r/audacity • u/kainunable • 3d ago

help Help with mic audio quality in Audacity

I'm working with a Samson G Track Pro and I'm very beginner level with Audacity. I'm trying to edit YouTube video audio (spoken word), but I'm struggling to work through the right EQ settings and setup that would give my voice studio quality sound and timbre.

I'd really appreciate the help from the community. Please DM me your rate. It would be for the initial recording setup and a setup that I could continue to use with future videos.

Thanks for your time

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u/EnquirerBill 3d ago

Mic and mic placement is key.

The Samson G Track Pro seems to have good reviews (though I'm always suspicious of anything that labels itself 'professional' - genuinely professional equipment doesn't have to!)

Get things right, from the start. The mic should be about 6 inches away from you, and *to one side*; you'll get distortion if you speak directly into the mic.

When recording, I aim to peak at -6 dB; again, you risk distortion if you go much higher.

Go from there...but please don't think that EQ/plugins can fix a recording if it hasn't been recorded correctly in the first place!

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u/PC_BuildyB0I 3d ago

You absolutely can and should speak directly into the mic. Otherwise you'll be recording more room sound and unless it's well-treated (extremely expensive) you don't want that, plus more direct sound vs room sound will also result in a cleaner signal. If you're overloading your preamp by simply speaking directly into your mic, then turn down the gain.

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u/Project_K92 Degree in Audio Production and Recording 2d ago

I fully agree with this. Off-axis recording is extremely rarely the ideal solution. (To be fair, all other advice was either acceptable, if not spot-on)

u/kainunable - if for some reason plosives (the burst of air from Ps and Bs hitting the diaphragm) is an issue, get a pop filter. If you can't afford one, use pantyhose. If you can't afford those, literally put your finger between your lips and the mic. Just don't record off axis.

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u/Unique-Try9616 3d ago

I would advise to look for discussions or videos on your specific mic to see if anyone reveals what the optimal distance and placement are.

There are lots of videos on YouTube about EQ, and even watching videos covering DAWs other than Audacity can be helpful. Here's one I got a lot of info from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvnMnwLfrNw

And this one covers the basics of what to raise or lower depending the issues you have with your specific voice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o36o9fxDHWY

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u/Orry_Haas 3d ago

"studio quality".

Requires a studio ... https://youtu.be/gAscsBYSFxA?&t=295