Production Log #3 - Tech and Wares
When it comes down to doing technical stuff - especially with any form of equipment, I tend to be a bit of a stickler for details. So much so that some times I get too wrapped up in the slightest differences of technological performance.
Of course, there are benefits to being aware of minute differences - especially in the content of working a wide variety of audio equipment for recording. ('Cause being able to distinguish between a male and female XLR connection, and which types of microphones need an external power supply would certainly save you from having a mishmash of non-compatible equipment).
But as it turns out, having the latest high-end microphones and whatnot is not exactly a must-have for a successful podcast - so long as the audio quality is too grainy to bear for the audience.
In most cases, podcasting resources will typically push for a specific brand of microphones - with the description of how some are better suited for those under different budgetary constraints. A lot of guides also drop various microphone descriptors - like uni/bi-directional or cardioid, which are meant to indicate how each microphone records sound.
For the sake of brevity, check out the Yamaha's PA Beginners Guide on Microphones for a general overview of the different microphone uses/types/etc.
At the very least, the main thing to know is the signficiance between USB versus non-USB mics. Of course, you'd probably guess that USB mics are the ones that you can plug in directly into a computer for recording - which (to my knowledge) is very true. And depending on the model, it'd be very simple to accommodate a few speakers all on the same mic, thereby being the friendly choice for anyone operating on a budget.
One of the big mics that I keep seeing being mentioned (and one you've probably heard of) is the Yeti microphone from Blue Microphones. Now without turning this into a sales pitch of sorts, I'd have to agree with the general census that for what its worth, the Yeti mic does seem like a pretty solid purchase; and while I haven't had the opportunity of using one yet, a lot of people seem to be very happy with the recording quality.
The downside to using a single USB mic for multiple people is that audio editing may be more complicated to deal with at times. Having a more traditional setup with one mic per person can be make things a little easier - since in those cases, you'd normally would have a mixer board as part of the system. And the relevance of a mixer board is that you can control the volume and whatnot of each microphone individually without potentially affecting the other mics.
However, having multiple mics, with external power supplies for each, and a sound mixer to boot can present their own inherent problems too. Such as the usual technical difficulties with equipment failure, or requiring specific and correct cable connections (plus, buying all the appropriate stuff ain't cheap!) - and high-end mics tend to be very sensitive to the presence of moisture, dust or even pressure differences so, finding places to store everything can be problematic in and of itself.
If you've read my previous posts about setting up production for this podcast, you might recall my discussions on the different studio spaces in and around campus. (If not, here's a link to the aforementioned post.)
My visits to both the CHRW radio station and the UnLondon studio space had the dual purpose of finding out places to record podcasts, and getting to pick the brains of people who had working knowledge of using audio as a medium.
Based on what I heard, the general consensus was that there is no set equipment standard used for podcast recording - technically. Rather, it's more like what equipment would produce the sound quality that you're looking for, and which of the different types of microphones/software/sound equipment would best serve the needs of the podcaster(s) - based on what they're thinking to achieve. And frankly, this is very much in agreement to what I could find from online resources on this issue.
To my understanding, what's most important is how recorded audio is handled during editing and post-production to produce the final version of the recording.
Now, as much as I'd like to discuss the different software and podcasting platforms that are currently out there - I think might be prudent to call it quits here, for now. But if you're interested, keep an eye out for an upcoming post some time later this week.
- V.