Mixing up the traditional podcasting set-up

Well, hello again! I know, I'm here before I said I would be on my last post. Today's post is happier. Today is continuing what I hope to turn into a long line of posts over the lifetime of this blog. And that series is a compilation of my dream devices/set-ups. Whether that be the perfect phone/tablet/docking computer in my second post, the perfect desktop set-up, a brilliant sound system, the best home theater PC, or the perfect mixer- Like in today's post.

I do voice-overs, contribute to podcasts, and am hoping to start my own podcast(s). So I want a perfectly simple, but a power horse of a set-up. Today, I present, after a few weeks of pouring over schematics, ADC/DAC codecs, and other people's set-ups, the People's Podcasting Perfection!

A vertical overview of the planned mixer, with faders and everything.

Alright, keep calm and be cool. I know, it's not a physical thing- Yet! It will be soon. I'm buying up everything I'll need. The problem right now is trying to find the best possible codecs, faders, preamps, and pots. (I classify radial dials as pots, faders are on their own.) What!!! You thought I was gonna build everything from scratch! Ha!

Anyway. Let's throw up the signal path:

Presented in my rush to finished at least a presentable
version, this is not in a standard formatted signal path.

So there it is. Let's start with an over view. The mixer has 3 simultaneous inputs, 4 total inputs. One microphone with a balanced combo jack applying standard and 48V phantom power for those who use condenser mics. It will carry a unity gain with up to +25 and a insert jack. Then one stereo input over balanced 1/4 jacks. A second stereo input has a little fun: USB! Yes! USB! Switchable between a stereo input over RCA or 1/4, (I haven't decided yet) and a stereo return from a USB connection to a PC. "Return" you say? More on that later. All inputs are planned to have 3 band EQ modulation and panning via pots, and a fader for final volume control. For the mic input, I first thought I would want a built in compressor/limiter, but then decided people might be bringing in channel strips, their own preamps, and even processing. Leaving the combo jack as a balanced or stereo input and an insert jack to allow for so many combinations was a no-brainer.

Next are the buses! The first one is from Philadelphia to New York in about 45 minut- What? Not the right buses? Oh, THOOOOSE buses! Gotcha.

Each of our individual channel strips can apply bus sends post-fader. ALL are post fader. You can make your own with pre faders, but I've never seen the use. I've included a Main Mix like normal, plus I've added a pre-mix- Yeah, let's call it that: a Pre-Mix™. (Trademark Keith Borst 2012) It allows you to send (POST FADER!) the input signal to your headphones for prepping levels before you bring it into the main mix. Or even queuing up a clip for an intro or outro and want to listen without it interfering with your main mix. AAAND! An aux bus! Yup, now you can also add your channel strip to your favorite VOIP program. To explain the need for this, I need to tell you that we also send the main mix to two outputs. (technically three) One goes to a stereo balanced output, one to the headphone out, and one to the USB CODEC! Yes! It's completely digital! No need to by an ADC/DAC, it's built right in! Now sure, I provide the switchable third input and a main bus out if you wish to connect your own audio interface, so by all means: Play around with it.

Here's where the aux bus comes into place. While the USB connection allows the audio out of your computer/device to come into the mixer, and the main mix to be sent to the computer, your participant on your VOIP service of choice will hear themselves with a delay if you send them the main bus as an input. So, the aux bus allows you to select which inputs to send to a secondary output that you can use as your input to your VOIP service. Brilliant!

So there you are! A perfect little mixer for VOs or podcasting. Do you like everything? Is there something you think isn't needed to bring down the price? What would you add to perfect this for your set-up? Thoughts? Opinions? Spare change? Send any, anything you've got. No, I'm kidding.

Please comment and tell me what you think.

Thanks,

Keith

Screw you, NBC, and your little dog, too!

(For those of you who believe in the TL;DR theory- Scroll down till you see the fabled letters- And then go read a book you twats!)

Hello! Welcome once more to my critical view of the world. Seen through my eyes, the world is a swirling pool of filth and greed.

Well, alright, let me start over. I'll start by saying I'm angry as I right this. Truly fired up. Why? NBC is a brunch of greedy bastards who want nothing to do each day then gain money. Rather then actually providing a decent service to their customers and viewers, their only goal is profit. An exceedingly monstrous profit. I'm gotten into the show Revolution. A show about basically the end of all power of Earth as people are left to survive and delve into complete chaos and corruption. Hey look! Once again, the basis of NBC. Chaos. Corruption. Let's begin with a stupid decision on NBC's part as we begin the tale to my current state of anger.

Super Storm Sandy is headed this way, Monday night. Instead of: 1. Continuing their regular line-up and showing my show. or 2. Updating their schedule to show that they were changing and broadcasting my show on one of their dozens of other channels they own as they continue advising viewers about the current storm situation- They choose a stupid idea to continue their crappy news team on air and never talk one bit about their other programming.

Now, with the new cable provider we got a few months ago, we got a TiVo box for free. It's no fault to the provider  but I had the TiVo set to record Revolution. With NBC's fuck-up- Pardon my French lads- it didn't record. I notice this as I go to sit down Tuesday night and watch the recording. (You see, my family wanted to watch CBS's programming Monday night. And CBS, being the semi-intelligent folks as they are there, decided to intelligently show their prime time programming on one of their other channels- The CW.) Well, all the box recorded was a crappy news team giving crappy advice and replaying stupid gov't official's press speeches.

"Le Crap!" I exclaimed as I saw this, and decided that I needed to find a rebroadcast some where. I searched the box and saw a rebroadcast later in the weak. The only one. Record it! So I did. Having to go into work finally that day and having to do some decent work after I came home Thursday, I didn't get to watch the rebroadcast "live" per-say. So I had to watch the recording later.

The same work schedule happened Friday, so I was to wait for Saturday. I woke up that weekend morning ready to watch my show- "Le Crap!" I say once more, as all it recording was a bloody telethon! "Those bloody bastards!" I was sick of it. "Fine." I decided, they loose my viewing. Probably, I hope, they lost many others by never showing or changing their schedule correctly. So, they loose my viewing, they loose my rating count in their ad reports. The advertisers don't want to pay for a show that now has a shitty-pitty worth of viewers so NBC doesn't get as much money and I hope they finally learn from their constant fallacies.

The Olympic fuck-up- Again, pardon the french- and now this. Their cancelling of excellent programming and general decline of intelligent and thought provoking series.

So now, you're wondering, why talk about this so long after, on Black Friday. Well, that's why, it's Black Friday. I'm not going to go out at all today, so I want to watch some TV or movies. Why not my Revolution?! Ohh, that's right, none of them on my TiVo, I cancelled the subscription. Oh! I could watch them on my tablet/phone, right?! "We're sorry, your browser does not support [insert crappy proprietary non-web standard media player]" O.K. So NBC's website is out of the question. Hulu right? "A Hulu Plus subscription is required to watch videos on mobile devices." Bastards! And I'm currently updating my home theater system. But then again, no average person has a fully loaded PC as a box connected to their television. So don't try and call me on it. I know.

So what am I left with? TV? Nope. Tablet? Zip. Phone? Well, I was gonna connect it up to my TV- But guess what? Even if I could get it on my phone, most of the time you aren't allowed to connect it! I'm not gonna count HTPC as the average person doesn't have a full PC that they could watch Hulu or CBS on it. Ah ha! My desktop downstairs! No. I'm no going to sit back in my chair for an hour and not get paid for it.

So, all I'm left with is- Nothing. This is now where it comes down to where I began this post. Let me break it down into the main idea:

TL;DR
NBC is a corporation of greedy bastards that think every citizen is a pirate who is going to steal them of all their possible profit so they make us all go through leaps and bounds to try and watch their programming that I ALREADY have to pay an UNGODLY price for. So for Christ'sake, NBC, give me my fucking show!

Sorry for the language, but that's my post.
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving to all of those who celebrate it. Happy Black Friday to all you idiots who are willing to give up your well being to save a few bucks off of outdated shit. Have a magical and merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'll see you all later to help you understand the latest problems that arrive after the New Year and maybe right a few reviews on my personal splurges over the holidays and the books I've requested. Oh, and if you want a few good movies to watch this Turkey Weekend; try watching the 1980's Clue and The Wizard of Oz. Oz so that you can get ready for the new prequel. Or, all of the Lord of the Ring series so you can get ready for The Hobbit! 48fps! Woo!

Cheers,
Keith

The perfect device, that one I've dreamed forever...

With Microsoft Surface, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, the ASUS Padfone, ASUS Transformer, and an Ubuntu announcement that made my hopes rise, I knew that my dream is come coming closer and closer to fruition. Picture this:

You wake up with your phone's alarm on your nightstand, look at weather and your upcoming schedule.

Nokia Lumia 900 with Windows Phone 7

ASUS Padfone docked in its tablet shell

Then you drop your phone in it's tablet shell to speed through and fire off a few emails. Maybe look up the latest news, run through those rss feeds, look up some recent tweets...

ASUS Padfone 

Packing your bag for work you pull your phone out of the shell and toss the shell and its keyboard attachment into your bag. Check the traffic on the way to work on your phone.

Ubuntu for Android

Once you get to work you can dock your phone with a full operating system launched. Capable of everything a full-fledged OS can and should do. So when you go out on the floor, do you need a tablet for large viewing screen or handwriting? No worries, you've got the accessory.

Microsoft Surface

So what happens when you want to take this awesome ecosystem with you. How do you keep a minimalist working space while on the road? Common, lightweight peripherals keep you working on the road.

Minimal Windows 8 Desktop

So who's coming out with this product you ask? Well, sadly, no one yet. ASUS is leading with the way going from phone to tablet to laptop. Microsoft comes up from behind with a unified Windows 8 with sharing the same kernels on Windows Phone 8. Apple is nowhere close. But! Ubuntu wins so far by a landslide with their Ubuntu for Android. Docking a PHONE and becoming a FULL BLOWN desktop OS! That's right! With everything a full blown desktop OS can and should do.

So here's the time it takes to figure out the perfect symbiosis and create this marvelous device! I can't wait to see what comes out. For me, I'm fine buying an ASUS Padfone and trying to mod Android to work with Ubuntu.

But for now, I'm stuck trying to get Banshee to notice my god damn Galaxy SII Skyrocket!

Flying is the worst of driving all rolled up into one!

Well I guess I should of started this earlier, but let me start that this isn't a ranting blog, it isn't a bitching blog, nor is it a home for egotistical self-endulging undermining of everything that I don't like or have nothing to do with. It's all of those- No, I kid. It's a critiquing blog, and today I do the highest high of critiques for travel: flying. But I'm not just gonna rant about all the bad points, I want to give you the pros and cons, some implementations I'd like to see, and the reasons behind all the other ratings people keep complaining about.

 

This all started with a tweet I posted. And it is the insight in itself. Why does a two and a half hour flight seem so long? Is it the bad seating? The procedures? No entertainment but your own? Cannot use that entertainment until so high in the sky? Or just, you don't like flying or traveling in general? Well, I had the biggest one of all on my trip home from the Walt Disney World Resort last year. The dreaded "neighbor." You know? That person or persons you have to sit next on that "long trip." Well, I had that person that is deathly afraid of flying. I was sitting next to a friend and this lady, who has expelled herself across the whole of her seat and near half of mine. No problem, I can take it. It was the awkward point when the final prayers are coming in- and they last the whole ride! Oh my, I kid you not, the women thought she was going down every other minute a tad bit of turbulence came.

Regardless, I don't want to continue the story. Let me begin with the "so long" bit. I'll tell you why. Flying is literally all the lull or sucky parts of driving down all in one. Think about it, if I were to drive down to Florida, it would take almost eighteen hours! But of those eighteen, maybe two or three of those would be really slow, boring, or awkward. No, you never have all three at once, you have five minutes here, ten there, half an hour in South Carolina, or North if it's your pleasure. But flying, is just all the lull in one quick hit, that's why it's "so long."

I'll skip the rest so that I don't seem like ranting, but I'll go into the most controversial issue of flying. Now that is the "15,000 feet of fun." Well, rather no fun. It's that first and last stretch of the flight of which you cannot even turn on a stopwatch- exaggerating. Now don't start commenting about all the "pay attention" or "interferences." I totally agree! They are points that are spot-on, fact based, and logical. This flight (I'm currently on a different trip) before I got on, I dreaded those 15,000 feet. Then I realized: it's only like 10-15 minutes!

Now I'll rant on those ranting: 15 minutes?! Your Facebook, Twitter, and campy artsy Flickr photos are so flipping important that you can't wait 15 minutes?! Wow, try talking to the person next to you. I planned to listen to music for the rest of the ride in silence, but I chatted up my neighbor. I learned so much! He's a father of two lovely daughters (siting behind us), his job, growing up, why they were going to Orlando (Disney of course :), who isn't?!), and then met his lovely wife- who I offered to trade seats with so they could sit together. Then guess what! I met a new neighbor! And I was chatting the whole ride down. I never even touched my nano, phone, or tablet.

Now don't say "Not all flights are like that!" Oh they aren't?! Well, make them! Chat up the person, ask them question- not too much, don't sound nosy. But make the best of it, and try to communicate with your fellow man! So, your flight can go in seconds! I'd to hear your opinions on how to make a flight more fun. But in mine, the best way to waste time is to strikes conversation. The longer, funnier, and interesting the topics: the more time you waste. Why do you think everyone talks during maths...