MIG - sounds of proper settings?

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There has been a lot of talk about the sound of 'bacon sizzling' when welding with a MIG. Has anybody has recorded these sounds (both good and bad) and can post them for download? It couldn't hurt to have the newbies like myself know exactly what it is supposed to sound like. The video I got with my welder has them talking over the sounds while welding so you can't hear them very well. I'm anal about everything I do and I constantly gather information about anything I do so hearing the correct sounds can only enhance my technique.Thanks.
Reply:Here's a link: http://www.weldingengineer.com/1experience.htm.Basicly, the sound is a nice, crisp "sizzle", rather than a sharp "sputter".  How do your beads look?  If everything looks OK, then the sound you heard when you made the weld is what you want to hear.Be well.hank
Reply:You can also experiment with wire speed and see what you get at different settings.  Too little current and it will sputter - too much and it will spatter.  So I guess we don't want "sputter-spatter"...:-)A clean bead with no porosity, excessive height or spatter droplets is what you are aiming for.  Also watch the stickout from the tip to the work.  Keeping this length consistent helps keep the weld uniform.Get it hot and hit it hard...
Reply:I went and listened to the sounds posted, My beads look good to me but the sound pitch lower but  doesn't sound like a sputter. Its hard to describe, I guess I'll have to tape it and post it where others can listen to offer critiques.I know what too low a wire speed is, I could see the wire 'burn up' before getting to the work. I also have had too fast a wire speed and watched the wire 'bounce' against the work.  I'm getting the hang of wire speed and how fast to go with the wand. I used to go way too fast.  Until I got the auto darkening helmet I did more than my share of 'wandering' with the wand and welding my work to the shop vice!!! ;-) !! I'm also finding out the hard way that there are times I need to not get impatient and give things time to cool so that things don't warp.My perceptions are that I am not getting current settings right.  My welder has no chart to offer suggestions.I don't have anybody around here who could look at my work and offer suggestioins. I guess I'll have to start taking pics and posting them for others to look at.  After reading and looking at others work here I now know that the guy who was teaching me was an idiot and didn't know what he was talking about. His teachings were JUST PLAIN WRONG.  There aren't any classes at the community college here and no night classes available (Washington DC area) so I'll just continue to learn on my own and read and ask questions.  I'm a hobbyist with a 4x4 and have no career aspirations. I am gaining confidence in my work but as always there is room for improvement and I want to eventually get to the point of knowing how to work with aluminum.   But that is way far off.Make your kids wear their safety helmet. If Brian did He'd still be herewith us.  It only takes one fall.Brian P. Gronenthal 1990-2006  http://wearahelmet.org
Reply:Banjoman,One of the best deals around is the $25 Miller Student Pack avialable on this page at Millers web site. http://www.millerwelds.com/education/tools/index.htmlI too am self taught and found this to be an excellent value.Allen
Reply:What welder do you have?  Generally, wire feeders have voltage settings.  Current is determined by the wire speed setting - faster = higher current.