GKN Weekly Update 9/18/12 – Mobile Recording And Me: Perfect Together…?
Good morning, my wonderful cadre of well-wishers! Thank you for the HUGE pile of birthday wishes I got last week, and special thanks to my friends who came out last Saturday night to celebrate. We had a lot of fun!
For those of you who know me personally, I am not mechanically inclined nor am I a “technophile” nor a coveter of grownup toys (iPads, iPods, Bluetooth, etc.) BTW can you say “nor” twice in the same sentence? Is there such thing as a triple negative?
Anyway, in anticipation of traveling to Charlotte for FaffCon 5 next month and to make sure I don’t get hosed like when I went to VOICE 2012, I ventured to put together a mobile recording system. Fellow Faffer, VOICEer, Accountabilibuddy, and groovy purple chick Trish Basanyi suggested I get a MicPort Pro. Basically, it’s an adapter you plug your microphone into so you can record/edit on your laptop or iPad.
It’s about the size of a cigar. You plug the XLR cable in on one end and the USB cable on the other. It also has a port for headphones. See the volume controls? It also has what’s called a pre-amplifier or “preamp” which boosts the power of the mic (it’s on the inside).
It came in the mail last week so I conducted Experiment #1: can my ancient laptop handle it?
The laptop recognized the hardware immediately and since I normally record on my desktop I needed new recording software. I downloaded the free and easy-to-use Audacity. Also no problem.
So I hooked it all up and put the whole thing in my “recording closet”. That’s when I noticed how freaking LOUD the fan in my laptop is. No problem. the cables are pretty long so I put the laptop outside the closet. I recorded a recent short script and you know what? It sounded GREAT. I couldn’t believe it! Of course that was in a acoustically treated space.
So yesterday morning I’m getting ready to head out to a recording session when I get a script from a client that they need done ASAP. Not only am I gonna be gone for a few hours, the roof of my apartment building is being replaced. Needless to say, that’s a bit noisy. What a better time to conduct Experiment #2: MOBILE recording!
So I drive to the studio and have the session. Then I mention that I gotta record a script on the fly. They offer to let me record it there. I reply, “Nah, I’ll just do it in my car.” Quizzical looks quickly followed…
I sat in the back seat, put the laptop in the front passenger seat, and held the desktop mic stand on my lap while I held the script in the air. I recorded & edited it using Audacity and sent it to the client. The client said it sounded great! Another victory!!!
TIP OF THE WEEK: Believe it or not, a car is a great place to record! It’s sealed to minimize outside noise and it’s naturally padded. If Beau Weaver can do it, then so can I!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
STUFF!: My next Edge Studio “Business and Money 201” class is TONIGHT! The topic: Keeping Clients Coming Back. Click here for more info. I hope you can join us!
From Tom Dheere’s apartment, this is Tom Dheere: GKN News…
I like gadgets and that thing is pretty cool.
This thing is really great for what it’s meant to do. Before I bought my first preamp, I started and grew my business using the MicPort Pro. Couple things I like about it…
-For a USB preamp/interface, it sounds very good!
-In using this, I didn’t have to limit myself to USB mics. It can turn any mic, even premium ones, into a USB mic.
-It’s very affordable.
In the interest of honesty, some things I didn’t like about it…
-It doesn’t sound quite as good as a traditional interface or preamp (then again, this was designed for mobile recording anyway)…
-Occasionally a high-frequency noise that sounds almost like a tire leaking air could be heard in the background.
-I haven’t encountered this problem personally, but I’ve been told that after about 2 years, this thing begins malfunction relatively frequently. Probably because all that circuitry is packed into a small, cigar-like package. Like I said, I haven’t encountered this problem, but I don’t doubt I will eventually. Feel that thing after you’ve been recording for a while…it gets hot! I wouldn’t be surprised if that heat screws up the circuits after a while.
Still, it’s a wonderful mobile solution and a great “starter” interface/preamp, and I always reccomend it for those who are starting out!
Ugh…*sigh*…
“…this thing begins malfunctioning…”
Grammar errors. My eternal enemy.
Yes, you can use a double nor. However, it is usually more standard to pair nor with neither than with not. Think the USPS motto.