Podcast Academy – The #1 Source for Podcast Education

A few months ago, GigaVox CEO Michael Geoghegan and Denise Howell transformed an idea into reality. Their task was to simplify the process of distributing a release form to potential podcast program guests. With some developer assistance, Michael came up with a WordPress plugin that creates a page on your site containing a user [admin] defined acceptance or “release” form. Guests are required to enter their name and email address, and to engage a check box that specifies acceptance of terms. The plugin generates dual email messages – one to the site admin and a second to the submitter. All the necessary data, including the submitter’s ip address will be specified in the generated documents.

The plugin is not distributed with pre-authored release agreement terms. This provides support for user defined proprietary terms. Click here for a demonstration. Also, the Podcast Brothers have posted an example on their site. Have a look at this if you need assistance in composing your document.

Installation:

• Download the Podcast-Realse plugin

• Extract the files to the wp-content/plugins directory on your server

• Activate the plugin via your WP Admin Console

• Within the Admin Console, navigate to Plugins –>> Podcast Release

• Complete the required setup information, including your preferred “Release Text.”

Once completed, you will have a new WordPress weblog page on your site [www.your_site/podcast-release].

Download: Podcast Release 0.1

Download: Podcast Release 0.11 [WordPress 2.1 compatible]

Disclaimer: We [GigaVox Media, The Podcast Academy and Affiliates] make no representations or warranties as to whether or not this process of release authorization is considered enforceable. Use it at your own risk

I just stumbled upon a very interesting new product that I will be keeping a close eye on. I realize that what I am about to discuss is most likely something that the typical podcast producer would not have the slightest bit of interest in.

Many people continue to suggest that a podcast is nothing more than a shared personal recording, captured with a $50 USB microphone, and distributed over the internet with very little fuss. I find myself helping many people who require nothing more than one of these USB mics and some free audio editing software to make them happy. This is good, and I’m happy to help in any way I can.

On the other hand, it is no secret that many producers are extremely concerned about the quality of their produced content. Podcasting has evolved into a diverse mechanism of media distribution at various levels of cost and complexity.

As a result, there is a major interest in expensive, high-end, professional gear. Typically components of this nature are coveted by those who have in one way or another succeeded in transforming New Media Distribution form a hobby into a business endeavor. It’s no secret that I fit into this category. I’m doing the best that I can to make it work.

Back to this exciting new product … What if I was to inform you that very soon, a single component would offer: 3 mic preamps with 48v phantom power, 3 internal Telephone Hybrids, 2 USB I/O buses – [I'm not kidding], 16 stereo Inputs … 5 stereo outputs, 4 band mic equalization, on-board mic compressor for all mic channels, and extensive [5 bus] monitoring options?

Solidyne is the company, and the component is the D816 Digital On-Air Console.

Additional features include: 4 electronic VU meters with compression gain reduction metering, balanced stereo inputs [three DIN-5], external device triggering, cellular telephone input support, and telephone hybrid conferencing.

To the best of my knowledge, Solidyne is a professional broadcast supply manufacturer located in Argentina. In my opinion, they have created a product that will break the barrier between those who seek the benefits and features of a professional radio console, and the high cost of what is currently available in the marketplace. In the end, this has delayed the possibility of upgrading. I’m hearing that the Solidyne D816 console will sell for less than $1400 US, and will be available in the early Spring.

If you have a second, build a spreadsheet and tally up a bottom line estimate for: a high quality mixer, a few compressors, a few digital hybrids, and a meter bridge. Let me know what you come up with.

To be continued …

GigaVox CEO Michael Geoghegan was featured on the ROI Radio podcast recently. Michael and program host Greg Cangialosi discuss the advantages of the GigaVox Audio Lite platform, Podcast Academy news, and future plans. This interview was recorded at the Podcast Academy, Duke University – Durham NC.

Yellowtec, a broadcast supply resource located in Germany presents the m!ka microphone arm. This device is part of an integrated modular system that includes mounting systems for flat panel monitors.

This arm looks nothing like the typical broadcast mic arms that most of use are accustomed to. Besides the sleek industrial style tubular design, the arm has a red “on-air” light, located just above the mic mount. Additional features include: internal linkage and coil spring constriction, friction joints with adjustable thumb screws, and internal wiring with male/female XLR connectors. Two finishes are available: natural aluminum and coated dark grey. Optional mounting accessories include: Pole Extension, Table Clamp, and Table-Top Recess Bushing.

I found the rest of the Yellowtec product line quite interesting. They offer a state of the art Digital Voice Processor that supports personal SmartCards. This enables easy set-up for proprietary on-air personality configuration. Also, a combination POTS/ISDN Digital Telephone Hybrid. I’ll be reviewing the specifications.

The m!ka mic arm is not cheap. The MSRP is $200, and the accessories range from $30 -$75. It will be available in the US sometime in March.

For the last three years I have been using a set of BeyerDynamic DT-990 headphones. This set is widely used for studio recording sessions and broadcast production. They are very durable and the sound quality is excellent. Their bulky appearance would suggest that they are quite heavy. On the contrary … It turns out they are extremely light weight relative to their physical size.

In terms of comfort, I have mixed feelings. Let me explain: The ear cups are surrounded by a gray velour material that is extremely easy on the ears. The problem I have with this set is the upper head band that is intended to shield the internal metal support. This creates discomfort during prolonged use. In my opinion this seems odd if you consider their lack of sheer weight.

I decided that it was time to look into a new set of headphones that would suit my needs in terms of production monitoring, and double as a comfortable option when listening to radio programs, podcasts, and music. Considering these requirements, I’m faced with a dilemma: I need a set of headphones that would perform well during production, and be capable of reproducing pleasant sonic quality when used for private listening of media content.

This past Tuesday, I picked up “The Departed” DVD. I’m a Scorsese fan, and I was anxious to view this film. There is a scene in this film where the actor engages a rack full of high end McIntosh audio components in order to queue up and play an audio cd through headphones. At first glance, I immediately recognized the specific set of headphones. I made a mental note, and finished watching the film.

HeadRoom is my favorite resource on the web for headphone reviews and documentation. This site does not support or make reference to every single headphone manufacturer. On the other hand – most of the big players are documented. I decided to visit the site and see what they had to say about the set that I saw in the film, the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro’s.

Considering the low price of this set, I didn’t expect much. I’m not suggesting that price in general is in fact my only method of quality assessment. But considering the price that I paid for my BeyerDynamics, the Sennheiser’s cost much less, priced at $99 US. It turns out they receive high marks in all categories, and HeadRoom includes the HD 280 Pro headphones in their “top 10 list.” Best of all, the review clearly states that this set “has also long been the headphone choice of audio, film and field recording/mixing professionals due to its accurate tonal presentation, ambient noise attenuation properties and ultra-durable build quality.”

I’m expecting my set sometime this week …

I thought I’d make reference to an interesting comment that is specified in their review of the AKG 240S headphones. This is a popular set within this community. HeadRoom states: “Although these headphones [240S] share the same numerical appellation as the 240M and 240DF, the 240S model is not designed for true reference use.” Interesting …

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro

Pixel Corps has announced open registration for the Gear Media Tech Conference. This will take place at the Zeum Theater (Moscone Center, San Francisco) March 28-30, 2007.

The GMT Conference is dedicated to the skills (technical and artistic) required to produce compelling online content. Whether you are producing audio or video, for phone, web, or mobile device…GMT is a guide to doing this effectively. Lead by some of the industry leaders: Leo Laporte, Scott Bourne, and Alex Lindsay – GMT covers both production techniques and show designs that are key to navigating the next revolution in media.

Scott Bourne suggests … “Due to the extremely limited space, it is doubtful that seats will be available for more than a few weeks. So act fast.”

GigaVox CTO Doug Kaye is featured on the latest edition of “The Scoble Show.” This program was recorded in Doug’s home studio. Robert and Doug discuss the history of IT Conversations, and the internal content management system that has evolved into GigaVox Audio Lite. The second part of this program features a live software demo.

Many of us use Mackie mixers for various aspects of production work-flows. Mackie is one of a select group of established gear manufacturers that have managed to secure a brand new target user base. Of course I am referring to podcast producers who are willing to spend a few extra dollars when purchasing high quality gear. This is no surprise to me. Mackie products speak for themselves.

I personally own/use the Onyx 1620, and the 1402-VLZ Pro. These mixers are a bit different, however there is one unique feature that to the best of my knowledge is available on all Mackie mixers: the ALT 3-4 Bus. I’m finding that this option or feature is the source of some confusion within the community. I think you will be surprised to hear how straight forward this option is, and how useful it can be.

First, let me point out that the control button responsible for activating the ALT 3-4 Bus on all Mackie mixers serves a dual purpose:

• channel mute
• bus routing

You will also notice a set of 1/4 inch “ALT 3-4″ outputs, located somewhere in your patch bay on your console. Keep in mind that these are “outputs”.

If nothing is connected to the ALT 3-4 outputs in the patch bay, the engaged “Mute/ALT 3-4” push-button simply mutes that channel. Well Greg Mackie concluded that this was a wasted signal path. Subsequently, he decided to create an extra stereo bus that would provide the engineer with an extra set of outputs that would be independent of the main mix. This bus would be activated using the same dual purpose button located on each channel strip. The ALT 3-4 Bus was born.

Simple, yes? Well, it depends. There are a few interesting methods of possible implementation. For example: I use the ALT 3-4 Bus on my console to create a Skype mix-minus. This is similar in concept to a mix-minus created when using an AUX Send bus. Essentially, this is a one directional output path that does not contain the main mix.

I use a Mac G4 Powerbook for Skype. The G4 system output feeds a set of line inputs on my console. This allows me to hear Skype. The trick is to send my voice [studio mic] back to the G4 – minus Skype. The solution is simple: activate the ALT 3-4 Bus on my mic channel, and route this output back to the computer. In this case I am feeding the computer input my voice minus Skype as previously noted.

In specific situations, creating a ’sub-group’ is also possible using the ALT 3-4 Bus. The purpose of a sub-group is to control the universal level of a group of input channels using a single fader. It may be possible that each channel requires a unique level setting. Controlling the sub-group with a single fader will affect the universal level of the bus, however each individual channel will maintain their proprietary setting. This concept is used extensively in mix-down sessions and during live performance engineering.

I am providing a diagram that I designed specifying this method. Notice the ALT 3-4 outputs feed a set of line inputs located on the same console. In this case any channel can be included in the sub-group by simply engaging a corresponding ALT 3-4 push-button. The line input channel fader controls the level of the entire group.

The current episode of the Technometria Podcast hosted Phil Windley, Executive Producer of IT Conversations, features Jeff Barr, Senior Manager of the Technology Arm of Amazon Web Services. Also, Doug Kaye, CTO of GigaVox Media. Along with co-hosts Scott C. Lemon and Matt Asay, Phil and his guests discuss the Amazon Web Services platform that is designed to provide developers robust, server side support for web based content and system management. In fact, this is the system that powers GigaVox Audio Lite.

This is podcasting at it’s best in my opinion. In fact, I thought I’d offer an inside look into how a show of this nature, destined for publication on IT Conversations comes together. This particular program is a collaborative effort that includes participation by seven individuals. I am lucky enough to be one of the participants.

Let me explain:

In case you are not aware, Phil Windley is a professor of Computer Science at the BYU. Last week Jeff Barr was visiting the University. Needless to say the timing was right to set up an in person interview. Phil’s gear includes a Motu multi-channel audio interface, two microphones, and a Telos One Digital Telephone Hybrid.

Phil and Jeff recorded their conversation on location, and communicated with Doug, Scott and Matt via live telephone feed handled by the Telos One. In fact, Doug just happened to be out of state, sipping Mai-Tai’s somewhere in the middle of the Pacific.

The telephone feed was simply a conference call session that was patched into the live program feed while recording the interview. Upon completion, Phil uploaded 3 tracks of audio [himself, Jeff and the telco feed] in the MP2 file format to the network production server. MP2 is our intermediate file format. Next stop for the audio? … NYC.

I downloaded the individual interview tracks and created a multitrack project using Apple’s Soundtrack Pro. My next step was to play the entire segment and conceal as much of the unwanted individual track noise that is typically present during interviews that consist of multiple participants. This can be done manually, or by using a noise-gate plugin.

During the process of audio post production, Joel Tscherne, the ITC website editor for Technometria was hard a work preparing the specific site content that will accompany the program audio once it has been published. Our webiste editors have access to the original source files. This provides dynamic access to the media in order to aid their research and authoring prior to completion of the audio post.

It’s important to remember that in this particular situation, we have high quality ’studio tracks’ combined with limited quality telco audio. My job as the post engineer is to produce a file that if possible, is free of any problematic issues, is edited in terms of content, and provides a uniform balance in levels.

Enter The Levelator™ …

Using the Levelator, optimum results are achieved with experimentation in my opinion. In this particular situation, I had two options:

• Levelate individual tracks prior to mix-down
• Levelate the output file universally prior to submission

Phil did a great job with keeping levels close and manageable. I simply Levelated the edited output file [mix-down] and prepared for the final stage of production: process and upload.

My software editor of choice is Bias Peak Pro 5 XT. As soon as I am comfortable with the produced source file, I incorporate the uncompressed master into our ‘Uploader’ application. This tool normalizes the audio to the network RMS reference level, converts the file to MP2 [our intermediate file format], and uploads the file to our internal Component Show Assembly and Content Management System.

The final steps prior to publication include: automated encode to MP3, show assembly, and a few remaining clicks of the mouse by Phil that in the end, generate the live show on IT Conversations.

The CME U2MIC is a USB 2.0 audio interface that will support high quality XLR microphone interfacing directly to a computer. The control module includes an internal preamp that provides switchable 48v phantom power as well as I/O level and muting controls.

Additional features and specs include: a mini stereo output jack suitable for headphones, amps, or powered speakers. In this case you can monitor your dry signal directly with zero latency. Processed audio can be monitored with the lowest latency available. Audio A/D – D/A specs: 16Bit, 48/44.1kHz sample rates. This device equally supports Mac and PC.

The CME site states that the U2MIC will be available in the spring of 2007 at an “unbelievable low price.” I have not been able to locate any specific MSRP references.