feedback from the machine case too.

--- Murray McDowall <murraymc@...> wrote:

> Paul Belbin wrote:
> > I own an imac G5 and hve recently bought a Samson
> CO3U USB MIC - there is
> > massive background noise!
> > I really did n't think my MAC was that noisy. I
> have tried moving the MIC
> > further away from the MAC but apart from moving
> the MAC out the room ANY
> > ideas!?

Aside from the iso box route you can try one of the
new devices like the SE Reflexion Filter. They've been
backordered but I'm expecting one tommorrow. I think
Real Traps now makes one too. They will mount on the
same mic stand as your condenser but form a nice
acoustic barrier between it and your noise source.
They are often recommended by Sound on Sound Magazine
to anyone who's not recording vocals in a professional
room.
JP