MMO Podcasting Audio Advice
June 12, 2010
MMO Podcasting Audio Advice
I listen to a good amount of gaming podcasts every week. I do a lot of traveling and I have my weekly cycle of about 20 hours worth of podcasts while I drive and game. Although I do not host a podcast yet, I have experience with audio production, sampling and work with Ableton, Cubase, Logic and many other audio production tools. Hopefully this will help out my favorite MMO podcasters reach more listeners with a more professional sounding cast for little time and money.
I'm selfish
I have been wanting to write about audio quality in podcasting for over a year but I was waiting until I got the motivation to start my own podcast about MMO audio. Well, I'm still on the fence about the podcast but I couldn't wait any more to give some much needed advice to those in the MMO audio podcasting genre. I'm a bit selfish because I am really giving this advice so that my favorite podcasts will take some time to improve the audio quality of their casts. I also want to see more people jumping into podcasting because it's a terrific way to be more social and get your voice out there.
You think you sound okay?
If you think your audio quality is fine, think again. Many of podcasts out there just use Skype and cheap headset microphones. Sometimes it's not the audio quality but the audio compression thats at fault for the podcast sounding bad. Voices going in/out or sounding too much like your on the telephone isn't appealing to the listener. It doesn't take that much to get it sounding good and you can do a lot better for free. If you think you are being "casual" by not caring about audio quality, think about this… Isn't it important that people hear what you say? Being casual in your cast and not worrying about the audio quality will likely leave some of your listeners frustrated hitting the 30 second rewind many times to hear what you say. Listening in the car can be a huge challenge when compression isn't used on voice. Not using a limiter can make a simple laugh or cough from the caster become incredibly loud. When you have to lunge for the volume knob, you know there is something worth fixing. Think about the listener. It isn't going to take you much time to make your cast better. Once you get your plugin's set the way you like them, you are set for every future show.
You think it sounds okay?
If you are a listener and you think it sounds okay, think again. Listen to the difference between a few podcasts. Use the following podcasts as the "good sounding audio" comparison. "The Instance" (Scott Johnson and Randy Deluxe) and "Sword & Laser" (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) would be good choices for exceptional audio quality. You really don't know the difference until you hear how good the audio quality can be. Podcasts become much more enjoyable when you can hear everything the casters are saying.
What free DAW's are out there?
Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) is a great way to record your podcast. There are a few free DAW's out there that will allow you to easily combine multiple tracks together in order to adjust the individual sound of all voices included in your cast. Audacity seems to be one of the most popular programs out there. Audacity is free and you can record up to 16 channels at once. Audacity has simple compression, EQ and a few other useful effects for voice. Audacity is cross platform and it's a good program for a beginner. Garageband is included with OSX for Mac and it's useful and simple. Double-clicking on any track in Garageband will bring up a window to the right for audio processing. Garageband also works with AU Plugin's for audio processing. We will get into plugin's in a bit. If you're looking for a more professional solution, DAW's for professional musicians run around $500 each but include everything you need to not only podcast and signal process but play synthesizers, drums and limitless sampled virtual instruments. A few professional solutions are Apple's Logic or Steinberg's Cubase. Download the demo before you decide to drop a load of money on something that you may not end up needing.
Normalize (Getting the volume just under -0.3 dB)
Audio Normalization is the process of uniformly increasing or decreasing the volume of an entire audio stream or file. The result is the peak recorded will not exceed the target level which most recording programs set at just under where distortion occurs -0.3 dB. Most all audio recording programs include normalization built-in or an option for normalizing your audio file. Remember, turning up the audio after normalizing will end up likely distorting.
Compression (Getting the highs and lows to even out)
Compression works by setting a limit for how loud sound can get while raising low volume parts of a song or audio stream. Essentially the high and low volume get squashed together toward a more even volume throughout the audio stream. Lack of compression is why you hear really loud spikes or voices that drop out so you can't hear them. Audacity has it's own compression. So if you are a PC user, Audacity will have built in compression. Garageband also has many choices for audio processing. Double-clicking a track will bring up the menu. However, the choices for audio processing in Garageband out of the box are more novelty. The secret is to click the little "Details" arrow under the track info box that comes up when you double-click a track. Here is where you find the Compression controls. Garageband takes what are called "Audio Units Plugin's". Plugin's are programs that work within the framework of the main program which in this case would be Garageband. AU's or Audio Unit plugin's work with Apple products such as Logic and Garageband. The VST type of plugin will not work with some Apple products. A great source for free and cheap Plugins is found at www.macmusic.org
Limiting (Setting a limit on the high volume)
Limiting an audio file is the process of putting a cap on the volume so that it cannot exceed a top value. I usually use limiting at the end of the chain of processing so that there isn't any point in the audio stream that ends up too loud and distorting. There are plenty of freeware or shareware Limiter Plugin's out there for you to try out.
Input (Your microphone)
Your audio output is only as good as your input and nothing can take the place of a good sounding microphone. As much as I would like to, I can't recommend a cheap headset microphone. This just isn't going to sound thick or rich enough to get your the sound you want. I am not a fan of any USB microphones. The Blue line of mis's are very popular but have a host of problems related to sound quality. There is one USB choice that looks very interesting and sounds terrific. The Rode Podcaster Mic is a high quality choice for podcasting. The Podcaster mic has a great benefit. The mic has a headset jack built into the microphone. This is an important feature. USB microphones create a weird delay when you use a headset to monitor. The Rode is a great quality 48Khz directional mic that rivals the quality of non-USB. If you don't have $229 to drop on a semi-professional podcasting mic, I have some alternatives. Samson makes the C01U for $99 and it comes with Cakewalk DAW software. You can't go wrong with the Shure SM58. Keep in mind that with the Samson, Shure or any other non-USB mic, you will need to invest in a AD/DA box with XLR connectors. There is just no substitute for a good mic. If you are really short on money and are simply going to stick with the Best Buy headset mic special, use EQ to get your voice sounding a bit more robust. Avoid sharing a mic with your cohost. You need to process the voices separately to get the best quality cast.
Skype or what?
Should I record my podcast using Skype? No! or no not really. Yes, record your podcast while using Skype. No, don't record your podcast over Skype. This is probably one of the most important pieces of advice to really make sure your audio is listenable. Record your voice on your computer and record your co-hosts voices on their computers then share files to combine in your DAW. With interviews and guest it's sometimes unavoidable to use Skype but the audio typically comes out sounding no better than a phone call. If you are co-hosting, you should get yourself a decent mic and send your file to the host for normalization, compression and limiting. The host will combine the audio files together in their DAW and get them synced up just right. This makes an enormous difference in how you both sound.
I know it's a lot but your listener deserves it - see I told you I was selfish.
www.PacifierMusic.com
Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
GarageBand: http://www.apple.com/support/garageband/podcasts/
Free Plugin's: http://www.macmusic.org/software/cat.php?lang=en&id=7037&view=AU
Rode Podcaster Mic: http://www.sweetwater.com/c106--Rode--Dynamic_Microphones
Samson C01U Mic: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=podcasting&go=Search
Shure SM58 Mic: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=sm58&go=Search
I listen to a good amount of gaming podcasts every week. I do a lot of traveling and I have my weekly cycle of about 20 hours worth of podcasts while I drive and game. Although I do not host a podcast yet, I have experience with audio production, sampling and work with Ableton, Cubase, Logic and many other audio production tools. Hopefully this will help out my favorite MMO podcasters reach more listeners with a more professional sounding cast for little time and money.
I'm selfish
I have been wanting to write about audio quality in podcasting for over a year but I was waiting until I got the motivation to start my own podcast about MMO audio. Well, I'm still on the fence about the podcast but I couldn't wait any more to give some much needed advice to those in the MMO audio podcasting genre. I'm a bit selfish because I am really giving this advice so that my favorite podcasts will take some time to improve the audio quality of their casts. I also want to see more people jumping into podcasting because it's a terrific way to be more social and get your voice out there.
You think you sound okay?
If you think your audio quality is fine, think again. Many of podcasts out there just use Skype and cheap headset microphones. Sometimes it's not the audio quality but the audio compression thats at fault for the podcast sounding bad. Voices going in/out or sounding too much like your on the telephone isn't appealing to the listener. It doesn't take that much to get it sounding good and you can do a lot better for free. If you think you are being "casual" by not caring about audio quality, think about this… Isn't it important that people hear what you say? Being casual in your cast and not worrying about the audio quality will likely leave some of your listeners frustrated hitting the 30 second rewind many times to hear what you say. Listening in the car can be a huge challenge when compression isn't used on voice. Not using a limiter can make a simple laugh or cough from the caster become incredibly loud. When you have to lunge for the volume knob, you know there is something worth fixing. Think about the listener. It isn't going to take you much time to make your cast better. Once you get your plugin's set the way you like them, you are set for every future show.
You think it sounds okay?
If you are a listener and you think it sounds okay, think again. Listen to the difference between a few podcasts. Use the following podcasts as the "good sounding audio" comparison. "The Instance" (Scott Johnson and Randy Deluxe) and "Sword & Laser" (Tom Merritt and Veronica Belmont) would be good choices for exceptional audio quality. You really don't know the difference until you hear how good the audio quality can be. Podcasts become much more enjoyable when you can hear everything the casters are saying.
What free DAW's are out there?
Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) is a great way to record your podcast. There are a few free DAW's out there that will allow you to easily combine multiple tracks together in order to adjust the individual sound of all voices included in your cast. Audacity seems to be one of the most popular programs out there. Audacity is free and you can record up to 16 channels at once. Audacity has simple compression, EQ and a few other useful effects for voice. Audacity is cross platform and it's a good program for a beginner. Garageband is included with OSX for Mac and it's useful and simple. Double-clicking on any track in Garageband will bring up a window to the right for audio processing. Garageband also works with AU Plugin's for audio processing. We will get into plugin's in a bit. If you're looking for a more professional solution, DAW's for professional musicians run around $500 each but include everything you need to not only podcast and signal process but play synthesizers, drums and limitless sampled virtual instruments. A few professional solutions are Apple's Logic or Steinberg's Cubase. Download the demo before you decide to drop a load of money on something that you may not end up needing.
Normalize (Getting the volume just under -0.3 dB)
Audio Normalization is the process of uniformly increasing or decreasing the volume of an entire audio stream or file. The result is the peak recorded will not exceed the target level which most recording programs set at just under where distortion occurs -0.3 dB. Most all audio recording programs include normalization built-in or an option for normalizing your audio file. Remember, turning up the audio after normalizing will end up likely distorting.
Compression (Getting the highs and lows to even out)
Compression works by setting a limit for how loud sound can get while raising low volume parts of a song or audio stream. Essentially the high and low volume get squashed together toward a more even volume throughout the audio stream. Lack of compression is why you hear really loud spikes or voices that drop out so you can't hear them. Audacity has it's own compression. So if you are a PC user, Audacity will have built in compression. Garageband also has many choices for audio processing. Double-clicking a track will bring up the menu. However, the choices for audio processing in Garageband out of the box are more novelty. The secret is to click the little "Details" arrow under the track info box that comes up when you double-click a track. Here is where you find the Compression controls. Garageband takes what are called "Audio Units Plugin's". Plugin's are programs that work within the framework of the main program which in this case would be Garageband. AU's or Audio Unit plugin's work with Apple products such as Logic and Garageband. The VST type of plugin will not work with some Apple products. A great source for free and cheap Plugins is found at www.macmusic.org
Limiting (Setting a limit on the high volume)
Limiting an audio file is the process of putting a cap on the volume so that it cannot exceed a top value. I usually use limiting at the end of the chain of processing so that there isn't any point in the audio stream that ends up too loud and distorting. There are plenty of freeware or shareware Limiter Plugin's out there for you to try out.
Input (Your microphone)
Your audio output is only as good as your input and nothing can take the place of a good sounding microphone. As much as I would like to, I can't recommend a cheap headset microphone. This just isn't going to sound thick or rich enough to get your the sound you want. I am not a fan of any USB microphones. The Blue line of mis's are very popular but have a host of problems related to sound quality. There is one USB choice that looks very interesting and sounds terrific. The Rode Podcaster Mic is a high quality choice for podcasting. The Podcaster mic has a great benefit. The mic has a headset jack built into the microphone. This is an important feature. USB microphones create a weird delay when you use a headset to monitor. The Rode is a great quality 48Khz directional mic that rivals the quality of non-USB. If you don't have $229 to drop on a semi-professional podcasting mic, I have some alternatives. Samson makes the C01U for $99 and it comes with Cakewalk DAW software. You can't go wrong with the Shure SM58. Keep in mind that with the Samson, Shure or any other non-USB mic, you will need to invest in a AD/DA box with XLR connectors. There is just no substitute for a good mic. If you are really short on money and are simply going to stick with the Best Buy headset mic special, use EQ to get your voice sounding a bit more robust. Avoid sharing a mic with your cohost. You need to process the voices separately to get the best quality cast.
Skype or what?
Should I record my podcast using Skype? No! or no not really. Yes, record your podcast while using Skype. No, don't record your podcast over Skype. This is probably one of the most important pieces of advice to really make sure your audio is listenable. Record your voice on your computer and record your co-hosts voices on their computers then share files to combine in your DAW. With interviews and guest it's sometimes unavoidable to use Skype but the audio typically comes out sounding no better than a phone call. If you are co-hosting, you should get yourself a decent mic and send your file to the host for normalization, compression and limiting. The host will combine the audio files together in their DAW and get them synced up just right. This makes an enormous difference in how you both sound.
I know it's a lot but your listener deserves it - see I told you I was selfish.
www.PacifierMusic.com
Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
GarageBand: http://www.apple.com/support/garageband/podcasts/
Free Plugin's: http://www.macmusic.org/software/cat.php?lang=en&id=7037&view=AU
Rode Podcaster Mic: http://www.sweetwater.com/c106--Rode--Dynamic_Microphones
Samson C01U Mic: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=podcasting&go=Search
Shure SM58 Mic: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=sm58&go=Search
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