Audival - Podcasting Tips & Tricks » Gear

Need an audio editor?

Stiff — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:47:54 +0000

Levelator – for the Lazy

Stiff — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:36:53 +0000

Don’t have the time or interest to learn about proper mixing? Enter Levelator, a free application for Windows, Mac and Linux. From the Conversations Network website:

It’s not a compressor, normalizer or limiter although it contains all three. It’s much more than those tools, and it’s much simpler to use. The UI is dirt-simple: Drag-and-drop any WAV or AIFF file onto The Leveler’s application window, and a few moments later you’ll find a new version which just sounds better.

Personally I’m highly skeptical to shortcuts like these, but hey, might work for some.

Via Audio Geek Zine

A Gadget for Better Phone Interviews

Karli — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 07:06:43 +0000

If you’re the techie type of podcaster, you’d be very open to buying different gadgets to help you in your podcasts.

If you want to record your phone interviews with an exceptional level of quality you should get a handset tap. For example, a great gadget is the QuickTap manufactured by JK Audio. The $60 device will fit in between the phone base and the handset. It has an analog audio input that can be used to attach to a computer. Of course, the limitation of the QuickTap is that it will only work on a traditionally wired phone setup.

Of course, there are other devices available in various stores that will allow you to record phone conversations. Just look at the features and check which ones you will need.

Gain makes the Difference in a Podcast

Karli — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 08:54:52 +0000

Ever wanted to tame that noisy unbalanced podcast, well then you might just have to add some hardware that’s small yet compact and mobile enough for you to take with you anywhere. Ever been caught with a standard mic without the USB connector at the end, no worry, this next thingy comes with the advantage of a USB converter and universal adapter allowing you to connect both condenser and dynamic mics to a gadget that balances everything out, giving you clear and crisp podcasts.
from Bluemics.com comes the Icicle, a gain control device that allows you to adjust the amount of sensitivity (through a built in knob) that features seamless installation without the need for drivers. You plug it in and start recording on whatever recording software you may have. It’s a USB converter, gain control and preamp, all in one barrel packaged product that includes a six feet cable so you never snag on those scattered stuff on your desk.
Most basic mics come with their might tamed by the audio card that is pre installed onto your system. You use the mic jack and that’s it, not much control for whatever you’re recording and you have to get some heavy software to balance out everything. Why not start control of the audio before it hits the USB input so you get clear, clean input that needs little digital enhancement. Some of the best mics in the world are still analog by design for they offer the most clear audio. Add control to your podcast audio before you get it into the computer for better and clearer podcasts even your mom can understand.

Microphones – the basics

Stiff — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 10:56:43 +0000

If you plan on doing any talking at all in your podcast a microphone is definitely a must. While you might have some crappy old thing lying around (or perhaps a computer with a microphone of it’s own), you will find that a proper microphone increases the quality drastically. For podcasting, I would say that you basically have two choices: a condenser microphone or a dynamic microphone.

Dynamic microphones are often used for live work since they pick up less sound. This might sound like a disadvantage, but consider a noisy pub with a live band, you definitely don’t want all the bar chatter get picked up by the microphone and go out through the PA. I like these for studio recordings as well, especially on rock-type singing or for micing amps. They are traditionally cheaper than condenser microphones. For example, old classics like Shure SM58 (picture to the right) and SM57 goes for very little money and are classics any recording studio shouldn’t be without. However, this article isn’t about recording songs.

Condenser microphones (the mic at the picture at the top is a condenser) are very different animals that pick up much more sound of the frequency spectrum. They are traditionally more expensive, but the last years have shown a great increase in, quite honestly, pretty good condensers going for as little as dynamics or just a little more. They also work well if you need to interview someone with only one microphone. You can of course do this with a dynamic as well if you go for the sport journalist approach (that is sticking the mic in the face of the victim), but with a condenser you can just sit at the opposite sides of a table with the microphone in the middle picking up what you both say. If I didn’t own any microphones and was going to buy one for sole podcasting purpose I would definitely go with a condenser microphone.

A proper microphone won’t be compatible with the line-in on your computers built-in sound card. The way to deal with this is with the use of another sound card, an audio interface, or simply using one of the USB microphones that have been popping up lately.

Mp4 to Mp3 Converter

dave — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:44:17 +0000

Everyone enjoys music and everyone has their own taste in it. But no matter what people think about, there is one common thread with everyone who partakes in this past time, it is a catharsis which makes life seem a little less boring. That’s why you have the opportunity to listen to as much music as you want by converting your MP4 to MP3. Basically an MP4 is for video and audio, while an MP3 is just for audio.

You can convert dozens to audio formats to MP3, including AAC, OGG, and M4A. MPEG-1, MPEG-4, AVI, and MOV are just some of the MP3 extracted from MP4 to satisfy your listening pleasure. The MP4 to MP3 converter makes the files compatible to listen on a handful of MP3 music players. The files are compatible with Zune, iPod shuffles, iPod nanos, iRiver, and Creative Zen Vision. The files are converted with a Bitrate calculator which compresses any output file into any size. There are various adjustable parameters available in this program such as decoding CD, converting pointed segment to MP3, and converting multiples files at once.

This program is very easy to use and very user-friendly. All you need to do is load the source file and hit the convert button. While waiting for the conversion process to be completed, you can surf the web or continue doing your work because you have the option of running the program in background until the process is complete. When the conversion is done it will automatically perform the task complete actions.

A few Podcast microphones

Stiff — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:13:58 +0000

Here’s a few USB powered microphones and kits made for podcasting or the like. When USB microphones first came into this world they got a bad rep among professionals. Since then it seems like things have change, at least a bit. I have no idea about how good these particular microphones are though, so you’ll have to try them for yourself.

This is a beauty…
Alesis USB podcasting mic kit

I remember reading good things about Røde USB mics.
Røde Podcaster

This is a USB bundle from the controversial company Behringer. It seems like they have a Firewire bundle as well.
Behringer Podcast Studio

Samson C01U Recording / Podcast Pak

noise-less recording with a digital stand-alone recorder

Karli — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:29:33 +0000

The last post I made was on how to reduce background noise when recording. It is interesting to note that the PC itself can cause significant background noise that can creep into your podcast. That’s why, one great workaround to a cleaner, background noise-free recording would be to totally eliminate the PC from the recording process.

There are small gadgets in the market that allow you to record audio for your podcasts without the use of a PC. These standalone digital recorders are easy to use, very portable and allow you a great deal of leeway in terms of creating the perfect recording space.

One of the best standalone digital recorders out there is the Zoom H2. At just 200 dollars, the H2 is the perfect companion for the budding podcaster. Its size is quite diminutive and yet despite its size it is capable of recording CD quality sound. The recordings are stored automatically on the SD card that you insert on the SD card slot. Propping up the H2 is easy as it comes with two different stands — a small handle and a tripod like stand.

You can record your podcast using the H2′s very good onboard mics (it has more than one), or you can also use another mic because it has a mic adapter. finished recordings can also be transferred through a USB port.

Distance – Keep It

Karli — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:13:05 +0000

One more of the fundamental tips is to keep your distance from the mic which most people forget for with proper distance (which by the way you get only with experience with your setup) from the mic for whatever cost you may have spent on a mic use it wrong and you get trash. Mic filters, wind screens and many other stuff will get you respectable audio yet if you are still in the learning curve, try this trick, make a distance cue, say a pencil with the tip coated with some fluorescent paint to make it stand out and focus on the proper distance using it as a guide till you get it to sink in.
The best distance depends greatly on your mic which can have varying specifications, set yours in the mid point of the effective pickup range recommended by the manufacturer. Be sure to take into account the other hardware you have in front of the mic such as the stocking filter which kills out some of the hiss in your voice. Your voice practicing would come into play here, where you can do the whole podcast with the same voice level and tone. but don’t be like a robot without emotions but don’t over-do it too for too much enthusiasm will turn away leaders in your podcast is trash. The whole spectrum counts and do everything right, think it out and in the end you get the best podcasts you can possibly make.

FlashMics Freeing your Wired Podcast

Karli — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:04:27 +0000

HHB, a professional audio equipment manufacturer from the UK has shipped 10,000 of these wonderful mics, and with good reason, it’s portable, easy to use with no wires and has a built in flash memory that allows you to record on the go. This is a very nifty feature for podcasters who often do their work on-the-fly for what easier and lighter way to do a recording than with a flashmic that can store over 18 hours of uninterrupted audio for your compilation of materials that you can use for your podcast. The mic is durable enough for the rigors of portable recording and is easy enough to use without the need for a wire leading to the USB port on your laptop (tired recording impromptu on your laptop on-the-go). The mic comes with a preamp with automatic gain control making recordings nice and crisp and it has a nifty LCD display that tells you the time/length of your recording, sound levels and other status information.
Ease of use cannot be more simpler than plugging it into your USB port where it will automatically be treated as a USB mass storage device like any other flash drive. You also get a whole six hours of recording time on two AA alkaline batteries. Recording is done in a user selectable modes of either 32, 44. or 48kHz or if you prefer Mpeg 1 layer 2. It can also record into the much easy to edit wav format that includes a time stamp allowing easy tracing of your recordings. Ideal for beginners and experts alike who would love the high customization options which allows full control of the recording and the files themselves.
The software side has a manager software which allows the user to save settings on several pre-set modes, allowing you to pre-set modes and selecting them on the go allowing you to record at your set levels at the press of a button. There is also a normalized earphone jack which allows you to edit or hear your recordings as you scan them for quality with a firmware upgrade function built-in that can be used to upgrade the mics firmware as needed. There is also a free conversion software that allows you to convert your edited audio recordings to MP3 which is the favored format of choice due to high compression ratio’s.
The mic is a podcaster’s dream come true especially if you love live podcasts without the added weight of all your home studio (computer desk) equipment setup, they come in four models that are grouped into two types of either cardioid or omnidirectional recording abilities. Ideal for interviews and very convenient allowing easy recordings at the sound quality more expensive wired mics provide.