New Media Gear 22: Blue Microphones Spark Digital Studio-Grade Condenser Microphone for Apple iPad and USB 2.0
I don’t often currently have the need to record high-quality audio to my iPad or iPhone, but I know a lot of podcasters who record to their mobile devices as a matter of course. The Spark would certainly add a level of quality to mobile recording while removing the need for mixing boards, phantom power and other encumbrances that make location recording difficult. The Spark plugs directly into the data connection of both older iPads using the 30-pin connector and also newer units with Apple’s Lightning Connector.
I have always liked Blue’s products, including a Blue Snowball that I currently own, and the Spark looks like it could be another great product.
The Rode Podcaster is a very popular microphone among both podcasters and YouTube video producers. It has a deep rich sound that makes nearly anyone sound better and more professional. This USB mic plugs directly into a USB port on Windows or Macintosh computers so no mixing board is necessary.
The Rode Podcaster also has an innovative work around for one of the downsides of a USB mic. Due to the design of a USB mic, you cannot monitor yourself i.e. listen to yourself using headphones, as you can with traditional mic and mixing board combinations. This is due to the fact that there is a delay caused by the computer processing the signal directly. The Rode Podcaster, though, includes an earphone jack directly on the microphone itself. From this you can monitor yourself as you speak without any delay being inserted. A nice touch.
“I am not a sound expert, but I have used several external microphones over the years to record both audio and video (well, the audio portion of my videos).
But I have to say that this little microphone kit is now one of my favorites. It comes bundled in a durable carrying case, which is a small point. But one that makes a lot of sense given that most podcasting types are probably also mobile types. The company sent me a media review unit for this post.”
While this item is a bit pricy for a holiday gift, it is an amazing device. I have used several of the Zoom recorders in the past, including the H1 and H2, but the Zoom H5 looks to be the recorder I have always wanted. If you have a podcaster, YouTuber, or other new media creator in your, extra special, gift list, this might just be the ticket to make them very, very happy.
Features:
Interchangeable input capsules that can be swapped out as easily as the lens of a camera
Six-track simultaneous recording
Four mic/line inputs with XLR/TRS combo connectors
Gain controls (real knobs!) and -20dB pads for each input
Phantom power for all main inputs: +12/+24/+48V
The addition of XLR connectors with Phantom power opens up large opportunities for high-quality remote recording outside your “studio” including interviews, live shows and more. The interchangeable capsules also provide a high amount of flexibility in how you might use the recorder.
I must admit that the Zoom H5 is definitely on my own personal wish list!
The ground-breaking Zoom H6 handheld recorder will change the way you think about portable recording. With interchangeable stereo X/Y and Middle-Side microphone capsules included, plus Shotgun and Dual XLR/TRS Combo input capsules available separately, the H6 is the ultimate chameleon of the audio world — and its advanced preamps make it the best-sounding one too. Whatever your application — live recording, professional film/video work, or broadcast ENG (electronic news gathering) — the H6 can handle it with ease. The H6 offers four main inputs (1-4), plus two additional inputs (L, R) that are derived from whichever capsule (X/Y, MS, Shotgun, or Dual XLR/TRS Combo) is plugged into the unit. The supplied XYH-6 X/Y capsule also provides a secondary input for connecting an external mic- or line-level signal via a stereo 1/8″ Mic/Line In mini phone jack. When a connection is made to that jack, signal from the X/Y microphones is muted. The H6 Line Out is an unbalanced stereo 1/8″ phone jack, located on the bottom of the H6, beneath the LCD display. It carries the analog stereo output signal, as determined by the H6’s internal mixer. The H6 USB port, located on the side panel to the right of the LCD display, provides a digital output of either a stereo mix or the six individual input signals, depending upon the setting of the “Audio Interface”function in the USB menu. In addition, the H6 provides a headphone output with a dedicated volume control, located on the side panel to the left of the LCD display. Connect your headphones to the stereo 1/8” mini phone jack for private monitoring of the stereo output signal. The H6 even has a built-in speaker, located on the underside of the unit, for fast monophonic monitoring of the recorded signal without the need to make any connections whatsoever. This speaker is automatically disconnected when connection is made to either the Line Out or Headphone output.
Another great USB microphone from Blue. Like the Blue Snowball microphone mentioned in earlier Gift Guides, this mic connects directly to the USB port on your computer — either Windows or Mac. The Yeti gives a full, rich sound and is compatible with all the typical New Media uses such as video conferencing, podcasting and recording voice or music. The Yeti is very popular with podcasters and live streamers and can often be seen in these productions. I think its classic styling, unlike the futuristic look of the Snowball make it more popular for video production. Its design harkens back to an earlier day of broadcasting.
It’s time for another WordPress Wednesday. Take the time this week to backup your WordPress Databases, Update your Plugins and Load the latest, greatest version of WordPress, 3.6. “Oscar”
“The latest and greatest WordPress, version 3.6, is now live to the world and includes a beautiful new blog-centric theme, bullet-proof autosave and post locking, a revamped revision browser, native support for audio and video embeds, and improved integrations with Spotify, Rdio, and SoundCloud.”
New Media Gear 21: Fancierstudio 3000 Watt Digital Video Continuous Softbox Lighting Kit
A few months ago we had need to purchase some equipment for a testimonial project and a series of interviews. First on our list was a basic set of video lights that would provide nice, basic illumination and still be easy to transport, as we would be shooting the interviews at the client sites. As we are just starting to move into the video production business (beyond my own personal productions) and not exactly knowing how far this line of work will take us, I didn’t want to invest thousands of dollars only to have to sell the equipment later for a loss.
I did quite a bit of searching online and came across this kit on Amazon.com. I made a point of reading nearly every review available, both positive and negative to see how this kit might fit our needs. Overall the kit has a 4 star rating over 77 reviews. The one item I kept seeing in the reviews was the fact that this was, indeed, a “cheap” kit. That didn’t mean it didn’t work well, only that you had to be careful when setting up and tearing down and you couldn’t necessarily toss it around. Knobs are plastic, although the screws themselves are metal, the nylon bags holding the diffusion boxes are poorly stitched and things like that. Almost all the review said, though, that if you are looking for a good, entry-level kit, this could be it.
Based on these reviews, I ordered the kit and crossed my fingers that it would work out well. Once it arrived, we did a test setup here in the office so we understood how everything went together before we tried to do this under the time constraints of an actual shoot. It took a little time to learn exactly how to best put the lights together, but now that we have down 6 setups and tear downs, we are pretty good and can set up two lights in about 15 minutes.
Since we had the warnings from the reviews, we have been very careful to treat the kit with a light hand and try to keep the abuse to a minimum. These seems to have served us well, as nothing has broken or been damaged over the course of the last 2 months of transport and shoot.
Everything — stands, light bulbs, fixtures, diffusion boxes and screens — fits back into the original carrying case and allows us to move around quite easily from car to location to car. The kit is small enough that it easily fits in the trunk or back seat of all but the smallest vehicles.
Overall, we have been very satisfied in our purchase and while we may move up to more expensive (and expansive) equipment in the future, it has served us well as we grow. Go into this purchase with the full knowledge that is “cheap” and may require a little gentler care than most, but we have found it quite functional for, albeit limited, needs.
My old — and rather inexpensive — set of headphones are on their last legs, and since I am moving into more on-location video production I decided I needed at least one new pair. I put out the call for headphone recommendations on both the Podcast Community Group on Facebook and the Podcasters list on Yahoo. As usual, I received a host of great recommendations.
For the time begin, I picked up a rather inexpensive pair of headphones at the local Radio Shack store as I had a discount coupon available and they are nearby. These will get me by for a while and I will continue checking out all the further recommendations for a more expensive set for the future.
From this list, I am leaning towards the Sony headphones. I have used them professional environment before and liked both their sounds and their fit. It was great to be reminded of them as a possibility.
New Media Gear 018: Canon VIXIA HF R400 HD 53x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom Camcorder and 3.0 Touch LCD
I produce a number of blogs and video series/podcasts, so I had been looking to upgrade my current video cameras to something with a few more features and better ease of use. While my micro-four-thirds SLR camera did well with video, it was limited to how long it could record as one video clip and also lacked a reversible viewfinder so I could shoot videos without a camera operator.
Recently, I also had several New Media production opportunities come my way and an upgrade to full 1080p video quality was needed. I asked for recommendations from my social media followers and one of the first recommendations was this Canon camera. I found it for purchase locally and after trying it out, I decided to buy.
This camera has several features that I was looking for in a new camera:
Reversible viewfinder for single person shooting
SD Card video storage with the ability to record 1 hour + presentations as one clip
External mic input for lavaliere and shotgun microphones
1080p/60fps recording
MP4 recording, as well as AVHCD
This camera has all of these features, along with decent quality in low light situations and ease of use. I have now used it in 2 projects, as well as my weekly podcasts, and I find it to be capable and produce good quality video. Sure, you could spend a lot more money for a much better camera, but for my own needs and finances, this camera has proven to be an excellent choice. You can see some examples of the camera at work on my YouTube Channel.
Genuine Canon HD Video Lens with 53x Advanced Zoom and SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization
Canon 3.28 Megapixel Full HD CMOS Image Sensor and new DIGIC DV 4 Image Processor capture videos at 1920 x 1080 resolution and provide exceptional imaging performance
Record Full HD video directly to a removable SD memory card (SDHC/SDXC compatible) for fast and easy sharing of your memories.
1080/60p recording in MP4 (35 Mbps) and AVCHD Progressive (28 Mbps) for high quality capture of moving subjects
I posted this to Facebook and Twitter earlier, but wanted to include it here on the blog, too.
Camera Rec: Looking for HD cam with external mic input that records to SD Card. High consumer to low prosumer. Any thoughts?
I have some upcoming projects that call for an upgrade in my video camera equipment (and lights and microphones, etc), so I wanted to reach out to all of you to see what recommendations you might have. One of my main needs is some sort of external audio input for lavaliere and shotgun mics.
So far, I have received one recommendation over on Faceboook. I will add others as they come in. Be sure to chime in on the other recommendations if you have some further information or comments.
New Media Gear 017: Blue Microphones Icicle XLR to USB Mic Converter/Mic Preamp
This is another piece of podcasting and audio recording gear that I have seen mentioned numerous times. It has been around for a while but could still be an interesting piece of gear for new podcasters.
The Blue Icicle allows you to convert any standard XLR connected microphone into a USB microphone that can be plugged directly into your computer. This a great way of providing some flexibility in where and how you use your microphones. It also allows you to start off with the more standard XLR mics so that you don’t have to upgrade from a USB only mic as your podcasting work grows.
New Media Gear 016: Peter Lythgoe of Zzipp and Co. Podcast from Weymouth, UK (Part 3 of 3)
Peter is the producer and host of the Zzipp and Co. Podcast and uses a variety of equipment in producing his shows. He was kind enough to break out his equipment in 3 parts, including hist audio studio equipment, his video interview equipment and the equipment for the video studio he is currently building. Since her has so much equipment to share, I will present his New Media Gear in 3 parts, too. This posts details Peter’s studio equipment.
New Media Gear 015: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone
I first heard about this microphone from Richard Cleveland over at Naked Ape Productions during one of his Podcast U panel discussions. I mentioned this microphone to my personal friend, Michael Lawshe, who is an expert in all things audio (and multi-Emmy Award winner) and he happened to drop one by when we met for dinner last night.
The microphone package include the mic itself, a mic clip and small plastic mic stand, an XLR microphone cable and a USB cable. As you might notice from the cables included, the ATR2100-USB, has a special feature which I have not seen in many other microphones. Instead of being a USB-only mic like the Blue Snowball or Rode Podcaster, the ATR2100 includes connections and electronics so it can be used either as a USB microphone connected directly to your computer with out a mixing board or as a standard dynamic microphone connected via XLR to a mixer.
This dual connectivity makes this a great mic for those who are just getting started in podcasting or other audio recording and yet allows them to step up to a mixing board and other equipment while still using the same microphone. Additionally, when recording with USB-only microphones, real time monitoring of your recording can be a problem due to the USB induced processing delay. The ATR2100-USB works around this issue by including a headphone jack directly on the microphone itself, so you can easily monitor in real time even when connected via USB. Other USB microphones have included this much needed feature in the past, such as the Rode Podcaster, and it is great to see other manufacturers alleviating the monitoring issue with their designs. I know for myself that it is very important to be able to monitor myself as I record. It helps me to catch mumbled words, overly fast speech and poor pronunciations which I might not notice otherwise.
As a demonstration, I have recorded this blog post as an audio podcast, too, so you can hear the microphone in a real world situation using both the USB and XLR modes.
Everything up to here has been recored using the USB connection on the ATR2100. Now I will switch to the XLR connection using my small mixing board.
As with any handheld mic, shock isolation js important. You don’t want to pick up any noise from your hand on the microphone itself. This is often where many less expensive microphones and recorders with built-in mic fail greatly. As you can hear, I am moving the microphone around in my hand and while it is picking up a bit of noise, if you hold the mic firmly you might not notice it at all. The included plastic mic clip and tabletop mic stand is enough for most beginners to get started, although most would probably want to move up to a more robust, metal, stand fairly quickly.
Unfortunately, the headphone level form the microphone was at a very low level for my own personal tastes. I would prefer much more volume when recording and playing back what I have recorded. The mic has a headphone volume control, but it did not seem to the effect the output volume much at all. Instead the volume control seemed to be trying to change the overall volume on my Macintosh.
The recording level was quite good even when placed on a desktop at some distance from my mouth. If you want more input level, of course, you can move closer to the mic although then you would want to use a pop filter cut down on the popping sounds of consonants and plosives like P’s and B’s. In this podcast I have used the mic at a fairly close proximity and included the use of a pop filter.
Based on my short time with the microphone, and recommendations from others, I would consider this a great microphone for its price. Amazon currently lists it for around $40 US. I have been impressed with the overall recording quality even here in this rough demonstration. I haven’t taken any time to really adjust the microphone in any way, but simply plugged it in, adjusted the recording level and made this recording using Apple’s GarageBand software.
If you’d like more information on the ATR2100-USB, you can find links not the web site as part of this blog post. Visit DouglasEWelch.com/newmedia/ to find them.
Handheld dynamic microphone with USB digital output and XLR analog output
USB output connects to your computer for digital recording, while the XLR output connects with your sound system conventional microphone input for use in live performance
Smooth, extended frequency response ideally suited for podcasting, home studio recording, field recording, voiceover, and on-stage use
Built-in headphone jack allows you to directly monitor your microphone output without audible delay
Cardioid polar pattern reduces pickup of unwanted sounds from the sides and rear
Dynamic Microphone With Usb Digital Output & Xlr Analog Output
Usb Output Connects To Computer For Digital Recording, While The Xlr Output Connects With Sound System’S Conventional Microphone Input For Use In Live Performance
Built-In Headphone Jack With Volume Control
If you have any questions about Peter’s podcasting equipment, please drop them in the comments or in the Facebook Podcasting Community.
While I have linked to some much more technical descriptions of noise floor below, for me (and I assume the average new media producer) the noise floor is the base level of noise in your recording environment. For me, this includes ambient wind noise outside my windows, the hiss of the pilot light on my gas fireplace, fans on my computers and probably a thousand other small noise sources I don’t even notice on a daily basis. All of these combined create my “noise floor”.
The noise floor is the overall hiss or buzz you hear in your recordings and in some worst scenario cases, it can almost overwhelm the “signal” you are trying to record i.e. your voice, your music, etc. The noise floor is also an issue when you find that you have recorded at too low a level and try to raise the overall volume of the recording to an acceptable level. Unfortunately, raising the overall level also amplifies the noise that was recorded beneath your voice or music. In the worst case, this noise will be so overwhelming that you will not be able to use the recording at all. Yet another reason to insure that you are recording at an optimal level when producing your audio or video podcasts.
You always want to try and reduce your ambient noise as much as possible, but without a professionally designed recording studio, there will be limits on how much noise you can prevent, so careful management of recording levels is a must.
New Media Gear 014: Peter Lythgoe of Zzipp and Co. Podcast from Weymouth, UK (Part 2 of 3)
Peter is the producer and host of the Zzipp and Co. Podcast and uses a variety of equipment in producing his shows. He was kind enough to break out his equipment in 3 parts, including hist audio studio equipment, his video interview equipment and the equipment for the video studio he is currently building. Since her has so much equipment to share, I will present his New Media Gear in 3 parts, too. This posts details Peter’s video equipment.
New Media Gear 013: Charles McFall, Co-host “Success Freaks”
Since its inception in 2011, The Other Side of LIVE! (TOSOL) has lived up to its hype as a comedic motivational talk show. A two-year Podcast Award nominee, TOSOL entertains & edifies with its hosts’ captivating sense of humor and positive, thought-provoking content. With the show’s theme of “helping others be awesome,” TOSOL covers everything from branding your passion to dealing with death to surviving bullies. TOSOL’s R. Mordant Mahon & Charles McFall succeed in giving both mind & spirit something to chew on while putting enough laughter in your heart to make you smile out loud.
New Media Gear 012: Peter Lythgoe of Zzipp and Co. Podcast from Weymouth, UK (Part 1 of 3)
Peter is the producer and host of the Zzipp and Co. Podcast and uses a variety of equipment in producing his shows. He was kind enough to break out his equipment in 3 parts, including hist audio studio equipment, his video interview equipment and the equipment for the video studio he is currently building. Since her has so much equipment to share, I will present his New Media Gear in 3 parts, too. This post will start with Peter’s audio equipment.
from Shawn Thorpe
