Boom Or Bust!

This post is for anyone who podcasts, videocasts, or otherwise relies for their living (or hobby) on recording their voice on their computer. It’s particularly addressed to folks like myself who record screencasts, in which you’re teaching people to use software, oftentimes including demos in which you’re typing live while recording your screencast.

Get a Boom!

Last year, I wrote a primer on audio gear for podcasters, as well as a follow up with some additional recommendations. In the first of those posts, I mentioned that I use a RODE PSA1 boom arm for my microphone. This is possibly one of the most important pieces of audio gear I own, even though there isn’t a single bit of electronics in it.

Why? Two words.

Audio Quality.

A Boom Can Help Your Sound

The motivation for this post is the fact that I was listening to a video tutorial (I won’t share where, or who authored it, as that’s not really the point). From the sound quality of the video, it sounds as though the author is using either a built-in mic on their laptop, or perhaps an inexpensive USB mic on a desktop stand. There’s a fair amount of ambient echo, which is typical for rooms that haven’t been acoustically treated, and which is usually perfectly fine.

Noise, Noise, Noise

What’s not fine is hearing repeated thudding each time the author hits their desk. And the thud-thud-thud that comes with every keystroke during the demos. Understand, the point is not to knock the author of this course. It’s to point out that there’s a very easy way to avoid this…a boom.
Antique_Mic_Boom_5
OK, so this model probably isn’t sold anymore…

A microphone boom arm helps isolate your microphone from sources of noise, including inadvertent taps and bangs on your desk, as well as keyboard noise transmitted through the desk. You can get some of this benefit from a shock or spider mount, but a boom does the best job at isolating vibrations, which is why they’re used by radio professionals, who rely on good sound for their living.

Signal is King

The other big thing that a boom mic can do is improve the signal (i.e. your voice) by allowing you to place the mic closer to the source, namely you. With a boom mic, you can place the mic within a few inches of your face, which will ensure that what you record contains more of your voice, and less of whatever else is going on (echos, outside noises, etc.). If you don’t have a pop filter, just speak slightly off-axis to the mic (turn slightly to the left or right), and you should be able to get a great signal.

Is It Worth the Cost?

The boom I use costs right around $90. If you podcast/videocast as a hobby, that may be more than you’d like to spend. In that case, I’d recommend looking G-Track_2into cheaper solutions, like a spider mount (and to be clear, a spider mount is a must even if you do use a boom). But if you get paid for recording your voice, a boom is a seriously worthwhile expenditure. If your audio has problems, most people won’t tell you that directly. They may not even notice it consciously. But they’ll probably stop listening.

And in addition to the improvements in audio quality a boom can bring, it also adds convenience. Having my mic on a boom means that there’s one less thing cluttering my desk. When I’m done recording a given podcast or video, I just swivel it up out of the way.

Your Turn

I’d love to hear from other podcasters and videocasters about any tips you have for getting the most out of your gear. Drop a comment below, or feel free to use my contact form.

Rocking Gadgeteer on DotNetRocks

I’m honored to have had the opportunity to spend some time with Carl Franklin and Richard Campbell from .NET Rocks, to discuss the .NET Gadgeteer platform and some of the projects I’ve worked on using this hardware/software platform. We also discussed some of the great work being done by the Gadgeteer community, including the many community created Gadgeteer modules.

Continue reading Rocking Gadgeteer on DotNetRocks

Audio Gear for Podcasting and Screencasting – Follow-up

[UPDATE – 7/30/2014: Wanted to share some feedback from one of my brothers, who purchased a Nessie mic for doing some screencast work. Apparently, he’s had some issues with low signal and lots of noise, and inconsistencies in operation depending on where he plugged it in. I took a look at the Nessie page on Blue’s website, and it lacks a support link, which is a pity in a product that seems to be designed for folks who are new to computer audio recording. Given that, I’d recommend that folks who aren’t comfortable with troubleshooting audio and USB issues look elsewhere.]

Last week I posted my thoughts about recording better quality audio for podcasts and screencasts, and shared the gear I use to record my various projects. I recently ran across a couple of things that made me want to follow up briefly on that topic.

Continue reading Audio Gear for Podcasting and Screencasting – Follow-up

Audio Gear for Podcasting and Screencasting – a Primer

UPDATE: For folks who want a little more guidance in terms of specific microphones, I did a follow-up post that you might find interesting. Original post follows.

Taking a brief break from my usual diet of code for some fun with audio gear…

Continue reading Audio Gear for Podcasting and Screencasting – a Primer