sample | Croncast - From Cool to Cul De Sac

here's a canadian that can podcast

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:03:58 -0500

had a great lunch with this dave delaney guy in nashville. thanks for making time for us to sample some of nashville's best at bosco's.

Tags: nashville making sample best bosco

Magnified and framed

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 07:27:01 -0600

I came across this really cool flickr photo stream last night of a series of unique shots.

Here's the set and below is a sample.

Tags: magnifying glass diego huacuja flickr intersting photos

For Sale: Yellow Tools Candy VSTi and Spectrasonics TRILOGY

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:16:39 -0600

I was hunting for a mysterious odor in the manpit today when Betsy sent me into the storage area and I found two great pieces of software that I forgot to reinstall after my computer crashed six months ago. Of course, I didn't locate the odor but that's good it didn't come from storage. I blame the dog.

Since I didn't really miss either program I thought that somebody else might have better use for them making music for the masses.

The first is Yellow Tools Candy is an unbelievably awesome saxophone virtual instrument. It is the only one that I have ever used that sounded like the real thing. The bonus with this software are the baritone saxes, not other sax synth has them.

Now that I am writing this I am starting to regret letting them go. Oh well, maybe I can make enough money to get a real goatee trim!

US $319.99
End Date: Thursday Dec-13-2007 16:41:43 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $329.99
Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

The second is Spectrasonics TRILOGY Total Bass Module Software. The name says pretty much everything but should have 'upright' in the title. This is the best sounding upright virtual instrument out; real samples, velocity, playing styles and a wide array of instruments.

US $234.99
End Date: Thursday Dec-13-2007 16:51:57 PST
Buy It Now for only: US $239.99
Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

Tags: VSTi Yellow Tools Candy Authorization Key Spectrasonics TRILOGY Total Bass Module Software

Gnomedex 2007 podcasts: these are my people

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 09:19:05 -0600

This morning I put a new post over at my seldomly active kristophersmith.com blog about the podcasts that I recorded at Gnomedex this year.

No need to rehash the post here but I wanted to point out that if you are interested in new media, emerging media that this set of 14 podcasts is a great starting point.

And for good measure, Greg Cangialosi shot some great video of about 4 of the podcasts. You can watch my not so secret show intro laugh that I usually cut from every show.

Here's a sample (if you can't see the video click here):

Tags: New media emerging media Greg Cangialosi Stan James Chris Heuer

Get it on with Grinderman

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 13:35:35 -0500

Got a referral from Anti this morning for an interview that I did with Jolie Holland . . . I checked to make sure the link was still relevant and the album art for Grinderman got my attention.

Being an eMusic user and Anti fan meant that it was time to pay a visit and sample Grinderman. Did so, dug it and downloaded the album.

Grinderman is a Nick Cave project full of filth. I love it. Loud, distorted, poignant for old men, ridiculous noise that makes me yearn for a new Tom Waits album. I've never been in to Nick Cave but when an musician makes something with this much energy and art they've got me as a fan. It reminds me of Morphine but a harder edge and a touch of free-from jazz.

Tags: Anti Jolie Holland Grinderman Tom Waits Morphine Anti artists

Ron asks, 'What Equipment Do You Use?'

Sat, 09 Dec 2006 13:27:57 -0600

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.

Tags: MXL 2003 Universal Audio 6176 PreSonus Firepod Waves L2 Ultramaximizer Sony VGC-RB62G

Betsy and her husband Kris Nov 03, 2006

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 06:30:33 -0600

Croncast - 2006-11-03.mp3

Show: #293
Length: 25:37
Size: 17.6mb
Format: mp3

Betsy and her husband Kris November 03, 2006

The puffy cuff fashion show is a reality
Betsy does up her QVC and I bust out my TailorByrd shirts (aka the ultimate puffy cuff shirts)
Kris's beard is outta control and Betsy didn't tell me
Betsy mistakes pun and analogy
She blames the cleaning product fumes
Zout has alcohol in it?
"Mixing Comet and Mr. Clean like the best drugs I've ever done. Except my toddler wasn't there and I wasn't in a bathroom"
Before the Bear's fashion parade Betsy talks about her dream come true and how it was crushed
Kris wouldn't know this because he didn't grow up in civilization
The greatest carpet company in the world
Hanging out in the breezeway watching Three's Company waiting for the commercial
Booba gets excited and then quite
Kris crushes her dreams twice
Some how you show in all of my dreams
Who is on the other line?
A sweet woman named Florine or Lorretta
She is a carpet warehouse in Cicero . . . not Bombay
Did she pick a great American movie star name?
Why didn't she sing the jingle before she hung up?
It's like waiting for the cable company
"Carpet the next day"
I'll be sitting on urine soaked carpet for Christmas
Ed is not the blue collar, named stiyched on his chest and no mustache like the guy in the commercials
Empire guys dolls in the Goodwill hamper
Betsy wants hotel carpet
"I want carpet that makes me feel lucky"
Everyone has boring carpet
One color carpet cut to different lengths
It's not like a swimming pool you retard
Yes, hotel carpet Betsy
I can make this carpet with my clippers
Why $.88 paper backed carpet isn't Betsy
Betsy is trying really hard to sell me on new carpet
I don't care about Ed from Empire or his carpet or his Escort full of samples
It is a syllogistic loop with Betsy's carpetdom
Simply fix the garage door opener for drama
10 minutes of Ed . . . You wish you got 10 minutes of Ed

Here Comes Puffy Cuffs in his TailorByrd threads:

Full blown Puffy Cuff with contrasting bling

The multicolor puffy cuff and Betsy's photo goal. It's too cold to puffy in Chicago now

Betsy says that I would like Oswald Boateng get up
Very anti-climactic fashion parade
You used to be happy with the orange tag items from the Target end cap
Just because it was on sale?
Ben Witt sends his thanks . . . You're welcome Ben
Ben was around B.B. (before Betsy . . . that's Ben's abbreviation)
Betsy gets no more cleaning products . . . she can't add and there are five examples in 1 minute
Kris gets called the ageist
I put this ageism on Betsy
Betsy's first stalker
Many more show in the next couple of days!

1) Fill out the appropriate form for you - *New* Listener or Get a Handle (current listener)
2) Verify your email address (Activates and qualifies those with a "Handle")
3) *New* listeners get activated and qualified by using their special RSS feed
4) 300th new listener and the person whose Handle they use win iPods AND
5) A drawing for 2 more iPods from everyone who entered!

Tags: TailorByrd Oswald Boateng Empire Carpet (800) 588-2300 Naperville

Disaster on Puffy Cuff's Runway

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 06:18:01 -0600

Last night's Puffy Cuff's photo shoot and shirt wearing extravaganza were postponed due to a sleepy and resistant team member. The sleepy team member invoked the, 'I've been chasing children all day' clause in our Croncast production agreement.

Okay, we don't have one of those but man it would be helpful sometimes! The plan is to bring the photos and the rest of my puffy cuffedness to you for tomorrow's show.

Here is a sample shot from over a year ago of me rockin' the puffy cuffs, blue glasses and all.

Tags: Puffy Cuffs blue glasses Croncast TailorByrd Van Heusen

Betsy and her husband Kris Aug 28, 2006

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 06:31:08 -0500

Croncast - 2006-08-28.mp3

Show: #268
Length: 34:22
Size: 23.6 mb
Format: mp3

Betsy and her husband Kris August 28, 2006

Oh there is a new sound in town
Betsy is grumping about having to breath
The light glaring off your head is burning my retinas and making me sleepy
The evolution in razors
You would have been a wooly monster
The terminal point of beard growing
I don't know my terminal length
The fifth blade removes the top layer of skin
The worst mother dig of all time from Betsy
Lips doth did part
Today has been a crazy day
I told the man it was a weird day
Kris missed saving a family of 4 that drove into a lake somehow
It is a fake lake to supply a subdivision waterfall
Kris sort of saw it happen
With CopmUSA closing I was preoccupied
I hear the sounds from the accident and agray flash through the neighbors houses
I was looking the wrong way when we drove by, didn't think of the lake
Well, I didn't hear them screaming . . . they were drowning
As they are gasping their lasts breaths pressed against the window
Betsy says I'm cold
Kris did save the family
When homeless get a Costco card to eat samples to sustain
Betys goes off and buys $30 in steaks
Usually it is mad cow in a tube
So Barb adds the seasoning, turns on grill, to clean it turns it on high and then has a martini
Grill is now set to high
20 minutes goes by and she heads out to put steaks
Opens the door and uses panic voice
"You have to tell Kris to come right away . . . well, theres a fire. Thank you," then closes the door
Betsy rouses me from the basement with the work "Fire"
Stay in the basement because it's safe even though there is a fire
The Goodwill grill is now in full flame burning off all the grease from the trap
The charred chunky collector flaming and the top are ball of flames and black smoke
Kris asks for the baking soda
I asked for fire extinguisher right now . . . Betsy threw it out
Betsy says it didn't look good and didn't match
Any fire extinguisher is better than none
Betsy hands me the Morton Salt instead of the Trader Joe's sea salt grinder
Saved by neighbor Jack and his fire extinguisher
As soon as hose melts to tank I am going to die in an explosion
With 911 on call waiting my mother-in-law clicks over to Vicky
He saved our house . . . he saved Croncast
Betsy finally finds our extinguisher in the garage
Finally doused it in water to cool it down to turn off the gas
The grill cleaned up ok but I don't think we'll ever use it again
Then Kris was swarmed by bees
It will go straight to my brain
Betsy gets in more about her steaks
If I had saved other family I still would be filling out reports and my family would have died
Message to you: Go out and buy some fire extinguishers to keep at home.
We talk about the end of our week last . . . podcasting production
The stress level has gone way down thanks to Palegroove the cause of the stress
Wanting podcast contracts to happen
It is a really big project that will be a ton of fun
Writing down your goals can make a huge difference in your life
Many people think podcasts cost $100 to produce . . . not even close with your own equipment
Kris is speaking at the Portable Media Expo and then I'll fill in the podcasting bits
3 Croncast T's are on the table for production
PhilipZ is holding it down with Handle Moxie

Tags: Goodwill grill Costco meat Portable Media Expo fire extinguisher

Betsy and her husband Kris May 03, 2006

Thu, 04 May 2006 05:54:32 -0500

Croncast - 2006-05-03.mp3

Show: #223
Length: 48:46
Size: 33.5 mb
Format: mp3

Betsy and her husband Kris May 03, 2006

Betsy doesn't just wear the pants, she wears my pants
Naperville podcast and blogger meet-up
Another thing about you that pisses me off
Getting up early and not getting it ready
The morning outfit
The work uniform - khakis
The late night outfit
I'm in denial about my age Old Navy
But I still wear the same underwear
Fantastical story told by Betsy
Forced to wear your pants
Spanglies and bald eagles sewed on the pockets
Wear your uniform to go out
Tanslacks.com
Khakis are the new suit - bleh
Jeans and a dress shirt
Betsy says Silicone Valley for the 55th time and I call her on it
The roller coaster drawing of Missy in the second grade
Busted handed it off
Staying in during lunch
She was a sub teacher who I ended up hanging out with her daughter
Kids can shake stuff off, it's the parents that get the hang up
The fury of people messing with your progeny
Girls hold grudges, boys don't
Military films
Why didn't you to into the armed services?
Why is there always a bus that these guys get on?
No speeding ticket for lead foot Kris
He gets a $2,000 ticket for not having insurance
But I do have insurance, just need to go to court and prove it
It was a 25 mph zone
If your eye lids are catching air you are driving too fast
Police with crazy handlebar mustaches rock
Young cop versus old cop
Channel one
Here come the Colbert roast of Bush . . . right on!
Here's a link to the transcript
The Dems need to be behind and action like this
This was the time to do it and it was done well, thank you
No one gives a rat's ass about summer television except Betsy
The DVR will be humming with her summer reality shows
The ones that made 6 episodes and then imploded
"Deadliest hair dresser who likes to bake pies"
More vasectomy stories
I can't believe I am going to go through with this
Mike Baker's story of watching in a reflection from the urologists glasses
Alter ego says the clips are no joke
I couldn't do the samples right
Betsy calls Sirius
We have no idea what we are doing with the show anymore
Sure we'd like to make money from the show
Betsy reads another email from her pop
Great vasectomy results will also inlcude something beyond freedom
ID3 will be online only and not PDF, some people need to learn how to read
Betsy needs an elevator pitch for the show
Send us your elevator pitch
Baby monitor form cell phone and land line
She asks listeners to send email to ideas@sirius-radio.com
What is a good fit for us?
HBO needs a podcast directory

Tags: Colbert khakis military films speeding Sirius Missy