Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter • Hacker News Board

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#21

Post by montroser » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 11:36 AM UTC

This is fascinating! Makes me wonder about whether machine learning audio filters like Krisp[1] could actually take high quality audio and enhance it further to make you sound _even smarter_? Like as if you had the infamous NPR mic setup...

This phenomenon does kind of seem obvious in retrospect. I was at a Socialhour[2] event recently where they had a few presentations happening simultaneously and you could bounce between them, or just move from table to table in a newnetworking lounge -- and thinking back, the presenters with the biggest audiences did sound like they had superior audio.

[1]: https://krisp.ai

[2]: https://socialhour.com

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#22

Post by m12k » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 11:37 AM UTC

stephvd wrote: post #8

What are some decently good mics that don't break the bank but do the work?

Snowball or Yeti consistently get good reviews.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#23

Post by arbitrage » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 11:37 AM UTC

ruph123 wrote: post #11

A cheap and usable condenser mic costs 30 bucks (e.g. Fifine), a lavalier mic costs between 2 bucks on aliexpress and 50 for e.g. from Rode. (I found that the ultra cheap aliexpress are the exact same like the no-brand 10 bucks on amazon, like so many things) I got both but mostly use the condenser mic and it is an absolute game changer. If you want to explain something it is so noticeable in the eyes of your confere…

Pimps aren't admirable people.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#24

Post by ruph123 » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 11:40 AM UTC

arbitrage wrote: post #23

ruph123 wrote: post #11

A cheap and usable condenser mic costs 30 bucks (e.g. Fifine), a lavalier mic costs between 2 bucks on aliexpress and 50 for e.g. from Rode. (I found that the ultra cheap aliexpress are the exact same like the no-brand 10 bucks on amazon, like so many things) I got both but mostly use the condenser mic and it is an absolute game changer. If you want to explain something it is so noticeable in the eyes of your confere…

Pimps aren't admirable people.

I am not a native english speaker, to me "pimp up" means to "upgrade" something. Sorry if that came off wrong.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#25

Post by shoto_io » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 11:41 AM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #16

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…

I think a lot of people get wrapped around the axle of having the "right" $500 microphone whereas there are a ton of decent USB mics under $100 that will make a big difference. Also consider a good external webcam and doing something about lighting if you can. I realize that not everyone has a great physical environment to work with. But I'm struck by how many people who seemingly haven't made any real effort after a…

I have noticed with colleagues the insane improvements in video and audio after their amazon shopping sprees.

At the same I haven’t updated my camera because I don’t have a nice room to work from and I feel a bit ashamed to show my tiny box with a high resolution... sounds weird, I know, but that’s how I feel

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#26

Post by gkbrk » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 11:42 AM UTC

hutzlibu wrote: post #19

ryankrage77 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Likely just a driver issue. I actually had the opposite situation with Ubuntu 20.04 on my desktop, got a lot less noise from my mic port under Ubuntu for some reason.

"just a driver issue" Oh. Just a driver issue on Linux. Well then, problem solved.

"Just a driver issue", unless it's a temporary regression in the Linux drivers, basically means the hardware manufacturer didn't use standard interfaces or write a good-enough spec for interoperability.

Solutions are calling your manufacturer and filing a support request, or voting with your wallet and picking another manufacturer next time.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#27

Post by paulpauper » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 11:42 AM UTC

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 estate.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#28

Post by ryankrage77 » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 11:44 AM UTC

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…

Tomska used to have a video mentioning this (though in the context of making YouTube videos), in which he demonstated that video from a iPhone camera in conjunction with a professional mic was much more watchable than video from a professional camera with an iPhone mic.

Sadly the video seems to have been removed, the only reference I could find was the last paragraph of this Wired Article, https://www.wired.co.uk/article/tomska-wired-2015.

"use any camera, but get a good microphone. 'I started with a camera that's probably about ten times worse than the one in my phone,' he said. 'Bad sound will make anyone close a video in three seconds flat. Get a good microphone before you get a good camera.'"

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#29

Post by Al-Khwarizmi » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 11:44 AM UTC

enragedcacti wrote: post #17

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…

In my discord calls we have effectively resorted to shaming people into accepting a gifted clip-on amazon mic if they have an awful microphone. $10 every couple of months and no ear bleeding. That said, I really think some people are just immune to it. My mom for instance prefers to use the standard definition channels because the channel numbers are easier to remember and type. She says she can't tell the difference…

And that's why I move the HD channels to the numbers of the traditional ones.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#30

Post by pickledcods » Thu, Apr 15, 2021, 11:44 AM UTC

arbitrage wrote: post #23

ruph123 wrote: post #11

A cheap and usable condenser mic costs 30 bucks (e.g. Fifine), a lavalier mic costs between 2 bucks on aliexpress and 50 for e.g. from Rode. (I found that the ultra cheap aliexpress are the exact same like the no-brand 10 bucks on amazon, like so many things) I got both but mostly use the condenser mic and it is an absolute game changer. If you want to explain something it is so noticeable in the eyes of your confere…

Pimps aren't admirable people.

Please stop!