Help! Something's a bit weird about this recording I made!

[Composer of Requiems]

Okay, so I'm a complete newbie when it comes to recording, and I just use my computer's in-built mic for recording. Anyway, I have this particular bit of recording, and what I don't understand is that when I listen through it through my computer's speakers, I get this horrible dull thudthudthud sound, while when I listen through it through my earphones or through other (external) speakers, I get a proper tom sound.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/18869963e4154c65/

Here, I uploaded it online. My laptop is a HP Pavilion tx1000 with decent altec lansing speakers, while I'm using very old external Creative speakers (not sure of the brand), and Shure Sound Isolation earpieces.

When I listen to other recordings of drum or music or anything, the sound quality coming out of the speakers is quite acceptable. Not as good as through my external speakers or headphone, but I can definitely pick out what I'm hearing. But now, when I listen through headphones, I can hear a tom drum sound, but when I listen through the computer itself, it sounds really weird, like hitting a piece of rubber or something.

I have never had a situation like this before, where hearing this same recording on my computer and the speakers has such a huge difference.

Would really appreciate any help I can get! What's the reason for this happening?

 

[arctopus]

https://www.yousendit.com/download/bVlCUXVqRnc3N0RIRGc9PQ

here, cleaned it up for you

 

[Composer of Requiems]

Whoa, thanks! It sounds really amazing now, besides cleaning up did you enhance it too?

By the way, what was the problem with the original file? I forsee having to do this to a lot of the files in the near future =X

 

[arctopus]

completely different drums mate
you'd have to get a proper mic for one, computer mic wont cut it. its clipping (distorting all over the place)
out of what you have your earphones are the best bet for monitering..definately not the laptop speakers

 

[Composer of Requiems]

Huh isn't it the same clip, but touched up? Or did you like take another recording of a drum or something, and fitted it to be the same as this?

Hmm yeah, maybe that's why. But the strange thing is that normally when I just record, I don't have any problem with it.

 

[blueprintstudios]

CoR : yes your tom sounds like a percussion. and it's too close to the drum/toms. that it's "clipping" . distorting. overload above 0db. try putting that one computer mic AWAY infront of the drumset. as a "room mic" . and invest in a decent recorder like Zoom H2 or something.

as for differences between "hearing mediums" (earphone,headphones,pc speakers,hifi speakers,car stereo etc) that's what "mastering" is for, to make sure it sounds as good in all. but that's way off from where you're at so you don't need to worry.

what arctopus did is a process called triggering/drumreplacement. which will be pretty pointless for you to try and trigger with just 1 computer mic track and it'll bleed all over the place until the triggers run wrongly. so you're better off drum-arrangement or using drumloops. now it's easy to trigger because you're only hitting "one drumshell" per "one track" . do a drumroll in one mono track and you pretty much gotta start using mouse and keyboard to manually arrange.

problem with your recording -
1) mic (crappy. sorry.)
2) soundcard (hissy/noisy)
3) miking (then again your computer mic cannot tahan close miking i believe)
4) recording (your levels are wrong, it should be recorded softer first then jacked up later.)

earlier i suggested Zoom H2 (costs around $250 at citymusic now i think) as the mics on it are abit better than the zoom H4 (which I have 2 of it) and it's $100 cheaper anyway.

https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&batch_id=bVlBblRsUnIxUUIzZUE9PQ
this is a test recording i did at a live gig with the Zoom H4 right infront of the drumset.
so basically for your case, if you got something like the H2, just no-brainer put it infront of the drumset just right above the kickdrum / below the toms that height. set it to record at lowest level so it doesn't overload. and it solves problems 1,2,3,4 immediately.
1) decent mic.
2) it's an audio interface/soundcard also.
3) as stated above.
4) as stated above.

p.s : i don't work at citymusic. i only recommend what works.
have fun

50¢ worth.

 

[blueprintstudios]

ok ditch that yousendit link I did a video version


http://www.box.net/shared/x7n5cra7eb


0:00 - 0:23 = H4 recording (you can see my H4 infront of the drums in the video)
25 seconds onwards is the video camera's audio where I was standing at.

you can hear distortions/overload on the vidcam's audio even from that distance.

but my H4 was set to record at lowest levels so you don't hear any distortion from the drums.

 

[Composer of Requiems]

Ah alright, thanks! But there's really nothing that can be done to clean up a clip like that already?

 

[blueprintstudios]

trigger/drumreplace lor. like what arctopus did