I found this tip over at the Blog Relations blog. It is from the same folks who bring you Storynory a podcast of stories for kids [I first mentioned the podcast in this blog in December of 2005]. The blog is interesting. I’ve just discovered it and so am still kicking the tires. This is how they describe themselves:

We create Blogs and Podcasts, and we write about them here. We can also help your business with your blogs and podcasts.

While tooling around, I came across the following tip:

Plosives are the bain of podcasters. They are the breathy sounds that sneak into the microphone, however hard you try to keep them out. “Ps’ are apt to explode all over the place. I often hear them popping out of the most experienced podcasters’ microphones.

As always, it’s best to avoid them in the first place. Haul a pop guard over your microphone, or even use a silk pop screen in front of a condenser mic. Point the microphone at your chin, rather than directly at the mouth. Try to hold in and soften those ps with your lips.

But despite your best efforts, some plosives are bound to find their way onto the track. But don’t despair. In many cases, it’s still possible to edit them out. Bump up the size of the sound wave on your screen, and you should be able to see the angry zig-zags, characterised by the wide spaces between the lines of the wave. Sometimes you will also see the explosion shooting up above the natural height of the words Try cutting out the nasty bit with your sound editor, and preview it to make sure it still sounds natural.

This sort of precision editing is quite time-consuming. Perhaps it’s mostly for perfectionists.

Tags: Tips, Recording, Editing | 1 Comment »

I was listening to some podcast over the weekend, and there was a mention of radioproject.org. I was intrigued and started to poke around the site. I came across this list of suggestions of how to produce a piece for radio play. The suggestions translate well for podcasts. The subjects covered are:

1. Create Story Idea
2. Start a Folder
3. Record and Research
4. Log Tape
5. Paper Edit
6. Dub and Edit Tape
7. Sequence Tape
8. Write Script
9. Mix Narration and Tape

Also:

Glossary

Recording Tips

Suggested Equipment

I suggest you head on over and give the resource page a read. It’s good stuff.

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Tags: Resources, Recording | 2 Comments »

I happened upon a few descent resources at Expert Village. This is one of a slew of niche video sites that have been springing up over the years. This site concentrates on the advice of a range of experts. I was disappointed that there was nothing on podcast or field recording, but some of the stuff in the Music section turned out to be pretty good.

The first video series I took a look at was entitled “How to Build a Home Recording Studio“. It is a 15 video series, but don’t let that put you off, the videos tended to be under 2 minutes. In the series, producer Arie Pytel provides a primer on a wide variety of studio basics. Many of these topics are applicable to podcasters as well. Topics such as choosing a mic, studio software, studio computers, equipment connections, mic connections and more were very interesting.

My main beef with the series is the fact Arie Pytel didn’t mic himself when doing the series. It is obvious he used the video mic to capture the sound. As a result, the sound is thin and tinny. This really pushed my buttons during his discussion of microphones.

There are others in the music section of Expert Village you’d want to check out. Some of the content has to be ‘converted’ for podcast use. Think of taking a look at the following:

Tad Donley : How to Set Up a Home Recording Studio: Free Online Music Production Tips

Matt Bodi : Building a Professional Recording Studio :: Professional Tips and Advice

Jesus Cardoso : Techniques for a Music Producer: Using Home Recording Studio Equipment

All of these have certain nuggets in their series. Each subject in the series is titled and so you have a general idea of what will be covered. Generally, each video lasts around 2:00 - 2:30. What I got out of the various series is how much I want/need a dedicated space to do my recording and post-production.

Sigh. Hopefully soon.

Tags: Tips, Video, Technical, Recording, Equipment, Media Creation | No Comments »

It has been a while since I have come across such an amazingly useful utility as ‘Super’. It is a free program (as in free beer - I don’t know if it is open source), that its creators describe in this way:

If you need a simple, yet very efficient tool to convert (encode) or play any Multimedia file, without reading manuals or spending long hours training, then SUPER © is all you need. It is a Multimedia Encoder and a Multimedia Player, easy-to-use with 1 simple click.

SUPER © is totally FREE to download and to use. It plays & converts very fast full length movies to any other format without any time or function limitation. NO trial or evaluation version of SUPER © but one unique fully working version.

SUPER © does NOT require any additional external codec to be installed, absolutely nothing. Necessary codecs are built in!

SUPER © can also play and save Internet Media Streams with different protocols ( mms:// rtsp:// http://)

Please read the changelog and the following details to see how: SUPER © does for FREE what other encoders CAN’T do for money.

If it sound like a bunch of hype, I thought so too. The website itself gave me a bit of pause. It seemed amateurish and I felt like I was walking into some scam. I downloaded the program about a month ago and poked around for a while. It seemed ok, so I left it on my computer looking for a reason to use it.

Yesterday, I got that reason. A friend needed a song from a certain pageant for a project she was working on. She had looked on iTunes and several other music sites, but was not able to find the song.

I went to work and even signed up for Rhapsody (I won’t link to it since they zorked me off in several ways during the sign-up, install, running, and especially canceling of the service when I had to call a customer service rep “Linda” who was probably in Bangalore, India over a crackly line - but I digress). I had not luck.

I finally had a brainstorm. I would see if I could find a video of a pageant on one of the video sites. I quickly found a video that included the exact song I needed. I decided that instead of just sending the link, I would try out a couple of utilities. First, I grabbed the video off the site using the Ook extension of Firefox. This extension allows me to download video from video sites as long as they exist as either flv, mov, wmp, or swf files. I was able to grab it with a problem.

Once I had the video on my hard-drive, I was able to drag-n-drop it into Super. Once there, I was able to select an output. In this case I opted to ignore the video and simply rip it as an mp3 file. If I had been thinking, I should have ripped it to a wav file since I needed to use Audacity to pull-out the minute of music from file. The way I did it, however, was to rip the mp3 at 320 kbps and then compress that down to 128 after the final edit.

In all of this, I was able to use the ‘Super’ utility easily. The interface is intuitive and clean. There is a lot of information on the screen, yet I had no problems getting the job done.

Since yesterday, I have experimented with the utility a couple more times, I have continued to be pleased with the ease of use and the high quality output. I recommend you take a look and keep it in your ‘utility arsenal’. You’ll need it, it’s just a matter of when.

Download Super here.

Tags: Resources, Technical, Evangelization, Recording, Utility, Firefox | No Comments »

Below is an article I pulled from the Pandora podcast. They have been doing a series on recording techniques. Most of the info revolves around music recording and the info below is no exception. Since all of us who podcast are in the bidness of capturing vocal tracks (at least), the techniques described are especially appropriate.

Most of us are usually excited to get solid vocal tracks that don’t suck that we tend not to explore techniques that involve different kinds of mics and mic positions. As you will here, however, the techniques employed in capturing vocal tracks can determine much of the feel of our casts.

You will find the complete companion article here. I have added a few links to Wikipedia to several of the musical terms used in the cast. Also, the “Listen Now” button did not work for me so I ended up downloading the cast directly. I hope you find this helpful. The audio portion runs just 8:27 so I hope you give it a listen.

Recording Vocals

Neo-soul chanteuse Ariah Firefly
appears for the fourth episode in Pandora’s podcast series, and she and
host Kevin Seal explore the recording of vocals. They talk about
natural reverb, plosives, and background vocalizing, and compare
condenser and dynamic microphones. They also discuss proper mic
technique, and the different pattern settings that change a
microphone’s sound. (8 mins.)

On the next page, see a list of the musical terms defined in this
podcast, check out pictures of Ariah recording her vocals, and listen
to examples from famous singers that demonstrate the ways they use the
studio to their advantage.

MUSICAL TERMS INCLUDED IN THIS PODCAST

	The black circle in front of Ariah’s mouth is the pop screen, which helps prevent her plosive sounds from being disruptive or distracting. In this shot, she is singing into a condenser mic at Get Reel Productions, a Bay Area studio.
	In the isolation booth or in the vocal tracking room, the singer is separated from the engineer and producer by several sheets of transparent sound-deadening material. This sound isolation is necessary to maintain a clean recorded signal. Here is the performer’s view of the mixing room.
	Here’s how the producer and engineer see the singer during a vocal take. Since she can’t hear them through the thick glass, they communicate with her by using a talkback mic in the mixing room.
	The lateral switch at the base of this condenser microphone changes the mic’s pattern settings. Different patterns - such as omnidirectional, unidirectional (cardioid), and bidirectional - change the angle of sonic input that the mic will receive.

LEAD VOCALS SUNG IN A BACKING-VOCAL STYLE

QUIETLY SUNG, CLOSE-MIC’ED, CLOSE-PROXIMITY VOCALS

LARGE-ROOM REVERB

UNTAMED PLOSIVES

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Tags: Resources, Techniques, Recording | No Comments »

From Podcasting News and the Olympus website:

Tags: Technical, Recording | 2 Comments »

I stumbled upon a site that has “manuals” for several open source software programs. One of them is for Audacity. The site is full of walk-throughs with screen shots (from the Apple version) and good explanations. It provides info on how to perform most basic functions.

If you have been needing some help with Audacity, this is a good place to start.

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Tags: Tutorial, Resources, Audacity, Recording | 2 Comments »

Merry Christmas everyone. Our family just celebrated our family Christmas and the kids are still wound up and I am wiped out!

Since I just got back from my trip to Missouri, I thought I’d take a few moments to try to catch up on some blog reading. I came across a posting on Digg about an Apple seminar on how to produce a successful podcast. I wasn’t expecting much and so was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the sessions.

The ’seminar’ is three part video series on how to perform, produce, and promote a podcast. I just finished part one and the info was extremely high quality. It takes the viewer through a solid primer on how to choose a good mic, some basic interfaces, and finally some tricks of the trade on how to ‘work your voice’. While it is essentially an ad for iLife, but there is lots of useful info for the non-mac user.

The series does require registration but I just used my Yahoo address (one of my throw-away addresses) for registration since I don’t know what kind of spam will be generated by this registration. The ’seminar’ is definitely worth a peak.

Click here to find out more: http://seminars.apple.com/seminarsonline/podcast/apple/index.html

For a listing of all of the seminars and events currently being offered by Apple visit http://seminars.apple.com

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Tags: Podcast, Podcasting, Resources, Techniques, Technical, Recording, Apple | No Comments »

I have been hearing a lot of buzz about the new Samson H4 field recorder (big picture here). It is feature rich and affordable (street price $299). It is tempting to purchase but it is difficult to find testimonials. The big question I have is how much noise the preamp adds to the recording.

If you know where there are good user reviews on this unit, please let me know. In the mean time, take a look. It is an exciting entry into the field recorder market.

Some Specs

• Fits in the palm of your hand
• Ideal for infinite variety of mobile recording applications
• Records 24-bit/96 kHz digital audio as well as MP3 format with bitrates up to 320kbps
• 2 studio quality X/Y pattern condenser microphones for true stereo recording
• 2 combination XLR-1/4 in. input jacks with phantom power
• Onboard studio effects compression, limiting and mic modeling
• 1/8 in. headphone jack provided for monitoring
• 128MB Secure Digital (SD) card included
• Using a 2GB SD memory card provides 380 minutes of recording with CD Quality sound
• Up to 34 hours recording in MP3 stereo mode
• USB mass-storage interface
• 4 hours of continuous recording operation from 2 AA batteries
• Back-lit, 128×64 pixel LCD provides the visual interface
• AC adapter, windshield cover, USB Cable and tripod adapter included

4-Track Recording

• 4-track audio in CD quality 16-bit PCM, 44.1 kHz sampling
• Combination high-impedance phone inputs for vocals, guitars, bass or keyboards.
• Built in guitar amp modeling equivalent to the Zoom G2

Audio Interface

• Records directly to your computer as a USB audio interface
• Bundled with Cubase LE, 48-Track Digital Audio Workstation software

Tags: Resources, Recording, Equipment | No Comments »

I have been looking around for a good field recorder. I am tired of my mini-disc recorder. I have lost too many interviews because of its idiosyncrasies (hear: ‘I don’t know how to use it right’). I have spoken with a number of people who recommend three different recorders, the first is the Edirol R-9, the second is the Marantz PMD-660, and last the M-Audio MicroTrack.

I will not be doing a full review, but rather wanted to describe my reasons for recommending the Edirol R-9. First let me describe the main reasons I did not go with the Marantz or the M-Audio. The Marantz reviewed well and would be a great field recorder. Ultimately, it was the size that got me. I need to use it for recording speakers. I will be mic-ing them directly and want to have a unit that it small enough to belt-clip to the speaker.

Taking size into consideration I am left with the M-Audio and the Edirol R-9. In researching the two, I came across a real problem with the M-Audio. The only power source for the unit is a built-in battery. The battery cannot be swapped out. So, when the needs to be recharged, the M-Audio is out of commission. I read several reviews that the battery did not hold a charge that well. Since I need the unit to be reliable and durable, I was left to hope that the Edirol R-9 stood up to the scrutiny.

The R-9 was the right size and with the optional belt-clip provided the profile I desired. The unit is powered by AA batteries, so swapping out power in the field should be a cinch. I read reviews that the unit performed well for several hours on two AA’s. Impressive. The recording can be done in either WAV or MP3. WAV’s can take up a lot of space even if I invest in a 2GB memory card (a 64mb card is included). You can get a 2GB SD card for less than $50, and this will store 3 hours of 44.1kHz/16 bit PCM coded audio in WAV file format (i.e. CD quality).

The only thing that gives me pause is the cost. While $400 is a good price for the unit, by the time you add the belt-clip ($50), A wired lavalier ($99), and a 2GB card ($50), the cost is $600 and this does not include shipping. That’s a chunk of change, though it seems to fit the bill exactly.

So, it looks like it’s going to be the Edirol R-9. Time to scrape together my pennies and buy one!

Tags: Resources, Review, Technical, Recording, Edirol | No Comments »