davidtlewes

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davidtlewes
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  • When to use an external microphone or recorder to make your podcasts

    davidtlewesdavidtlewes

    chasm said:
    Ooh I think I need one of those Zoom iQ6 units.
    I have one that I keep with me for when I don't have my main recording rig to hand i.e. if I accidentally come across some interesting sounds outside work. They're great but very susceptible to wind noise, including if you move the phone quickly indoors. I highly recommend also getting a fluffy windshield e.g. the Rycote (link below). I find it almost unusable without one. Also you need to have your phone in Airplane mode or you get the cell tower interference on the recording. Even with these caveats it's a great little thing and I highly recommend it.

    https://www.amazon.com/Rycote-Mini-Windjammer-Zoom-4n/dp/B00BMSX2GI/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_2?keywords=zoom+h4n+mini+windjammer&qid=1555829046&s=gateway&sr=8-2-fkmrnull
    chasm

  • When to use an external microphone or recorder to make your podcasts

    davidtlewesdavidtlewes
    I'm curious what you think about using an app to clean up the sound from the iPhone mic. After hearing about it on an AppleInsider podcast I tried using the Spire app and was quite impressed (for an amateur) at how it made my voice sound. I make short videos for small numbers of our customers. Till now I've used an Audio Technica AT2020 USB mic with a pop screen. I've also worked at changing the position to greatly soften the "esses" in the recording. Any ideas for apps that will clean up your voice from the existing mic? 

    Separately, I have a general question about microphones. People generally tout a nice desk top or boom mounted mic, yet if you watch TV the hosts all use lavaliere mics and they sound fine. What gives?
    BBC Sound designer here! Lavalier mics actually do sound quite a lot worse than standard studio mics when you hear them side by side. Lav mics are quite susceptible to clothing noise and have a restricted frequency response so can sound a bit muffled compared to standard mics. Also you can't get an ideal mic placement with a lav mic (you ideally want it in front of the mouth rather than on your chest) so you also lose high frequencies that way. I have had a few clients come to me with radio interviews recorded on lav mics and it's pretty impossible to get them up to the quality we're used to for radio.
    chasmcgWerks

  • Bang & Olufsen's $3,500 Beosound Edge with AirPlay 2 support offers volume control by roll...

    davidtlewesdavidtlewes
    It also has a power cable coming out at the bottom which, it seems, would impede the fun of rolling it to show off to your friends (which is the first thing they’ll want to do). Also the left/ right drivers are front and back so to get any proper stereo you’d have to look at the edge of the “coin”, and therefore the tweeters would be facing at 90 degrees to the listener, which is useless. I do like the idea of a dynamic bass port though. I know it’s designed for casual listening and style but B&O has always been style trampling on substance. “Design is how it works”
    watto_cobra

  • Top 5 utilities that every new Mac user needs

    davidtlewesdavidtlewes
    bestkeptsecret said:
    tallest skil said:
    I like The Unarchiver; it handles what Archive Utility doesn’t. Everything else that I keep around is more specific. But there’s XLD, which effortlessly converts audio files from format to format; I use it for FLAC to ALAC conversions for iTunes (which desperately needs a redesign). And iCombiner, for drag and drop multi-image to PDF combination. VLC is a nice, generic application for everyone. I use it for everything that iTunes and QuickTime won’t play. Generally, though, that’s just webm (which I never keep around) and mkv (which I use HandBrake to convert to MP4/M4V). Though I shouldn’t need to convert, just reencapsulate. I’ve not yet found a nice application to do that.

    I’m not on my desktop and can’t remember any others, but I have plenty. 


    I use Unarchiver a lot, especially when making custom random comic tpbs.

    There's this app that has the creature from "Where The Wild Things Are" as it's icon. The name escapes me right now, but I use it for all audio conversions. It is pretty nifty.

    Handbrake is a must for me, especially to load movies and shows from my physicals discs to my iTunes Library.

    I used to use "A Better Renamer" a lot when dealing with multiple files. It gave me a lot more options than I could get on Automator. Of course, I was never good with AppleScript.

    The "Where the Wild Things Are" app is Xact. It's very good, I've used it for years
    bestkeptsecret

  • Creator of Mac startup & iPhone camera sounds talks Apple sound history

    davidtlewesdavidtlewes
    Slight clarification here from a fellow sound designer. On the original CNBC clip, and also in his interview on the "Welcome To Macintosh" podcast, Jim says that the Mac and iPhone camera sound was not a slowed down recording of his AE-1 but just a slow shutter speed on the camera (at normal playback speed). Probably only me who cares but…!
    SpamSandwichrandominternetperson