 |
|
|
0 comments
Added on December 10, 2006 by
Kris |
|
|
 |
|
|
Dave Winer linked up to an article by Jon Pareles that is up over at The New York Times site, '2006, Brought to You by You'."The promise of all the self-expression online is that genius will reach the public with fewer obstacles, bypassing the entrenched media. The reality is that genius has a bigger junk pile to climb out of than ever, one that requires just as much hustle and ingenuity as the old distribution system."
|
| |
|
|
|
2 comments
Added on December 09, 2006 by
Kris |
|
|
|
|
|
It's been a while since I talked about the equipment that I use and no time seems better than now thanks to this question: "Can you tell me what microphones and mixer you use to record Croncast? (I heard the "expensive" microphone show recently and I had to laugh--I'm more interested in two microphones that are in the $100-$125 price range [each]).
Thanks!," Ron
Here's what currently makes up my audio signal path, hardware and software for Croncast.
2 - Marshall MXL 2003 microphones (Ron, for an extra $25 you won't be disappointed) [link]
2 - Universal Audio 6176 channel strips w/ preamp and compressor [link]
1 - PreSonus Firepod [link]
1 - Sony VGC-RB62G computer [link]
1 - Sony Sound Forge 8 audio editor [link]
1 - Waves L2 Ultramaximizer mastering compressor [link]
1 - Sony Vegas 6 multitrack for putting show together [link]
1 - Xing MP3 encoder (included in Vegas) encoded to Joint Stereo, 96 Kbps at 44.1 KHz
1 - MP3 Tag Tools to edit ID3 tags [link]
1 - iTunes to add more meta-data specific to iTunes (I can explain way below this)
This is what takes a Croncast from nothing to something.
Here's the breakdown.
Marshall Electronics MXL 2003 [link] microphones . . . I recommend these mics to everyone that asks. And after recently cheating on them with a Neumann U87ai I like them even more. With a price tag of $149 at most dealers you can't go wrong. We've used them now for two years and I own five of them. The sound is clear, they knock a lot of ambient noise down and their pick up pattern is second to none with a great low end and limited high end. The mic comes with a bass cut and a -10dB pad switch that can help when finding the right sound for your voice and recording space. These are phantom power microphones so I need a preamp.
Universal Audio 6176 [link] analog channel strip with 610 Tube Microphone preamp and 1176LN compressor. These two units are a new piece to the puzzle. They've replace the dbx 166XL that I was using for some limiting. The 6176's bring a nice warm sound to the shows that the 166XL didn't have. Most studios use them for recording bass tracks or heating up/distorting some vocals but I prefer them on a little lower setting to add a level bass and compression to our voices that would take me a couple of hours to create in post production through eq and other plug-ins.
PreSonus Firepod [link] is a 24-bit/96K FireWire recording interface with 8 preamplifiers (8 XLR/line inputs with phantom power). I originally bought this to replace an M-Audio MobilePre that was flaking out and causing intermittent popping in tracks. The reason that I chose the Firepod was primarily the 8 XLR inputs with phantom power to multitrack instead of force output to a single stereo track . . . a huge plus when recording more than 4 voices for a show. Also, if the UA 6176 wasn't part of the signal chain anymore I could live with the sound, I did for five months.
Sony VGC-RB62G [link] Intel Dual Core 2.8GHz with 2GB RAM. I've done little modification of this box other than adding a new video card, an extra FireWire card, a gig of RAM and a second hard drive. Usually, I prefer to build my own computer but was in the middle of the Alltel Racing Podcast when the old one died and I needed something right away. I went to Fry's and this box was best thing that they had in stock that met my requirements. It is or was sold as a Media PC and came with remote, surround speaker set up and more software than I could care to have (primarily the shit that just gums up the system). The only complaint that I have had so far with this computer is that every input in the back of it USB, FireWire or 1/8' has a ton of electrical noise in it when used for recording. I am forced to use the front 4 pin FireWire input for what should normally be a transparent sound recording.
Sony Sound Forge 8 [link] audio editor. This is the software that I record the shows into. I have been using Sound Forge for the last 7 years. When I got my first computer in 1999 at age 25 I learned how to use it by working with Steinberg's WaveLab (another great audio editor) but late in that year switched to Sound Forge. WaveLab had a lot of great features but they never compared the bundle of plug-ins that came with or for Sound Forge. WaveLab relied on the VST model and Sound Forge on Direct-X which meant that there were also more plug-ins to choose from. The killer plug-in was the Noise Reduction tool that prior to version 7 (maybe 6) wasn't bundled with the license. It is the best noise reduction tool on the market. I've heard most of the rest first hand, even the ones used in million dollar studios and would still choose the one in Sound Forge. I don't use Noise Reduction on our show but when doing post on audio recorded out of the studio I use it about 90% of the time.
Waves L2 Ultramaximizer [link] mastering compressor. Yep, I already ran the audio signal through an amazing compressor in the 6176 but the L2 puts the finishing touches on the wav file before I close out Sound Forge. This plug-in is the secret in my sauce. I have used it for about four years and find it's sound brighter, more open and louder than any other including Ozone 2 or 3 (which is an attempt to recreate the sound at a lower cost).
Sony Vegas 6 [link] multitrack video editor. Video? Did Kris just say, video? I sure did. When this product was first developed by Sonic Foundry it started out as a multitrack audio mastering suite that was supposed to be an upgrade from their Acid line of software. That didn't quite work out and they released a second version for video. With two competing versions on the market they made the wise decision to morph them together into Vegas Video, Sonic Foundry was bought by Sony and the rest is history. I use Vegas basically the same way that I use Dreamweaver for coding pages, as a template. All i have to do for Croncast is plug in each new recording on the timeline and poof there is a fully mastered show.
Xing MP3 encoder (included in Vegas) all shows are encoded to Joint Stereo, 96 Kbps at 44.1. This lowest quality that I will encode my own work to or for that of a client. This range is somewhat higher than many podcasters will recommend for a speech driven show but I find that anything less sound hollow and purely focuses on midrange sounds. Blah. At a bit rate lower than 96 Kbps most audio encoders, like this one, won't allow for a sample rate of 44.1 KHz. I used to encode the shows to a lower value two years ago when we first started but then iTunes came to town and studios started cranking out CD quality audio files. Once that bar was raised I figured it was okay for me to join that party.
MP3 Tag Tools [link] to edit ID3 tags. It is open source and the best ID3 tag editor that I have found. It will allow you to make changes to version 1 and 2 tags that will cover most of the popular media players like WinAmp, Windows Media Player and iTunes. It'll even let you add up to 18 images per file in the album art that can be displayed in iTunes.
iTunes for adding iTunes specific data to the ID3 tag. Didn't you already do this? Sort of. iTunes uses on the variances of the ID3 V2 tag standard to display meta data that is included with the MP3.
That is it friends. Once all that crap has happened it is time to upload the show to the server, fire up Castlock, start adding show notes and then make the show available for download.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Added on December 07, 2006 by
Kris |
|
|
|
|
|
Hey guys, thanks for the donations so far! We are up to $550 and zero cents. If you got the means to donate some loot click the donations graphic on the main Croncast page or send us a check made out to ChildServ to our p.o. box (see contact page). We'll stop taking donations on Friday December 15th so that ChildServ can use the money for the boys at the group home. On Monday's show we will hopefully have a representative from ChildServ's boys' group home on the show.
|
| |
|
|
|
0 comments
Added on December 07, 2006 by
Kris |
|
|
|
|
|
Here it comes again thanks to Eric and Frank. TECH cocktail 3 is set for January 25, 2007 from 6:30pm - 9pm at the base of the NBC Tower at Amira in Chicago. TECH cocktail is more a party with friends than a conference but you get the same great conversations that you go to a conference for in the first place. The last two events have been great and I recommend attending this event to anyone who can come. These nerd parties are off the hook (ha!). Seriously, these are great events for anyone looking to get out from behind their computer and talk shop. I'll have 3 spots open in the car if anyone wants to ride on in from the Oak Brook area and get some pre-booze nerding out done. And since I don't drink think of me as a taxi back to the southwest burbs.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Added on December 05, 2006 by
Kris |
|
|
|
|
|
I've had some time to mess around with our archive page and have made some better organization of it for those of you are new to the show or are looking for old shows.
The archive page goes back all the way to our very first show in the Fall of '04 and lists the shows by . . . get this . . . month/year and a count of podcasts that month. Sweet!
I'm feeling some changes coming on in the way that we link to shows or either the entire site for the new year. So if you want to get a sense of what is to come you can keep on eye on my sandbox . . . the archive page.
|
| |
|
|
|
0 comments
Added on December 05, 2006 by
Kris |
|
|
|
|
|
Feeling good while feeling ill is my motto for the night. I have one more NFL podcast for Joe Jurevicius to produce tonight and then it is a wrap on them 'til next Tuesday.
Next up is a Croncast for tomorrow but it might be a short show . . . Gigi woke up and daddy is still dragging (see feeling ill from the first sentence).
I think this was supposed to be a yipee/jump for joy post. Yes, yes it was . . . I mean it is.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
