Author: Chris Curran

Normally I use de-reverb on the entire frequency spectrum of sounds, but I recently had a case where there was a lot of room reverb in the low and low-mid frequencies, so I tried removing reverb in those frequency areas ONLY, and it ended up sounding very good.

The main reason it ended up sounding good in this particular case was because I maintained the midrange and high-end clarity, while removing some muddiness in the low end.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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I just learned about the Phantom Blocker from die-hard Podcast Engineering Show listener Michael Merlino. It’s made by Triton Audio, the same company that makes the Fethead.

Phantom Blocker blocks phantom power while leaving the audio signal intact. Phantom power can be applied to either the male or the female side of Phantom Blocker’s XLR connector and will not reach the opposing XLR connector, the audio signal travels without restriction in both directions.

*It’s very handy when plugging in a combination of condenser and dynamic microphones into an audio interface that by default sends phantom power to ALL inputs simultaneously regardless of which inputs need phantom power or not. Using the Phantom Blocker will avoid any potential damage to dynamic microphones caused by unnecessary phantom power.

Here’s the insightful note I received from Michael Merlino:

I wanted to quickly let you know what happened with my 3 mic blow out (1 Q2U and 2 ATR2100s). Learning a ton from your show but still a newbie. But what happened to me could pretty much happen to anyone and I found a solution if needed in the future to prevent it from happening again.

This may be a good daily goodie for ya so here’s quickly what happened. Had this confirmed via Focusrite USA tech support today.

So before I started messing with mics, I did not readily know that condenser mics DO NOT need phantom power as you know. I think what happened is that when I was testing each mic I had phantom power turned.

The issue with the 2i2 is that when you turn phantom on it sends it to both XLR connections. So if the only mic connected is dynamic mic or 1 of the 2 is dynamic, you can easily blast the mic with more power than it can handle and pretty much fry it. I could have done something else in the chain but I doubt it. I think the 3 mics I blew happened because I had the phantom power button turned on..

I did find out that this phantom power mistake must be an issue because triton audio has a product it its fethead line called “Phantom blocker” It sells for $45 and connects to either end of your XLR cable to prevent a charge of phantom power from reaching a dynamic mic. It protects the mic but still allows a clean signal from the mic to the 2i2 or any other audio
interface.

Anyway, figured it out after talking to focusrite tech support today and reasoning thru it.

Moral of the story. When you have an interface that sends phantom to all XLR connections on the unit NEVER use phantom power. I don’t think this is an issue with larger Focusrite units because you can send phantom to one bank of 4 XLRs for condensers and the other bank remains phantom free to use with dynamic mics or other inputs.

It would help if there was a phantom button off and on for each XLR connection but for a low end interface like the 2i2 for $169 bucks I doubt they will mess with that.

Thanks Michael!

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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To help speed up sound check and avoid technical issues in advance, I now ask my clients guests to fill out a short multiple choice questionnaire asking them about their setup in terms of microphone, computer, WiFi strength, headphones, recording space, etc.

Usually I receive their answers several days in advance of their interview, so if there are any glaring issues I will contact the guests for clarification or to make suggestions.

This process helps ensure that there will be no major technical issues when they show up for the actual recording session.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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Interesting bundle from Waves — the Waves Content Creator Audio Toolkit.

Details from Waves:

Bring superior sound quality to your podcasts, videos and live streams. Use the industry’s best pro-level tools to solve common audio problems (background noise, lifeless voiceovers, uneven levels) quickly and easily, and meet the loudness standards of all major content platforms.

Poor audio quality is a major reason viewers and listeners abandon videos, podcasts and live streams. Don’t treat audio as an afterthought – improve the audio quality of your content with the most popular tools in the industry.

Included with the Waves Content Creator Audio Toolkit:

1. NS1 Automatic Noise Suppressor for removing distracting background noise
2. Greg Wells VoiceCentric, an intuitive, hugely effective tool that combines EQ, compression, and de-essing into one smart control, to dramatically improve the quality of voice recordings
3. The BRAND NEW Playlist Rider for automatically smoothing out the levels of multiple audio sources (host, guest, music, etc.) in the same podcast, live stream or video
4. WLM Plus Loudness Meter to deliver the right loudness levels for YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other major platforms

Features of the Waves Content Creator Audio Toolkit:

• In literally seconds, you can achieve a superior audio quality that will drive more engagement for your content – courtesy of Waves’ industry-standard plugins, used in major recording and post-production studios all over the globe.
• Bring superior audio quality to your podcasts, videos, and live streams
• 4 easy-to-use pro-level tools for instant results
• Compatible with major audio and video editing software
• Remove background noise easily & efficiently
• Boost & brighten dull voice recordings
• Smooth out the levels of multiple sources (host, guests, music) automatically
• Meet the loudness standards of major content platforms
• Includes presets for voice & music-under-voice
• Includes loudness presets for Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Apple Music

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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When I record episodes for my show, The Podcast Engineering Show, I play my theme music and all sound clips on my iPad during the recording process. And of course I record that audio on its own track.

FYI, the RØDECaster Pro has this functionality built in — you can load sound clips into it and trigger the audio by pressing the colored pads.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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The Shure BETA 87A is a handheld supercardioid condenser microphone that delivers very good clarity.

The price is around $249.

Note: Corey Coates uses one. Check out his appearance on my show, episode 72.

Have you tried this mic? If so, what was your experience?

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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Preparation that reduces post-production times:

(remember the Boy Scout Motto? “Be Prepared!” And keep in mind – you don’t have to implement each and every one of these suggestions – use whatever makes sense for you and your show)

• Make sure your equipment is set up properly (mic, interface, etc.)
• Make sure your computer has been restarted and working properly
• Do the show as if it’s Live in one uninterrupted session (instead of stopping, starting again or taking breaks, because this will cause MUCH more editing later)
• Play intro music and sound clips Live (from a tablet or RØDECaster Pro, etc.)
• Use good mic technique
• Keep your energy up
• Research your guest a bit and list possible questions and talking points
• Gather all relevant links and notes, etc.

What else?

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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Watch me record, mix, edit and publish one of my Podcast Engineering Show episodes (#183). And I also show and tell about my two newest plugins – the Focusrite SC channel strip from Brainworx, and the Oxford Inflator v3 from Sonnox.

Enjoy:

And if you have any questions please let me know.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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Descript is able to import and transcribe Zoom & Loom recordings. (and then, of course, edit and export)

Here’s a short post about how to do that.

FYI, personally I haven’t tried Descript yet, but I want to because lots of people are saying good things about Descript.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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I recently recorded a special episode for a client where the guest presenter was speaking Spanish. Normally the show is in English.

Personally, I know a bit of Spanish but not enough to understand every word. Therefor, I had to inform my client that I will need someone to provide exact timestamps of content edits because I don’t speak the language.

Of course, there were times when the presenter messed up, then stopped, then let me know (in English, as I had previously instructed him to do) that he was going to start over from a bit earlier. In these cases I was able to make the edits by myself very easily.

One tangential observation: In the mixing phase of a foreign language episode, perhaps it’s a bit easier for beginners to discern sibilance, plosives, various frequency ranges, etc. because their mind will not be “distracted” by comprehending familiar words and understanding the overall message???

Anyhoo- just a thought. What do you think?

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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I recently listened to the LifeAfter podcast and I really enjoyed the mixing of all the episodes, as well as the story. There are 10 episodes and each averages 25 minutes in length – well worth a listen.

Check it out here.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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In general regarding echo-cancellation:

• If everyone is wearing headphones or earbuds you should not use echo-cancellation processing, and that is how you should ALWAYS record episodes, unless…
• If one or more participants do not have headphones or earbuds (really?!?!) and they must listen to the other participants through speakers, then use echo-cancellation. But please, instead of lazily relying on echo-cancellation processing, ask all guests to FIND headphones or earbuds, because echo-cancellation has one big nasty side effect…
• That “ducking” phenomena, which happens when people talk over each other and one person’s voice gets “ducked,” meaning its volume gets pushed down significantly and the sound is also completely garbled temporarily, making it inaudible.

Clarification #1 regarding Squadcast’s echo-cancellation feature in particular: When you enable echo-cancellation it is applied to ALL participants’ audio. Which means if one participant doesn’t have headphones/earbuds, then EVERYONE ELSE’S audio will still suffer from the ducking effect refereed to above, which can cause terrible sounding audio for everyone. Yuck.

Clarification #2: Only the person hosting the Squadcast session has control of turning on/off the echo-cancellation processing. And that on/off setting is saved for future sessions.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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It’s very unfortunate when a podcast guest has a spouse in the next room who is coughing, moving stuff around, making noise, dropping things, opening squeaky doors, closing doors, etc. And it’s especially horrendous when the guest is using their onboard computer microphone!

Truth: Most people don’t realize that ANY noise that’s happening around them is going to be picked up by the microphone, and that those noises WILL end up ON the actual podcast episode.

In my most recent experience with this situation I had to interrupt the recording mid-episode and ask the guest to please ask his spouse to not make so much noise in the next room, but the guest didn’t want to / couldn’t find the guts to actually ask the spouse to be more quiet. Hmmm. Luckily the noise didn’t completely ruin the episode audio.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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The Brainworx bx_console Focusrite SC plugin is a channel strip plugin containing compressor, EQ, gate, filters, de-esser, saturation, and of course analog hardware emulation.

It is renowned as one of the cleanest and transparent and frankly best sounding plugins on the market.

Regular price is $349.

I’ll be experimenting with this plugin a lot over the next few weeks.

If you already use this one, please let me know how you like it 😉

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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Check out 10 different monitor controllers in this article from B&H.

Do you own one of those?

Or do you want one?

I’m still using my old and probably overpriced (due to other brands offering many more features these days) Palmer MONICON Passive Monitor Controller. But someday I will upgrade.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

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