Category: Podcasts

Another Script-Based A/V Editing Option: The Camtasia-Audiate Integration

January 17th, 2023

Descript, a new video and audio creation and editing tool, has been making waves recently on campus with its ability to generate a script file for your project, and allowing you to edit the video simply by making changes to the script. One of the more useful things you can do with this approach is to automate the elimination of awkward “um’s” and pauses, adjust the speed and pacing of your project, and tighten things up quickly in other ways to make your media more listenable.

Some of you might not know, however, that there is a similar approach for those who already use Camtasia. Like Descript, Techsmith’s Audiate utilizes cloud-based speech-to-text technology to generate a script for your audio project. And like Descript, the changes you can make in Audiate, which include many of the things you can do in Descript, get exported back to your audio file without your having to touch that file in a timeline based editor. While Audiate in itself is geared for podcasters, those who are working with video or screen animation can get the full package via Techsmith’s roundtrip integration between Camtasia and Audiate. One cool feature of this integration we wanted to point out is that if you are working with a screen animation where you are using a cursor, Camtasia/ Audiate animates the movement of the cursor between cut points so your viewers don’t see it randomly jumping around on the screen. See below for a demo of Camtasia/ Audiate in action.

Pricing for Audiate at first glance seems to be about the same for Descript, so if you are working with video and are not already a Camtasia user, it probably makes the most sense to use Descript. However, there are discounts available for the Camtasia/ Audiate package.

Since interest seems to be growing in these types of tools and workflows, we would love to hear from you if you’ve tried either of them, and would especially be interested to hear how you think Camtasia/ Audiate stacks up to Descript for your use cases.

Audio Engineering Society

October 24th, 2022

AES New York 2022

What is three days in a crowded convention hall full of audio engineers like?

It’s a completely immersive experience!

Abbey Road Studio 2

The theme of this years edition of the AES convention was clear. Immersive and spatial audio is going to be the wave that propels the future of audio industry. The range classes covered the entire work flow of how to plan, set up, record, mix, binauralize and distribute audio for the masses. Middleware like Wwise, Dolby Atmos and game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine will give audio engineers the tools they need to transition their audio tracks from stereo to an immersive aural experience.

Some of the highlights of the show floor that will be of interest include a sit-stand ready made podcast table and Ultra Low Profile Adjustable Mic Boom from Forecast and O.C.White Co.

Magewell Capture & Combine USB Fusion is a multi-input USB video capture devise with integrated sourse switching and layout control. Offering two HDMI inputs and one USB webcam input, USB fusion can switch between sources or combine two inputs simultaneously into one output (picture-in-picture or side-by-side) for capturing into popular software via its USB 3.0 interface.

Magewell Fusion

The Klover Mik 09 parabolic microphone is by far one of my favorites of the show! Engineered for the modern videographer, the KLOVER MiK 09 parabolic microphone is known as our “shotgun killer.” Attach it to the camera’s shoe mount, mount it to a light pole, attach a pistol grip, or even hang it from the ceiling, for long-range audio that’s always ready. By far the most comprehensive and effective demonstration I have ever been apart of!

This mic rig deserves an award all by it self!

KLOVER MiK 09

Over the years I found that going to gathering like this often reward us with information that you never knew you needed or simply not aware of. Conversations with peers lead to things you simply cannot live without.

Like Krisp’s AI-powered, bi-directional Noise Cancellation eliminates background noise from your microphone and your speaker.

krisp With Krisp toggled “on,” you can rest easy knowing that your voice—and your voice only—is heard clearly. But Krisp doesn’t stop there. Sounds on the other end of the line are identified and eliminated, so there are no distractions to break your focus during that important meeting.

For more information about these products and more.

Please contact me via Teams

Blue Yeti X

September 17th, 2019

Since 2009, Blue Yeti USB microphones have dominated the YouTube, podcast, and vocal production world. With each update, the Yeti has adjusted to the demands of the users, and the new Yeti X is no different. The newly added LED metering will allow users to directly monitor their levels to prevent over or under driven audio. Also, the mechanical switch on the back of the Yeti (to adjust the 4 mic pickup pattern) has been redesigned to make a transition from, say, cardioid to omnidirectional, less “clicky.” The device also allows more control from the multi-functional control wheel in the front, enabling quick access to mute and headset volume.

While the hardware has received a nice bump in terms of specifications, the most interesting update in the new Yeti X isn’t hardware related. Yeti X now ships with Blue’s VO!CE software which enables professional vocal effects and presets. Yes, you can also use the simplified Sherpa app for those that want good quality, yet simplistic, recording software. The device should be out next month!

Warpwire Now Hosts Content for Apple Podcasts

November 12th, 2018

With their commitment to innovation and fresh ideas, it might be too early to call Warpwire an “old dog,” but they definitely learned a cool new trick recently that has expanded the ways it is now possible to use Warpwire at Duke. When we learned that Apple was migrating content Duke had been hosting in what was formerly called iTunes U to a new space called Apple Podcasts and was no longer supporting the hosting of media files on Apple servers, we needed to find an external RSS feed provider and a new publishing workflow for Duke’s vibrant podcast community. Around this same time, Warpwire was making improvements to their service in the area of audio support, and when we approached them with this challenge, they enthusiastically made the needed changes to allow their product to serve this need.

Some of the key changes include:

Support for the album art required by Apple Podcasts for feeds and for media
Support for metadata in the format required to work with iTunes (Warpwire also now supports Dublin Core metadata)
The ability to change the author of a podcast feed to a non NetID (i.e., the name of a Duke organization)
Support for formatting text that appears in the Description field for media files. This allows content owners, for example, to include text transcripts for their podcast files that will be available to viewers consuming content through iTunes.

A KB article is available that walks Duke podcasters through the process of creating an RSS feed in Warpwire and publishing it in Apple Podcasts: https://duke.service-now.com/kb_view.do?sysparm_article=KB0028063. If you have any questions or need assistance working with your podcasts in Warpwire, you can contact the OIT Service Desk at https://oit.duke.edu/help

Blue Yeti Nano

November 5th, 2018

One of the most overlooked technical aspects of in-office or at-home online teaching is audio capture. AV folks are quick to recommend $100-$200 webcams to significantly improve the video quality and flexibility of the teaching environment. But, when it comes to audio, many seem content delegating the sound capture to the built-in microphone of the webcam… or worse, the built-in microphone of the laptop or desktop (shiver!). The reality is, in most online teaching environments, the audio is as important, if not more so, than the video. Consider this, if you are watching a do-it-yourself YouTube video and the video is “OK-ish” (good enough to follow along), but the audio is good, you are still likely to follow along and learn from the recording. But, if the video is amazing, but the audio is poor, it doesn’t take long before you move on to the next offering. The same is true for online teaching.

If you ARE looking to enhance your audio (psssst, your students will thank you), Blue now offers the Blue Yeti Nano. The Nano a stylish desktop USB microphone designed for those that desire high quality (24-bit/48kHz) audio for quasi-professional recording or streaming podcasts, vlogs, Skype interviews, and online teaching (via WebEx, Zoom, etc.). At 75% the size of the original Yeti and Yeti Pro, the Yeti Nano is a bit more “backpack friendly.”

How will this improve my online teaching?
The Blue Nano has a few key features that will significantly improve your audio. First, the Blue Nano has a condenser microphone vs. the dynamic mic you’ll find in your laptop and webcam. Without going into too much technical detail, the condenser mic in the Nano is more complex, offers more sensitivity, and offers a more natural sound. Needless to say, this will blow your laptop’s built-in mic away.

Second, your built-in mic is most likely omnidirectional (it picks up sound in every direction). The Nano CAN be set to omnidirectional (ideal for when you have a conversation with 3+ people around a table, but it also offers a cardioid polar pattern. This means that when you are in front of the mic, you sound amazing, and sounds that aren’t in front of the mic are less prominent (ideal for teaching).

Third, the Blue Nano has a built-in mute button on the front of the mic. This may seem rather basic, but fumbling around for a virtual mute button when you have a PowerPoint, chat screen, etc. etc. open can be a pain. One quick tap of the green circle button on the front and the mic mutes.

At $99, the Blue Nano is a bit of an investment (one that you won’t really notice), but the people on the other side of the conversation will thank you.

October 2018 Adobe Creative Cloud Update Part 1: Adobe Premiere Pro

October 31st, 2018

It’s fall, pumpkin spice is in the air, the holidays are Christmas decorations are going up, and software giant has just released updates to their entire Creative Cloud suite of applications. Because the updates are so extensive, I’ve decided to do a multi-part series of DDMC entries that focuses on the new changes in detail for Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop/Lightroom, and a new app Premiere Rush. I just downloaded Rush today to my phone to put it through it’s paces so I’m saving that application for last but my first rundown of Premiere Pro’s new features is ready to go!

END TO END VR 180

Premiere Pro supports full native video editing for 180 VR content with the addition of a virtual screening room for collaboration. Specific focal points can be tagged and identified in the same way you would in your boring 2D content. Before you had to remove your headset to do any tagging but now you can keep your HMD (Head Mounted Display) on and keep cutting. I’m just wetting my feet with VR but I can see how this could revolutionize the workflow for production houses integrating VR into their production workflow. Combined with the robust networking features in Premiere Pro and symbiotic nature of the Adobe suite of applications this seems like a nice way to work on VR projects with a larger collaborative scope.

DISPLAY COLOR MANAGEMENT

Adobe has integrated a smart new feature that takes some of the guesswork out of setting your editing station color space. Premiere Pro can now establish the color space of your particular monitor and adjust itself accordingly to compensate for color irregularities across the suite. Red stays red no matter if it’s displayed in Premiere Pro, After Effects, or Photoshop!

INTELLIGENT AUDIO CLEANUP

Premiere Pro can now scan your audio and clean it up using two new sliders in the Essential Sound panel. DeNoise and DeReverb allow you to remove background audio and reverb from your sound respectively. Is it a replacement for quality sound capture on site? No. But it does add an extra level of simplicity that I’ve only experienced in Final Cut Pro so I’m happy about this feature.

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS

Premiere Pro is faster all around but if you’re cutting on a Mac you should experience a notable boost due to the new hardware based endcoding and decoding for H.264 and HEVC codecs. Less rendering time is better rendering time.

SELECTIVE COLOR GRADING

Lumetri Color tools and grades are becoming more fine tuned. This is a welcome addition as Adobe discontinued Speedgrade and folded it into Premiere Pro a while ago. All your favorite Lumetri looks still remain but video can be adjusted to fit the color space of any still photo or swatch you like. Colors can also be isolated and targeted for adjustment which is cool if you want to change a jacket, eye, or sky color.

EXPANDED FORMAT SUPPORT

Adobe Premiere now supports ARRI Alexa LF, Sony Venice V2, and the HEIF (HEIC) capture format used by iPhone 8 and iPhone X.

DATA DRIVEN INFOGRAPHICS

Because of the nature of my work as a videographer for an institution of higher education this feature actually has me the most excited. Instrutional designers are constantly looking for ways to “jazz up” their boring tables into something visually engaging. Now there is a whole slew of visual options with data driven infographic. All you have to provide is the data in spreadsheet form then you can drag and drop in on one of the many elegant templates to build lower thirds, animated pie charts, and more. It’s a really cool feature I plan to put through it’s paces on a few projects in place of floating prefabricated pie charts.

All these new additions make Adobe Premiere Pro a solid one stop editing platform but combined with the rest of the Adobe suite, one can easily see the endless pool of creative options that make it an industry standard!

Stay tuned for Part II: Adobe Rush!