Is Microphone Noise Audible in Recording?

The whining or humming noise has been thoroughly discussed on this forum but I haven't been able to find out whether the noise impacts the recording. I'm a reporter who uses my mic input on a daily basis, so this is a HUGE deal for me. Can anyone who has experienced this microphone issue confirm whether the hum comes through in recorded audio?

Thanks ahead of time.

 

Um, why don't you simply listen to what you've recorded with headphones? That should tell you.

 

I guess I should have clarified - I'm considering purchasing a F-series Vaio. I was hoping to get feedback from Vaio owners prior to spending 1000+ on the laptop.

 

If you are planning on using a mic for work, get a professional one. No laptop mic will suffice.

 

I have a professional mic (quite a few actually). I'd be using the mic input to capture an 1/8" output from a Mackie mixing board. The board has several audio feeds hard-wired in from various rooms throughout the state legislature. I've been using a Lenovo T60p for the past three years and it's worked great. The quality is very close to using a nice powered condenser mic - at least good enough for broadcast (keep in mind this is speech, not music I'm recording). The Lenovo is on it's deathbed, however. Plus, now I need to edit video for occasional blog posts.

 

I just spoke with a Sony rep who says all the microphone noise issues have been addressed. However, I can't confirm this as I don't have my Vaio yet.

 

I also do recording on my laptop on a regular basis. I can tell you that almost all laptops have a very high noise floor on the mic input. If you are really serious about recording you need to look into a USB recording device they are not as susceptible to noise and have a noise floor greater then -90 db. Conversely you will be looking at about a -40db noise floor or more on a crappy laptop sound card, and if you try to clean it up after the fact you will just end up with the martian effect.

If you already have a good XLR Mike I would look at one of these
http://www.shure.com/newproducts/X2u/index.htm

If that is too expensive then you could use a USB audio device (about 20 bucks) that has a 1/8" mic input. It will have about a -60 to -80 db floor and sound much better with your current mics.

You just won't be happy with any built in laptop sound card I can guarantee it! Don't frustrate yourself, get something that will give you the best sound within your budget.

 

Oh I also wanted to add another option. There are many mid to high quality direct USB mikes on the market now that have the D/A converter built right into the mike. Many of them have a high quality head with a very low noise D/A converter somewhere around -98db noise floor.

Look here for some very capable options
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/microphones/usb-microphones

 

Thanks for the response, Manaen. That's not a bad idea...although I'm not experiencing bad noise problems with the Lenovo at the moment (just deafening fan noise instead LOL). The recordings have been good enough for broadcast so far. Again, I'm not recording an orchestra - just a bunch of politicians talking about bills. But your suggestion solves another problem: I hate the fact the F series has the mic input in the front-right corner. With a USB device, I can move it out of the way (Yes I'll have to use a USB hub connected to the eSATA port). I'm sure the boss will okay an extra $20. Thanks again.