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Noise Canceling vs. Noise Isolating Headphones

Last Updated March 15, 2021

A common misconception among most people is that noise canceling headphones are the same as noise isolating ones. While they might seem similar to the amateur, they both serve different purposes. Depending on your requirements, one type might be better suited to you than the other. In this article, we shall go over the two and decide which is better. So in this article, let’s talk about that Noise Canceling vs. Noise Isolating headphones.

You can also read: Recording Studio For Beginners: A Quick Start Guide

WHAT IS NOISE CANCELATION?

The process is also known as “Active Noise Cancellation” (ANC). It is a way of blocking out ambient noise using a series of components housed in the headphones’ ear cups.

To begin, miniature microphones “listen” to the ambient noise. The sound wave data is then sent to a built-in chipset, which uses algorithms to create an opposing soundwave (180 degrees out of phase) that is played through the speakers. The incoming ambient sound waves will be canceled out as a result of this.

It’s worth remembering that the majority of today’s active noise cancellation systems can only cancel low-frequency sound waves. For example, a running car engine or the steady droning sound of a large air conditioner.

WHAT IS NOISE ISOLATION?

Noise isolation, also known as “Passive Noise Cancellation“, is the process of reducing noise by using physical barriers. The foam padding in the ear cups forms a safe cover, which achieves noise isolation in headphones.

With the aim of lowering sound levels, the physical barrier “isolates” your ear from the echo — or at least tries to. However, depending on the fit, nature, and materials used, sound can still leak through, even if they are successful to some extent.

Most headphones are already noise-isolating, but you can enhance them by adding the thick insulating materials used in earmuffs into the ear cups of your headphones.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOISE CANCELING HEADPHONES AND NOISE ISOLATING HEADPHONES

There are a number of variables that set the two types apart, and understanding them will be helpful for you to make an educated decision if you consider purchasing one.

1. THE LEVEL OF NOISE REDUCTION

Noise-isolating headphones reduce ambient sounds by using the physical characteristics of headphones and earphones.

The fit on the consumer (with as little leakage as possible) and the material used will determine how effective it is at minimizing ambient noise. In-ear monitors (IEMS) or earbud-style earphones, for example, are usually better at noise isolation than over-ear or on-ear earphones. When you drive the tips further into the ear canal, they make a stronger sealing. Mid- to high-frequency sounds can be reduced by 15dB to 30dB using passive noise cancellation.

Noise-canceling headphones, on the contrary, use circuitry to send out sound waves that balance out the ones originating from outside. The sound waves cancel each other out, eliminating ambient noise (mostly low-frequency sound waves) by 30 decibels on average.

However, the noise canceling capacity of any active noise cancelation headphones is determined by how well the technology is integrated into the headphones. It can also be dependent on how expensive the headphone is at times.

2. THE SOUND QUALITY

Due to the lack of dedicated noise-canceling electronics, noise-isolating headphones manufacturers will concentrate on the design, materials, and construction that will achieve the best sound quality.

The process of sampling ambient sound and generating an opposing signal, on the other hand, can cause some “coloration” of the final sound output. The circuitry in place, as well as the canceling signal it generates, will interfere with the audio recording, lowering the fidelity with which the source audio is recreated. This can have a negative impact on efficiency.

3. THE AMOUNT OF POWER CONSUMED

Noise-isolating headphones don’t require any extra electronics or circuitry to function, so they shouldn’t need power.

Active noise-canceling headphones, on the other hand, will not operate without power, also known as batteries. It can still passively block out noise (with ANC switched off), but that compromises the intent. To use the noise-canceling features, you’ll need to charge it every now and then.

4. THE LEVEL OF COMFORT IT PROVIDES

When it comes to comfort, there is no one-size-fits-all solution because there are so many choices to choose from. Some standard headphones may be more comfortable than noise canceling headphones, but the opposite is also true.

Since noise isolation is dependent on the fit and seal of the headphones, some can be uncomfortable, non-breathable, and even painful to wear for long periods of time if the fit isn’t decent.

When it comes to noise cancellation, however, some customers have complained of feeling pressure in their ears when wearing noise-canceling headphones. Since ANC cancels low-frequency sounds, it tricks the brain into believing there’s been a shift in air pressure even though we’re standing still.

Even if some reviewers claim that a specific model of passive or active noise-canceling headphones is pleasant to wear, the user experience of the individual wearing it is ultimately what matters.

5. THE PRICE

The noise canceling headphones would be more costly due to the additional components and manufacturing costs associated with integrating the device into the headphones.

However, cheaper headphones with ANC are also available. However, since the construction and implementation of ANC technology differ from one manufacturer to the next, most low-cost noise canceling headphones aren’t very good, particularly when compared to higher-priced versions.

However, technology is improving. You can now buy ANC headphones for a reasonable price. However, if you need additional features such as Adaptive ANC, you will have to pay a higher price.

CONCLUSION

While both the noise canceling headphones and the noise isolating ones have features that are great, it ultimately comes down to your personal needs. We hope this article helped you figure out which is better suited to your requirements. So whether it is the noise canceling pair you pick or the noise isolating one, it is what’s best for you.

Types of Microphones

Last Updated March 15, 2021

Picking out the best microphone that is ideal for you can be a tough task given that there’s a myriad of microphones available in the market today. However, that can be made a bit easier if you’re aware of the most common types of microphones and its uses.

Not all the microphones are suitable for you and you need to evaluate their features against your required ones to find the one suitable for you. Learning the application of each type will narrow down your search for the perfect microphone for your home studio or professional studio. Without further ado, let’s walk you through the different types of microphones that are available in the market.

You can also read: Your Guide To Singing Microphones

1. Dynamic Microphone

Dynamic microphones are the most reliable, versatile, and relatively more affordable type of microphone. Due to their response to transients and high Sound Pressure Level (SPL), they are ideal for loud sources of musical instruments such as electrical guitars, drums, metal/rock vocal, etc. These highly durable microphone will work just fine even you drop them multiple times.

Dynamic microphones use a moving coil magnetic diaphragm so they can easily capture sounds even at extreme sound levels. So when you’re using these microphones, you don’t have to worry about unwanted distortion.

There are multiple affordable options for dynamic microphones in the market but the most popular ones are Shure SM57, SM58 and SM7B, Sennheiser MD421, and Electrvoice RE20. The Shure SM57 is a popular industry-standard microphone is perfect for recording loud musical instruments including snare drums and guitar amplifiers. Due to their acceptance of high sound levels, you’ll most likely come across its use in any pop, rock, or metal song. The Shure SM58 is great as well and it’s quite popular among touring artists as it is extremely durable and they don’t have to worry about it breaking every time they drop it on stage!

Features:

Suitable for loud musical instruments and powerful vocals
Does not require a power supply
Durable and reliable
Affordable

2. Condenser Microphone

These are extremely sensitive microphones as their mechanism depends on a thin diaphragm that vibrates in correspondence to sound pressure. Consequently, they create audio signals even when there is heavy breathing. This type of microphone is suitable for vocals and soft sound output instruments such as acoustic guitars and pianos.

Condenser microphones are easy to recognize as the majority of them have a “pop” shield covering the actual mic to prevent excess pressure from heavy breathing creating noise. When you see pop singers recording a song in a studio in movies, they’re most likely using a condenser microphone. The plus point is of using a shield is that it allows the microphone to deliver the most natural type of sound output due to their sensitive mechanism.

Since they convert vibrations into electric current they need a power supply to function. You can choose from small diaphragm condenser microphones (also known as pencil microphone) and large diaphragm condenser microphones. While the former delivers consistent pickup patterns the latter is perfect for creating pro studio ambiance due to their crisp output.

The Shure SM81 is a great option for a small diaphragm condenser microphone. For the large type, you can go for Rode NT1A. Also, another professional grade condenser microphone that is quite popular among acoustic guitar players is the SE X1 S. It’s constructed with tough steel grille and features gold-spluttered capsule. So, it will be a great option if you’re in search of a studio-quality well-built condenser microphone.

Features:

Suitable for acoustic guitars and vocals
Requires a power supply
Ideal for precision recording that includes subtle tonal differences in acoustic guitars or pianos
Sensitive to heavy breathing

3. Ribbon Microphone

This type of microphone dates back to the earliest years of their existence. Designed like vintage musical tools, ribbon microphones are excellent at picking up audio from multiple instruments at a time. Not only do they pick up air but they also capture velocity thereby making them extremely sensitive. With ribbon microphones, you’ll be able to capture the highest pitches without any chance of distortion which is why they are quite expensive as well.

Although ribbon microphones are the types of microphones which is not as popular as they were when they came out, these versatile mics are making a comeback due to the manufacture of more sturdier and reliable ones. While their body is durable, they use thin aluminum ribbon as a replacement of diaphragm seen in condenser microphones. Also, they produce a figure 8 polar pattern without any unwanted damage which means that they are omni-directional. Ribbon microphones capture sound from both sides front and back, making them extremely sensitive while giving them the ability to grasp multiple sounds at the same time.

If multiple musical instruments are played at the same time in your home studio or a professional studio, the best idea would be to grab a ribbon microphone since they clearly fit for all-purpose recording. A classic example of a high quality ribbon microphone would be Royer 121. With that being said, ribbon microphones are the most fragile type of microphones you can find even with the incorporation of durable parts. So, you should be extra careful while handling them in comparison to dynamic or condenser microphones.

Features:

Ideal for vocals, choirs, strings, piano, and woodwind
Extremely sensitive
Has a vintage appearance
Suitable for recording multiple musical instruments played at the same time
On the higher end of the price spectrum

Final Words

Choosing the right microphone is crucial in recording. If you do not utilize the correct microphone for a particular musical instrument, the output will not be the best. So you must select the ideal one at first try in order to avoid repurchases. Now that you’re aware of the different types of microphones, you should be able to choose one for your instrument or of course go ahead and purchase different ones for multiple musical instruments in your studio.

How To Get Rid of Echo In Audacity

Last Updated March 15, 2021

Echo is picked up in audio recordings as sound bounces off of various surfaces such as walls, floors, large furniture, etc. Although you cannot possibly remove echo fully from audio recordings you can significantly reduce them using the free audio software Audacity. In this software, there are easy-to-use tools that can help you get rid of the majority of the echo that is caught due to sound getting reflected from different surfaces inside the space where the audio is recorded. In this article, we will walk you through how to get rid of echo in Audacity.

You can also read: Recording Studio For Beginners: A Quick Start Guide

What Is An Echo Or Reverb?

In raw audio footages, echo or reverb is formed due to the multiple external audio additions that may alter the true purpose of the recorded audio clip. Getting rid of echo from the audio recording can make it sound better and more natural. While sound engineers are experts at removing the majority of the echo or reverb from recordings, not all of you may have access to one of them. To take matters into your own hands, you should consider reducing echo in recorded audio clips using Audacity. To further tailor to the user’s preferences, Audacity provides you the option to reduce echo in audio clips in two options, with or without the use of plug-ins. Even if you do not have any experience of performing these editing procedures, you can follow the below guide and get rid of echo from your audio clips in less than a few minutes.

Removing Echo With a Plug-In

Out of all the free plug-ins that you can find for Audacity, Noise Gate is undoubtedly the best one. So, download and install the plug-in and before you open Audacity from the menu, restart your computer. Noise Gate is pretty easy to use so you’ll be able to remove echo to a great extent in just a few steps.

First, select the audio file you’d like to edit in Audacity. Then, choose Noise Gate from the “Effect” option on the toolbar. To reduce echo in the selected audio recording, you can play with multiple options but the best way would be to start by choosing -100 for “Level Reduction” followed by selecting 75 for “Attack/Decay” and 30 for “Gate Threshold”. Here, level reduction commands the gate threshold to reduce the mentioned amount of unwanted audio i.e. echo.

If the echo does not reduce to the amount you’re happy with, you can increase the Gate threshold to meet your end requirement. You can always make changes if any important part of the audio gets cut while you’re trying to remove the echo. So, keep tweaking it until you meet a desirable result.

Removing Echo Without a Plug-In

You can also choose to remove echo from an audio recording without using a plug-in. However, this will be a more complex route and you need to follow it to the dot especially if you’re reducing echo for the first time.

First, when you choose the audio file, make sure you select “All supported types” under Files of type. Once you open the file you’d like to edit, choose the segment of the recording you want to make changes to. This can be done by clicking at one point and dragging the cursor until the end of the part you’d like to edit.

Next, select “Effect” located at the top of the screen and choose “Noise Reduction”. To improve the quality of the selected audio clip, increase the level of noise reduction. This may reduce the volume of the audio which can be fixed by choosing “Amplify” from the menu. The amplify option not only allows you to increase the overall volume of the audio clip but also makes it much bolder.

Now, you can choose the “Compressor” option under the Effects menu and make multiple changes in the noise floor or threshold as you prefer. If you’re not happy with the pitch of the audio recording you can change it using the low pass or high pass filter located at the bottom of the Effects option. For example, if you find the sound clip to be too high-pitched for your liking choose the low pass filter to balance it out. On the other hand, a high pass filter should be chosen if the audio recording is too low-pitched. What’s great about Audacity is that it lets you edit such tiny options multiple times till you reach a point that sounds the best to you. Every time you make a change, you can check the preview before you decide to make further changes.

At this point, you can apply Equalization by choosing either Graphic EQ or Draw Curve. The former is easier to use as it portrays a graph with sliders for you to make changes to. The Equalization option is meant for fixing the tones of the audio recording according to your preference. Play with the middle bar to alter the middle tones, while the bars on both extremes should be used to alter low tones and high tones.

This should complete the process of reducing echo in your chosen audio file. So, click the File menu on the toolbar and select “Export Audio”. For “Save as type” that appears on the new window, go for wav(lossless) or mp3(compressed). Finally, go to File on the top of the screen again and click on “Save Project As” to save the edited file.

Final Words

The last thing you want in a recorded audio clip is an accumulation of unwanted echo. While it’s impossible to prevent that from happening, you can remove them from the finishing piece thanks to the software Audacity. We are positive that this article will help you create smooth audio recordings without the presence of undesirable echo.