podcamp pittsburgh 3- audio techniques

Professional Audio TechniquesTaking your Podcast to the next level

By David Fisher (aka Tibbon)

Twitter: @Tibbon1

12 practices to improve your audio(Mostly in the studio)

Twitter: @Tibbon2

aka. Your Podcast Sucks(well, just the audio)

Twitter: @Tibbon3

Who is this guy?

• Guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, cello

• Engineer: Taylor Barefoot Productions 2003-2005

• Music Business Management: Berklee College of Music 2006

• Jazkarta, 2007-2008, @natea’s company

• GamerDNA, 2008-Present

Twitter: @Tibbon4

I am not covering:

• Content

• Distribution

• How to push the record button

Twitter: @Tibbon5

3 Instant Takeaways#1: Subscribe to a FREE subscription of TapeOp Magazine:

http://www.tapeop.com/

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YoutubeBlip

Global Warming VideosAttempts at ‘going viral’

Num

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Qua

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Aud

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Prod

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Global Crisis (Joke)

Twitter: @Tibbon7

Ask questions

Twitter: @Tibbon8

Problem Solving

Twitter: @Tibbon9

Audio is Important!

Twitter: @Tibbon10

You will lose listeners!

Twitter: @Tibbon11

Quality?

Twitter: @Tibbon12

Quality

• Clear

• Noise-free

• Natural

• No distractions

Twitter: @Tibbon13

Examples of Quality

• Howard Stern Show

• NPR

• TED Talks

• Most Revision3 shows

Twitter: @Tibbon14

Examples of Poor Quality

• Totally Rad Show

• Problems:

• Boomy

• Too much room sound

• Distracting noise

• Sounds like recorded in a garage

Twitter: @Tibbon15

Where do consumers listen?

• Mostly on headphones (65%)

• Often on laptops (15%)

• Sometimes on full range speakers (~10%)

• Occasionally in the car (~10%)

• All numbers are estimates*

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1) Quality Mics last a Lifetime

• Mostly Condenser Mics

• Dynamic Mics to Consider; SM-7B, RE-20

• Some bargains, but you get what you pay for

• Beware of cheap ‘tube’ mics

• Use Proper Technique, be mindful of proximity effect

Twitter: @Tibbon17

1a) “Other” Mics

• Shotgun Mics- Capture sound from a distance

• Lavilier (Lav) mics- Often with wireless packs

• Combine well together

Twitter: @Tibbon18

Shotgun Mics19

• Optional! Software works too

• Control Dynamics, Makes Sound Fuller

• Does it right the first time, better workflow

• As a downside, difficult to use in the field

2) Use a Hardware Compressor

Twitter: @Tibbon20

2a) Channel Strips are cool

• Combine hardware preamp, EQ and compressor

• All-in-one package

• Great values, again you get what you pay for

Twitter: @Tibbon21

2b) Lunchboxes are cooler!

• Modular chassis that allow you to insert module units such as a preamp, compressor, eq, etc.

• Power connections/Chassis all in one

• Save money, space, and ease of portability

• Downside: No low end setup. Expensive but great value

Twitter: @Tibbon22

3) Preamps Matter• Preamps amplify the signal level of the

microphone to line level

• Built in preamps are sometimes fine, but high quality external preamps are great!

• All do the same thing, but like different methods of heating food all yield slightly different results

• Don’t go overboard

• In short: Most sound cards are insufficient

Twitter: @Tibbon23

4) Treat a room

• Acoustic treatment doesn’t make a room quieter or eliminate noise.

• Do not over-deaden

• Listen to this room.

• Close Mic’ing technique will help overcome some room issues

Twitter: @Tibbon24

Takeaway #2:Two cool forums:

Gearslutz (http://gearslutz.com)&

Harmony-Central (http://acapella.harmony-central.com)

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5) Workflow is King

• Use a Patchbay!!!

• Do it right the first time

• Have extras of common items onhand (microphones, cables, pop filters, mic stands, headphones)

• Software only matters for workflow

• Keep your workspace clean

Twitter: @Tibbon26

6) Get a second set of Monitors

• One ‘full range’ set (Mackie, Genelec, Dynaudio, Yamaha)

• One ‘consumer’ set (NS-10, Auratone, Computer speakers)

• One high quality set of headphones, use while recording.

• Monitor controller/switch, headphone distribution

Twitter: @Tibbon27

7) Use Popfilters

• Helps with spacing from the microphone

• Helps with Plosives

• Clean them after sessions

• The metal ones work better (Inside tip: can be found cheap if you look around)

Twitter: @Tibbon28

8) Do Not Overdo Anything

• Excessive level line gain (normally means bad gain staging)

• Never Over-EQ (generally indicative of another problem)

• Excessive gating and compression also is bad.

• If anything is turned all the way up, you’re likely doing something wrong

Twitter: @Tibbon29

9) Use Room Tone

• Record room tone with all mics open, but no audio for 45 seconds

• When you cut out a mic, replace it with its room tone.

• Do not “Gate” audio. It makes things sound choppy. Replace with roomtone if you do this

• Use Noise Reduction only if needed. Quiet the room, not the recording

Twitter: @Tibbon30

10) Mix into a compressor

• Use a high threshold, low gain makeup, fast attack, slow release, high ratio compressor (20:1) to mix into

• You can even use two compressors (one more as a high ratio limiter, one as a low ratio compressor)

• There are some good plugins for this, such as the Sony Oxford Inflator or the L2. Just don’t overuse it

Twitter: @Tibbon31

11) Don’t Re-Compress Mastered Audio

• When flying in audio for intros, do not re-compress/limit/eq the pre-mastered audio

• It’s like cooking your food twice and simply makes it sound bad

• This applies specifically to the compressors mentioned in step 10!

Twitter: @Tibbon32

12) Find a good Audio Equipment Dealer!

• Allows borrows/returns easily and without issues

• Provides helpful problem solving

• Truthful and doesn’t oversell

• All equipment costs the same; Do not shop on price!

Twitter: @Tibbon33

Do Not:

• Clip the signal

• Record from a built in computer/camera microphone

• Record unprepared

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Takeaway #3:Tour a studio

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Questions and Answers Time!

• David Fisher

• tibbon@gmail.com

• Twitter: http://twitter.com/tibbon

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Thank You

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