What is Acoustic Audio Treatment & What Does it Do?

Greetings Earthlings. I am here with an explanation video, discussing what acoustic audio treatment is, and what it does.

This discussion leads to an explanation of what reverb is, what a wet room is, and what a dry room is. I then provide some examples of each type of room. The bottom line is that in a broadcast/podcast setting, you typically want to have a dry room. This gives you more control over the way your recording sounds. It allows you to manipulate the audio more successfully in post, and ultimately it will lead to a cleaner sound and clearer speech. If you have any more questions about acoustic audio treatment, go ahead and leave them in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them. 

The Horror Paradox: Why Do We Love Scary Movies?

It is Thursday. That means Geeks Rising. On today's vlog, I decided to explore the reasons that we enjoy submitting ourselves to scary movies. It does not make sense why we voluntarily enter a situation that we are almost guaranteed a stressful time. Therefore, I try to get to the bottom of it.

You may notice that this is a shorter supplemental article than usual. I am attempting to remove fluff from my writing. It also does not make sense for me to provide all the information that can be acquired from the video above. ENJOY!

Podcastage Ep. 76: You'll Never Believe How Un-Racist Taylor Swift Is

How the heck does it feel! Being click baited into clicking and listening to this podcast. Not very good, but I know you couldn't help but find out what the blah is, and how freaking blah it is, because it is tremendously blah.

Anyways, now that I have tricked you into coming over here, it would be apropriate for me to tell you about this episode. The intro portion of this podcast, I discuss my first experience with someone attempting to troll my work online and how that conversation went, and how much fun it was. Then I share how I am attempting to improve as I get more free time due to increased efficiency and effectiveness. 

Then when we get into the actual episode, we get into the really good stuff. I discuss topics that I heard on Wil Wheaton's podcast, Radio Free Burrito, regarding celebrity and the expectations we place on them. I then go on a diatribe about how they are the reptilian elite and they will be feeding on our brains within the decade. And I end the podcast with a brief discussion of how non racist taylor swift is. Her video got her a lot of flack from the "media" but I think it is completely wrong in their statements of racism.

Neewer NW-700 Microphone Review & Test

Tuesday means podcast gear review. Today I'm testing out the Neewer NW-700. I will share a hunch I have with you. I think that this is the exact same microphone as the Excelvan BM-700. 

What's in the Box?

Let's go ahead and look at what comes in the box when you order this microphone:

  1. Cardioid Condenser Microphone (XLR)
  2. Microphone Shock mount
  3. Microphone Cable (XLR to 3.5mm)
  4. Ball Pop Filter
  5. User Manual / Spec Sheet

It pretty much has everything you will need to start recording except for two things, 1) microphone stand, and 2) audio interface. Don't worry, the mic stand is only $13, and the audio interface is only $6. 

Performance / Features

This is an cardioid condenser microphone with a frequency response from 20Hz - 16KHz. And guess what. It sounds pretty dang good, especially for a $22 microphone kit.

I do want to mention that this microphone REQUIRES some power to function. It does not require full 48V of phantom power, but a minimal amount of voltage. I have tested it out and it works perfectly fine off the 5v provided through a usb audio adapter. I do not have a computer with a built in microphone input, but I have been told that this microphone sounds terrible when plugged directly into your computers microphone input.

Conclusion

This is a great microphone kit. It sounds great and it's super cheap. I highly recommend it for voice overs or starting a podcast. The great thing is, it is an XLR microphone, so if you would like to upgrade to a better interface in the future, you are able to do so. This is a downside to all USB microphones, and why I prefer XLR mics like this. 

To simplify, $22 and you'll be on your way. Throw in another $13 for the stand and another $6 for the usb adapter, and you are looking $41 for a complete solo recording set up. If you are on a budget and need something to start, this is the mic for you.

If you do have any questions about the microphone, let me know in the comments and I will answer them as soon as possible. Thanks for watching. Bye.

NW-700 on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1VJXgCE
USB Audio Adapter on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NRL9xh

Podcastage Ep. 75: South Dakota, Racist Walking Dead & Conspiracies

Hey everyone. We are on EPISODE 75, and I can't believe it! Moving on. 

On todays episode, I do a quick celebration on hitting two milestones and I talk about how I will be celebrating now that I don't drink. I also do a quick discussion of future spin off podcasts that I know will be bigger than Serial! 

Then we dive into Let's Learn Our Country and I go on and on about South Dakota and how AWFUL it is! Then we get into the real stuff. I talk about Fear the Walking Dead and if it is racist for murdering all the black characters in the series, and then discuss a quick bit about Pixels and if there is racism included in that film. 

Lastly, I talk about a conspiracy theory that I have developed. I do not have any data to back up my claims, so everything I say is pure speculation, but it makes sense and I am am almost certain that you will be scared after hearing it.

How to Install a Shock Mount

Hey everyone. I got another request from a viewer. This time for a tutorial on how to install a mic into a shockmount and how to install a shockmount onto a boom arm. It is pretty straight forward but I had fun showing him how to do so. If y'all have any requests for additional tutorials, don't hesitate to leave them in the comments down below or on youtube and I will get to them as soon as I can. See y'all later!

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Podcastage Studio Gear

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Hey Friends. I am back with another podcastage video on a day that I do not have a scheduled release. This is due to a request from one of my favorite viewers Cobra Gaming, requesting that I do a quick studio tour. I figured that this is as good a time as any to list all my gear for you and tell you why I chose the gear. This is in no way a comprehensive list of the gear that I use, but it is the main gear that I use.

Shure SM7B: http://amzn.to/1INp7J8
If you go into 100 broadcast studios, chances are you will see about 33 of these guys. There will also be 33 PR40's and 33 RE20's. Okay I made up that stat, but it sounds right. I personally prefer this mic because I just like the tonality of it, and it fit more in my budget when I was shopping around. They also used this model mic to record Thriller. My one issue with this mic is the super low output. In order to resolve that I had to invest in the cloudlifter CL-1 to get the best sounding audio that I could. 

Rode PSA1: http://amzn.to/1POxABd
Okay, I will admit that $100 is a bit much to pay for a mic stand, but let me justify the cost for you. First off. It is so incredibly convenient to have a mic available at all times, without having a bulky kick drum mic stand sitting on your desk. I also had a cheaper studio boom arm that kept breaking and dropping my mics off my desk. If you're going to be using expensive mics, you don't want a mic stand that could very easily break your $400 mic. If you have the room, a kick drum mic stand will run you $30 and work well though. Just don't get a cheap Studio Boom Arm that imitates this style.

Cloudlifter CL-1: http://amzn.to/1hZ4zIw
The cloudlifter CL-1 is nothing more than a mic activator. What that does is, it takes your interface's/preamps phantom power and boosts the signal by about +25db, meaning you don't have to drive your preamp which really helps eliminate a lot of preamp noise. If you are using a mic like the Shure SM7b, which is INFAMOUSLY quiet, this is a great investment, although it does make the overall cost of the mic about $500. So at that point, you can consider the RE20 or PR40.

Zoom H6: http://amzn.to/1POxBF8
This is hands down one of the best purchases I have made. I ditched my Tascam US-322 for this thing for a bunch of reasons. First off, the noise floor on the H6 is lower, meaning I can crank the gain higher before getting excessive preamp noise. Secondly, this thing can record 4 XLR mics to individual tracks for later manipulation. With the purchase of a $80 adapter, you can boost that to XLR mics to separate tracks! It also is portable, has effects, has great sounding, interchangable mic capsules, oh and did I mention it can function as a freaking audio interface! This can function as a 6 input audio interface on your computer! 

Logitech C920: http://amzn.to/1NPPdCW
This is where I didn't invest in the best gear. For what I'm doing (testing out microphones on youtube), I don't need to invest in a $700 DSLR camera for amazing depth of field. That's not what's important in my videos. What's important is the audio. Making sure that I am capturing the mics sound as naturally as possible so people who hear the test video know what they're getting. This webcam does shoot decent video, but I have very little customization, and the image seems to be washed out quite a bit. But as I said. It works perfectly for what I'm doing.

Giantsquid Lav Mic: http://amzn.to/1INpkf9
I never thought I would use a Lavalier mic that much until I started making videos. If you are making youtube videos, I am telling you right now, audio is the most important thing (almost all the time). If you are talking at all or trying to convey information through talking, you need good audio and this thing allowed me to do that. It's a 1/8" lav mic with a meter long cable (I think) and I just hook it directly into my Gopro while I'm Vlogging outdoors, or if I am recording a Vlog inside, I record this directly into my H2n, and sync the audio in Final Cut. Without this, my audio would sound like garbage, and you wouldn't be able to hear what I was saying half the time. You can get cheaper lav mics too. All I am saying is if you are making videos, invest in a way to make sure your audio is AMAZING!

GoPro Hero 3: http://amzn.to/1INpnaP
Why is the GoPro so popular? Because it is easy to use. You turn it on, hit record, and you are good to go. That's why I love this thing as a Vlogging camera. It is so easy to use, it has pretty dang good battery life, I can hook up an external mic (with an adapter), and the footage is high quality. All my geeks rising vlogs that are outdoors are shot with this and I am incredibly happy with how it has functioned so far with the Giant Squid lav mic. One thing I am thinking of doing to improve the footage is invest in a steady cam adapter for this, or a cheap gimble so the footage is not as shaky.

Alright everyone, that will do it for todays unplanned discussion of studio gear and what I'm using. I hope you found it helpful. If you have any questions about any of the gear mentioned above, let me know and I will answer it as best as I can. 

Area 51

Welcome to another edition of Friday Night Action Movie Book Club. Today I am sharing my thoughts about the film Area 51 with you. To give you a boring one liner describing the film...This film follows three conspiracy theorists who attempt to break into Area 51 and uncover the secrets of alien life that is hidden within the secret government facility.

However, before I go any further I think I should let you in on a secret. This was written and directed by Oren Peli, and if you don't know who that is, he wrote Paranormal Activity (only the first one) and Chernobyl Diaries. I feel like that's important to know because it really gives you an idea of what the film is going to be like. A found footage, low budget horror flick. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I will admit up front, the characters are not dynamic and the story is not the best, but I freaking loved this movie from start to finish. I think what I loved about this film is that it plays off all the desires that a conspiracy theorist like me has; to learn what's truly held in Area 51. We get to see how someone overcomes the security measures set in place to protect one of the best kept secrets in the United States, and then we get to see what's inside.

Yes, a lot of stuff is unbelievable, a lot of it can be ridiculous, the found footage aspect doesn't make sense to me, and the trailer shows way too much, but that's okay! If you have ever wondered what is in Area 51, or wondered if anyone could break in, then you will enjoy this movie (yes I know that no one in this film actually broke in to area 51). If you suspend your disbelief for an hour and a half, then your conspiracy theorist brain will get tickled in an extremely pleasurable way. 

You'll Like, if You Like: found footage films, horror films, alien films, conspiracy theories, or Paranormal Activity.

Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1FmgFQP

Podcastage Ep. 74: Kanye for President of Wyoming

Watch this video after listening to the Podcast.

Greetings earthlings and welcome back. It's Wednesday and that means it's another podcast day. This episode is the longest solo podcast I have done yet, clocking in at about 33 minutes. But it covers a lot of areas. After all, it's titled Kanye for President of Wyoming!

So I start out with the typical Let's Learn Our Country segment where I discuss a brief history of the state of Wyoming. I then discuss the Kanye West presidential campaign, and then I go into an extended diatribe covering the absurdity of someone saying "I could do that" when experiencing a piece of art. There is quite a long discussion of the history of 12-tone compositional technique in there, because that stuff is SO TIGHT! I also have included a video of the Rites of Spring which I discuss briefly in the podcast. Hope you enjoy it.

Don't forget to rate, review, & subscribe on iTunes, and follow podcastage and geeks rising on facebook and twitter.

SF-930 Microphone Review

Hey Everyone. Tuesday Means another microphone review. This week I tested out another one of those really cheap mass produced microphones that are sold under a dozen different company names. This week I tested out the SF-930. It is another one that looks really goofy, but regardless of the odd look, it definitely sounds better than $14.

That's really all that this microphone costs. $14, and if you are just going to be using it for a  voice over on youtube, or live streaming a game and you don't have a higher budget, then this mic will work for you. The mic is Omni-directional, meaning it picks up audio 360-degrees around the microphones, it has a gain knob on the microphone, it's frequency response is 50Hz to 16KHz, and it is an XLR Mic.

When you order this mic you get the Microphone, a stand, and an XLR - 1/8" (3.5mm) microphone cable. This is everything you need to get started recording audio. You plug it right into your computer microphone in and you should be good to record. I feel like I need to mention this...if you are recording, check the mics input level to make sure you are not clipping (distorting the audio). Let me know what your thoughts on this mic are in the comment section down below.

Fear the Walking Dead: So Close, Yet So Far

I may be saying this a bit preemptively, but I'm going to say it anyways...I told you so. This second episode was great! Unfortunately, there were 19% less viewers this week, which kind of sucks, but you know what. This show is clearly not for everyone. I have a feeling that this show is going to be to The Walking Dead, what Caprica was to Battlestar Galactica; both amazing shows in the same universe but very different styles. (Rob French, a producer of BSG actually was one of the producers on this episode). Anyways, now we get into the spoiler territory.

In episode 2, we get to see a lot more of the societal impacts of this disease. I guess we focus more on society's reaction to the unknown. There are shootings, there are riots due to the shootings. And no one is talking about it. The scenes regarding police shooting an unarmed man ring almost too true for me and they made me feel very uneasy. That, however, is what a good piece of writing is supposed to do. Challenge you. Put a mirror up and say "LOOK AT WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON AROUND YOU!" And I think that this episode really succeeds in this. 

The part that really made me cringe was the moment a walker came around the ambulance and a police over said "Stop right there", and a few seconds afterwards, shoots the walker woman in the chest and in the head. I know what you're all thinking "It was a walker"...but you have to ask yourself, does the policewoman in this scene know that? This is the beginning of the outbreak. Would all the police officers know that there's a disease that reanimates the dead, causing them to eat human flesh? Does the government know what's happening yet they just have told society? Is that why the police are so ready to shoot, and why police officers are stocking up on supplies? I don't know. It can be looked at in a bunch of different ways, but let's move on. The thing that I found most interesting about this episode is the relationship dynamics that we are starting to witness. As someone who loves to over analyze stuff, lets get pretentious. 

My favorite character in this episode was Alicia (the daughter). I know what you're thinking, Madison (the mom) did the butt kicking and walker smashing, she was clearly the best. But I disagree. It's the zombie apocalypse. We know that people will have to bash in a few heads to survive. What we do not expect people to have during the apocalypse is compassion. And we see compassion within Alicia.

Throughout the episode you see Alicia struggling with choosing her boyfriend (who has been bitten) or her brother (who is going through heroin withdrawals). If you want to get overly analytical...Both men can become zombies, Matt (her boyfriend) will become a zombie. He's been bitten. That's inescapable. Nick (her brother) on the other hand has a chance. He is struggling with a heroin addiction and he can very easily become a metaphorical zombie. She reluctantly chose her brother, but it shows Alicia's true colors and her alliances. This action alone changes the entire perspective you have of Alicia and her familial relationships. Ultimately, this shows that Alicia is forgiving and compassionate; two traits that unfortunately in horror shows / movies don't lead to a happy ending for characters.

In any typical horror show, Alicia would be the first to go, but we all know that Kirkman doesn't give us what is expected. So I expect to be surprised moving forward, and that the will continue to get better! TOLD YOU SO!

Podcastage Ep. 73: Woodchippers & Pancakes

Hey Y'all. After a lovely Saturday off from Geeks Rising & Podcastage work that consisted of traveling and working for Monday's VLOG, I am back with another podcast! WOO! On this one, I get really heavy, but before I do that I introduce you to the theme song for the segment on the last three episodes "Learn Our Country"...This will be easy to expand to entire countries who have not downloaded me. Then I can focus my sights on whole CONTINENTS! I will be downloaded from everywhere! But before I get ahead of myself. On this episode I attack North Dakota!

After the introduction, we get into a bit heavier of topics. We start with a discussion of a post I saw on facebook. It is regarding animal abuse and how horrible that is, but also how horrible the response to it was, then we go into deeper and darker territory about murder, and then gun control! It is a heavy episode and I hope you find as much enjoyment in it as I find in making these...even when they are covering serious topics.

$30 Microphone Round-up

Hey Everyone. I am back on Friday with another Podcastage Video. Today, per the request of one of our viewers "The Ryan Master", I did a round up of all my microphones that are $30 or less and tested them out. Check out the video to the right, and all the links to the microphones are down below.

SF-666: http://amzn.to/1Jz6MnY
SF-920: http://amzn.to/1VbMOno
SF-922B: http://amzn.to/1U7bkZy
BM-700: http://amzn.to/1Jz6QUI
BM-800: http://amzn.to/1U7brVa
SM-48: http://amzn.to/1U7bujU
USB Audio Adapter: http://amzn.to/1VbMmWi

Call Me Lucky

This Bobcat Goldthwait directed documentary, tells the story comedian Barry Crimmins. This man changed the scene of Comedy in the 80's. More importantly, he has changed the lives of many children who survived childhood sexual abuse.

When you hear someone say "I can't imagine what you're going through", you know something bad has happened. You just don't know how bad it can actually be. We find out how bad it reality can be for Barry Crimmins. However, once we get to that low point where we don't think Barry will survive, we begin to see the true beauty and humanism of this man. 

In the beginning of the film, Barry Crimmins tells a story about one of the executives of Exxon following the Valdez spill. He mentions how an executive said "Hey, nobody ever talks about how much oil didn't spill from the Exxon Valdez." ... That is the kind of optimism that we see portrayed flawlessly in this film; from tragedy can come the anger to change in the world. I think that's what this film is trying to portray. That you can survive horrible events in your life, and those events don't have to control you. You can take control of your life and turn the bad into good. 

I think that this film is necessary for everyone to watch. It may be difficult at times, but it's an important message. I know too many people crippled by fear or past events. If you watch this, you can learn to leave that all behind.

I know this review/recommendation is short and kind of cheesy, but I don't care. I just think y'all need to watch it, and learn from Barry Crimmins & Bobcat Goldthwait. That's why I'm writing this.

Podcastage Ep. 72: Bad News Montana and Polyamory

Hey y'all. It is Wednesday and that means that it is time for another episode of Podcastage. ON this episode, you get a quick glimpse into my morning routine and how I get out of bed every morning, but immediately following that we go into my discussion of the next state on my no downloads list. Montana. I talk directly to the state of Montana, and then share some horrible news about Montana, as well as ask for some help finding the good in Montana because I know that there is some.

Then I go into my regular diatribe format where I rant about the Ashley Madison leak. It is a touchy subject but I had a very long discussion with some folks online about the situation and I feel like there were some good points made in the discussion so I figured that I could share the thoughts about it. So I hope you get something out of the rants, and I hope you enjoy the podcast.

Also, please don't forget to leave a review on iTunes for my podcast! I would like you a lot more than I already do if you do this for me. Thanks to you ladies and gentlemans. 

Blue Snowball iCE Microphone Review

Hey Everyone, Tuesday means another tech review for you. When I say tech review, I mean a microphone review. Today I tested out the Blue Snowball iCE, a USB microphone that will set you back $50.

This mic is built like mics are supposed to be built. With heft. It feels like it was built to last; like it can take a beating. The mic stand that comes with it is nothing to write home about, but that's a fairly typical occurrence when stands are included with microphones. I think that the stand will be perfectly sufficient for desktop use.

The audio is pretty dang good for $50, and the ease of use is amazing. You plug it in. Select the microphone in your system preferences, set the input level, and you're good to go. I did run into one issue though, I kept getting clicking noises. There was even a point where I got some sort of digital feedback that made the audio unusable. I wasn't able to locate anything about this phenomenon, but I have a hunch it has to do with moving the cable around and holding the mic in my hands.

Over all it's a great mic and if you're looking for a desktop mic to improve your skype calls, podcasts, or voice overs, I highly recommend it!

Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1h6SBeK

Fear the Walking Dead: Pilot

I have seen quite a few bad reviews of the pilot episode of Fear the Walking Dead, and I have to disagree with all of them. I think that this episode was amazing! But before we get into it, I will let you know that there will be SPOILERS! SPOILER ALERT!!!

First off, I noticed that this spin off series is shot very differently than The Walking Dead. It seems to be more of a nod to your traditional horror film. It's not attempting to copy the formula from the original walking dead, but they do have a few nods to it (particularly, the first scene of the episode). I think this is the exact right way for them to approach this show, allow the show to develop it's own style, themes, and feel. Don't simply regurgitate the same crap that you already know will work!

Secondly, I saw Variety say "replace the annoying teenagers with some non-clichéd characters we can actually root for." I think that is a RIDICULOUS! How can you not be routing for Nick!? Nick is a junkie and something tells me that we are going to witness something amazing from this character. I will forecast that we will see a man get his life back in the midst of all the horror that there is in the world! We're going to see Nick become the Phoenix, or the redemption story.

If you want to get pretentious about this episode, you can already start to see this when you look at his interaction with Cal (his dealer). In the hospital Nick says he wants to get clean and then you see him slowly start to slip into routines that will lead him back down the road of addiction. Then when everything between him and Cal goes down, you see Nicky upset having shot his dealer/friend. Next Nick turns to his family, not because he wants to get help, but seemingly out of fear. Then Cal Attacks his family. When Nick gets behind the wheel of the truck you notice he hesitates, but then you see a subtle change in his face and you see him make a realization. That his family is more important. In my overly analytical eyes, when he runs over Cal, he is showing that he is choosing his family over drugs.

Also, how can anyone be judging the characters already!? Do I need to remind everyone how no one liked Daryl when he first showed up. He was a racist jerk. Now look at him! If he were to be killed off, there would be riots...or I would at least be afraid of the possibility of riots. 

Third, COME ON! It's the first freaking episode. Of course it's not going to be flawless. It's going to go through growing pains and have to discover what it will be and who the characters will be throughout the next two seasons. Give it time to grow and learn to love it. Shows typically don't come out and blow you away on the first episode. I will say that I was a huge fan of it and I cannot wait for the next one.

Podcastage Ep. 71: Whitewashing Culture, Conspiracies, & Video Game Issues

Hey everyone! On this episode, I draw a lot of inspiration from fellow podcasters. I discuss the possibility that political correctness may erase the beauty of an individuals culture, I talk about some conspiracy theories, and I top it all off with a bit of video game talk; mainly my issues with console gaming! Check it out!

Big Hero 6

Happy FNAMBC! This Friday's movie is Big Hero 6 the obscure Marvel team created in 1998 and made into a Pixar smash success in 2014! 

This movie doesn't need a review, I know it, you know it, but here we are. I loved this superhero animated movie. In case you did not see this movie yet I will provide a brief summary and spoil it slightly. So, Big Hero 6 takes place in San Fransokyo in the not to distant future and  follows the cast of character (six mostly). The catalyst of the story is Hiro a prodigy who doesn't care about school and thinks he is smart enough already.  This all changes when he decides to apply at his brothers college and tragedy strikes. His brother dies during the science fair and doesn't get to show the world his invention Baymax a medical bot.

Hiro bent on finding the truth teams up with his brother's colleagues and become a super team. Baymax and Fred (TJ Miller) offer some pretty amazing comic relief.  The team become superheroes and defeat the villain. I dont want to tell the whole story because you should watch or watch it again and laugh at this wonderful movie.

Rewatching this movie has only made me love it more, this film made me realize a parallel between creators and superheroes and inspired me to write a whole piece over on The Paper Robots. I was so inspired by the story that wasn't being told directly but made me think and realize why we create. That article will go live August 22. 

Big Hero 6 gets 9 fist bumps out of an invisible sandwich.

Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1U1Md59

Recording a 1/8" or 3.5mm Mic directly to your Mac

Hey Everyone. I know that I don't typically post reviews on Thursday, but this is different than the regular reviews I do. This video is resolving an issue that a lot of my viewers who run Mac computers have run into. 

There are a lot of microphones that have a 1/8" or 3.5mm jack, and from my understanding, almost all the new Macs have a single 1/8" jack. This jack functions as the headphones, and microphone jack. Unfortunately, this requires a very special sort of cable that very few companies use. So Mac users have been unable to use these mics without expensive interfaces and all that. I found a solution for $6, and I had to share it so that you can benefit from it if you order one of these mics! Hope it helps, and I will see you on Tuesday at the Regular time!

Buy it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1K9BPHA