Sorry if we're
dov4523 said:
What is the best setup for recording a speech to reduce the pick up of other background noises... Also what settings should be used for line in recording from a stereo cassette?
...a day late and a dollar short with some sort of answer but here goes...
You'll need a cardoid(uni-directional) mic placed close to the person speaking...omni-directional mics will pick up noise from all(hence omni) directions...there are "shotgun mikes"(hyper-cardoid) that can pick up from a distance but they are rather expensive and have a limited use. There are also lavalier-type, condenser mics designed for recording speech but again, quality items tend to be expensive
'Line-in" levels depend on the tape formulation and type of noise reduction...usually the machine's owner's manual will provide the spec...if equipped with VU meters a general rule of thumb is try to keep the level of peaks between 0dB to no higher than +1dB for best results. Some machines have automatic level controls that will compress the signal if the input is overdriven, they usually don't have meters and must be set by trial and error for optimum s/n ratio, etc.
As always, there are exceptions, so even with metering,
doing trial recordings and auditioning the results is the safest bet.
jimHJJ(...good luck...)
