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Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

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Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#251

Post by s_dev »

jakebasile wrote: post #196

I have no evidence to back this up, but I strongly believe that video quality would have similar effects. I am a hobbyist photographer and began using my gear to improve my video quality on calls 6-8 months ago and people have continually commented on it, from executives to regular schmucks like me. We're a visual species and having a better view of the person you are talking with will help form connections. It doesn…

>I have no evidence to back this up, but I strongly believe that video quality would have similar effects

Any dating website will have this as basic advice. Thats evidence enough for me. Higher quality images are associate with better looking people -- however this is counter intutive, you would think that a lower quality image would leave more to the imagination.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#252

Post by bonoboTP »

shoto_io wrote: post #25
ghaff wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

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

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#253

Post by criddell »

hctaw wrote: post #220
criddell wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is the audio quality recorded from a Bluetooth microphone worse than audio played through Bluetooth headphones? (ie is recording worse than playback?) If not, then that's okay because Bluetooth headphones sound fine. A wired mic isn't really an option in the environment I want to film in but I want something better than the on-camera mic because I'm occasionally pretty far away from the camera. I also don't want the…

Using a separate recorder here has the best price to performance for you, I think. Sennheiser has several wireless systems designed for your needs: https://en-us.sennheiser.com/wireless-systems

The hassle factor is way too high and it doesn't work easily for live streaming from a phone.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#254

Post by bonoboTP »

ghaff wrote: post #47
shoto_io wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

There are things you can do with hangings and screens and so forth if you want to. I do have an office but my background includes some ugly file cabinets so I got a fabric print to hang over them. You can also do virtual backgrounds with a lot of software if you rig up a green screen. (That's not absolutely necessary but it tends to look bad otherwise.)

Zoom is quite good in virtual backgrounds even with no green screen (on Win and Mac. Linux is worse)

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#255

Post by psanford »

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 use the Philips-SHP9500S headphones. I found they were very uncomfortable with the ear pads they came with. I replaced the ear pads with some thinker ones (Shure HPAEC940) and it really helped a lot.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#256

Post by ZoomZoomZoom »

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.

First of all, there's nothing special about USB mics in terms of picking up ambient noise. Two main types of mics are dynamic and condensers, and there are models with USB-connectivity of both those types.

Secondly, hearing typing when someone types is ok, so please don't treat it as a problem in itself. Obnoxious noise level is a problem, which can be solved by increasing SNR: bringing the mic closer to the sound source, swapping a mic for another transducer type or another polar pattern, putting some kind of dampening on the line of sight between the mic and the noise source.

I've written a guide for voice recording which covers most of the basics. Hope you'll find it helpful: https://indiscipline.github.io/post/voice-sound-reference/

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#257

Post by Drew_ »

MattGaiser wrote: post #248
nvarsj wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 hav…

> It baffles me that some people don't seem to care about their audio quality on calls. 1. It is a bunch of extra work and expense for something I probably do not really want to be on. Easy audio communication is bound to induce more audio communication. 2. I have to maintain a bunch of infrastructure for it, manage configuration, and deal with all the wires. It is far from a free and easy improvement. 3. I rarely sp…

There are very good USB mics like the Blue Yeti for example. Plug and play with just one cable. You don't have to have a studio recording setup to get your voice to come through nicely.

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#258

Post by AstralStorm »

dr_zoidberg wrote: post #178
MaxBarraclough wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Well, given that most people still use Windows, VB-Audio software mixer and virtual soundcard plus Cantabile as effect host together work exceedingly well.

And cost nothing or very little. (But do support the authors.)

Hardware has ease of setup and excellent knobs going for it, but if you're going for cheap, you should spend money on a condenser microphone, some mounting hardware (e.g. gooseneck, spider mount, maybe pop filter) and audio interface first.

$200 put there makes for professional quality audio. t.bone SC 400 and an interface that does phantom power, like one of the cheaper Focusrite or Presonus ones. (If you feel extra cheap, you can go lower price on interfaces but it's not worth it.)

Re: Higher quality audio makes people sound smarter

#260

Post by gkop »

GuB-42 wrote: post #227
ballenf wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

My Sennheiser PC37X (their conservative/stealth-looking gaming headset) has the lift-to-mute. I was excited about this feature but struggled to remember to unmute myself and gave up using it. I would like an LED indicator somewhere.
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