Category Archives: Podcasting

New Media Gear 015: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone

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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.

First Impressions: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Micrphone - 12

First Impressions: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Micrphone - 4First Impressions: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Micrphone - 6First Impressions: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Micrphone - 8

First Impressions: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Micrphone - 14First Impressions: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Micrphone - 10

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.

Listen to this microphone demonstration

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

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.

Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone

Product Features from Amazon.com:

  • 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.

Previously on New Media Gear:

 

Archive: Douglas talks Careers and New Media with Bigg Success – March 10, 2010

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Originally appeared on BiggSuccess.com

Bigg Success Podcast LogoCareer Success with New Media

We were happy to visit with Douglas E. Welch today on The Bigg Success Show today. Douglas is an expert on building the career you deserve and spreading the word about your talents using social media. Among other things, he’s the host of two great blogs and podcasts: Career Opportunities and Careers in New Media. Here’s a recap of the conversation:

Read Douglas talks with George & Mary-Lyn on The Bigg Success Show! with complete text transcript.

Listen to Douglas talk with George & Mary-Lyn on The Bigg Success Show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

New Media Vocabulary: Noise Floor

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New media vocab logo

New Media Vocabulary: Noise Floor

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.

For more information on noise floor:

Previously on New Media Vocabulary:

New Media Prescription: Don’t “Complain to the Choir” when producing New Media

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We need to talk…

One of the great strengths of New Media — be it blogging, videos, photos, social media — is the ability to connect directly to your audience. You don’t have any middlemen distorting your message or otherwise getting in the way. Unfortunately, this also means you don’t have someone watching over your shoulder to gently nudge you and say, “Perhaps you might want to re-think that.”

One common trap I see for New Media producers is, what I all, “Complaining to the Choir.” Like the age old adage against “preaching to the choir”, it is to be avoided for a number of reasons. First of all, though, what does it mean when you are “Complaining to the Choir?” It means to complain to those people who are actually the opposite of those you want to address.

When things aren’t going well for a new media producers — videos are getting liked, viewed or shared — blog posts are being ignored — revenue isn’t coming in — producers can spend entire posts, videos or podcasts complaining about the issue. They’ll cajole, they’ll berate, they will express their sadness and their fear that they might have to go back to their old way of work. As a fellow producer, I can empathize with them. Being a producer means facing criticism, nasty feedback, Internet trolls and other burdens on a daily basis. That said, I also understand that bringing this negativity into a show or blog can have exactly the opposite effect they wish to have. Focusing on the negative can actually reduce views, downloads and readers ben further , if you do it too often.

As a producer, your best approach is to ignore the negativity and simply move on to your next production. Focusing on the negative will only depress you further.

Here is why “Complaining to the Choir” is such a bad idea:

  • You annoy your biggest supporters

It is a simple fact that those a producer would most like to reach with their message probably aren’t watching, listening or reading anyway. Instead you are complaining to your biggest supporters — and perhaps driving them away, too. Your supporters come to your blog, your video, your podcasts because they love the content you produce. If you produce a show full of complaints and low on content, you are actively disrespecting their support. It is like a preacher complaining to the choir that no one comes to church anymore, even those these people do come to church AND also participate in other ways.

  • You produce yet another show with low viewership, low likes and low shares

When you produce a complaining show, you are expanding the effect you are complaining about and driving your ratings even lower. It is fair to say that a show filled with complaints, directed at the wrong people, is sure to garner less views and popularity than one of your traditional, content rich show. I had that very experience today. I watched the complaining show, but I could not bring myself to click the Like button, as I couldn’t honestly recommend it my followers as a show they should watch. They wouldn’t find it enjoyable and I would feel that I had offered a bad recommendation.

  • Complaints don’t drive success, great content does

While I can understand producers feeling worried and upset over various issues, it is always important to remember that content, not complaints drives your success. Viewers don’t really care if you are struggling. They come for the great content and many will support you by clicking Like or subscribing. If you want to truly have an effect on your issues, produce more great content. It is the only thing that matters. It is the only thing that will attract the support you need and desire.

  • Share your personal life, but perhaps not your producer life

Producing new media can be a lonely world, but beware of sharing your feelings about your show with your audience. They probably don’t care. Sure, you can share your thoughts about other personal issues, life changes, struggles, etc, but when you bring your producer complains to the conversation a subtle line is crossed. People lose sight of you as a person and start to think of you as just another faceless media drone. Viewers love to know more about your personal life, but they don’t really care about the nitty-gritty of being a producer. Most viewers don’t want to know “how the sausage is made” as long as it results in great content.

The next time you are feeling worried or depressed about your New Media productions and their success, seek out a close personal friend or a New Media user group to air your complaints and worries. Don’t take them to your audience. Your complains do nothing to benefit the audience and can only harm your standing with them.

Now, get back to work and produce something GREAT!

New Media Gear 013: Charles McFall, Co-host “Success Freaks”

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New Media Gear 013: Charles McFall, Co-host “Success Freaks”

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.
 
 
Charles shares his New Media Gear with us in this issue of New Media Gear. 

New Media Equipment:

 Reaper 

If you have any questions about Charles’ podcasting equipment, please drop them in the comments or in the Facebook Podcasting Community.

Previously on New Media Gear:

 

Elsewhere: Jim Long on The How and Why of Live Web Video Streaming

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Streaming live

Jim provides a great article on live streaming, what to use and who to prepare. Check it out!

The How and Why of Live Web Video Streaming

While live video broadcasting is within the reach of anyone with high-speed broadband, “live” poses unique technological and performance challenges.  Senator Marco Rubio’s parched, water break delivery of the GOP response to the State of the Union will be remembered as a short-lived Poland Spring internet meme.  But what it really demonstrates is just how difficult it can be to connect to millions, in the solitude of a dark empty room through the unforgiving, unflinching lens of the live TV camera.  Live web video streaming can be equally daunting.  In this post, we’ll look how it’s getting done in the real world and how you can make it work for you.

Read the entire article

 

More about Jim?

“I’m a veteran, Washington, DC based, network news cameraman currently working for one of the original three broadcasters.  I’m also an entrepreneur and I started Verge New Media, LLC because I see opportunity where others see challenge in the media industry.  Verge New Media is my “side hustle”, something any savvy legacy media worker should have.”

See Jim’s full bio

New Media Gear 012: Peter Lythgoe of Zzipp and Co. Podcast from Weymouth, UK (Part 1 of 3)

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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.

New Media Equipment:

  Audacity logo 

Here is an interview I did with Peter about the special needs and specific uses of local podcasting:

If you have any questions about Peter’s podcasting equipment, please drop them in the comments or in the Facebook Podcasting Community.

Previously on New Media Gear:

 

New Media Gear 011: Daniel J. Lewis of The Audacity to Podcast and more

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New Media Gear 011: Daniel J. Lewis of The Audacity to Podcast and more

Daniel’s podcasts include

New Media Equipment:

  

If you have any questions about Daniel’s podcasting equipment, please drop them in the comments or in the Facebook Podcasting Community.

Previously on New Media Gear:

 

New Media Vocabulary: Visitors/Unique Visitors

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New media vocab logo

New Media Vocabulary: Visitors/Unique Visitors

When dealing with web analytics, visitor and unique visitors are important metrics. A visitor is any single web site visit from any IP address over any period of time. This could include viewing a web page (html), graphic (jpg) or other file. Each visitor might generate any number of web “hits” which is the count of all items the visitor views.

Unique visitors is often seen as a more important metric, though, as it seeks to eliminate multiple visits by any particular visitor. A unique visitor is usually declared as a single IP address that visited at least once during a given time period — usually one day.

One major problem with calculating unique visitors is the fact that many computers, connected through a single router or network, often shared 1IP address. This means that multiple visits from different computers on the local area network (LAN) would only generate 1 unique visitor no matter how many different computers or users actually visited the web site.

For more information on RSS:

  

Previously on New Media Vocabulary:

New Media Gear 010: Brian Herbert of the Indy Autographs Podcast and Hoosier State Sports Show

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New Media Gear 010: Brian Herbert of the Indy Autographs Podcast and Hoosier State Sports Show

Brian’s podcasts include:

New Media Equipment:

Soundbooth 

If you have any questions about Brian’s podcasting equipment, please drop them in the comments or in the Facebook Podcasting Community.

Previously on New Media Gear:

 

New Media Vocabulary: RSS (Real Simple Syndication/Rich Site Summary)

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New media vocab logo

New Media Vocabulary: RSS (Rich Site Summery or Real Simple Syndication)

“RSS Rich Site Summary (originally RDF Site Summary, often dubbed Really Simple Syndication) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format.[2] An RSS document (which is called a “feed”, “web feed”,[3] or “channel”) includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship.” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS

The way I typical explain RSS and RSS feeds to new users is this…where a web site is designed to be readable by humans, RSS feeds contain the same content as the web site, but they are designed to be consumed by other computer programs, such as RSS Readers, Podcatchers (software the downloads individual podcast files) and other software.

RSS takes the relatively unstructured data that makes up a blog post on a web site and adds tags and meta-data that software can use to perform specialized tasks. One important piece of data is machine-readable date field that can be used to qualify new blog posts and new podcasts that are available for download.

RSS files are simple text files and can be handwritten, if necessary, but usually they are created programmatically by blog software, like WordPress or other custom web site software. RSS files are also extensible so that new tags and new meta-data can be added. For New Media producers this added information includes a series of tags required by iTunes to contain all the specialized information used to build your show entry in the iTunes Podcast directory including the location of your podcast logo, categorization, Podcast Title, Author and more.

People are fond of predicting the death of the RSS, but for myself, I rely deeply on RSS feeds to monitor web sites and bring information to me instead of constantly having to visit hundreds of web sites to check for new information. 

Do you have questions, comments or clarifications to this New Media Vocabulary term? Add them to the comments!

For more information on RSS:

  

Previously on New Media Vocabulary:

New Media Gear 009: Dan Hughes from The Treasure Corner and others

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New Media Gear 009: Dan Hughes of In The Treasure Corner and others

Dan’s podcasts include:

In the Treasure Corner - http://thetreasurecorner.com
In the Softball Corner - http://thesoftballcorner.com
In the Old-Time Radio Corner - http://radiofun.info

Dan uses this equipment in his productions:

Dan also built his own Mic Box for recording. You can check out his build in this post:

New Media Equipment:

 

If you have any questions about Dan’s podcasting equipment, please drop them in the comments.

Previously on New Media Gear:

 

Subscribed 022: Backyard Farmer from the University of Nebraska

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Subscribed is my series highlighting the Podcasts, YouTube Channels and Blogs that I follow on a daily basis. Check out this entry, and past entries, for some great New Media Content — Douglas

Backyard Farmer from the University of Nebraska

I just recently discovered Backyard Farmer when I friend forwarded me this video on Cleaning Garden Tools. They are an excellent source of gardening information and you can subscribe in a number of ways. There are vides on everything from trees to ponds to drought to chainsaws to ponds. I am just starting to delve into their collection of past videos myself, but I also look forward to whatever new videos they produce.

Link: Backyard Farmer Web Site

Link: Backyard Farmer on YouTube

Link: Backyard Farmer on iTunes U (Subscribe as a podcast)

What are some of your favorite Subscriptions? Share them here in the comments!

Previously highlighted on Subscribed:

New Media Vocabulary: Plugin

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New media vocab logo

New Media Vocabulary: Plugin

“In computing, a plug-in (or plugin) is a set of software components that adds specific abilities to a larger software application. If supported, plug-ins enable customizing the functionality of an application. For example, plug-ins are commonly used in web browsers to play video, scan for viruses, and display new file types. Well-known plug-ins examples include Adobe Flash Player, QuickTime, and Java Applets.” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_(computing)

To expand on the description above, plugins aren’t usually complete programs in themselves, but rather programs that run inside of — and expand the features of — other software. Plugins are very popular because they allow the extension and addition of new features to software without have include the feature directly in the base product. This also allows you to add only those features you most want or need to a product. This reduces complexity of the software and also allows you to limit how much memory the software might take to run. There is no need to load all the features when you use only 2 or 3 of the added functions.

For New Media producers, you will often see plugins as part of audio and video recording/editing software. Most all software provides for a plugin structure which allows other companies to produce niche features that might only be needed by a limited number of users who purchase the overall software.

One important item to remember is that plugins need to updated, just like the software they extend. Keep track of plugin updates to insure that you don’t run into issues with existing bugs or miss new features. Also, be aware that plugins often only work with one specific version of the base software. If you rely on a particular plugin, you may need to postpone upgrading your base software until the plugin manufacturer releases an update to work with that newer version.

Do you have questions, comments or clarifications to this New Media Vocabulary term? Add them to the comments!

Previously on New Media Vocabulary:

News: Update Powerpress WordPress/Podcasting Plugin ASAP

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Powerpress logo

It looks like there was a security problem with one of the audio players used by the PowerPress WordPress plugin that many podcasters use on their sites. There is an update waiting and Blubrry says “Everyone is strongly encouraged to update their copy of PowerPress immediately!”

Taking their advice, I have done just that on all my WordPress blogs and you should too. Visit your WordPress Dashboard to perform the quick update.

Here is a snippet from the PowerPress Changelog for this version… 

Powerpress 4.0.6

  • Released on 1/23/2013
  • Everyone is strongly encouraged to update their copy of PowerPress immediately!
  • Due to concerns of possible security exploits, the 1 Pixel Out Audio Player has been removed from PowerPress. Learn More
  • Notices added in both the WP dashboard and in the Audio player settings page that the 1 Pixel Out player has been removed.
  • If you’ve configured your web site with the 1 Pixel Out Audio Player, Flow Player Classic will be used. Go to the PowerPress > Audio Player settings page to change this player if you like.

 

Audacity Audio Recording and Editing Software Upgraded to 2.0.3

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Audacity logo

Audacity, the free audio recoding and editing software, used by many podcasters and other new media producers, has been upgrade to version 2.0.3. A complete list of fixed bugs and new features is available in the Audacity 2.0.3 Release Notes.

Audacity is available in Windows, Macintosh and Linux versions.

Link: Audacity Web Site

New Media Gear 008: Zoom H1 Handy Portable Digital Recorder

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New Media Gear 008: Zoom H1 Handy Portable Digital Recorder

This series started with a conversation on the  Facebook Podcast Community Group. You can ask your questions and find lots of podcasting discussion there.

Zoom H1 Handy Portable Digital Recorder

Capturing great audio for your New Media projects can be even more important that capturing good video The Zoom H1 Portable Digital Recorder makes capturing great audio easy and inexpensive for almost everyone.

Dual microphones bring in high-fidelity in a small package and MiniSD card recording allows you to easily swap in a new card when you need more recording time out in the field. The easy-to-read display with active metering makes it clear when you are recording and how well you have set your levels. Also includes includes external mix input for use with lavaliere and shotgun microphones with 1/8″ audio plug connectors.

If you have any questions about this podcasting equipment, please drop them in the comments.

 

Subscribed 021: Make Magazine, Make Blog, YouTube, Podcasts

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Subscribed is my series highlighting the Podcasts, YouTube Channels and Blogs that I follow on a daily basis. Check out this entry, and past entries, for some great New Media Content — Douglas

Make

Make logo

Make is a print magazine, but it also has a huge presence on the web as a blog and also a YouTube Channel.

“MAKE brings the do-it-yourself mindset to all the technology in your life. MAKE is loaded with exciting projects that help you make the most of your technology at home and away from home. This is a magazine that celebrates your right to tweak, hack, and bend any technology to your own will.”

I am always amazed at the great content I find in both the blog and the YouTube Channel. I don’t DIY nearly as much as I would like, but Make encourages me with great ideas for projects that I might like to build — everything from hands-on woodworking and the creation of functional art pieces to electronics projects using the tiny Arduino computer system.

Subscribe to both the the blog and the video channel to get everything the Make has to offer.

Link: Make

Link: Make on YouTube

Link: Make Magazine Podcasts on iTunes

Make youtube

What are some of your favorite Subscriptions? Share them here in the comments!

Previously highlighted on Subscribed:

Elsewhere: IK Multimedia’s iRig HD adapter for iOS, Mac lets guitars ride the Lightning port

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IK Multimedia’s iRig HD adapter for iOS, Mac lets guitars ride the Lightning port 

Engadget.com

Ik irig

IK Multimedia spent a lot of time at CES 2013 courting Android musicians, but we neglected to mention equal attention spent on iOS at the show through the iRig HD. The company’s new adapter pipes audio from a guitar or other instrument with a quarter-inch plug into Lightning-equipped Apple devices, keeping them in IK’s musical world (and inviting terrible Metallica puns).

[…]

Read the entire article

New Media Vocabulary: Condenser Microphone

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New media vocab logo

New Media Vocabulary: Condenser Microphone

“The condenser microphone, invented at Bell Labs in 1916 by E. C. Wente[2] is also called a capacitor microphone or electrostatic microphone—capacitors were historically called condensers. Here, the diaphragm acts as one plate of a capacitor, and the vibrations produce changes in the distance between the plates. ” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microphone

When you see folks using those big, studio microphones, chances are they are condenser mics. What is a condenser mic? Since there are far better descriptions of condenser micrpohones available online, I am going to refer and link to them rather than create my own, poor, definition.

For me, in general, condenser mics are great for recording my voice as they tend to add bass and an overall richness to my somewhat high voice. The proximity effect kicks in when working close to these mics and, for spoken word podcasts, can really enhance your vocal sound.

You can hear an example in my own work using an MXL 2001 Condenser microphone on my my podcast, Career Opportunities.

More information on Condenser Microphone:

 

My own condenser microphones

 

MXL 2001 | Blue Snowball | MXL 990

Do you have questions, comments or clarifications to this New Media Vocabulary term? Add them to the comments!

Previously on New Media Vocabulary: