We currently have three microphones connected to OBS (1, 2, and 3). When mic 1&2 are on, everything sounds fine. When mic 3 is turned on, mic 1&3 sound fine, but mic 2 sounds robotic. When looking at the mixer, the sound bar for mic 2&3 increases simultaneously. And yes, we have tried replacing the third microphone.
Three Mics - One Problem
- Thread starter Kaseli
- Start date
Lawrence_SoCal
Active Member
How are the mic's connected?
If 3 separate USB mics, look into USB Root Hub contention (most likely not bandwidth as usually case, but low-end chipsets are known to have other isssues)
And what plug-ins/effects/filters are you running, especially in regards to audio?
And have you made sure your audio sampling rate the same across all mics, etc on the system?
Per pinned post in this forum
obsproject.com
If 3 separate USB mics, look into USB Root Hub contention (most likely not bandwidth as usually case, but low-end chipsets are known to have other isssues)
And what plug-ins/effects/filters are you running, especially in regards to audio?
And have you made sure your audio sampling rate the same across all mics, etc on the system?
Per pinned post in this forum
Please post a log with your issue! Here's how...
OBS Studio creates a log file each time you run it which contains very useful diagnostic information. Without a log file, it's much harder for any support volunteers to figure out problems and your post may be ignored. To upload a log file, go to the Help menu > Log Files > Upload Last Log...
konsolenritter
Active Member
There may be a generic problem with your setup. Your statement let's assume that both mics are picking the same sound source. The best reason for using more than one mic is either
- producing sound in stereo or more channels, or
- picking up different sound sources spread over the location where they are captured.
So if mics 2&3 are picking the same sound source and deliver their sound into OBS by even a small portion of delay between them (caused by different usb or driver delay or something similar) you'll earn massive problems like comb filter effect, which makes the sound thin and/or robotic.
Even by routing mics into physical external mixers (to prevent delay between sources at mixing level) comb-filtering is feared usually. Different mics (that are mixed into the same common bus later) should pickup only different sound-sources each one.
Konsolenritter,
I watched a video on comb filtering and I believe that may be my issue. We produce a podcast with three speakers, thus we have three Q2U USB XLR Dynamic Microphones. Mics 1&2 are across from each other. Mic 3 is at the other end of the table.
We utilize the ReaPlug filters to improve our sound quality (ReGate, ReaEQ, and ReComp). Can this problem be fixed by removing the amount of background noise Mic 3 picks up? Also, could tangled wires possibly be a cause?
Thank you for your help.
I watched a video on comb filtering and I believe that may be my issue. We produce a podcast with three speakers, thus we have three Q2U USB XLR Dynamic Microphones. Mics 1&2 are across from each other. Mic 3 is at the other end of the table.
We utilize the ReaPlug filters to improve our sound quality (ReGate, ReaEQ, and ReComp). Can this problem be fixed by removing the amount of background noise Mic 3 picks up? Also, could tangled wires possibly be a cause?
Thank you for your help.
konsolenritter
Active Member
Compressors (like ReComp) makes the problem even worse by their nature. Compressors for voices are used to raise the average sound level of speech. This is done by raising the overall gain within the compressor, typically called "make-up gain" or something similar.
You may workaround these problems by
- greatly reducing the distance between each speaker and his/her microphone (typical down to 10..15 cm),
- lowering the mics gain then. This will result in lower pickup from other speech and noises within the room,
- greatly separating the speakers (hence microphones) from each other.
- producing in a "nearby sound-dead" room. Tight/dense furnish/furniture. Wooden room dividers. Soft materials, couches. Great damping of sound is the general goal. No straight walls. No hard and flat surfaces.
- avoidance of loud or screaming speech (low volume in voice means lower reflections and reverberation throughout the room).
If all this is really out of reach for you, then you should completely switch over to really good level, professional headsets with integrated microphones like used by sports commentators. Due to their proximity to the speakers mouth there will be much natural SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) which means good spacing in audio levels, hence low to no comb filtering.
Hope those hints help.
You may workaround these problems by
- greatly reducing the distance between each speaker and his/her microphone (typical down to 10..15 cm),
- lowering the mics gain then. This will result in lower pickup from other speech and noises within the room,
- greatly separating the speakers (hence microphones) from each other.
- producing in a "nearby sound-dead" room. Tight/dense furnish/furniture. Wooden room dividers. Soft materials, couches. Great damping of sound is the general goal. No straight walls. No hard and flat surfaces.
- avoidance of loud or screaming speech (low volume in voice means lower reflections and reverberation throughout the room).
If all this is really out of reach for you, then you should completely switch over to really good level, professional headsets with integrated microphones like used by sports commentators. Due to their proximity to the speakers mouth there will be much natural SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) which means good spacing in audio levels, hence low to no comb filtering.
Hope those hints help.
konsolenritter
Active Member
So you are listening via "monitoring" to the (two) intermodulating mics at once? And there is no such effect? Sounds really strange... oO
Are you recording the mics to different tracks in the recording?
Are you recording the mics to different tracks in the recording?
Yes and no. All three mics are set to record to track #1 for streaming. Then Mic 1 records to track #2 separately. Mic 2 to track 3 separately. And Mic 3 to track #4 separately.
I just purchased a FocusRite audio interface thinking that the USB connections were the source of the problem. Yet again, the audio sounds perfectly fine when monitoring, but the recording playback is very poor.
I just purchased a FocusRite audio interface thinking that the USB connections were the source of the problem. Yet again, the audio sounds perfectly fine when monitoring, but the recording playback is very poor.
I have solved the problem. I simply changed my default recording device, and then changed it back. For some reason, by simply re-selecting my recording device my problem disappeared. Control Panel -> Sound -> Recording Tab -> *select recording device*.
If this fix no longer works, I will comment again.
If this fix no longer works, I will comment again.
konsolenritter
Active Member
Crazy... really... Windows... **shaking-head**