Whats the secret to get a good clean recording no hiss

[jckinnick]

Is it level setting, balanced cables, power conditioners?

[drumsound]

What is hissing? Guitar and bass amps hiss, there's not way around it. Some older and/or cheaper mics hiss, tape hisses, old/bad wiring hisses. There are so many things that could be causing the problem.

[japmn]

Good Preamps are the first easy fix, If you are going to tape make sure your machine is up to spec. Good cable and how you run it is important also. Get as close to 0dB levels as you can (digital) or with analog, hit the tape hard to get above the self noise of the tape.

So everything in the recording chain appears to be the answer.

[japmn]

Also, get the cobras out of the live room.

[AstroDan]

Sytek.

The cobra's stay.

[jckinnick]

Im using a digital 8Track and an Art MPA Gold and new mics. How do I check to see if im getting close to 0db.

[chris harris]

Im using a digital 8Track and an Art MPA Gold and new mics. How do I check to see if im getting close to 0db.

don't worry so much about that. the whole "get as close to 0db as you can without clipping" is a myth that can result in some frustrating mixing experiences.
what you need to do is figure out where the noise is coming from and eliminate it. is it room noise that's being magnified by noisy mics and pres? is it noise from the mic or pre themselves?

you need to isolate where the noise is coming from.

[Kasey]

Im using a digital 8Track and an Art MPA Gold and new mics. How do I check to see if im getting close to 0db.

man this just won't stop popping up...

[jckinnick]

I got one of those Hum X things and apparently I had a ground loop and it fixed most of the hum, but there is still a little I would like to get rid of.

[chris harris]

so, it's a hum and not hiss.

this is what I'm talking about. you need to find a convenient place in your chain to break the connection. if the hum goes away, plug it back in and move BACKWARDS in the chain repeating the same steps. if the hum doesn't go away, plug it back in and move FORWARD in the chain. eventually, you'll narrow it down to a piece of gear or a cable.

[jckinnick]

Its more hiss than hum. It mostly does it when I run an instrument direct into the preamp. When im using microphones its pretty clean.

[chris harris]

Its more hiss than hum. It mostly does it when I run an instrument direct into the preamp. When im using microphones its pretty clean.

what instrument are you running direct into the input? are you using the HighZ instrument input on the MPA? does is do the same thing with both channels on the pre? how 'bout if you switch instruments? does it happen with every instrument you plug into the pre?

[jckinnick]

Yeah im using the High Z input. I run a Pod XT out of the Preamp to. It does it on both channels ive got different types of tubes in each channel.

[chris harris]

describe, in detail, your exact chain...

what instrument?

"I run a Pod XT out of the Preamp to"

I have no idea what you mean by this...

[meblumen]

Is it level setting, balanced cables, power conditioners?

First and foremost, check your power. 60 cycle hum and poorly designed power supplies can infiltrate your audio signal inducing noise. Once you have ruled out power, check you cables and connections. Using good quality cables that are properly shielded and minimizing the use of unbalanced cables in especially in longer cable runs will greatly reduce noise in your signal path. Last up is gain staging which is IMHO something that escapes most inexperienced engineers. Subatomic Pieces is correct that it is more than getting your level as close to 0 as possible, it's also in the relationships between gear in the same signal path.

Some other factors to consider is the noise generated by certain types of lighting as well as computer monitors and other electronic devices. Naturally guitar amps and other instruments will generate some noise of there own, too. Ultimately, I would start with your power and work your way through your connections to see if you can isolate the problem there. Once you have it figured out, let us know and we'll offer some solutions to correct it.