Archive for Audio and Recording
Finding a new WordPress MP3 player
// November 30th, 2011 // No Comments » // Audio and Recording, Computer / IT, Gadgets, Live Sound
I’m looking for a new wordpress MP3 Player. Excuse this post while I try various players to see what I like.
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My Home Studio Gear
// July 29th, 2011 // No Comments » // Audio and Recording
I enjoy working with sound – mixing down live recordings, and doing a bit of recording on the side. Over time I’ve built a collection of gear that works really well for the work I do. Some of it is not necessarily what I would purchase if I were to start from scratch, but my list is constantly evolving. Below is a list of the gear I use, along with some brief reviews.
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Best Ultra Low Cost Recording Mic – under $100
// July 18th, 2011 // No Comments » // Audio and Recording, Live Sound
If you know me at all, you will know that I am pretty involved with audio equipment, and spend a fair amount of time fielding questions from my friends as to what mics they should use, how to fix soundcard issues, or any of the myriad of problems that crop up if you are running church sound or have a small home studio with next to no budget.
Now, I am not an expert in the audio field, but I have been recording for the last ten years or so, and have used about 15 different mics in that period. So far the best recording mic I have seen for under $100 is the Nady SPC-10. I know what you are thinking – Nady???!!! That stuff is terrible!! For the most part I would agree, but this mic is the exception. It does have its cons, but the sound and price make up for it. It is a fairly ugly microphone, it is top address with a large capsule, so it looks like a misshapen huge blob of ice cream on a tiny cone from Lilliput, but start recording and you will forget the brand name, and the ugliness of the mic. It is smooth with a really nice presence effect when you get right into it. I doubt that you would be able to find a better mic for under $200, and this one is only $70 on the street.
I have heard of some people using this as a live mic, but I have not had any sucess using this in a live setting. I run sound for an acapella group, and gain before feedback is always an issue. While the sound translates very well over the speakers, I have not been able to get the volume I need from the speakers. If GBF is not an issue for you, by all means give it a try.
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Kunaki Shipping Tiers
// May 24th, 2011 // No Comments » // Audio and Recording, Hints and Tips, Live Sound
I tend to use Kunaki.com whenever I have a simple CD or disc duplication order. They have quick turn a rounds, and unbeatable pricing – though I do get a fair few broken cases when I chose DVD-style packaging. As most of my projects are on a very tight budget, it is important that I purchase using the cheapest possible method. Here is the breakdown of how to get the cheapest shipping from kunaki using their standard shipping tiers. This will show you the best quantities to order if you are purchasing under 500 discs. Best choices are shown in bold letters, along with shipping costs per disc. I cut off the rest of the table as higher qtys were less cost effective if the total number of CDs wanted was less than 500. I did not calculate beyond that, as I never need any more than that.
| CD Jewel Cases | DVD Cases | |||||
| QTY | Price | $/per | QTY | Price | $/per | |
| 10 | $9.20 | $0.92 | 10 | $9.20 | $0.92 | |
| 20 | $10.35 | $0.52 | 20 | $10.35 | $0.52 | |
| 33 | $10.35 | $0.31 | 30 | $12.65 | $0.42 | |
| 40 | $12.65 | $0.32 | 40 | $12.65 | $0.32 | |
| 50 | $12.65 | $0.25 | 50 | $12.65 | $0.25 | |
| 60 | $12.65 | $0.21 | 55 | $12.65 | $0.23 | |
| 67 | $12.65 | $0.19 | 60 | $20.70 | $0.35 | |
| 70 | $20.70 | $0.30 | 70 | $20.70 | $0.30 | |
| 80 | $20.70 | $0.26 | 80 | $20.70 | $0.26 | |
| 100 | $20.70 | $0.21 | 100 | $20.70 | $0.21 | |
| 120 | $20.70 | $0.17 | 107 | $20.70 | $0.19 | |
| 130 | $20.70 | $0.16 | 120 | $34.50 | $0.29 | |
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My Home Studio er Audio Production Center
// February 25th, 2011 // No Comments » // Audio and Recording
I do a fair amount of audio work, both live, and post-production. Over the years I have had a number of (extremely modest) audio production stations – it seems overly ambitious to call them home studios. Below is a picture of my two most recent setups. The first is from a bit over a year ago, right after I moved into my own place. I used a ping-pong table as my desk and set up on that. Most of my furniture was not yet setup, but I had some work to do that needed to be done right away. The second is my current setup, complete with the organic mess that always seems to follow me wherever I go.
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How John Became a Man and Bandcamp.com
// February 25th, 2011 // No Comments » // Audio and Recording, Free Geek Tools, Hints and Tips
This is an audiobook I recorded about a year ago. The player I am using comes from bandcamp.com. This is primarily a test to see how well their flash player integrates with WordPress – though you are welcome to buy a copy if you happen to like it. Bandcamp offers free audio hosting in exchange for a percentage of your sales. For this reason there is a limit to the number of free downloads you can offer. If your free downloads exceed the amount the allow, you, as the artist/label, can purchase additional free download credits for about $.03ea to cover Bandcamp’s hosting fees.
It appears to be a pretty nice setup, there are several players available, and the colors are customizable. The only change I would make is the option to make the background transparent – but I guess most people do not have a gradient background on their blog…
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