My Microphone Collection

Just felt like showing off a bit.


Not a bad little bundle if I say so myself.


Click on the pic to go to Flickr, where I've got each of the mics labeled.




If you've got shots of you're own microphones, please drop a link in the comments!


Happy Friday!

Eminem Sues Universal Music Over Digital Royalties

The US rapper's lawsuit could set a precedent for artists distributing their music through digital downloads. These lawsuits always seems to influence what happens with other forms of content. Hit the read link for more info.

read more | digg story

The Teenager Audio Test - Can You Hear This Sound?

This sound can generally only heard by people under the age of 25. It has been used as a deterrent device to keep teenagers from loitering in malls and shops, and sounds similar to a buzzing mosquito. Typically the longer you listen to it, the more annoying it gets. I can still hear it in one ear...

read more | digg story

Star Trek Next Gen. Cast To Reunite On Family Guy!

Hollywood Reporter - The episode titled “Not All Dogs Go to Heaven,” the "Next Gen" crew (Patrick Stewart, Levar Burton, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, Wil Wheaton, Denise Crosby, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes) will provide guest voices as the Griffin family heads to the annual Quahog “Trek” convention.

read more | digg story

Deep Listening - Why Audio Quality Matters

Ok.


This is really heady stuff.
Here is a two and a half hour round table discussion on audio fidelity, set up by the Philoctetes Center (The Multidisciplinary Study of Imagination).

On the surface it seems to be a bunch of mastering engineers ragging on digital audio (and specifically MP3), but there are some great observations on the science of audio, and the business of production.


Participants: Steve Berkowitz, Greg Calbi (moderator), Evan Cornog, Michael Fremer, Kevin Killen, Craig Street
Deep Listening: Why Audio Quality Matters 


The irony of course is that the audio of the discussion is really poor...

Phoenix Comic Con 09 Panel - Voice Acting Versus Stage Acting

Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt are two of my favorite people on the planet.

They were joined by Matt Greenfield and Tiffany Grant at the 2009 Phoenix ComicCon to have a panel discussion on the differences between voice acting and stage acting. 

I thought the discussion was pretty interesting, as I got my start in theatre production and performance.

Here are all 6 pieces of the panel from the youtubes.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Adam Carolla moves from radio to podcast

Radio/TV personality Adam Carolla has created his own daily podcast after his popular radio program was canceled. Let's support one of the funniest guys on the air as "new media" becomes just "media." The first podcast is due out ... well ... today, so hit the read link to see what this is all about.

read more | digg story

Unboxing and Observations on the AKG C414B-XLS

So I finally got one of my own, an AKG C414 B-XLS .

My fave studio mic of all time. I've used them for years, but never pushed the button on owning one.

That has now been rectified.

This wont be a review on the 414 per se, there are PLENTY of those floating around, but I will share some of my observations on this (beautiful) microphone.

What do you get?
First up, the packaging is a little slice of incredible. The flight case not only holds the mic, but also a travel pouch, the shock mount, a wind sock, and a two layer nylon pop screen. Included in the packaging is also a beginner's guide to recording (demonstrating proper mic placement for a variety of instruments), and a frequency response graph of YOUR specific microphone (I thought that was pretty cool).

Having played with a lot of the mics in the 414's price range (TLM103 and MKH416 for example) it was REALLY refreshing to see how well accessorized the 414 was.

But how does it sound?
Pretty damn good!
If you've read here before, my personal go-to large diaphragm condenser was the M-Audio Solaris. I still feel the Solaris is a shining example of a mid range microphone, and you get A LOT of mic for $300.

The 414 takes the game to a whole nuther level.

Again, I wont spend much time reviewing, but five polar patterns, three selectable low cut filters, and a three level pad make for a remarkably versatile microphone. This is also a professional reference microphone, and moving from the Solaris (again no slouch) to the 414 dropped my noise floor 6dB.

I don't think the sound of the mic is going to "wow" a lot of people, but that's sort of the charm of the XLS. It's a reference microphone, and is generally one of the most honest large diaphragm mics I've ever used. There's nothing hyped about this sound. This is not a "warm" mic ("warmth" of course being a harmonic distortion or inaccuracy some people find appealing). This is not really an exciting mic, but that really is the point. It's clean, very accurate, and as long as something sounds good in real life, it's most likely going to sound good on this mic.

It's very much like an SM57 in that respect. It's just very good at everything.

For us VO folk, I can't recommend this mic for everyone, but I would put it on your short list of pro mics to consider. I would definitely put it up against the TLM-103, the MKH416 , and AKG's sister mic the C414 B-XL II (supposedly designed for vocals).

However if you record more than just spoken word, this mic is sort of a no-brainer must-have...

Microphone Care - Flight Cases

Don't slam the lid.

There you go.

Simple observation on prolonging the life of your microphone.

How It's Made - Microphones (by Neumann)

I know this has already made the rounds once, but it's such a fun look at how a tool we use every day is actually made.

Windows 7 NOT good for Recording???

Lifehacker is reporting that Windows 7 DRM prevents any kind of software audio capture. 

One rather feisty (and—surprise!—Linux-savvy) Slashdot reader writes about his DRM discoveries in Windows 7. Along with complaints about seemingly big-software-friendly firewall access and registration DLLs, the author's chief discovery is that Windows 7 doesn't allow for any kind of software audio capture. In other words, if you've got one application playing sound, Windows 7 doesn't seem to allow you to use your same sound card to also grab the audio from that app.

I find this hard to believe.

First up, a LINUX savvy Slashdot reader? 

Really? 

Secondly, doesn't this describe the practice of monitoring what you're recording. I've played a little with the Win7 beta, and didn't have any issues listening to what I was recording (finding stable sound card drivers on the other hand).

Admittedly I didn't spend a LOT of time playing with it (I had work to do). 

Is anyone out there having issues with this?

DRM: Windows 7 Seemingly Blocks Audio Capture @ Lifehacker 

(Oh, and the pic is of my BRAND NEW AKG C 414 B-XLS Condenser Microphone! Woot!)

Language You've Never Heard a President Use (w/ Audio)

THIS is language taken out of context...

read more | digg story

SomeAudioGuy on Demo Production at Voices.com

Just wanted to drop a quick link here.
David Sobolov and I were asked a series of questions on demo production over at Vox Daily.

I was in kind of a snarky mood when I replied....


Check it out:
Producers Respond To Open Letter on Voice Over Demos

IBM develop 'most realistic' computerised voice yet

Scientists at IBM have developed a computerised voice that is almost indistinguishable from a human. Hit the read link for more info from the Telegraph.

read more | digg story