Signal to noise ratio is the ratio that compares the levels of signals with the level of noise. The sound we record always has some kind of noise in it. It is recommended that you should record a sound with minimum or no amount of noise.
When we record a sound for a film or for any other reason, the data that we actually want to record is known as the signal whereas the hum or any other kind of unwanted sound that gets recorded is known as noise.
What is noise
A noise can be divided into two categories – white noise and electrical noise. It is worth noticing that you can remove white noise during post production or on an editing table because it emerges from the background but you cannot remove the electrical noise. It is because the electrical noise arises from the sound equipment like recorder, XLR cable or the microphone itself. Signal to noise ratio is calculated in decibels. The more amount of signal a recording has as compared to noise, the more useful and clear the data is and vice versa. Let’s talk about how we can reduce the noise while recording a sound.
Choose the right microphone
The first and foremost thing you should know as a sound recording artist is what kind of microphone you should use for recording. The microphones have different range and directional abilities. For instance, if you want to record an interview, you should go for a lapel microphone as it is less sensitive to surroundings but if you want to record the ambience, you should go for a cardiod microphone as it records sound from different directions.
Do not increase the volume
There is always some kind of noise around us. We might think that recording in a silent space will give perfect signal but do you know that even a completely silent space has a humming sound of around 20 decibels? The ideal thing to do in such a scenario is to identify the kind of noise the environment has and try to go far from that noise. You should never increase the volume in order to record signal when there is noise because it will increase the level of noise too in the recording.
Never record electronic noise
Before recording, check all the wires and make sure you are recording in a free space. Also, do not attach too many components to your recorder as it will only increase the noise. It is not possible to remove electronic sound during editing and hence one should take care of it during the production.
