Question / Help Mic background noise. Do I need a new mic or something?

[Alojin]

So, I got a Sennheiser GAME ZERO Gaming Headset. Everytime I record something, I can hear alot of background noise. The noise makes a "zzz" sound. When I used Ventrilo a while back, everything was good, but only on Ventrilo. How can I fix this problem? Should I buy a mic like the snowball or something? I have tried every setting in Windows, but without luck.

I get the background noise on OBS, Skype + all type of recordings.

If you have another mic to recommend, please share!

 

[Sapiens]

That sounds like interference or noise from the sound card/onboard sound hardware you're using. There are usually some type of noise cancellation options in the associated software, check there (this type of thing is also probably why Ventrilo sounds okay). The headset itself is quite good in my experience.

 

[Alojin]

That sounds like interference or noise from the sound card/onboard sound hardware you're using. There are usually some type of noise cancellation options in the associated software, check there (this type of thing is also probably why Ventrilo sounds okay). The headset itself is quite good in my experience.

But is there any settings on Windows that has noise cancellation?

 

[Sapiens]

Not that I'm aware of.

 

[Alojin]

Not that I'm aware of.

So for video recording, should I get a new mic?

 

[Sapiens]

You should do what you want, the problem is very unlikely to be the headset itself. You could get a proper sound card like a Sound Blaster Z, or a USB mic, or use a program like Audition to clean up the mic input.

 

[FerretBomb]

You may also want to try the Mic DSP Plugin, if you're on OBS Classic. It's not perfect, but it can improve poor mic quality significantly if you have no other option:
https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/microphone-dsp-plugin.21034/

Be aware, your mic level will show on the System meter (not mic), but your mic volume/mute will still be controlled by the Mic icon and bar graph/slider.

Seriously though, Sennheiser makes REALLY good gear. I'm not sure what's going on with yours.
Make sure it's plugged into the MIC port and not the Line In, if it's not a USB headset? All of the reviews I'm seeing are raving about their high quality, especially the mic. Only other thing I can think of is if the mic somehow either got reversed on assembly as it's noise-cancelling (try talking into the 'back' of the mic; if it comes through loud and clear, this happened). Or possibly if the raise-boom-to-mute switch might have gotten stuck. Try lifting the boom and see if it auto-mutes. Actually, try moving the boom around and see if you get crackle and anything other than handling noise; if you had a weak solder joint or something, it could cause that.

But yeah, check the plugs first. If it's on the aux/line-in port instead of the Mic port, it's not going to work well.

 

[Alojin]

You may also want to try the Mic DSP Plugin, if you're on OBS Classic. It's not perfect, but it can improve poor mic quality significantly if you have no other option:
https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/microphone-dsp-plugin.21034/

Be aware, your mic level will show on the System meter (not mic), but your mic volume/mute will still be controlled by the Mic icon and bar graph/slider.

Seriously though, Sennheiser makes REALLY good gear. I'm not sure what's going on with yours.
Make sure it's plugged into the MIC port and not the Line In, if it's not a USB headset? All of the reviews I'm seeing are raving about their high quality, especially the mic. Only other thing I can think of is if the mic somehow either got reversed on assembly as it's noise-cancelling (try talking into the 'back' of the mic; if it comes through loud and clear, this happened). Or possibly if the raise-boom-to-mute switch might have gotten stuck. Try lifting the boom and see if it auto-mutes. Actually, try moving the boom around and see if you get crackle and anything other than handling noise; if you had a weak solder joint or something, it could cause that.

But yeah, check the plugs first. If it's on the aux/line-in port instead of the Mic port, it's not going to work well.

The sound itself is good, it's just the weird background noise. I do not use USB. I have only 2 ports on the front. Green and pink, but I have 3 at the back. Light blue, green and pink.