no egos, no attitudes no one-upmanship. just mutual respect in a pleasing environment geared toward learning and understanding. wonderful. thank you both so much!
@@curtisjudd You, Mike and Bandrew doing a discussion would be friggin awesome. Like the Justice League, only not so dark and with a levity that fits the tone.
NOTE: The video for this episode was recorded via Skype. As you can see, it "attempted" to "correct" the framerates of our cameras. Lesson learned. Next time we'll just record the video locally - a double ender for audio and video.
Yeah unfortunately it's just better to record locally, especially the audio. Just use the videocall software to talk, and record locally, then edit it in post.
Microphones "fit" voices like shoes - although a size 11 is the proper length to many men there are also 'wide' and 'narrow' versions needed to fit the last 10% of the users properly.
Had me at “bass guitar”. 😁 Brilliant episode. You learn and practice to hear. This looks like a live session (???) and would be REALLY interested how it was produced, the feed, etc. as it looks and sounds most excellent. 👍👍👍
It was live only in the sense that I used Skype to record the video (not the audio) and it does some bad magic in its attempt to "correct" everyone's framerates. Next time I'll just have each of us record the video locally.
Seriously! How could you dislike this video??? This was great guys! Yes I'm partial and I enjoy both of your channels, however this was some great info! Thank you guys!!!
I can’t wait for a big “Infinite Crisis”-style crossover event, with Curtis, Bandrew, Gerald Undone, Mike Delgaudio, and a bunch of other audio UA-camrs.
Ya I love the idea of larger cross channel round table talks like this. I like it on Curtis's channel as he seems like a good ring leader for this cohort.
No problem... when I started the ‘Project’ I was a plumber. The learning curve was steep because I didnt speak the A/V language. You, Bandrew, and Mike were (still are) a huge help.
I've always known this but you two both have excellent, EXCELLENT voice and diction. So comfortable to listen to and all the words sound so clear. Getting this from me IS something because I'm not even a native English speaker. I'm Korean. :D
Love both of you guys. I've been following you both for a couple of years, I think. AND, I've purchased gear through your affiliate links! So, it's great to see the two of you together. Respect.
Nice episode, your back and forth with Bandrew was quite enjoyable. Even though I personally didn't learn anything this time, all good things to say for beginners. Nice job. And I'm waiting for the trio episode with Mike! :)
This was amazing to watch, played it twice.....Im trying hard to learn and love Podcastage channel, so glad I stumbled upon this great video and your channel now!
I think that if you hear a live band or orchestra, you will know what is making each individual sound. Having said that, actually playing various instruments, or just taking a music appreciation class can help tune up our hearing capabilities. Early on, you nailed it. The pitch and quality of individual voices will narrow down the choice of mic. Then, if you have been using microphones over the years, you will tire of the sound of the mic you have been using and then pick another.
I enjoyed this. A couple of points that could be added. 1) A good EQ can taper the frequency response of any good microphone to your liking. I worry more about pickup patterns and resonances than exact frequency curves because the frequency curve is fluid with any decent mic. 2) As far as “golden ears” goes, I am one who was born with wonderful hearing, but gradually lost it over time. Now my left ear doesn’t work at all, my right ear can’t hear past 12k, and my tinnitus is really bad, so I don’t hear noise floors at all (though I can see them on a meter). The more sensitive your hearing, the easier it is to damage so be careful! 3) Yes, Mike Delgaudio has a wonderful voice. Even the most crappy mics sound wonderful on his voice! 4) Distance miking is also important: You both had mics that were covering your face and prominent in the shot. For a lot of people, the best mic is the one with the pickup pattern that sounds the best from an off camera (or at least not prominent in the shot) distance. Good sound and noise rejection from off camera is the primary thing for many people. 5) Also, neither of you bop your heads around a lot. Neither do I. There are some bubbly UA-cam personalities that bounce all around the screen. Picking up within their spheres of movement while rejecting sound just outside of this is another big deal for a lot of people. 6) I personally LOVE noise cancelling headphones because it lets me monitor at much lower volume levels (which triggers my hyperacusis much less. With active NR engaged, the ambient noise floor drops and you just naturally listen at lower levels because you aren’t trying to get over the noise. If you don’t have a quiet space and you want to protect your ears, I highly recommend using them.
Curtis, it was great seeing you and Bandrew nerd out about what you two do so well, but that we don't actually notice - the process and thinking behind reviewing a mic. It was like catching Siskel and Ebert BEFORE the movie, just talking shop! I can't wait to see another one of these interview sessions with Bandrew and/or another sound or film pro. Call it Set or Booth Talk with Curtis & ... Rob P.S. Boy, that Rob K does ask great questions - you have an amazing audience ;-)
I bought the Heil PR77 for the looks... got a big discount in a flash sale on Reverb... but really like the sound for my live interview podcast. Set up 3 guest seats with Samson Q2Us.
Curtis this video is superb. Bandrew brings so much to the table. Would be interested in seeing you interview Brian Miller from Audio For Content Creators. He’s an audio engineer that has helped me enormously control breath noises in my audio. Thanks for your brilliant content, mate. Steve.
I love this team-up and it should happen again. I think it would be brilliant for the two of you to do G.O.A.T. mic discussions at different price points & applications.
Hello guys! Great topic! I will give you my 2 main reasons. One of you record speach and other one music. Those are like black and white.Music all must be in the mix and in vo you have to be out of the mix and to project.Perfect example is Shure sm7b . I am also vo guy and I really hate it, but when I hear a vocal it sits in the mix great. Other main one are the headphones that we use. They are different and some more on this, when you hear yourself is one thing and when someone else listen you, he can have a different opinion.
This is really interesting (and complex!) thankyou! Excellent content and production quality on your channel. I've just been getting into a bit of audiobook narration but I have a very soft, neither high nor low pitched (male) voice, so I'm trying to work out what the best option might be.
Nice job, fellas! A great reference on the internet is AudioTestKitchen.com, where you can compare over 300 microphones on several different sources. Those guys have a great concept going over there!
great video! You are both fantastic content creators. it is a pleasure to see your teachings and reviews. What was the audio interface Brandrew used? congratulations, good job!
Very entertaining guys!! Very informative!! No one has ever mentioned EQUIPMENT CALIBRATION! Is your 'dB' the same as the other fellow's? Also interconnecting cable quality and type. Maybe this comes under setup? Also the sound booth...there is NO standard,. Obviously there is no standard for 'good communications audio' (eg: vocals). THE OBVIOUS: I perceive these mic reviews to be SO VERY SUBJECTIVE. But you've done a great job to qualify 'subjective'.
Wow - I’m quickly becoming a fan of both your channels, and you both did a great job in this video. I personally wish you’d move the mics away from your faces as it would make the video more engaging, but I appreciate it’s likely that the podcast is your focus - not UA-cam. Hope you’re travelling ok with the corona challenges and stress.
Since we were specifically talking about microphones it seemed appropriate. Also, since we are not talking about narrative film in this case, and we are doing a live-steam format piece, microphones in the shot are quite common in these situations. In most of my UA-cam videos where I have a talking head/interview style setup, I boom a mic out of the frame.
Wow! My two favorite audio gear reviewers going head-to-head! I just got the notification and have not viewed this yet. But at some point today I look forward to watchily-watching to see what you guys diddly-did.
Incredible video you guys!!! Perfect audio too. LOL. I do love the Shure SM7B with that awesome radio announcer style voice. Sadly, I don't have that deep cadence. Probably in the middle.
Something that I have found interesting over the years, that really comes from experience and understanding the application you're going for, is the idea of knowing what works in context vs out of context. Years ago, my band was starting to record an album and we took the time to put the vocalist in front of a bunch of different mics to see what worked best. Listening to nothing but his voice, we found that a cheap MXL mic sounded really great, possibly even better than a Neumann that we were borrowing. But when it came time to actually mix, it felt like nothing I did would get that MXL to work. But we went back and recorded with the Neumann and I barely had to do anything to it to get it to just sit right. That's probably not a concern for podcasts and talking head videos like you do, but it's a really sort of weird thing that a lot of people don't realize when they are shopping for a mic. Sometimes the thing that sounds best by itself just isn't the right fit in context.
Actually using the headphones you usually use is the best way to mix, even if they are not for monitoring. Our hearing adjusts, so if you have a casual pair of headphones for everyday stuff and a flat pair for mixing, you will obviously crank the bass a bit much on the flat headphones because in comparison the bass will probably sound too quiet.
Thanks for the insight . I’ve had trouble getting video mixes to translate well to speakers that way but I do agree that our hearing adapts to some extent.
Interesting conversation. I like warm and round sounding microphones. I really like AT brand mics. Blue used to be good when they were made in Latvia 🇱🇻. There's also mic placement and preamps and EQ and compression etc. etc. a good singer usually sounds good on any microphone 😂
Some great points discussed there, however I see one major omission - EQ. So many microphone reviews are effectively focusing on differences in tonal balance. Sure, even similarly named polar patterns will differ in reality between manufacturers and this along with factors such as self noise will impact the results. However, you can narrow the gap substantially between different mics with a little EQ. If I think of three mics from my collection - Rode M3 medium diaphragm electret, Shure SM57 dynamic and Lewitt 450 large diaphragm condenser - all can ve made to sound pretty similar with some EQ. Not the same, bit probably good enough such that many casual listeners will not hear a transition on spoken voice. EQ is usually free, and once established and saved as a preset it presents no real additional hassle when recording. It irks me somewhat when a sense that the primary audible difference between a £300 & £3000 mic is just a few dB deviation in the response curve. Qualitatively, is there really any difference between say a Rode NT1 and Neumann TLM103? - I contend not, it's just a slightly different frequency response choice.
Thanks Red Robbo. Sometimes good enough or close enough is good enough. I think at a technical level, there are some nuances but one must always ask whether it is worth the extra expense in terms of gear or time. If I can find a mic which complements my voice and requires less post work, that can be a worthwhile investment. On the other hand, applying a preset EQ in post can be fine if your workflow will always include post. Or if live, if you have the additional gear to apply EQ, that is perfectly legitimate as well. Thanks for the insight!
I am really enjoying this and I have enjoyed videos from both of you in the past too. I do have a question. Maybe I'm just being ignorant but why is Curtis' microphone at his eye level instead of lined up with his mouth? Is that a special type of microphone? Thanks
Hi Barry, that's a technique that I use to manage sibilance with particularly bright microphones - it is closer to the level of my nose. This seems to take the edge off of the sibilance.
My hearing is now officially shot, but as an ex pro musician with thousands of recordings, I am aware of qualitative differences which survive hearing loss. The first thing is to lose your preconceptions. And take breaks. You can so easily lose focus and concentration over a very short period. These are good tips, so thanks. If it sounds crap, it is crap. The main issue for me is when people focus on recording sound (my dad used to do this) over content. Content will override any recording technique. I agree totally about headphones. Bizarrely the pair I bought on a trip to New York - a simple pair of Sony Studio Monitor headphones with a THICK cable makes such a difference - over 20 years ago are the best bang for buck. The other issue for me is that we can undervalue sync issues. When there is a lag between the video and the audio, the audio just sounds worse - even when it is exactly the same. The sync MAKES the audio sound real and true. A great, great sound out of sync is less believable. Thanks for the video folks.
Bandrew explaining how he learned to hear the bass. I played TF2, mostly sniper, and died to spies a lot of course. At some point I started playing Spy a lot and learned the sound you make de-cloaking. After a while of that, when then playing sniper again, I ended up killing so many spies who de-cloaked to kill me, as I recognized the sound now and had a reflex reaction to it :P Very off topic, but kind of on topic. It just made me think of that right away :)
To go along with a theme of these last weeks, "gear doesn't matter as much as people think", "you don't need to buy über hardware to sound good", Alex Knickerbocker has an interesting UA-cam channel about sound and recording; and in last video he talked various thing with Dan Kremer (sound editor and designer for Mr Robot for example). And they both said the exact same thing, skills and work is much more important than gear. We don't need thousands dollars of mic, and again for recorder, and again for DAW plugin, especially to get started in the sound world. With the nice example of the show House M.D. having not an insignificant amount of sounds effects recorded with an iPhone :) And when they invest in pricey tools, one of the main thing is it allow them to work faster. A multi thousands dollar EQ plugin isn't really better sounding than most default one shipped with decent DAW, but sometimes when you're a pro doing post work, saving time on a tool you bring up 150 times an hour does help. If you haven't checked it, his channel is quite new but very interesting to get a different perspective on sound and audio recording (same as Mike's perspective is interesting because he's coming at this from the voiceover world).
re recommending a mic for a voice. I was fortunate to record my voice with a few engineers, & myself, I chose the 57 to suit my voice, likely because I grew up with the 57 & can hear it clearly. Regarding your own voice... better to have someone else judge the mic for you, as they hear your voice live and can compare with that separation. As I said I chose the 57, but better than that, my good friend, & bass guitarist, tried an AKG C451 on my singing voice. Mid recording session he said "that's your mic!". So I bought one. It works better than the 57 for my singing voice. I still use the 57 for talking, & harmony singing, other instruments, just not solo or lead vocals.
@@curtisjuddWow, Nice! I feel validated. From within my humble audio budget and framework of understanding, they seemed to stand out. Without much in my experience to compare them to, I am really pleased with my choice 😊. Just found your channel. But shout out to YTers and logical reviewers on the intemet like you guys, helping us choose what makes sense for us! Thankz
As someone who was just getting into audio when he discovered he was quite deaf and quit, then a few years later realised he could use that knowledge to counteract it, hearing can't be overstated. Bandrew said he liked dark mics and I'd tend to be the same - those are the frequencies I'm used to hearing and am largely unimpaired in. My hearing really drops off from 2kHz plus. Women with fuller, deeper voices also sound better to me, for the same reason - they're in my aural sweet spot.
Curtis, when I first started my journey in audio, I was very concerned about picking the right starter mic then eventually a great forever mic. However, with live streams and podcasting, my concerns have escalated into improving sound treatment because post-processing isn't an option: channel strips, equalizers, mixers... needless to say that It's a rabbit hole. If someone was to build a sound chain for podcasting/live streams, what would you recommend as the "must-haves" and "nice-to-haves" and what would that list look like if it were prioritize by bang for buck? (and thanks for another great video!)
Hi Gerry, I've been using the Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini to process my audio for livestreams as covered here: ua-cam.com/video/j4RLCBd3Q64/v-deo.html That's been working quite nicely for me so far and includes most of the things I need to sculpt the sound - EQ, compressor, expander, limiter. One could use an external channel strip like the dbx286s or a mixer with effects as well if preferred. And then there are the higher end interfaces from companies like Universal Audio which do real-time DSP processing with all of the same effects. There are a lot of ways to skin the cat, as they say, but I think the ATEM Mini is one of the more affordable since it can process the audio and acts as a capable 4 camera capture card/switcher.
@@curtisjudd Recently watched that video and I'm sold on the Mini, or rather the Mini Pro. Although I don't have a multi-camera setup, I think that either of those solutions will add much benefit to live streams. I picked up a dbx 286s last week to help with an upcoming live stream. I wanted to get the ATEM Mini but I can't find one to buy one. Crazy times. At least now, I can bring my whistles down with the 286s ;-) Thanks for always answering. Much appreciated.
I would add the all the different apps on cell phones seem to have different frequency responses. I recorded a work in progress song clip to show two different people, one on Line and the other on messenger. The vastly different frequency responses really surprised me. And, of course, they both used the same mic in my cell phone.
7:31 In one ear, I can hear 15KHz and in the other ear, I can only hear up to 10KHz. Plus, without hearing aids, I have high frequency hearing loss around 2 to 5KHz.
ive been on youtube for along time and you are the first person i heard say sound source the sound is only as good as the speakers people are listening on
Guitar Center will let you buy a microphone and if you don’t like it you can return it no questions asked and this is how they recommend you try out or audition microphones(at least this is what representatives told me in stores in two different cities).
Great video, Curtis! I've watched many vids from both of you over the past year. Question: How did you produce this video? Did each of you use your own camera at your own location for filming and you then did post editing to cut back and forth between each person speaking? I'm considering doing something similar (for podcasting) and using the Zoom video app whereby the Gallery view function enables the back and forth speaker view. I know there are paid online software that can also do this type of thing, but I don't want to pay for subscription service.
@@curtisjudd So the Ecamm app is used in conjunction with Skype but you're saying it's not good because it messed up the frame rates? The Ecamm app was used to cut the scenes back and forth between you and the guest views? If you had to do it all over again, would you still use Skype plus the Ecamm app? Or something entirely different? Have you tried the Zoom conference app? Sorry for all the questions and thank you! :-)
Casey Cheung the Ecamm app just recorded each of our video and audio feeds and then I cut between them in Final Cut Pro after the call. I would use a paid service like Riverside.fm next time.
Now I know why Bandrew sounds better here than on his usual shows I have heard in the past. He sounds really fine here. Leave the SM7B alone. So many vloggers have them and I'm sure they are turning up the low end on EQ to sound more authoritative. It's like hey! I have an expensive microphone (for a vlogger) so I want the audience to see it and "hear" it. Curtis as usual sounds very natural. I don't get fatigued watching any of his segments. All around he's a total pro in all aspects of reviews and opinions. I'm glad to see the reviews starting to include more entry and mid budget gear.
Can you guys talk about the differences (pros and cons) between the different types of microphones: XLR, USB, 3.5mm condenser mics. I am starting a podcast and would like to build gear around the mic which i believe is the focal point.
The first thing to consider is your quality goals - how much will your audience really notice and appreciate. USB microphones include both the microphone and a preamp and an analogue to digital converter. Due to their price, they usually have to compromise somewhere in there to keep the costs down. So the quality isn't usually as nice as a much more expensive XLR microphone and audio interface or channel strip and interface. XLR mics also have balanced output/cabling, you can run longer cables with less risk of picking up interference if that's important for you. 3.5mm mics are usually consumer grade and usually don't sound great, but there are probably exceptions which can be good enough. And that's really it - one has to decide what is good enough for your audience. Do they just listen on phone speakers and will they even notice if you spend $5000 on an amazing mic, channel strip, and audio interface? Bigger prices generally give marginally small quality improvements but also requires a bit of skill to get the most out of them - something anyone can develop with time and practice. I think there's a lot to be said for going for a microphone like the Samson Q2U which is both a USB mic and has an XLR output if you decide later to add a higher quality channel strip or audio interface.
@@curtisjudd If i may be allowed a follow up question: is there a difference between a "Podcast Mic" and a "Gaming Mic"? is this a marketing ploy? or are there inner components that make these microphones specific to a certain type of application that are designed for ONLY "Podcast" or "Gaming"? I also see mics that are specific for "Interviewing" and "VLogging". Again, Big Thanks for your help.
@@river3g Generally that's marketing speak. More important is whether the microphone is dynamic vs. condenser, its output type (USB, XLR, other), and its polar pattern (cardioid, super-cardioid, hyper-cardioid, omni-directional). For podcasts where you'll be recording in a space which is not acoustically treated, I would generally go with dynamic microphones with a cardioid polar pattern and a recorder or audio interface with enough gain to drive the mic. Dynamics are useful in these situations - you have to speak up closely which improves the signal to noise ratio, effectively making a cleaner recording with less room noise pickup.
Good Interview! After 50 years of professional engineering I've determined the vocalist has more to do with the sound than anything else. Lol! Same way with musical instruments and drums. You can get a great sound and have everything set for one musician then another guy sets down to the exact same stuff, same settings, same spot 3 minutes later and it's like a different console, preamp, microphone and all different acoustic treatment eapecially if a volume adjustment is required. Every session is a whole different animal.
I got hearing aids and that made me realise that we hear what we expect to hear and with hearing aids I can choose between different hearing programs and what I hear is the room and that is important, not the frequency or amplitude and most sounds is more than a single frequency.
no egos, no attitudes no one-upmanship. just mutual respect in a pleasing environment geared toward learning and understanding. wonderful. thank you both so much!
Thanks Chris.
"one-upmanship"
This is worthy of being added to my daily lexicon.
Good stuff gents! Great discussion and excellent points. Honored to be mentioned amongst your expertise!
@@MrSizeof posted one yesterday!
Can't wait for you to join us on the next one!
Mike you’re the KING brother! ✌️
@@curtisjudd @BoothJunkie @BandrewScott - the three of you would make a must-see collab! would love to see that! You guys ROCK!
@@curtisjudd You, Mike and Bandrew doing a discussion would be friggin awesome. Like the Justice League, only not so dark and with a levity that fits the tone.
Now that's the crossover episode we have all been waiting for! 🎤🎧😁
Thanks Julian!
waiting for you to join the conversation!
NOTE: The video for this episode was recorded via Skype. As you can see, it "attempted" to "correct" the framerates of our cameras. Lesson learned. Next time we'll just record the video locally - a double ender for audio and video.
Would you use Source Connect Now for the audio?
Yeah unfortunately it's just better to record locally, especially the audio. Just use the videocall software to talk, and record locally, then edit it in post.
We used Cleanfeed. Fortunately, that part worked ok 😀
@@LiraeNoir After several valiant attempt with various apps, I concur.
But how do you record the video if you record the audio locally?
My two favourite audio people on the same stage. Love it.
Thanks Allen.
I love these two guys and it is a pure blessing to see them together in this video.
Keep it up !
Greetings from France !
Thanks so much Piano Pour Tous!
Room acoustics also plays an important role on your final recording depending on your mic choices. Great video!
Great point, thanks Bill.
Microphones "fit" voices like shoes - although a size 11 is the proper length to many men there are also 'wide' and 'narrow' versions needed to fit the last 10% of the users properly.
Good metaphor, thanks!
Oh my god, I am framing this answer. It's such a great analogy.
Had me at “bass guitar”. 😁 Brilliant episode. You learn and practice to hear. This looks like a live session (???) and would be REALLY interested how it was produced, the feed, etc. as it looks and sounds most excellent. 👍👍👍
It was live only in the sense that I used Skype to record the video (not the audio) and it does some bad magic in its attempt to "correct" everyone's framerates. Next time I'll just have each of us record the video locally.
Nh hi no no no X bhi co bhi bhi
Seriously! How could you dislike this video??? This was great guys! Yes I'm partial and I enjoy both of your channels, however this was some great info! Thank you guys!!!
Thanks so much, Jeff!
Curtis & Bandrew, thank you both for a scintillatingly informative and thoroughly enjoyable discussion.
🙏
I can’t wait for a big “Infinite Crisis”-style crossover event, with Curtis, Bandrew, Gerald Undone, Mike Delgaudio, and a bunch of other audio UA-camrs.
That's a good idea!
Try for 9 people in a Brady Bunch window!
@@tbreit I've got to get the video sorted. I think we'll need everyone to record locally.
Ya I love the idea of larger cross channel round table talks like this. I like it on Curtis's channel as he seems like a good ring leader for this cohort.
@@jeremyllewellyn 👍
Oh my gosh, please you two chat more often, and definitely bring Mike into the fold too. This was great.
I hope so, too!
Great review as always. One thing I’ve always been impressed with on the Zoom H series is battery life. For under $400, this is a great deal. 👍
👍
Two of my favorite! Learned so much from you two! Thanks for what you do! God bless! -Rev Kev
Thanks Rev Kev!
No problem... when I started the ‘Project’ I was a plumber. The learning curve was steep because I didnt speak the A/V language. You, Bandrew, and Mike were (still are) a huge help.
Couldn’t said it better!
Wow, thanks Curtis & Bandrew! I watch both of you for info on my audio / video needs. Really get a kick out of seeing you work together. Well done!
Thank you Steve!
I've always known this but you two both have excellent, EXCELLENT voice and diction. So comfortable to listen to and all the words sound so clear. Getting this from me IS something because I'm not even a native English speaker. I'm Korean. :D
Thanks so much!
Thanks Curtis...this is a great half hour of discussion. BIG thumbs up.
Thanks teddy!
Brilliant production! I appreciate how you two collaborated to put this topic and discussion out there. Great discussion and advice.
Thank you Laurence!
Love both of you guys. I've been following you both for a couple of years, I think. AND, I've purchased gear through your affiliate links! So, it's great to see the two of you together. Respect.
Thanks Alex!
So wonderful to see you gents pair up - straight up excellent conversation and information here. Nicely done!
Thanks Bill 🎙
Never thought about ear shape when it comes to sound but it makes perfect sense.
👍
2 masters, head to head, love it, thanks for sharing.
Thanks Rivenworld!
Nice episode, your back and forth with Bandrew was quite enjoyable. Even though I personally didn't learn anything this time, all good things to say for beginners. Nice job. And I'm waiting for the trio episode with Mike! :)
👍
One of the few folks on YT 👍 automatically!
Excellent information thank you.
Thanks Kit!
One of the best channels ..
And you are the one who made this channel unique with your knowledge and elegant style..
Thanks Ehab!
I’m a huge fan of both of your channels. I’m not sure how I missed this episode but I’m glad I found it great discussion
Thanks for watching!
The crossover video I've been waiting for. Awesome!
👍
This was amazing to watch, played it twice.....Im trying hard to learn and love Podcastage channel, so glad I stumbled upon this great video and your channel now!
Thanks Raven and welcome to the channel!
What! My two favourite audio guys! (Excellent)
Thanks!
This is a treat!!! Thank you for doing this episode!
Amazing
Thanks Rafael.
I think that if you hear a live band or orchestra, you will know what is making each individual sound. Having said that, actually playing various instruments, or just taking a music appreciation class can help tune up our hearing capabilities.
Early on, you nailed it. The pitch and quality of individual voices will narrow down the choice of mic. Then, if you have been using microphones over the years, you will tire of the sound of the mic you have been using and then pick another.
Thanks for the insights, Phil!
I enjoyed this. A couple of points that could be added.
1) A good EQ can taper the frequency response of any good microphone to your liking. I worry more about pickup patterns and resonances than exact frequency curves because the frequency curve is fluid with any decent mic.
2) As far as “golden ears” goes, I am one who was born with wonderful hearing, but gradually lost it over time. Now my left ear doesn’t work at all, my right ear can’t hear past 12k, and my tinnitus is really bad, so I don’t hear noise floors at all (though I can see them on a meter). The more sensitive your hearing, the easier it is to damage so be careful!
3) Yes, Mike Delgaudio has a wonderful voice. Even the most crappy mics sound wonderful on his voice!
4) Distance miking is also important: You both had mics that were covering your face and prominent in the shot. For a lot of people, the best mic is the one with the pickup pattern that sounds the best from an off camera (or at least not prominent in the shot) distance. Good sound and noise rejection from off camera is the primary thing for many people.
5) Also, neither of you bop your heads around a lot. Neither do I. There are some bubbly UA-cam personalities that bounce all around the screen. Picking up within their spheres of movement while rejecting sound just outside of this is another big deal for a lot of people.
6) I personally LOVE noise cancelling headphones because it lets me monitor at much lower volume levels (which triggers my hyperacusis much less. With active NR engaged, the ambient noise floor drops and you just naturally listen at lower levels because you aren’t trying to get over the noise. If you don’t have a quiet space and you want to protect your ears, I highly recommend using them.
Thanks framelessfilms, appreciate the input! All valid points.
Way too short, this is the colab I never knew I needed!
Hahaha! Thanks!
Great start 😂😃 good views on ones own voices and channels etc also the playback system!!!
👍
Curtis, it was great seeing you and Bandrew nerd out about what you two do so well, but that we don't actually notice - the process and thinking behind reviewing a mic. It was like catching Siskel and Ebert BEFORE the movie, just talking shop!
I can't wait to see another one of these interview sessions with Bandrew and/or another sound or film pro. Call it Set or Booth Talk with Curtis & ...
Rob
P.S. Boy, that Rob K does ask great questions - you have an amazing audience ;-)
HAHAHAHA! Thanks so much for the question, Rob. This would not have happened without your help!
@@curtisjudd you are very welcome. I'm glad I got to contribute!
It's great to see you guys in the same video. Great conversation.
Thank you Joe.
I'm a follower for both of you and I have learned a lot from you both
thanks for your efforts
Thanks Ahmed, appreciate the feedback.
You’re welcome Chris, greetings from h UK
I bought the Heil PR77 for the looks... got a big discount in a flash sale on Reverb... but really like the sound for my live interview podcast. Set up 3 guest seats with Samson Q2Us.
Nice combination.
Curtis this video is superb. Bandrew brings so much to the table. Would be interested in seeing you interview Brian Miller from Audio For Content Creators. He’s an audio engineer that has helped me enormously control breath noises in my audio. Thanks for your brilliant content, mate. Steve.
Thanks, Steve. Good idea.
Instantly liked the video based on the thumbnail alone!
Hahaha!
I love this team-up and it should happen again.
I think it would be brilliant for the two of you to do G.O.A.T. mic discussions at different price points & applications.
Great idea, I hope we can do that!
Great interaction, guys. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. 🇦🇺 💗
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Hello guys! Great topic! I will give you my 2 main reasons. One of you record speach and other one music. Those are like black and white.Music all must be in the mix and in vo you have to be out of the mix and to project.Perfect example is Shure sm7b . I am also vo guy and I really hate it, but when I hear a vocal it sits in the mix great. Other main one are the headphones that we use. They are different and some more on this, when you hear yourself is one thing and when someone else listen you, he can have a different opinion.
agreed, thanks!
Massive thanks 🙏🏼 wonderful video. Yessss pleaaaase invite Booth Junkie man ASAP 👏🏼😍
I'll put him on speed dial right now! 😉
Curtis Judd 👏🏼😂
What a pleasure, to listen such a gigantic two characters from the point of view of expertise, and humor as well :)
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This is really interesting (and complex!) thankyou! Excellent content and production quality on your channel. I've just been getting into a bit of audiobook narration but I have a very soft, neither high nor low pitched (male) voice, so I'm trying to work out what the best option might be.
Thanks RisingDawn and I hope you enjoy your journey finding the right mic for your narration work. Best wishes!
Great video and information, this will open the eyes (well ears) for a bunch of people. I really liked the explanations...
2nd Time Tech thanks!
My 2 favorite audio guys and I just found this 3 years after posting
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Nice job, fellas!
A great reference on the internet is AudioTestKitchen.com, where you can compare over 300 microphones on several different sources. Those guys have a great concept going over there!
Thanks, will check that out!
You both guys are amazing! Thanks to your advices I think I saved a lot on money when choosing my microphone.
Thanks so much, Andrés!
great video! You are both fantastic content creators. it is a pleasure to see your teachings and reviews. What was the audio interface Brandrew used?
congratulations, good job!
Thanks Gorka! I believe he used his Universal Audio Apollo x8.
very informative and great views exchange. Thank you both for making this episode.
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Really enjoyed the video Curtis. Nice job
Thanks!
Very entertaining guys!! Very informative!! No one has ever mentioned EQUIPMENT CALIBRATION! Is your 'dB' the same as the other fellow's? Also interconnecting cable quality and type. Maybe this comes under setup? Also the sound booth...there is NO standard,. Obviously there is no standard for 'good communications audio' (eg: vocals). THE OBVIOUS: I perceive these mic reviews to be SO VERY SUBJECTIVE. But you've done a great job to qualify 'subjective'.
Thanks Dave.
Wow - I’m quickly becoming a fan of both your channels, and you both did a great job in this video. I personally wish you’d move the mics away from your faces as it would make the video more engaging, but I appreciate it’s likely that the podcast is your focus - not UA-cam. Hope you’re travelling ok with the corona challenges and stress.
Since we were specifically talking about microphones it seemed appropriate. Also, since we are not talking about narrative film in this case, and we are doing a live-steam format piece, microphones in the shot are quite common in these situations. In most of my UA-cam videos where I have a talking head/interview style setup, I boom a mic out of the frame.
Wow! My two favorite audio gear reviewers going head-to-head! I just got the notification and have not viewed this yet. But at some point today I look forward to watchily-watching to see what you guys diddly-did.
Thanks Arthur, the session was radily rad! I hope you enjoy it.
Incredible video you guys!!! Perfect audio too. LOL. I do love the Shure SM7B with that awesome radio announcer style voice. Sadly, I don't have that deep cadence. Probably in the middle.
Thanks for watching Matt!
Something that I have found interesting over the years, that really comes from experience and understanding the application you're going for, is the idea of knowing what works in context vs out of context. Years ago, my band was starting to record an album and we took the time to put the vocalist in front of a bunch of different mics to see what worked best. Listening to nothing but his voice, we found that a cheap MXL mic sounded really great, possibly even better than a Neumann that we were borrowing. But when it came time to actually mix, it felt like nothing I did would get that MXL to work. But we went back and recorded with the Neumann and I barely had to do anything to it to get it to just sit right. That's probably not a concern for podcasts and talking head videos like you do, but it's a really sort of weird thing that a lot of people don't realize when they are shopping for a mic. Sometimes the thing that sounds best by itself just isn't the right fit in context.
Great insight, I completely agree. Thanks for sharing!
This was great. Two of my favorites who I’ve learned so much from.
Thanks for watching, Lawrence.
Rock solid. Beautiful recording. 2 of my favorite reviewers. Requesting Booth Junkie for the Trifecta.
Done: ua-cam.com/video/dsEkZm1xiJA/v-deo.html
Excellent video guys!!! Can't wait to see the next one!
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I subscribe to both you guys and this is one of my favorite so far. Thanks
Thanks for watching, Richard!
The two men I go to for all of my mic needs.
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Thank you for an interesting, helpful and wonderful conversation.
Thanks Stephen.
Actually using the headphones you usually use is the best way to mix, even if they are not for monitoring. Our hearing adjusts, so if you have a casual pair of headphones for everyday stuff and a flat pair for mixing, you will obviously crank the bass a bit much on the flat headphones because in comparison the bass will probably sound too quiet.
Thanks for the insight . I’ve had trouble getting video mixes to translate well to speakers that way but I do agree that our hearing adapts to some extent.
Really an amazingly awesome video.
Make Mike join you guys for a future episode.
So happy I noticed this video 👌🏻
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This should be longer. Loving the talk 😀
I wonder if Bandrew would ever consider talking with me again...
Interesting conversation. I like warm and round sounding microphones. I really like AT brand mics. Blue used to be good when they were made in Latvia 🇱🇻. There's also mic placement and preamps and EQ and compression etc. etc. a good singer usually sounds good on any microphone 😂
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Some great points discussed there, however I see one major omission - EQ.
So many microphone reviews are effectively focusing on differences in tonal balance. Sure, even similarly named polar patterns will differ in reality between manufacturers and this along with factors such as self noise will impact the results. However, you can narrow the gap substantially between different mics with a little EQ.
If I think of three mics from my collection - Rode M3 medium diaphragm electret, Shure SM57 dynamic and Lewitt 450 large diaphragm condenser - all can ve made to sound pretty similar with some EQ. Not the same, bit probably good enough such that many casual listeners will not hear a transition on spoken voice.
EQ is usually free, and once established and saved as a preset it presents no real additional hassle when recording.
It irks me somewhat when a sense that the primary audible difference between a £300 & £3000 mic is just a few dB deviation in the response curve. Qualitatively, is there really any difference between say a Rode NT1 and Neumann TLM103? - I contend not, it's just a slightly different frequency response choice.
Thanks Red Robbo. Sometimes good enough or close enough is good enough. I think at a technical level, there are some nuances but one must always ask whether it is worth the extra expense in terms of gear or time. If I can find a mic which complements my voice and requires less post work, that can be a worthwhile investment. On the other hand, applying a preset EQ in post can be fine if your workflow will always include post. Or if live, if you have the additional gear to apply EQ, that is perfectly legitimate as well. Thanks for the insight!
2 pillars of passionate audio love it
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oh man 2 of the best audio guys! love this
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Great topic...Loved the "FOLEY" reference, my wife too has gained a knack for looking at movies differently...
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I am really enjoying this and I have enjoyed videos from both of you in the past too. I do have a question. Maybe I'm just being ignorant but why is Curtis' microphone at his eye level instead of lined up with his mouth? Is that a special type of microphone? Thanks
Hi Barry, that's a technique that I use to manage sibilance with particularly bright microphones - it is closer to the level of my nose. This seems to take the edge off of the sibilance.
My hearing is now officially shot, but as an ex pro musician with thousands of recordings, I am aware of qualitative differences which survive hearing loss. The first thing is to lose your preconceptions. And take breaks. You can so easily lose focus and concentration over a very short period. These are good tips, so thanks. If it sounds crap, it is crap. The main issue for me is when people focus on recording sound (my dad used to do this) over content. Content will override any recording technique.
I agree totally about headphones. Bizarrely the pair I bought on a trip to New York - a simple pair of Sony Studio Monitor headphones with a THICK cable makes such a difference - over 20 years ago are the best bang for buck.
The other issue for me is that we can undervalue sync issues. When there is a lag between the video and the audio, the audio just sounds worse - even when it is exactly the same. The sync MAKES the audio sound real and true. A great, great sound out of sync is less believable. Thanks for the video folks.
Thanks for the insights!
Bandrew explaining how he learned to hear the bass. I played TF2, mostly sniper, and died to spies a lot of course. At some point I started playing Spy a lot and learned the sound you make de-cloaking. After a while of that, when then playing sniper again, I ended up killing so many spies who de-cloaked to kill me, as I recognized the sound now and had a reflex reaction to it :P
Very off topic, but kind of on topic. It just made me think of that right away :)
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Great video guys. Thank you 🙏
Thank you Mark.
To go along with a theme of these last weeks, "gear doesn't matter as much as people think", "you don't need to buy über hardware to sound good", Alex Knickerbocker has an interesting UA-cam channel about sound and recording; and in last video he talked various thing with Dan Kremer (sound editor and designer for Mr Robot for example). And they both said the exact same thing, skills and work is much more important than gear. We don't need thousands dollars of mic, and again for recorder, and again for DAW plugin, especially to get started in the sound world. With the nice example of the show House M.D. having not an insignificant amount of sounds effects recorded with an iPhone :)
And when they invest in pricey tools, one of the main thing is it allow them to work faster. A multi thousands dollar EQ plugin isn't really better sounding than most default one shipped with decent DAW, but sometimes when you're a pro doing post work, saving time on a tool you bring up 150 times an hour does help.
If you haven't checked it, his channel is quite new but very interesting to get a different perspective on sound and audio recording (same as Mike's perspective is interesting because he's coming at this from the voiceover world).
Thanks Lirae! Alex’s channel is great, indeed.
re recommending a mic for a voice. I was fortunate to record my voice with a few engineers, & myself, I chose the 57 to suit my voice, likely because I grew up with the 57 & can hear it clearly. Regarding your own voice... better to have someone else judge the mic for you, as they hear your voice live and can compare with that separation. As I said I chose the 57, but better than that, my good friend, & bass guitarist, tried an AKG C451 on my singing voice. Mid recording session he said "that's your mic!". So I bought one. It works better than the 57 for my singing voice. I still use the 57 for talking, & harmony singing, other instruments, just not solo or lead vocals.
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Great vid.
Curtis are you wearing Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro headphones?
Thanks, yes. 👍🎧
@@curtisjuddWow, Nice!
I feel validated.
From within my humble audio budget and framework of understanding, they seemed to stand out. Without much in my experience to compare them to, I am really pleased with my choice 😊. Just found your channel. But shout out to YTers and logical reviewers on the intemet like you guys, helping us choose what makes sense for us! Thankz
As someone who was just getting into audio when he discovered he was quite deaf and quit, then a few years later realised he could use that knowledge to counteract it, hearing can't be overstated.
Bandrew said he liked dark mics and I'd tend to be the same - those are the frequencies I'm used to hearing and am largely unimpaired in. My hearing really drops off from 2kHz plus. Women with fuller, deeper voices also sound better to me, for the same reason - they're in my aural sweet spot.
👍 Thanks Colin - inspiring to hear that even with the hearing loss, you're still at it!
Curtis, when I first started my journey in audio, I was very concerned about picking the right starter mic then eventually a great forever mic. However, with live streams and podcasting, my concerns have escalated into improving sound treatment because post-processing isn't an option: channel strips, equalizers, mixers... needless to say that It's a rabbit hole. If someone was to build a sound chain for podcasting/live streams, what would you recommend as the "must-haves" and "nice-to-haves" and what would that list look like if it were prioritize by bang for buck? (and thanks for another great video!)
Hi Gerry, I've been using the Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini to process my audio for livestreams as covered here: ua-cam.com/video/j4RLCBd3Q64/v-deo.html
That's been working quite nicely for me so far and includes most of the things I need to sculpt the sound - EQ, compressor, expander, limiter.
One could use an external channel strip like the dbx286s or a mixer with effects as well if preferred. And then there are the higher end interfaces from companies like Universal Audio which do real-time DSP processing with all of the same effects.
There are a lot of ways to skin the cat, as they say, but I think the ATEM Mini is one of the more affordable since it can process the audio and acts as a capable 4 camera capture card/switcher.
@@curtisjudd Recently watched that video and I'm sold on the Mini, or rather the Mini Pro. Although I don't have a multi-camera setup, I think that either of those solutions will add much benefit to live streams.
I picked up a dbx 286s last week to help with an upcoming live stream. I wanted to get the ATEM Mini but I can't find one to buy one.
Crazy times.
At least now, I can bring my whistles down with the 286s ;-)
Thanks for always answering. Much appreciated.
Oh yes, there's the availability issue. The dbx should do the job nicely! All but the EQ part.
I would add the all the different apps on cell phones seem to have different frequency responses. I recorded a work in progress song clip to show two different people, one on Line and the other on messenger. The vastly different frequency responses really surprised me. And, of course, they both used the same mic in my cell phone.
Interesting.
Man you guys are genius!
What a great video!
Stay safe!
Thanks and wishing you safety and health as well!
This was very informative and enjoyable guys. Thank you!
Thanks Guthrie!
Something's wrong with the frame rate 👀, but a really good session, helped me a lot!!
Thanks. Yes, this was recorded via Skype which hacked up the frame rates. Lesson learned.
Great show again! Thanks.
Thanks Alex!
As a person who is a fan of all of your channels, please do more together! Bring on Mike too :-)
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7:31 In one ear, I can hear 15KHz and in the other ear, I can only hear up to 10KHz. Plus, without hearing aids, I have high frequency hearing loss around 2 to 5KHz.
Definitely useful to know where one’s hearing is at.
ive been on youtube for along time and you are the first person i heard say sound source the sound is only as good as the speakers people are listening on
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Guitar Center will let you buy a microphone and if you don’t like it you can return it no questions asked and this is how they recommend you try out or audition microphones(at least this is what representatives told me in stores in two different cities).
There you go! Get out there and find the mic which fits your voice, people! 👍 (after the pandemic passes, of course)
Great video, Curtis! I've watched many vids from both of you over the past year. Question: How did you produce this video? Did each of you use your own camera at your own location for filming and you then did post editing to cut back and forth between each person speaking? I'm considering doing something similar (for podcasting) and using the Zoom video app whereby the Gallery view function enables the back and forth speaker view. I know there are paid online software that can also do this type of thing, but I don't want to pay for subscription service.
I just used Skype and bought the Ecamm Skype call recorder app then edited in post. It messed up the frame rates which is why it looks all jerky.
@@curtisjudd So the Ecamm app is used in conjunction with Skype but you're saying it's not good because it messed up the frame rates? The Ecamm app was used to cut the scenes back and forth between you and the guest views? If you had to do it all over again, would you still use Skype plus the Ecamm app? Or something entirely different? Have you tried the Zoom conference app? Sorry for all the questions and thank you! :-)
Casey Cheung the Ecamm app just recorded each of our video and audio feeds and then I cut between them in Final Cut Pro after the call. I would use a paid service like Riverside.fm next time.
@@curtisjudd Thanks Curtis, you're *still* the best! :-)
Now I know why Bandrew sounds better here than on his usual shows I have heard in the past. He sounds really fine here. Leave the SM7B alone. So many vloggers have them and I'm sure they are turning up the low end on EQ to sound more authoritative. It's like hey! I have an expensive microphone (for a vlogger) so I want the audience to see it and "hear" it.
Curtis as usual sounds very natural. I don't get fatigued watching any of his segments. All around he's a total pro in all aspects of reviews and opinions. I'm glad to see the reviews starting to include more entry and mid budget gear.
Thanks Charliebrm1! Appreciate the feedback!
Can you guys talk about the differences (pros and cons) between the different types of microphones: XLR, USB, 3.5mm condenser mics. I am starting a podcast and would like to build gear around the mic which i believe is the focal point.
The first thing to consider is your quality goals - how much will your audience really notice and appreciate.
USB microphones include both the microphone and a preamp and an analogue to digital converter. Due to their price, they usually have to compromise somewhere in there to keep the costs down. So the quality isn't usually as nice as a much more expensive XLR microphone and audio interface or channel strip and interface. XLR mics also have balanced output/cabling, you can run longer cables with less risk of picking up interference if that's important for you.
3.5mm mics are usually consumer grade and usually don't sound great, but there are probably exceptions which can be good enough.
And that's really it - one has to decide what is good enough for your audience. Do they just listen on phone speakers and will they even notice if you spend $5000 on an amazing mic, channel strip, and audio interface? Bigger prices generally give marginally small quality improvements but also requires a bit of skill to get the most out of them - something anyone can develop with time and practice.
I think there's a lot to be said for going for a microphone like the Samson Q2U which is both a USB mic and has an XLR output if you decide later to add a higher quality channel strip or audio interface.
@@curtisjudd awesome, i appreciate your feedback on this. I will definitely include these points into my selection.
@@curtisjudd If i may be allowed a follow up question: is there a difference between a "Podcast Mic" and a "Gaming Mic"? is this a marketing ploy? or are there inner components that make these microphones specific to a certain type of application that are designed for ONLY "Podcast" or "Gaming"? I also see mics that are specific for "Interviewing" and "VLogging". Again, Big Thanks for your help.
@@river3g Generally that's marketing speak. More important is whether the microphone is dynamic vs. condenser, its output type (USB, XLR, other), and its polar pattern (cardioid, super-cardioid, hyper-cardioid, omni-directional). For podcasts where you'll be recording in a space which is not acoustically treated, I would generally go with dynamic microphones with a cardioid polar pattern and a recorder or audio interface with enough gain to drive the mic. Dynamics are useful in these situations - you have to speak up closely which improves the signal to noise ratio, effectively making a cleaner recording with less room noise pickup.
@@curtisjudd Great info, Thank You.
Loved this dialogue! THANKS so much.
Thanks Art!
I like you both guys. Good tricks. Keep up the good work.
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Great video! I love the colab
Thanks Chris!
Good Interview! After 50 years of professional engineering I've determined the vocalist has more to do with the sound than anything else. Lol! Same way with musical instruments and drums. You can get a great sound and have everything set for one musician then another guy sets down to the exact same stuff, same settings, same spot 3 minutes later and it's like a different console, preamp, microphone and all different acoustic treatment eapecially if a volume adjustment is required. Every session is a whole different animal.
Same experience I've had. It is sometimes shocking how different a mic sounds from person to person.
Great video! Thanks
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I got hearing aids and that made me realise that we hear what we expect to hear and with hearing aids I can choose between different hearing programs and what I hear is the room and that is important, not the frequency or amplitude and most sounds is more than a single frequency.
Yes. Hearing aids these days have come a long way!