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Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

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Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#231

Post by chromaton »

I realized after many Zoom calls that a good presentation in both audio AND video are very important.

My choice for audio is a Shure headworn XLR dynamic microphone. These are the type used by professional singers, public speakers, etc. Being headworn means that you don't have to worry about talking directly into the mic; you can move around a bit.

This type of mic also has great noise rejection. We use it for livestreaming from our workshop which is VERY noisy, with compressors, waterjet cutters, and other loud machines running. Voice audio is quite clear despite all this.

To complement this, I got a Shure XLR to USB adapter. It turns out that the DAC in my Thinkpad is TERRIBLE, so upgrading to a USB adapter was a no brainer.

For video, I got an Osbot Tiny, which was great for a while, but seems to be broken now.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#233

Post by arkh »

senux wrote: post #208
anamexis wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Earbud microphones rubbing against clothing is like nails on a chalkboard for me.

I agree, but between that and most of my co-workers currently using their laptops built-in mics, I'd rather deal with the noise from the earbuds.

The worse is laptop mic + speakers. If you noticed the people speaking to you stop mid-sentence, it's because hearing themselves with some timelag tends to make them stop speaking.

Thanks to some people, everyone can experience speech jamming for free! https://arxiv.org/vc/arxiv/papers/1202/1202.6106v1.pdf

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#234

Post by acqq »

andrewzah wrote: post #207
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 is dismissive to say that natives "miss the meaning". They do not. Pimp has multiple usages, as do a lot of words. It is very easy in English to create new nouns/verbs or new usages of existing ones and happens all the time. As usual, the context is crucial for figuring out which usage it is.

> Pimp has multiple usages

...checking the American dictionary (descriptive, not prescriptive):

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pimp

noun: "a criminal who is associated with, usually exerts control over, and lives off the earnings of one or more prostitutes"

"transitive verb: to make use of often dishonorably for one's own gain or benefit"

"intransitive verb: to work as a pimp"

And yes, I know that there's also MTV. And a "pimp-gate" related to Clinton's daughter and a journalist, as per my other comment here.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#235

Post by spdustin »

The Audio-Technica ATR-2100x-USB [0] is probably the best budget mic I’ve ever used. Podcasting, Zoom calls, voiceover work…this mic’ll surpass your expectations. It’s got a great response, great off-axis rejection, and built-in monitoring from an on-mic 1/8” headphone jack. This model has USB-C and mini-XLR outputs, too. For $99, it cannot be beat.

[0]: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZPBFVKK (not an affiliate link, either. I just love this mic)

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#236

Post by andrewzah »

dvnguyen wrote: post #119

Folks using usb mics: how do you solve the keyboard noise problem? I use a mechanical keyboard and it’s super noisy.

As others have mentioned, keeping the mic closer to you and turning down the gain helps.

You can also run the mic through a signal chain and use a noise gate. So audio only gets sent when it reaches a certain threshold. On linux you can do this with pulseeffects if you're using pulseaudio.

The other hack is just mute yourself. I use a shortcut to do that when I'm typing and not actually talking.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#237

Post by packetlost »

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.

The scuffing sounds coming from my coworkers (wired) earpod mic as they rub it against their clothes says otherwise. I'll take my Blue Yeti over airpods any day.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#238

Post by tootie »

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…

You can also try the best kept secret in radio: https://youtu.be/gPbQYmkyqaE

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#239

Post by banana_maker »

tgv wrote: post #143
tdmckinlay wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's how they describe it in the paper: First experiment (science conference talks from YouTube): "We selected two conference talks (in physics and engineering) from YouTube and altered their acoustic features using iMovie software. The good audio quality version of each talk was created with an audio filter called “small room,” which reduces the echo and increases the clarity of the speaker; the poor audio quality…

I must say I'm not convinced that those approaches are valid. "Large Room" introduces a lot of reverb and that can make people stop listening, instead of changing their perception of the speaker. Of course that still means bad audio may influence the effect of your presentation, but not in the way suggested in the linked article.

"and that can make people stop listening"

That's what bad audio does. Echo is one part of that, but audio that cuts out or has crackles has a similar effect.

I disagree that the approaches are invalid. Bad audio is bad audio, and it shows that people's perceptions do change when audio is good and clear.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#240

Post by ghaff »

bytematic wrote: post #223
ghaff wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You do generally need space to get your background in order though. And if you're working from a kitchen table you may not have a permanent setup.

I agree with the basic point that there is low-hanging fruit that many people can address for not much time and money.

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