Category: Daily Goody

Ever wonder how plugins that model classic analog hardware are made?

Here’s a good article on the entire process that Waves uses: https://www.waves.com/how-waves-modeling-captures-analog-magic

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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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Please name the shows as a comment below, and if possible link to them as well 😉

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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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Work from anywhere and earn really good money. That’s the dream for many people.

Editing/producing podcasts for others can fit the above criteria nicely, if you know how to pull it off.

And learning how to pull that off is now a distinct possibility because you can attend the Podcast Editors Conference!

I’ll be there.

It’s happening on March 6th in Orlando, Florida, which is also the pre-day of Podfest (amazing conference!). You can attend both for a really good deal – details here.

There will be MANY individuals there who have committed to helping you build a profitable editing business.

Think about that.

Lots of people willing to help YOU.

Perhaps you should consider attending 😉

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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 the not-too-distant past, music was mixed down to 1/2” tape in the studio.

When we recorded mixes onto 1/2” tape, the tape itself would subtly change the sound of the mix – adding a bit of warmth, tape compression and cohesion, and making the mix sound even more pleasing.

These days there are tape emulation plugins that will have this same effect on your podcast episode mixes and some people really love this effect.

It’s certainly not 100% necessary to use tape emulation in your podcast production, but in conjunction with many other professional tactics, the compounded effect can make a huge difference in your sound.

Two emulation plugins that I have used and liked are Fabfilter’s Saturn plugin, and iZotope Ozone 9’s Vintage Tape module.

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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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Simultaneously, while the session is playing back, Reaper allows you to split clips, delete clips, move clips, slide clips, adjust clip settings, and lots more.

This expedites editing quite a bit because you can let the playhead roll and listen for any necessary edits, and at the same time you can do other “housekeeping” edits like removing sections of silence, removing unwanted noises, adjusting clip volumes, fade clips, etc.

Emily Prokop (previous guest on my show!) does this really well, and you can watch her do Live Editing on Facebook.

My word, Reaper truly is awesome.

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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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If you have 3 voices (each on their own track) in a podcast episode and you want to use the same plugin (say, a multiband compressor) on each of the 3 tracks, essentially you have two choices:

Put an instance of the multiband compressor on each of the 3 tracks. In this case the computer has to process 3 separate plugin instances.

Buss all 3 tracks to a vocal subgroup and put an instance of the multiband compressor on that vocal subgroup track. In this case the computer only has to process one plugin instance, which will lessen CPU usage and speed up rendering time quite a bit.

On my typical vocal subgroup when mixing podcast episodes (and I don’t always activate every single one of them, but) I use multiband compression, saturation, limiting, reverb, de-essing, and perhaps one or two other secret sauces 😉 Booyah!

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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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My suggestions for when you rejoin the session:

If other people are still talking, don’t come in and immediately say, “Oh wow can you hear me? I dropped off, etc etc etc” because the conversation may carrying on without you (I know, hard to believe). Better, when you rejoin the session, first listen to what’s going on before butting in because someone may be completing their answer to a question and you don’t want to unnecessarily interrupt them.

Also FYI, with Squadcast I believe that if any participant drops off, the recording actually stops. Whoa. So, be careful to click record again before missing out on part (or the entire rest) of the conversation!

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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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Whether you’re a podcast host or guest, you’ll sound great on every podcast for the rest of your life with these 4 items:

(*These are NOT affiliate links, and I’m not selling this gear, only recommending)

1. Microphone – here are three USB/XLR mic’s between $70-$100, *for each be sure to check that the USB connector type will work for your computer:
   • Audio-Technica AT2005USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone
   • Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB Cardioid Dynamic Microphone
   • Samson Q2U USB/XLR Dynamic Microphone Recording and Podcasting Pack (Includes Mic Clip, Desktop Stand, Windscreen and Cables)
2. Microphone Stand ($39): Gator Frameworks Short Weighted Base Microphone Stand
3. Foam Windscreen ($4): On-Stage Foam Ball-Type Microphone Windscreen, Black
4. Mic clip ($10): On-Stage MY320 Shock-Mount Dynamic Microphone Clip

If you want to read a few best practices for recording podcast audio, check out this recent post.

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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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My Disclaimer: True Iron is not a must-have plugin for podcast production. I bought this plugin and I like it, but I don’t use it very often. I need to spend more dedicated time playing around with it.

From the product webpage:

True Iron – the true sound of transformers. Add warmth and heft to your tracks and masters.

It accurately emulates 6 classic line transformers, known for their use in many of the biggest names in vintage analog outboard sound processing. Models are based on the UTC 108 X, the Malotki E4M – 4001B, the Western Electric 111C, the Haufe V178, the Marinair LO1166/A , and the UTC O-12.

These transformers add weight, heft, and girth to your mixes and masters. The plugin features adjustable strength, input impedance, wet/dry ratio, and a special “Crush” control to add fat transformer saturation to tracks and buses. Plus, the CPU usage of the plugin is low enough that you can add it to every track or bus in a mix for added virtual analog warmth across your entire mix.

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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 haven’t used this REW software but I currently use Sonarworks which is similar.

These software measure the EQ curves and reflections (and more) of your room and then construct an EQ curve to eliminate the negative effect of your room on what you’re hearing out of your monitors.

Very handy for small mostly-un-treated control rooms.

In fact, when I turn of my Sonarworks my monitors sound markedly different and weird, frankly 😉

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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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From two graduates of Podcast Engineering School:

Bob Bergey: Any USB mic should work. I use a Samson Q2U with either my iPhone or iPad, plugged in via a USB/Camera adapter. Works great!

Bryan Entzminger: What Bob Bergey said. I picked up a Shure MV88 for use on the go with my iPhone but the ATR2100 / Q2U / AT2005 USB mics will work fine with the lightning to usb camera adapter. Just make sure the camera kit is the real kit from Apple. Some of the off-brand ones have been reported to have created issues. If he needs 2 mics, the ART Dual Pre interface with the lightning adapter will work to get XLR mics up and running. I haven’t tested against any of the iOS-specific interfaces out there but it’s a solid interface and built like a tank.

Bob Bergey: You probably already know this, but the Pro iPads require a USB-C adapter, not Lightning. I have one of each to give me the option of recording on either device. (Can’t wait for the iPhone to switch to the same USB-C connector so I don’t have to juggle so many adapters!)

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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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From Wikipedia:

The speed of sound is the distance travelled per unit time by a sound wave as it propagates through an elastic medium. At 20 °C (68 °F), the speed of sound in air is about 343 metres per second (1,235 km/h; 1,125 ft/s; 767 mph; 667 kn), or a kilometre in 2.9 s or a mile in 4.7 s. It depends strongly on temperature, but also varies by several metres per second, depending on which gases exist in the medium through which a soundwave is propagating.

The speed of sound in an ideal gas depends only on its temperature and composition. The speed has a weak dependence on frequency and pressure in ordinary air, deviating slightly from ideal behavior.

In common everyday speech, speed of sound refers to the speed of sound waves in air. However, the speed of sound varies from substance to substance: sound travels most slowly in gases; it travels faster in liquids; and faster still in solids. For example, (as noted above), sound travels at 343 m/s in air; it travels at 1,481 m/s in water (almost 4.3 times as fast as in air); and at 5,120 m/s in iron (almost 15 times as fast as in air). In an exceptionally stiff material such as diamond, sound travels at 12,000 metres per second (39,000 ft/s)^[1]—about 35 times as fast as in air—which is around the maximum speed that sound will travel under normal conditions.

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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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Podfest in Orlando Florida is a wonderful annual conference for grass roots podcasters. Some big brands will also have a presence there but the vibe always feels totally like family.

The dates are March 6-8, 2020.

I’ll be there to speak and have a booth for PES.

Are you going? If so, let’s meet up and hang out. Maybe on the pre-day at the Podcast Editors Conference?!?!

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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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Producing videos is a different animal than producing audio only, and my lack of video production skills came to the fore when creating the 5 videos I created over the past month.

For all 5 videos I recorded myself and sometimes my screen using Ecamm Live Beta. I like this app very much. For post-production I used ScreenFlow to edit the video and add text, transitions, etc. I like this app, too.

By design I kept the videos short to give me time to practice with shorter videos before I try anything longer than 15 minutes, let’s say.

All in all, it’s been a good experience and I plan on continuing to make weekly videos.

See all 5 videos 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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Beware of approximating the LUFS level of your episodes by eyeballing a meter because your levels from episode to episode could vary greatly.

For more precision when setting the LUFS level of your episodes use tools like Auphonic, iZotope RX7 Loudness module, Adobe Audition’s Match Loudness feature, etc.

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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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Whenever you need to make an edit cut in the middle of a word, it’s easiest to cut on hard consonants – t’s, k’s, p’s, etc.

For instance if someone mispronounces a word and then re-states it and keeps talking, but the first part of the correctly pronounced repeated word has an unnatural inflection to it. In this case it would be helpful to edit mid-word.

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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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This was a fun challenge.

Over the past 6 months I have been MEANING to create some videos to promote my podcast, but I never got started. So I concocted this fun challenge to kick myself in the butt, and around 15 others jumped on board as well.

Below are my 5 videos. They are all very short. They may not be great, but the point of the challenge was just to get 5 videos done and improve a whole lot along the way. Enjoy!

Video 1: Your Podcast Production “Daily Goody” – A Tip, Fact or Lesson Everyday

The Daily Goody is a short daily blog post I write to help you learn about professional podcast audio production. Sign Up to receive your Daily Goody email (daily or a weekly roundup), and/or read all the Daily Goody’s here on the website.

Video 2: Why Listen to The Podcast Engineering Show (To Learn Podcast Audio Production!)

Listen and Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Android, RSS.

Video 3: The Purpose of Producing Good Sounding Audio and Why It’s Very Important

The purpose of good audio production: To provide the listener with a pleasant, transparent listening experience, in terms of audio quality and audio presentation. NOTE: In this video we are talking ONLY about audio quality; the actual content of a podcast episode is a completely different topic.

Video 4: Overview of Scheps Omni Channel, a Channel Strip Plugin from Waves

Note: This is an overview, not a full tutorial. Fyi, you’ll find more information on the plugin as well as a couple in-depth videos made by the plugin creator himself, Andrew Scheps, here.

Video 5: My Podcasting Post-Production Workflow (Ultra-Brief Overview)

My ultra-brief workflow overview:

1. Cleanup (iZotope RX7)
2. Mixing (Reaper)
3. Detailed Editing (TwistedWave)
4. Mastering (iZotope RX7, as well as processing on the vocal subgroup in Reaper)
5. Tagging (ID3 Editor, Fission)

I also use Fabfilter plugins and Waves plugins.

And, as always, if you have any questions about podcast production, ask me! ~Chris

And if you’d like to see what training is included in the full PES course, find it here.

Sometimes a person’s loud laughing can be really annoying/disruptive when someone else in the episode is still speaking. Frequently the result is that you can’t even hear/understand the person who is speaking.

In post-production you can remedy this issue by reducing the volume of the loud laughing anywhere from 3-10 dB, or whatever sounds best. The resulting audio will be much better because you’ll still hear the person laughing and simultaneously you’ll be able to understand the words of the person speaking.

Booyah.

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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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If a guest is connecting from their large business/practice office computer which is extremely slow and bloated and outdated – beware! The probability that the recording will be negatively affected due to computer problems is much higher than average, and personally I NEVER feel comfortable in those situations.

I recently asked a guest to restart their computer after finding out he didn’t even remember the last time he restarted that company computer – but the “funny” thing is that it took literally 20 minutes for his computer to restart and load the bloatware, etc.!!! That was an awkward 20 minutes.

And sometimes this situation is degraded further when the guest is using a bad table-top conference call microphone.

Sigh.

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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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