[Solved] Mic distortion when speaking too loudly or shouting

Welcome on ForumDeSavanger  

My first question for you is: which version was the first one you installed? Was it perhaps version 2.3.8, or did you receive version 2.4.6 on your PC via an update?

Could the Hercules microphone preamp be the problem? Would it be an option to purchase a dbx 286s microphone preamp and insert it between the microphone and the Hercules Stream 200 XLR—thereby bypassing the Hercules preamp and its 48V phantom power? No, it can only be the software. If you updated from version 2.3.8 to 2.4.6, the update likely failed. I use a Tonor TC20 XLR microphone and have experienced no issues whatsoever, therefore, I suspect that something went wrong during the software update process. Please uninstall both the software and the driver. Then, download them again from the official download page. However, be sure to restart your computer after uninstalling; only then should you install version 2.4.6 and follow the on-screen instructions.

Hello @BAUMI ,

Thank you for your fast response.
The software says it's v2.4.6 [01.51 ] so I don't think this is the problem.
I will uninstall and reinstall the software and driver tomorrow to exclude this is the problem.

By the way, I've always had this problem, ever since I've bought the Stream 200 XLR.

That's strange, though—the Tonor works perfectly fine as I described. Maybe the XLR mic is too old or has compatibility issues, which is certainly possible. But you have a Phantom power switch on the back of the device, so that shouldn’t be the problem—it’s likely the Hercules XLR 200. Since the power is already there, please make sure you don’t connect it twice. There’s a small button on the back that you press to get the 48V from Hercules. Let me know if that helped. I bought this unit back then and don’t want any other unit because the routing is so good.

Hello @BAUMI,

Thank you for your fast response.

I think something went wrong with your translation. What do you mean with "Since the power is already there, please make sure you don’t connect it twice"? How can I connect "the power" twice? As I said in the topic description, the 48V-button on the Stream 200 XLR is enabled / engaged. 
There is no other power source that is serving the 48V for the Mic Pre-Amp...

I've tried uninstalling/reinstalling the driver and software (with a reboot after uninstalling) but the problem still exists.
I've tried with a Shure SM58 microphone but the problem is still the same.

However, I tweaked some settings now and the problem is gone while using a pop filter that I placed about a thumb length - so make a thumb, hold that between the mic and popfilter - from the microphone and speaking directly into the popfilter.

There is also another strange thing; when going to the XLR Mic Settings and clicking "Test mic", there is less/none distortion than when you don't click that button.
Also, if I shout in the microphone, the Mic-meter on the same page (XLR Mic Settings) goes into red. The limiter can't fix that unless I set the Limiter’s Threshold to -30.0 dB (as low as possible). Other things like changing the Attack & Release Time doesn't seem to affect anything.
I wish there was a way to just turn the "Mic amplification" to minus dB (could be an other translation in English, the Hercules Stream Control app is in Dutch for me). Because now the lowest is 0.0 dB which turns the Mic-meter into red when shouting and starts clipping / distortion.

Anyway, I will test further in my streams when shouting and I'll keep you updated.

Thanks in advance.

Hi,

Have you tried not using the preamp and disabling phantom power ? 

The Q2U seems pretty similar to the Shure SM58, and these mic shouldn't normally require the preamp to work properly.  

If you're referring to the Gaming, Chat, Music, System, and Aux tracks, it's true that when you use them, you can use both sides. That's because they operate without latency. Theoretically, you could do even more with the tracks, but that's exactly what Hercules doesn't want. Because there's zero latency on these tracks, which I think is great.

With the Shure SM58, there might be an issue with clipping in the device itself. I’m not a technician, but do you have another mic you can test this with? For the OBS, only the mic should be connected, and for the monitor device, just plug in the Hercules—nothing else. I’ll send you a manual that’s available in almost every language.

On my end, I went to Mic Settings > General, Condenser Mic 48V, then to Gain, and I have it set to 14dB. You can also turn it down a bit if that’s too loud for you. This will help you manage it better. If the gain is too high, turn it down—that will also make the mic quieter. Theoretically, you can set the gain to 0 if you don’t need it; try experimenting with that a bit.

I’ll also give you a link to the manual in multiple languages.

https://ts.hercules.com/download/streaming/Manuals/STREAM200XLR/Hercules-Stream-200-XLR_user_manual.pdf

MFG Baumi 

Hi everyone,

Thank you for all your reactions to this post.
I tried the solution from @DJ PHATSO and this is what works. I've removed the Mic Pre-Amp from Hercules, disabled the +48V, set the Microphone type in the XLR Mic Settings to only "Dynamic", without 48V or Pre-Amp.
Now I've set the gain to +20.0 dB and there's no distortion or clipping. The Mic-meter doesn't go in red but stays in the orange and I can set the limiter as I like (although I leave the Limiter Threshold to -9.0 dB because even when shouting there is absolutely no distortion or clipping going on).

Have a great day, everyone!

3. If you experience a slight delay—specifically, if it amounts to just one second—that wouldn't bother me as a viewer. I know plenty of people who have a minor delay of about one second; and as long as you are straightforward and honest about it, having that one-second delay shouldn't be an issue for me as a viewer. But that’s just my opinion.