Audition Hz not above 10k?

[Walker27322513aj42]

Hello, I'm pretty new to Audition so hoping this is an easy fix. My spectral frequency peaks are "cut off" at about 10k Hz. How do I adjust my settings so that this doesn't happen? I'm recording in 48000Hz, mono, 16 bit depth, and saving as .wav.

[emmrecs]

Inevitable questions: what are you recording?  Is there actually any frequency above about 10kHz in your source audio?  How are you recording these sounds, mic plugged into your computer, or via an audio interface?  What mic are you using?  

Your record settings which you list are fundamentally fine so, since Audition faithfully records exactly what it is given any problem must be occuring in the signal chain before the audio reaches Audition.

[Walker27322513aj42]

Thanks for your response. I'm recording vocals via a RODE XLR mic with an Behringer audio interface. I have not tested any microphones, although I am going to try now with my other USB microphone.

[Walker27322513aj42]

Hmm. Same result. This is on a USB microphone:

[emmrecs]

But what are you recording?  i.e. what is the source of the audio?  Are you sure that it has any frequnecy above about 10kHz actually present?

[Walker27322513aj42]

Sorry if i'm being dense here - i'm recording my voice, is that what you mean? A client asked that my voice over peaks above 16khz. Not sure why they need that.

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

I think you might need to get them to explain exactly what they mean - because 'voice-over peaks above 16kHz' is meaningless! Peaks are volume-related, and can occur at any frequency.

[Walker27322513aj42]

Certainly, I can ask them that. They included this screenshot as an example of what they want:

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

But the comparison is meaningless - that's not your voice! Even if there was any meaningful vocal content at 16kHz, having it come to a peak at that frequency isn't going to sound good. If your voice, quite reasonably, doesn't have any significant output at that frequency, then it simply won't be there. It's simple; they either want your voice or they don't - any stipulations like that are not really relevant. Vocal noises that come out at that sort of frequency tend to sound like sibilance, which most producers want to eliminate!

[emmrecs]

Yes, that is what I mean, thank you!

Without wishing to introduce gender issues, can you say whether you are male or female?  And in what environment are you recording?  If you are "male" and in a reasonably "controlled" recording space I think it is quite possible that you will not actually be creating any frequencies substantially above your 10kHz ceiling.

Just as a rather poor method of checking this I've opened a recording of a male voice made in a non-controlled environment (actually quite a large church) and although there is spectral frequency evidence of signal above 10kHz, isolating those frequencies shows almost no actual verbal content.  IOW, that content is simply "ambience".

However, your comment that A client asked that my voice over peaks above 16kHz to me, at least, makes no sense at all as it stands!  Unless your recording environment is too controlled and frequencies above about 9kHz are actually being, in effect , removed by your romm treatment.

Edited: to add, the new screenshot posted definitley shows there is signal in the range above 10kHz.  So where did your first screenshot come from?

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

Well there you go - two  people have told you pretty much the same thing! I think you might need a little chat with your client...

[Walker27322513aj42]

Thank you both very much for your responses. I am indeed male with a baritone voice recording in a soundproofed studio setting. Yes, everything i've found online shows how to remove sibilance, instead of "preserve it"? Perhaps my voice isn't what these folks are looking for. I appreciate the help!

[Walker27322513aj42]

Oh, the new screenshot is what the client provided as an example, while the first and second screenshots on this thread were my own recordings.

[Cassie29336994nl92]

I have the same issue, and interestingly enough I am using a Rode XLR through a Behringer. While those frequencies might fade due to voice variations it should not be blank like our problem is. The problem is missing information in those frequencies, not a lack of information to record. If you ever figure it out I would love to know the solution! 

[Cassie29336994nl92]

I may have happened on to the solution for mine. I had to go into my computer's default recording settings and switched it from 48k mono to 48k stereo and now I have those missing frequencies. I am not saying that it makes sense... but that it worked for me, good luck!! 

[Thanksgiving2023]

I have the same problem with my audition, and it wasn't resolved even after changing to stereo settings.

[Thanksgiving2023]

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

Being mono or stereo makes no difference. If you record a mono mic onto two channels, you're just wasting space on your hard disk, because all you've done is stored an identical signal twice.

If you record a male voice in a quiet space using a dynamic mic, then the response above, where most of the energy is in the 200Hz - 4kHz range, is going to be correct; the energy falls off above this. Okay, I wouldn't expect such a sharp fall-off, but there really isn't going to be any signal above 10kHz that will add any more clarity.

What we don't know about your recording though is, er, anything... What mic, what preamp, what sample rate, what processing did you do, what format did you save the result in, what the acoustic conditions are, etc. So beyond a generalisation, we can't really say too much about what ought to be there. Miracles we can usually do immediately, but the impossible takes a little longer!

[Thanksgiving2023]

Thank you for your response and providing me with additional information about the relationship between single microphone recording in pseudo-stereo and disk space usage. I'm understanding that you're using an M1 chip Mac mini, SHURE SM7B + iD4, and there are no effects plugins loaded within the Audition host. The sample rate is set to 48kHz with a 32-bit floating-point depth. While the audio above 10kHz doesn't have a significant impact on the sound quality, you've noticed that when using other hosts like Logic Pro in the same hardware setup, there is no occurrence of the frequencies above 10kHz being muted. Additionally, when recording with Audition, slight plosives are muted, resulting in missing initial consonants (e.g., the "t" sound in words like "touch"). When intentionally blowing into the microphone to create a strong plosive effect, the recorded audio appears as a nearly straight line without any waveform.

[Thanksgiving2023]

Thank you for your response, and it also gave me a better understanding of the relationship between single-microphone recording in pseudo-stereo and disk space usage. I am using an M1 chip Mac mini with SHURE SM7B + iD4, and I haven't loaded any effects plugins within the Audition host. The sample rate is 48kHz, and the bit depth is 32-bit floating-point.

Although the audio above 10kHz doesn't have a significant impact on the sound quality, I have noticed that when I use other hosts like Logic Pro in the same hardware setup, I don't encounter a situation where frequencies above 10kHz are muted. Additionally, when recording with Audition, slight plosives are muted, resulting in the absence of initial consonants (such as the "t" sound in words starting with "touch"). Moreover, when I blow forcefully into the microphone to create an exaggerated plosive effect, the recorded audio appears as a nearly flat line without any visible waveform.

[Thanksgiving2023 · Accepted solution]

After my efforts, I finally found the solution to this problem. The issue was with the microphone mode in Mac OS. When the microphone mode is enabled, you need to choose between the Standard mode or Voice Enhancer mode. By simply accessing this option and selecting the Standard mode or turning off the microphone mode, the problem of frequencies above 10kHz being muted can be resolved. 

 

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

I might have guessed that it would be a Mac issue... 😉

Thanks for reporting back though!

[Walker27322513aj42]

Hi Thanksgiving, I was also having issues with consonants not coming through with Voice Enhance. When I remove it, my voice is way clearer, but the microphone sensitivity is now so high it picks up ambient room noise and gives my voice a hollow/echo sound. Were you experiencing the same thing, and if so, did you find any solution to this issue? Thanks!

[defaultwc7j18iphfhz]

I am having the same issue on my PC.  Where do I find the microphone mode?

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

I think that 'microphone mode' is Mac-specific...