<j_slobo@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1163076260.346930.151990@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> lowering sample rate in windows sound recorder eliminates some of noise
> so -can you make skype downsample from supposedly 16Khz and who should
> be responsible for background noise suppression -cheap pc mic,
> soundcard or skype?
>[/color]


Hi,

Interesting. Unless it is a "strange" scenario (older laptop [may even apply
to newer ones too]or even / much older desktop) it is unlikely to be the
soundcard or PC itself (unless with regard to this latter part [the PC
itself] you have some curious configuration going on their - odd, legacy or
malconfigured hard/software). The best candidates to be at fault are not
Skype (but I do believe they don't use the most delicate codecs [voice
compression / carriage systems]) but more likely in some rough order of
likelihood bad cabling / connections, local interference (other electrical
equipment), bad microphone, feedback / trying to operate handsfree or like a
speakerphone (this one should probably be at the front of the list - but it
is assumed that if you are trying to operate like this you are aware of the
inherent difficulties and general need to be a sound engineer almost
constantly monitoring your equipment [certainly if their are cheap parts in
the setup {read microphone}] to get this to even begin to consistently
provide anything like "reasonable" / passable audio quality; other (I will
let someone else finish this list!)... lol ... (p.s. a cheap microphone not
being used in a "handsfree" / speakerphone - open mic / feedback loop set-up
can actually provide very good or passable audio [but to be fair they are
usually pretty dire! - it is finding the "good" cheap microphone that seems
a bit like the holy grail - probably worth going "up" a couple of £ to the
next model [or preferably just using a genuine bt handset [note - not
necessarily the whole phone - just the handset - they tend to have some
extremely well specced and engineered microphones / speakers! {or just use
an ATA {or possibly high quality headset or other "VoIP" phone or just a
good microphone is you happy holding on to that [and using headphones -
really kind of necessary], etc.})... Someone else please feel free to carry
on in this vain / area (hard / software causes, contributors - good and bad,
etc.).

Further - generally reducing sample rates should reduce quality (markedly /
significantly). It may be that there is something working so poorly with
your current configuration that the "high fidelity" hum is almost or just is
that much worse to listen to when so clear, etc. that the muffling and
distortion of a lower sample rate actually aesthetically / acoustically
feels better, nicer, etc.


Best wishes,




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