Question / Help Mic can not reach max Peak, why?

[PrinceVinc]

The Green Bar in OBS can't reach the Maximum (Peak) for me on my Mic. I was wondering why.

I use a t.bone SC450 USB and my standard Volume setting is 4 cause in Audacity it reaches the Max Waveform unlike 3.

So, no matter in OBS if the Volume is 4 or 100 I can't fill the whole Green Soundbar (peak it)
To do so I would need to use Gain Filter and set it to 3, but that would introduce louder white noise.

So why can't I fill it to max peak in the first place, but with gain I can?

https://gist.github.com/658e65b3165a87e001826dee8ce2a60b

 

[c3r1c3]

I would start with the Noise Reduction filter, and then apply the Gain filter. If that doesn't work, reverse the order.

You can also use the Compressor filter (instead of the Gain filter) to boost your levels.

 

[PrinceVinc]

Yeah, I know that, but I want to avoid to use Gain at all cost. Gain (no matter the order) will increase the Noise Floor of my mic no matter what. I basically want to know why my mic technically can't "peak" in OBS no matter what I do unless I use Artificial Gain via OBS Filter.

 

[c3r1c3]

Have you ever used a mixer? Notice that on all mic-level inputs the first thing is a gain knob? Ever wonder why that is?

Almost all mics (plus whatever pre-amp you're using) can't output a signal strong enough to exceed the headroom of a digital mixer (i.e. OBS Studio), so gain is added as an option so that you can 'max it out'.

If you want a mic that'll tend to max out everything it hits (and require you to trim it down more often then trim it up), get a good ribbon mic (usually around $300 US). Those things are some of the loudest mics you'll ever come across... but you know what? Even those get run into a pre-amp/mic-level input on a mixer/computer audio interface so you can trim up and down the gain.

Some mics are just quieter then others.

Lastly, if increasing the gain on a mic causes a noticeable increase in white noise, then that mic (or the pre-amp it's hooked up to) is bad/cheap/not physically close enough to you/not facing the correct direction for it's input pattern, or your room is too noisy and needs to be quieted down so there isn't so much background/white noise.

 

[PrinceVinc]

So Audacity is entirely different in that regard?
And no I never used a mixer. So basically no Mic can exceed the OBS Headroom without "Gain"?
It is basically "hard coded" into the Program?

If so this "mystery" has been answered for me.

And as I said, my Mic is not quiet. If I increase the Windows Volume Control for the Mic Higher than 4 It sounds really loud but of course that causes constant Clipping.

Regardless,
thank you for your time :)

 

[c3r1c3]

Yes, the metering in Audacity is different from the metering display in Studio.
Correct.
Has nothing to do with hard coding, it's just how the math works.

 

[Suslik V]

To highlight the clipping in Audacity (v2.1.3 + ffmpeg-20131004-git-e1f8184-win32-shared libraries to import audio) go to main menu View>Show Clipping. Also, I recommend to use Edit>Preferences>Interface>Meter dB range: -96db setting for the application.