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Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

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Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#381

Post by xiii1408 »

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…

I think one of the things people often overlook is the distance between the mic and your mouth. The closer the mic is to the source, the higher the signal-to-noise ratio will be, so the less echo and background noise you'll get. Many smartphone mics will sound very impressive if you hold them around 6-12 inches from your mouth. But you don't really want to do this with your hand, so it's important to get a mic with a nice stand or a form factor that allows you to comfortably place it where you'll get good audio.

Another thing people forget about is the noise canceling and other filters that are applied to your audio by default. If you're in a reasonably quiet place, it's probably reasonable to put "noise canceling" in Zoom on low. This will make your audio less garbled. If you have a really solid audio setup with headphones, you should try turning on "use original sound," which can make your audio really nice (unfortunately not available in Linux).

I highly recommend Fifine's mics. They have a USB condenser mic with a boom arm for $60 (~$35 for just the mic) [1], and a lavalier (lapel) mic for $20 [2]. The audio quality is really quite impressive.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/FIFINE-Microphone-Adjustable-Instrume...

[2] https://www.amazon.com/Lavalier-Microphone-Cardioid-Condense...

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#382

Post by formerly_proven »

jononor wrote: post #376
spockz wrote: post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is this? It certainly doesn’t need to be so I suppose?

Analog microphone audio is one wire (and ground) having the AC signal of the audio, superimposed on a DC signal powering microphone capsula. The simplest way of making a killswitch is to either 1) short the signal to ground or 2) cut the signal between mic capsula and the soundcard input. Done with just a switch, both of these will impact the AC component as well as the DC component, and the DC offset change that cau…

The "pop-less" microphone switch is generally a series R-C pair, where the R is, say, 1 MOhm, and the C a few µF. The switch shorts the R out; the R charges the capacitor to the bias level when unmuted, and so shorting the R produces very little pop. The capacitor then shorts the AC audio component.

XLR switches are easier, just short hot and cold, done. Works with all microphones and doesn't produce a pop, because XLR uses phantom power instead of T-power.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#383

Post by justincormack »

benkuhn wrote: post #7
greenwich26 wrote: post #4

The audio quality of the inbuilt microphone on my laptop is much worse in Linux, than on Windows. I've tried some fixes on StackExchange but it doesn't really help. Has anyone encountered this? And if I buy an external microphone: how do I know it won't have the same problem? Has anyone had good experiences with microphones on Linux (specifically Ubuntu 20.10?) Is it some sort of driver/firmware problem? Nowadays I h…

Shot in the dark, but many of my Linux coworkers have a problem where their video chat software sets their mic volume/gain to 100%, which causes horrible sounding clipping. Check your mic gain settings and perhaps disable the automatic volume equalization in whatever video call software you're using.

I ended up buying an audio interface that has no digital volume control, only analog, so applications cant mess up the levels at all. Its amazing how conferencing apps just think that 100% is better.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#384

Post by formerly_proven »

spudlyo wrote: post #311
tootie wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

This is my problem. In order to get a decent sound in my untreated office (reverberant bare walls, hardwood floor, etc) I need to have my dynamic mic with a low gain setting and I have to be right up on it, which makes me look like I'm on Joe Rogan's podcast or something. For Zoom I'd prefer if you couldn't see the mic.

A lavalier hidden in your collar (or tie knot, if you're that kind of guy) might work for you. Because they're surrounded by clothes and your body it's less susceptible to room noise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D85HmR825wM

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#385

Post by stcredzero »

muro wrote: post #338
stcredzero wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It baffles me that some people don't seem to care about their audio quality on calls. Here's the thing about perception: A lot of it happens without your conscious knowledge. One of the things about using Audacity as one's cheap studio software, is that you have to adjust for recording latency for multitrack. It's really easy to see how a part of perception is unconscious with the delay. Almost no one is going to not…

10ms is 3m, thus e.g. in an orchestra, 20ms latency is normal.

Yup. 30 feet or 10 meters is about the limit for comfortable improvisation. Really large orchestras can require musicians to compensate. I had to do this once when my school's band joined up with a National Guard band to form a huge orchestra for an 1812 Overture. (With actual cannon!)

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#386

Post by xiii1408 »

oauea wrote: post #371
BurningFrog wrote: post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I care, but not enough to ask people to QA my setup. I don't know of a way to check how I sound without bothering anyone.

Just listen to your own audio? In windows there is a checkbox for this, and most call apps have a settings page where you can listen to your own mic.

Not really. Zoom applies lots of noise canceling and other filters, so your raw audio doesn't correspond to what you actually sound like to other people (unless you use "original audio").

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#387

Post by bonoboTP »

ghaff wrote: post #291
bonoboTP wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Use background replacement. Most videoconf software like Zoom have them.

Unless you have a green screen and proper lighting, my observation is that background replacement is often obvious and distracting. (Background blurring is somewhat better.) My observation is that, once people got over the novelty, many stopped using it.

Noticeable yes, but you get to display a nice full bookshelf behind you instead of your messy bedroom. You'll look smart.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#388

Post by [deleted] »

jakebasile wrote: post #378
crazygringo wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, a camera like that is super overkill. There are really only three things that matter for image in video calls: lighting, exposure, and background. Lighting is by far #1. Then some kind of exposure adjustment to lock it in during your call at the brightest level that won't blow out any areas of your face. As long as you've got those, there will then be zero difference between a cheap Logitech webcam and a fa…

Oh, it's definitely more than most people will need. I had the camera for photography and just decided to repurpose it. That said, a webcam can only do so much even with proper lightning and a clean background. They're never going to be as sharp, or as bright, as a nice fast lens on a quality camera.

[deleted]

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#389

Post by Cd00d »

heyparkerj wrote: post #365
ghaff wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. I normally use the external speakers on my iMac. I have verified with a number of different people that they're not getting echo. Yet one sees other people utterly convinced that using external speakers is bad, bad, bad. That may explain it.

The most common problem I see is not echo, but software audio ducking that happens as a result of using onboard speakers and mic. Some people have a hard time realizing that they're interrupting someone else because that other person's audio is getting ducked while the laptop prioritizes mic input over speaker output - with the intent to reduce echo.

What does the term "duck" mean in this context? I'm not sure what you mean.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#390

Post by tfigueroa »

Cd00d wrote: post #389
heyparkerj wrote: post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most common problem I see is not echo, but software audio ducking that happens as a result of using onboard speakers and mic. Some people have a hard time realizing that they're interrupting someone else because that other person's audio is getting ducked while the laptop prioritizes mic input over speaker output - with the intent to reduce echo.

What does the term "duck" mean in this context? I'm not sure what you mean.

“Ducking” refers to lowering volume so that other audio can play on top of it. When an announcer speaks over a song in the radio, or when Siri lowers your music so she can talk over it - that kind of thing.
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