Global Input Sensitivity

[K0MP4CT]

This should hopefully be my last audio related thread for a while!

 

Certain applications like Skype and Discord allow you to set an input sensitivity for your microphone. Doing this, I can set my mic to ignore quiet sounds such as keyboard typing, or breathing. Now, in these applications, it works a charm, and only my voice is picked up. However, when it comes to say recording, my keyboard and mouse clicks, along with breathing is picked up.

 

I must emphasise, seeing as all the guides I've found have been showing this, that I don't want to change my volume. The volume is fine. The issue, is that it's too sensitive. I've tried Voiceomeeter, but that was a volume changer, not sensitivity. If anyone has any solution, I'd greatly appreciate it!

[vanished]

What those apps are doing is shutting off the mic when the sound it's picking up drops below a certain threshold (afaik).  It's not a curved thing like gain, it's "shifted" I guess you could say.  To implement this in post, you just need to find the right filter/effect in your editing software of choice.

[K0MP4CT]

31 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

What those apps are doing is shutting off the mic when the sound it's picking up drops below a certain threshold (afaik).  It's not a curved thing like gain, it's "shifted" I guess you could say.  To implement this in post, you just need to find the right filter/effect in your editing software of choice.

Damn. That makes this difficult then. I use Shadowplay, meaning game audio and voice audio is recorded as one track. I'm a little afraid I might not be able to hear the game audio so crisp if I do this. Are there any other options? Other than using editing software? I use SonyVegas but haven't found a way of doing this, although, that may be me being stupid.

[Ahoy Hoy]

56 minutes ago, K0MP4CT said:

This should hopefully be my last audio related thread for a while!

 

Certain applications like Skype and Discord allow you to set an input sensitivity for your microphone. Doing this, I can set my mic to ignore quiet sounds such as keyboard typing, or breathing. Now, in these applications, it works a charm, and only my voice is picked up. However, when it comes to say recording, my keyboard and mouse clicks, along with breathing is picked up.

 

I must emphasise, seeing as all the guides I've found have been showing this, that I don't want to change my volume. The volume is fine. The issue, is that it's too sensitive. I've tried Voiceomeeter, but that was a volume changer, not sensitivity. If anyone has any solution, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Gating. The thing you are after is called gating. Gate is where you set a level and until the audio reaches above that level audio is not passed through.

[anothertom]

26 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

What those apps are doing is shutting off the mic when the sound it's picking up drops below a certain threshold (afaik).  It's not a curved thing like gain, it's "shifted" I guess you could say.  To implement this in post, you just need to find the right filter/effect in your editing software of choice.

I would expect this to be true. The correct term is 'Gate', where it's essentially putting an on/off switch in the signal path which is triggered by the signal level. It may, however, just have a really aggressive automatic EQ set for mic inputs with low cut and high cut set so a narrow band where voice exists is allowed through, although i'd expect some mechanical noise to also be picked up. Probably a combination of the two.

 

As for replicating this outside of Skype/Discord, there are software gates, and software EQs which you could route your mic through to get the same effect. NoiseGator would do for the gate side of things, as i know you can output it to a virtual device using the appropriately named Virtual Audio Cable. For the EQ side of things EqualizerAPO should do the trick. I've not personally run the two into each other, but i'll have a play around and see what the outcome is.

 

 

[anothertom]

1 hour ago, anothertom said:

I've not personally run the two into each other, but i'll have a play around and see what the outcome is.

After about 45 mins of trying to get them to play nicely together i would now suggest that you don't. Might have another go tomorrow when I've got some free time.

[vanished]

2 hours ago, K0MP4CT said:

Damn. That makes this difficult then. I use Shadowplay, meaning game audio and voice audio is recorded as one track. I'm a little afraid I might not be able to hear the game audio so crisp if I do this. Are there any other options? Other than using editing software? I use SonyVegas but haven't found a way of doing this, although, that may be me being stupid.

I think you will have no choice but to record voice and in-game sound separately, because if you don't, you will have only two choices:

• Do not apply the "Gate" and hear the game normally, and all sounds you make in your room
• Apply the "gate" and possibly* filter out your room noise, along with everything happening in-game so there is just silence when you aren't talking
  • I say possibly since the volume of the game might put you over the threshold you wish to use, and if this happens, it will act like option 1

[Ahoy Hoy]

31 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

I think you will have no choice but to record voice and in-game sound separately, because if you don't, you will have only two choices:

• Do not apply the "Gate" and hear the game normally, and all sounds you make in your room
• Apply the "gate" and possibly* filter out your room noise, along with everything happening in-game so there is just silence when you aren't talking
  • I say possibly since the volume of the game might put you over the threshold you wish to use, and if this happens, it will act like option 1

You record the two audio tracks separately. So game audio and voice audio. Then only apply the gate to the voice audio.

Or if you have to do it live you apply the gate before it gets merged into one.

[K0MP4CT]

1 hour ago, anothertom said:

After about 45 mins of trying to get them to play nicely together i would now suggest that you don't. Might have another go tomorrow when I've got some free time.

I've been trying a while and I'm with you lol.

 

I used EqualizerAPO and had some good results. With the gameplay, the sounds are hardly noticeable!