Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter • Hacker News Board

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#221

Post by recursive » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 2:43 PM UTC

xenocratus wrote: post #122

simplyinfinity wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Acoustics & audio quality is important when trying to pay attention. Crappy acoustics can fatigue you and give you headache. Crappy audio can distract you, make you mishear things and overall is tiring to listen to. I've skipped online videos and lectures due to crap audio. I've gotten headaches and sore throat after sitting & talking in echo-y rooms for 30 mins.

Fair, though I meant complaining about understandable (but low-quality) audio or video.

Comprehensibility isn't yes/no. There are a lot of recordings that are possible to understand, but are a lot more work. I have this complaint about phone calls all the time. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills because people on a phone call are so hard to understand. Yet voice memos I record on my own phone are basically fine. I assume it's because phone audio goes through some tortured path with 12 layers of translation and compression or something, but it's irritating to me.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#222

Post by bytematic » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 2:43 PM UTC

Rode NT-1 Mic, some interface, some stand. I positioned it coming above my monitor and I never think about it anymore. Too bad my voice sounds terrible, that is harder to fix

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#223

Post by bytematic » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 2:45 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #75

fooblat wrote: post #51

It is amazing to me that we still have such a distance between people on this. Some people have basically created a tv studio at home with a nice set, good lighting, nice background, quality camera, and mic. Having a video call with these people is a nice and smooth. And somehow we still have people that think sitting in a noisy, messy room with the sun at their back and using their laptop's built-in mic/speakers is…

On the one hand, I'm sympathetic that not everyone has a place to create a TV studio at home. On the other hand, there are easy ways to block out the light from a backlighting window and to add a key light.

You don't need space, you can get cheap stands to put a keylight and mic above your monitor attached to a desk, wall, or with a stand. A simple hd logitech webcam can be attached to nearly any monitor.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#224

Post by tux1968 » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 2:47 PM UTC

nicbou wrote: post #138

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…

This was an excellent writeup. There's only one thing I would add: put the camera closer to where people's faces are. It feels like you're looking directly at them, and it makes a big difference. I made a habit of looking directly into the camera now.

There are devices you can buy for a few hundred that place the image of the person you're talking to directly in front of the camera. That way you can look at who you're talking to while also looking directly into the camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nCYWhYagqk

There are also a lot of homebrew DIY versions of the same device:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AecAXinars

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#225

Post by andrewzah » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 2:48 PM UTC

PascLeRasc wrote: post #127

pc86 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great article! Is there any inherent audio quality difference between USB and XLR in your experience?

You’re always gonna connect XLR over USB anyway, so not really. It’s just that XLR gives you a lot more flexibility to change microphones, use your interface to control gain or add padding, or if you’re a musician record instruments. But a USB AT2020 or similar is gonna be excellent for calls no matter what.

This is not true. USB microphones do not have as high quality as XLR microphones connected to a usb interface. In general, USB mics have a lower signal to noise ratio (SNR) and a higher noise floor.

Does this matter for gaming or calls? Not really, as it will definitely sound better than crappy laptop or headphone mics. But there is a marked difference. The AT2020 usb mic doesn't even go up to 20khz. Not to mention the A-D conversion from a dedicated unit and the mic preamp are going to be better than the onboard electronics of a usb mic.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#226

Post by hosteur » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 2:51 PM UTC

fooblat wrote: post #51

It is amazing to me that we still have such a distance between people on this. Some people have basically created a tv studio at home with a nice set, good lighting, nice background, quality camera, and mic. Having a video call with these people is a nice and smooth. And somehow we still have people that think sitting in a noisy, messy room with the sun at their back and using their laptop's built-in mic/speakers is…

Yeah it is almost as if people have different priorities and resources.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#227

Post by GuB-42 » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 2:51 PM UTC

ballenf wrote: post #192

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…

Physical mute button with red LED mute status is a killer feature. Got a wired Plantronics headset with USB-C that I'm happy with. Not sure if the above products have this feature, but I recommend checking for it.

The best system for me is the one on the Sennheisser Game One I have and probably many others.

There is a microswitch in the mic boom, so that it is disconnected when you lift it away. I mean, you can't get more simple: when it is in front of your mouth, it is on, when it isn't, it is off. No need for a LED. Also, the headset is passive, with a good old jack connector, I consider it a plus.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#228

Post by acqq » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 2:52 PM UTC

kube-system wrote: post #168

acqq wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I even know where your environment got that belief. Blame MTV, since 2004: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimp_My_Ride A lot of non-natives then miss that the meaning of the word is not about an "upgrade" but about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procuring_(prostitution) which was on MTV glorified as the part of the "Afro-American" "pop culture" which is also... not a really nicest approach. But... it was supposed to b…

It’s slang. English dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive. It is valid and common for English words to take on multiple meanings regardless of their origin, and for slang to be recognized use. Given that everyone here understands what was being said, I find it hard to say the usage was improper English. Informal, yes. Unprofessional, yes. Offensive, potentially. Incorrect English, no.

> I find it hard to say the usage was improper English.

And who here said it "was improper English" specifically, in these words?

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#229

Post by nvarsj » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 2:53 PM UTC

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 ModMic is also excellent, and you can attach it to existing headphones [1]. I use this at home with my prized Sennheisers.

It baffles me that some people don't seem to care about their audio quality on calls. The most obnoxious are those who use speakers and you get echo on all your talking, and despite telling them, they still never bother to get a decent mic.

Another common offender are the Bose QC35s: they have a terrible mic - I wish people would stop using them.

All the Apple things have great mics. I always keep an old pair of 3.5mm earpods in my bag as a good, portable laptop mic.

[1]: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ModMic-GDL-1420-UNI-Mute-Switch/dp/...

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#230

Post by albemuth » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 2:53 PM UTC

__alexs wrote: post #173

ricardobayes wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You just have to do the TikTok hold