Centrance MicPort Pro Review:

Listen to the best quality podcast recordings today and you will find that they are usually programs produced by established radio personalities—Glenn Beck, Imus, etc.  One reason that their audio quality is so good is that they are using the microphone that is best for their voice.  Producers spend hours testing multiple microphones with their talent/host and their equipment (mic pres, compressors, limiters, EQ, etc.).  The final microphone choice is determined by sound quality, not cost or connectivity.

All to often, amateur podcasters resort to using the mics that are designed for easy connectivity, such as a USB connection to their PC or MAC.  It makes sense, why spend the time, effort and expense in creating a more professional set-up when the equipment manufacturers have made it so easy.  Ultimately, it comes down to sound quality.  There are so many more choices when you open yourself up to the world of XLR connectivity, not just USB.  The solution, a XLR to USB converter.

There are several XLR to USB converters on the market today; Use Google to search “XLR to USB Microphone Converter” for the most up-to-date list.  The CEntrance MicPort Pro is one of them and a review from The Gamer Access is below.  Also see RecordingHacks.com review of four XLR to USB converters here.

Begin Review
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Whether you are recording a podcast, conducting an interview, or recording vocals for an upcoming audio track, a quality microphone is the most essential tool in order to produce a quality experience for the listener. With that said, most professional and studio microphones do not use your standard 3.5mm or USB connector, but instead utilize XLR making it somewhat of a challenge for those who record to a computer. That’s at least what I thought until I had the opportunity to check out CEntrance’s MicPort Pro. Read more to discover how to utilize your professional or studio microphone on any device supporting audio through a USB input!

As the only portable microphone preamp supporting 24bit/96kHz, the MicPort Pro delivers true studio sound from your XLR microphone to any device with a USB input in lossless quality. Simply connect your microphone’s XLR connector to the female XLR input on the MicPort Pro and connect the included USB cable from the MicPort Pro to your USB device, and you are all ready to go! Not to be confused for a simple XLR to USB converter, the MicPort Pro contains its very own preamp for high quality audio recordings using not only basic dynamic microphones, but those who require phantom power. If you are unaware, what phantom power is, it is the method in which DC electric power is transmitted through microphones that require active electronic circuitry. Phantom power is required for a majority of the professional and studio microphones used today.  … continue reading the full article here: A Must-Have Professional Audio Device: CEntrance MicPort Pro (Review) . (Editors note: this legacy link is no longer active)

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What is the best USB Microphone for podcasting?

Is the best USB microphone for podcasting a condenser or dynamic Mic? Is there one that sounds better than another, or do they all sound the same?

There is a disturbing trend in podcast production that I feel the need to address.  Podcasters have been sold a bill of goods that says, “record with a condenser mic, it sounds superior”.  Without knowing any better, and because 90% of USB microphones on the market are condensers, they wind up purchasing a condenser instead of the “inferior” dynamic mic.

Well, the problem is, condensers—as a general rule—pick up a lot of unwanted lip smacks, saliva and other noise from the human speaking voice.  While they tend to sound great on the singing voice, the speaking voice is a whole ‘nother matter.  Hearing the saliva roll around in someone’s mouth during a podcast is not pretty and may just encourage the listener to turn it—YOU—off.

Very few of us get to try out a microphone before buying it, but it is the only way to tell if a particular mic sounds good on YOUR voice.  Yes, for some people a condenser will sound better than a dynamic, but I would wager that the opposite is more likely.

There are two routes you can go here. Spend a little extra time and find the USB dynamic mics that are hiding among all the condensers out there. A few of the best are the Studio Projects LSM and the Audio-Technica AT2005USB.

Or, if you have a bigger budget and want to get the very best, get a dedicated broadcast dynamic microphone; they have been used for years in radio and voiceover production.

Try out the Beyerdynamic M99, Electro-Voice RE-320 or a Heil PR 40—all dynamics.  If these are good enough for NPR, Rush Limbaugh and Leo Laporte, they are good enough for you too.  They may be a bit more expensive than you originally wanted to pay, but the expense will be worth it.  Or, use eBay to find a used one at a more reasonable price.

A USB converter such as the Blue ICICLE or Centrance Micport Pro 2 can connect these broadcast mics to your computer if you don’t already have a recording interface. I know, it’s yet another piece of equipment to add to your buy-list.  But it is the one piece that connects you to the listener, so make your decision wisely.

So what is the best USB microphone for podcasting?

Well, as we discussed, it’s not that simple. Until you’ve tried one or the other on YOUR voice, the question is still open.

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I recently came across this SynthGear blog post that contains an old advertisement for a Sony TC-377: 1973 Ad for Sony Reel-to-Reel Tape Deck. (Editor: we are sorry, this link no longer works.)  Some of the text reads: This could be the tape deck you’ll leave your great-grandson.  This is a classic ad because, indeed, I think many people have done just that; not just with the TC-377, but with all different types of analog reel-to-reel tape recorders.

A customer recently sent us this picture of her Sony TC-558.

Here’s a picture of one of our own: a Teac X-3R.

Why are these passed down from generation to generation, and say, cassette decks are not?  Is it purely looks, frequency response or some tactile fascination?  I hope you will help us answer this question in our comments below.

If you have an old reel-to-reel tape machine, feel free to post a picture of it to our Facebook Wall.  We’d love to see it and hear how you came into possession of it.  Or send it to us via Twitter.

If you are interested in our nationwide reel-to-reel format conversion services in Colorado Springs and Denver, please see our website for more info.

The post Old Reel-to-Reel Tape Recorders — Do You Have One? appeared first on AudioFile Solutions.

With the advent of digital television and new viewing technolgies such as Plasma, LCD and LED, understanding how TVs overscan your DVD is not as important as it once was.  These TVs use newer connectors and often have 0% overscan—showing the complete image.  But how many millions of older TVs still overscan the image?  Your guess is as good as mine, but even some of the best HDTVs of today may still overscan a video image by as much as 20%.

That begs the question: What happens to text or images that are around the outside edge of a slide when you convert PowerPoint to DVD?  In many cases, when watching on a TV, you will not see this part of the video.

Here is an example of a PowerPoint slide that contains some text completely outside of the 20% boundary indicated by the second set of dotted lines (the interior set of lines).  In video circles, this is called the “Title Safe Area”.

As you can see above, “Tips and tools for creating…” is completely outside the 20% boundary and in danger of being cut off by a huge number of televisions.  The last two letters in the larger text above it, “Widescreen Presentation” will also be left unseen by anyone who has a TV that overscans by 20% or more.

How to defeat video overscan issues when converting your slides.
When creating your PowerPoint presentation, make sure to keep any text away from this 20% boundary.  Graphic elements and some images may be acceptable along the edges, but text is NOT.  You don’t want to leave your audience guessing about what you are trying to say, do you?

Here is an example of a slide that has all text positioned correctly inside the title safe area.

As you can see, not only is the text inside the usable area, relevant images are as well.  If there was a caption beneath the graphs at the bottom, we’d want to move the graphs even further inside the safe area to avoid losing the text below the image.

What if your 300-slide PowerPoint show is already completed—incorrectly?
Our PowerPoint-to-DVD service is able to “fix” this problem for you.  During the video editing process, we can shrink your slides slightly and create a new background to fill the newly created space around the edges of your slides.  In most cases, it will look exactly as you intended.  In fact, the second image above was created from a slide that was originally built incorrectly—containing some of the text outside of the 20% safe area.

We will discuss other PowerPoint-to-DVD tips in subsequent articles.  In the meantime, if you have the need for any of our services, please contact us here.

The post How to Convert PowerPoint to DVD — Adjusting for TV Overscan appeared first on AudioFile Solutions.