Sampling and Noise Reduction: Why, When, and How?

[pw]

I have been doing some sampling. My equipment is 'good', not great. I have a nice, fairly quite Tascam Desk, a very nice Rode condenser mic and a shure SM-58. I have not done any noise reduction ever when sampling, so there is a clear noise floor from the desk, or the desk + room when using a mic.

My question is, should I use noise reduction liberally? How damaging is noise reduction to the signal (lets say using Audacity's noise reduction utilities)? Do other of you who are sampling use noise reduction as a general rule when sampling hardware etc?

Thanks.

[soniccouture]

you mean there IS noise on your samples? if so, some sensible NR is acceptable. As always , how damaging it is comes down to how effectively and sensibly you apply it. I personally use waves X-noise, which is a noise print style reduction program - there are many similar. Often you cannot expect to remove all the noise, but to reduce it to a level where it's no longer a problem.

[Herman Witkam]

Before you explore the possibilities of noise reduction, it would be a better idea to take a look at your signal path. Obviously it's not the Rode mic producing the noise, since Rode mics are very quiet. If it's the desk, you might want to get a different preamp.

[Distorted_Mastermind]

I was thinking the signal as well. Something simple that can be done is to check the levels so you get the most output before the noise comes. Noise can often come from the gain being to high or the actual volume level. You could just be pushing the level a little harder than the preamp likes. I would start with trying to figure out where the best spot is for that preamp and your room conditions (rather than going out and spending some cash on more equipment). Another simple thing to always make sure about before running off and buying new gear is cables. One of the cheapest pieces of gear, but also one of the most important (doesn't sound like a cable though, I just added that because good cables are important and shouldn't be taken lightly).