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Archives for October 2019

What Style of Podcaster Do You Want to Be?

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Podcasting is really taking off right now. According to Music Oomph, there are 700,000 active podcasts in 2019. That number is up from 550,000 in 2018. and there doesn’t seem to be any indication that this will slow down.

With the availability of good recording gear for just about every budget level, and the rise of podcast services like Simple Cast and Libsyn, it’s super easy for anyone to start their own podcast.

With those thoughts in mind, Sweetwater.com asks “what style of podcaster do you want to be?” Notice they don’t ask IF you will eventually have a podcast :-). They assume you will, and are simply helping you decide some things about what how you will run yours.

The Sweetwater article defines four different kinds of podcaster

  • The Beginner
  • The Liverstreamer
  • The Interviewer
  • The Investigator

Then based on which of those you decide on, they recommend some recording equipment specifically designed to help you be THAT kind of podcaster.

The Beginner

They don’t really define what this style of podcasting actually is, other than to say these people may be good at social media, but probably don’t know much about audio gear. I suspect this definition of a podcast style was only there so they could recommend something quick and easy gear. The Beginner would not have to worry about a full-blown studio setup. 

Sound Processing: Mid-Side Stereo

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A Mid-Side stereo is a specialized way of recording and/or processing a stereo audio signal. During the analog days, M-S processing was an important part of mastering for vinyl, and it still holds true until now. It’s still a popular tool for mastering.
A mid-side audio signal replaces the individual left and right audio components of a stereo audio signal with the mid and side components of the stereo audio. It is not only a processing tool but also a stereo microphone technique. A Mid-Side recording utilizes two microphones in a specific configuration. It utilizes two mics with different polar patterns, as a coincident pair with a unique placement.
Read more about this here: https://ask.audio/articles/sound-processing-mid-side-stereo

Back to basics: How to use Ableton Live 10 and Push

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Ableton Live may not be new but there’s still a lot of users jumping aboard the Ableton train all the time. Its most distinctive features are the Session View. There we jam and experiment – and warping, which provides easy time-stretching and looping of audio.
Although Live follows a one-window display principle, it’s easy to customize it to your own preferences, thanks to the Look Feel tab. The browser is used to access your entire Live library. As well as seeing devices and their presets, you can view samples, plug-ins and create shortcuts to any folder on your computer, or a connected drive, or even to online storage.
Read more about this here: https://www.musictech.net/tutorials/ableton-live/how-to-use-ableton-live-10-push/

IK Multimedia Releases UNO Drum Editor For Mac/PC And iPad

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IK Multimedia has released a dedicated software editor for its UNO Drum analogue/PCM drum machine. It was designed to offer deep control for more impactful recordings and performance. Moreover, it provides easy access to all parameters, easy customization, and advanced kit and pattern management, with convenient support for Mac/PC and iPad.
The presets can be added locally or from the hardware unit, then edited and saved on the user’s device or stored back on UNO Drum for stand-alone use.

 Unlike the usual software editor, UNO Drum Editor can function both as a standalone application and an integrated DAW plug-in for use in the studio, live performance, or on-the-go music creation.
Read more about this here: https://ask.audio/articles/ik-multimedia-releases-uno-drum-editor-for-macpc-and-ipad

Audio Test Kitchen creates a virtual showroom for microphones

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Audio Test Kitchen was founded by Alex Oana and Ian Hlatky. It is the world’s first online virtual microphone showroom. It offers unbiased microphone comparison across hundreds of different large condenser microphones. The good thing about it is free to use. It also allows users to audition each mic directly through their headphones or speakers.
Audio Test Kitchen relies on DPA’s 4041 large-diaphragm mics, 4011 cardioid mic and 4006 omnidirectional mics as reference points. The company captures a vocal performance in an anechoic chamber with the DPA mics and replay the audio through a specially tuned loudspeaker that serves as a surrogate for the human voice.
Read more about this here: https://www.musictech.net/news/audio-test-kitchen-dpa/