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Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

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Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#171

Post by ricardobayes »

benkuhn wrote: post #13

It's also really easy to have high quality audio! The author recommends a "podcasting" microphone, but a $35 standalone headset mic[1] is almost as good and much easier to use. If you want to hear a comparison, I got kind of obsessed with this problem at one point and took some comparison recordings here[2]. (You need a standalone mic since most headsets, even really nice ones, have really bad mics because most heads…

For those who are not looking to spend a fortune, a simple Apple earpod (wired) is still better than most headsets out there. And it costs 20 bucks. I think my yeti actually sounds worse at it cost 3 times as much.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#172

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

hiq wrote: post #161
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mostly because of the need to keep BT a low-energy medium. Bluetooth was designed for embedded devices that need to conserve power. That said, I know that there's active work going on, to improve this exact thing. Might be a while before we see video over BT, though.

> Might be a while before we see video over BT, though. In which case would that be useful? There seems to be a range of broadcasting features, but if I'm not mistaken they mostly use WiFi.

The nice thing about BT (in particular, BTLE), is the “light-touch” pairing. A lot simpler than most WiFi connections.

Apple has a system that basically combines all of the available connection options, so it can appear as if BT is being used, but it’s really WiFi. Not sure if this type of “zero config” stuff is available in non-proprietary form, though.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#173

Post by __alexs »

ricardobayes wrote: post #171
benkuhn wrote: post #13

It's also really easy to have high quality audio! The author recommends a "podcasting" microphone, but a $35 standalone headset mic[1] is almost as good and much easier to use. If you want to hear a comparison, I got kind of obsessed with this problem at one point and took some comparison recordings here[2]. (You need a standalone mic since most headsets, even really nice ones, have really bad mics because most heads…

For those who are not looking to spend a fortune, a simple Apple earpod (wired) is still better than most headsets out there. And it costs 20 bucks. I think my yeti actually sounds worse at it cost 3 times as much.

Curse anyone that uses an inline microphone on some earbuds. They sound awful and people frequently bump against them causing even more terrible experience for the listener.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#174

Post by bberenberg »

MaxBarraclough wrote: post #170
BeFlatXIII wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To add to the audio quality discussion, well-meaning people who want to improve their quality often make the mistake of buying the mic with the best spec sheet. That ultra-sensitive microphone will make you sound more natural than your built-in mic, but it will also pick up dogs barking down the street and your neighbor mowing her lawn. If you’re not in a studio-like office, a less-sensitive dynamic microphone is oft…

As someone who knows nothing about audio: wouldn't it make more sense to get a top quality microphone and apply post-processing, rather than deliberately getting inferior hardware?

Made for purpose is not the same thing as inferior. You can dig with a shovel or a spade. Each was made for a purpose. Buying a mic with the right pickup pattern is buying a tool that is there for your specific purpose.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#175

Post by ghaff »

paulpauper wrote: post #27

why are so many people so cost conscious about mics and other consumer goods but have no hesitation about putting tons of money in the stock market , which sometimes drops 30% or more, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars or more of losses. Psychologically, it seems people are much more unnerved about overpaying $100 on a mic or laptop, versus potentially much larger losses on investments such as stocks or real e…

Well, it's consumption vs. investment.

With investments, people do get unnerved when there are big drops, but you (should) diversify, accept that you win some and lose some, but hopefully come out with decent gains over the long term. If you have a heart attack every time the market drops a few percent you're going to make yourself crazy.

That said, I think everyone pinches pennies on some things and thinks nothing of spending money on other things in ways that often aren't rational.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#176

Post by delecti »

PascLeRasc wrote: post #136
diarrhea wrote: post #2

People vastly undervalue good audio quality. It also often makes the difference (given equal visuals) between great amateur and pro in e.g. the YouTube scene. I didn't have data to back this up before, but I bought a good microphone specifically for this purpose. People will simply like the audio, and by extension what I am saying and also me as a person, better. Meanwhile, my ears will continue to bleed from the awf…

For me it’s because we aren’t allowed to have nice audio. I’ve been working from my music desk all pandemic, with several microphones, preamps, sound insulation panels, boom stands and pop filters, and I can’t use any of them with my work computer. I’ve bought and returned several interfaces and can’t get Windows to connect to any of them. I have Airpods Pro as well and Microsoft Teams won’t allow me to join meetings…

Is it possible there are corporate policies affecting accessory compatibility? I've never had an issue with literally any audio device I've tried to use Teams with, and I've tried a decent variety.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#177

Post by wombatmobile »

pa9am wrote: post #149
benkuhn wrote: post #13

It's also really easy to have high quality audio! The author recommends a "podcasting" microphone, but a $35 standalone headset mic[1] is almost as good and much easier to use. If you want to hear a comparison, I got kind of obsessed with this problem at one point and took some comparison recordings here[2]. (You need a standalone mic since most headsets, even really nice ones, have really bad mics because most heads…

The most important thing is to have the microphone close to your mouth. There is nothing more annoying than listening to echo-y voice. The mic even have to be that expensive. I use a cheap dynamic mic from ebay with a windscreen and a mic arm and it sounds fine.

> I use a cheap dynamic mic from ebay with a windscreen and a mic arm and it sounds fine.

How do you know what it sounds like?

How do you know how good you sound to other people compared to if you were speaking through a good condenser mic?

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#178

Post by dr_zoidberg »

MaxBarraclough wrote: post #170
BeFlatXIII wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To add to the audio quality discussion, well-meaning people who want to improve their quality often make the mistake of buying the mic with the best spec sheet. That ultra-sensitive microphone will make you sound more natural than your built-in mic, but it will also pick up dogs barking down the street and your neighbor mowing her lawn. If you’re not in a studio-like office, a less-sensitive dynamic microphone is oft…

As someone who knows nothing about audio: wouldn't it make more sense to get a top quality microphone and apply post-processing, rather than deliberately getting inferior hardware?

You have to run that postprocessing somehow, and sometimes videoconferencing software doesn't give you that flexibility. So then you have to set a up a virtual microphone, which might be a hassle in your platform. At that point, and as you said, considering that you may not know enough about audio on how to set that up, you're much better with an easy-to-use, dynamic microphone that does much of what you need on its own.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#180

Post by auiya »

Sure nice gear helps immensely, but also remember to high-pass filter your vocals, and test for harsh frequencies using subtractive EQ. A slight dip in the 300-600Hz range helps eliminate hollow, boxy sounds, and a top end shelf will help consonants sound more clear. Some people will also low-pass filter the extreme top ends, but it's not always needed. Using a good compressor in your vocal chain will help immensely also to keep spikes and transients more level and not hurt your audience's ears.
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