All Questions
7
votes
1answer
211 views
Help choosing audio rip format for longevity.
I've been using MP3 for a decade for my audio collection, but with the (not so) recent developments in open source vs patented codecs such as H.264 I am wondering if an alternative format is ...
7
votes
2answers
233 views
Why doesn't an FFT pitch filter fully 'mute' the selected pitch range?
While editing a song, I tried to cut out the bass drum by applying a high-pass FFT filter, i.e. filtering out the low pitch of the bass drum. This resulted in the drum sound being severely quieted, ...
7
votes
4answers
139 views
How can I get a basic transcription of an audio recording using voice recognition?
I like to record the older folks in my family. I put my recorder on the table and we just chat. Just hanging out.
Most of the resulting footage is not interesting but occasionally, I get a gem. Some ...
7
votes
2answers
833 views
How should I mic a classical guitar?
I’d like to record some classical guitar. I have Garage Band and a couple of generic USB mics. I also have a two-channel M-Audio preamp/audio interface, so recommendations for better mics for the ...
7
votes
3answers
153 views
How should you mix / master when producing music for Video Games?
Should anything be done differently when mixing and/or mastering for Video Game music, considering it will play along with various other game SFX?
Should a certain range of frequencies (or multiple ...
7
votes
3answers
187 views
Are there any good video editing apps for photographers?
Photo editing apps like Lightroom have very intuitive ways (my opinion, of course) of performing operations on pictures.
I occasionally do small video projects that I edit either in Sony Vegas on ...
7
votes
1answer
66 views
General advice about sound spatialization
I am composing music by layering various instruments of different types. Percussions, strings, lead, etc...
Is there a generally-agreed "best" way of putting those instruments in the auditive space? ...
7
votes
1answer
601 views
Shield my amp from my cell phone?
I have a crappy stereo system driving my monitors (it's a bit hacky I know, but I didn't have to spend money buying it). It has a nasty habit of picking up cell phone interference: that annoying sound ...
7
votes
3answers
220 views
What to look for in a vocal mic for a small home studio
I'm just getting started with recording at home. I've done some recording in a band in a real studio in the past, but never really learned anything about the equipment and how to use it. I'm wanting ...
7
votes
5answers
1k views
Best audio interface in the low end?
I'm looking to buy an USB audio interface for home recording. It has to be fairly common, since I intend to buy second-hand in Bulgaria (where I live), or maybe import from eBay UK. One instrument ...
7
votes
1answer
186 views
Batch resize videos with “pan and scan” cropping
I am trying to prepare a collection of ~120 video clips to be played in VLC Player and projected on a low-res (1024x768) projector during a DIY electronic music event. The source clips are all super ...
7
votes
2answers
299 views
Convolution matrix for converting 1080i to DVD?
It's pretty common to shoot in HD but deliver on DVD. This requires a reduction in resolution from 1920x1080 to 720x480 (for NTSC). If you just interpolate and throw away pixels, you get bad aliasing ...
7
votes
2answers
461 views
What exactly is AVCHD?
Is it a codec? I don't think so; I believe it uses MPEG4/H.264 for video and AC3 for audio.
Is it a container format? Doesn't seem to make a huge amount of sense; there are enough out there already ...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
Any plugins out there using GPGPU/CUDA/OpenCL for horsepower?
It looks like the dedicated hardware plugin boxes (UAD etc) use traditional DSP chips like the Analog Devices SHARC for their horsepower. Is anybody using graphics card processors via GPGPU (General ...
6
votes
3answers
55 views
Does a real “megapixel lens” exist?
Many of new model of lenses are defined as megapixel (i.e 1MP, 2MP, 5MP...).
My problem is that I did not find any difference between a standard lens and a "megapixel" one, in the focus quality.
I ...
6
votes
9answers
9k views
6
votes
4answers
126 views
How to connect a camera to a computer 100ft away?
We are trying to live stream our worship service on Sunday morning. We have located an ideal spot for the video camera. Unfortunately it is 100 ft away from the sound and network connections which ...
6
votes
3answers
103 views
How do I know what volume to set my podcasts at?
Recently I have been making podcasts which consist largely of two to four people talking. I am a complete newbie to the process, and I know little or nothing about audio production.
Volume is ...
6
votes
5answers
950 views
Voiceover drowns in music. How do I make it more dominant?
Total newbie here, not sure if this is the right place to post this. I'm trying to record some station IDs for an online radio station thingamajig I'm doing. I'm using a Samson C03U. My voiceovers ...
6
votes
1answer
649 views
Why does your voice sound different when you record it?
Is it just yourself, or can other people hear it too?
6
votes
2answers
265 views
Delay vs reverb
I find myself using reverb fairly extensively to add space and smooth things out. Meanwhile, my delay plugins are collecting dust sitting on their virtual shelf. When should I be reaching for a ...
6
votes
3answers
144 views
How to reproduce any sound
This may be a silly question, but it is one I don't know and I haven't found an exact answer to it.
A speaker can reproduce virtually any sound through vibration sequences, using an electromagnet. ...
6
votes
3answers
3k views
What is “latency” in a digital recording studio?
What is "Latancy" in a digital recording studio?
Do I need to be worried about it? What is an "acceptable" level of latency?
What's the best way of reducing latency?
6
votes
3answers
237 views
How is this technique called with ethernet cable to stage
In my live mixings until now I always worked with analog signals between stage and mixer. Recently I saw at a small performance a solution with a kind of ethernet cable to stage. On stage there was a ...
6
votes
2answers
186 views
How is it possible to hear something at 44.1Khz?
Since our hearing range is said to be 20Hz to 20,000Hz. So, how can we possibly hear something at 44.1Khz? Or do we hear only half of the sound produced at 44.1Khz by any audio CDs? What is going on?
6
votes
2answers
401 views
Can I record a sound frequency I can't hear and play it back so I can hear it?
Can I record a sound frequency I can't hear and play it back so I can hear it?
If yes, How?
6
votes
6answers
3k views
I want the perfect gun sound, can I make it myself ? Any tip/theory ?
I'm a (still learning) game programmer, and I wanted to know if there is some knowledge base for making good gun sounds.
So far I collected .WAV for Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2 & 3, but I ...
6
votes
2answers
3k views
Is Garage Band a viable tool for home recording?
Is Garage Band a good investment for a home studio?
Are there any crippling limitations that would impact the quality of my productions?
For example, limited number of tracks, bad performance in ...
6
votes
5answers
1k views
What is the key parameter for a sound card, if I want to record at home using Guitar rig?
What is the key parameter for a sound card, if I want to record at home using Guitar rig? I've heard of 'low latency' and 'no latency', but I can't find this parameter in sound card descriptions. What ...
6
votes
2answers
364 views
What are the most used types of microphones and what are they best used for?
I've seen many different types of microphones, and I feel like I should know some of most important ones before getting any farther. What are the most commonly mic types and how does one decide which ...
6
votes
5answers
462 views
How can I reduce noise with many cables?
I have a home studio with 10 microphones cabled up. These cables all connect from the audio interface to the microphones, and follow generally the same path. I have heard that parallel cables add ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
How can I clean up my laptop's sound card input?
My Windows XP laptop has a sound card that's integrated with the motherboard.
I've tried doing some recording directly into Audacity using my headset microphone, but I always get an unacceptable ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
Eliminating recording latency — what hardware and settings are needed?
I am very new to this field, so please bear with me.
When recording MIDI, there are several kinds of annoying delays. I would like to know what can I do to reduce/eliminate this by changing ...
6
votes
2answers
184 views
Why not filming computer or TV screens?
I see this all the time: a character is doing something on a computer or watching TV. Instead of filming the actual content of the screen, they film the scene with a fixed camera and add a layer with ...
6
votes
2answers
126 views
How much is a good framerate for slo-mo recording?
As per the title, how much fps count should I be considering on a camera if I am looking to do slo-mo shots without framerate lag taking effect on video settings?
On a side note, I don't know if this ...
6
votes
3answers
184 views
How to cleanly punch piano?
When recording piano I've always struggled to get clean punches. I usually try to punch just ahead of a downbeat when the pianist is lifting the sustain pedal, but I often end up with some remnants ...
6
votes
2answers
910 views
How to eliminate guitar amp hum (software and hardware amps)
There's nothing quite like the sound of a guitar playing into a warm tube amp with the pre turned up high and the post turned down. There's also nothing quite like the hum you get out of one of these ...
6
votes
3answers
4k views
What is the best way of dealing with latency in Ableton?
I have a Lexicon Lambda which I use in Ableton and Audacity. Latency is hardly an issue in Audacity, but I can't seem to get it down to a manageable state in Ableton, no matter how many different ...
6
votes
3answers
727 views
In Ear Monitors - Alternatives?
In a live setting with 4 singers and 5 musicians we are really having trouble hearing ourselves with our current 2 floor monitor setup. One suggestion I have heard was to consider using in ear ...
6
votes
4answers
109 views
In what units is a sample's amplitude value represented, and how it relates to the real world?
I'm new to digital audio signals and read about sampling rate on hydrogenaudio.
What this doesn't mention is how a single sample's value, ranging from -32768 to 32767 in a 16 bit, relates to any ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
How to reduce wind noise / audio overload on built-in microphones?
I have 2 cameras with on-board microphones (Nikon D5100, Canon Powershot G7), and I'm predictably having problems with high wind noise, and when recording short clips at gigs (with permission) with ...
6
votes
2answers
98 views
Why does all timecode start at 1 hour? (01:00:00:00)
Is there a reason timecode in Final Cut 7 and timecode in Pro Tools starts at the 1 hour mark? eg. 01:00:00:00? As opposed to all zeros? Some old broadcast standard that I don't know about?
6
votes
2answers
138 views
Is there any free tool to generate a tone with gradually increasing pitch?
I need to generate a tone with a gradually increasing pitch with a very slow ratio. That is, I need a sine/square/sawtooth tone (amplitude doesn't matter) starting from 20Hz and gradually, linearly ...
6
votes
1answer
506 views
Difference between TRS and XLR connectors
Aside from the obvious differences in the physical connectors, is there an advantage to one over the other? Specifically, I am looking to connect powered near-field monitor speakers to my USB audio ...
6
votes
4answers
3k views
Monitoring multiple USB microphones
I am in the planning stages of producing a podcast consisting 2 or more people in the same room. I have a large diaphragm USB condenser mic, and another non-USB mic. At this point, I need to decide ...
6
votes
3answers
621 views
What is the best way to mic a hammered dulcimer?
Looking for some suggestions on getting the most authentic recorded sound from a Hammered Dulcimer. The model I am mic'ing has 2 sound holes.
What would be the ideal mic type(s) (i.e. dynamic, ...
6
votes
6answers
128 views
Demo samples of common effect presets
Imagine I'm in a situation I don't have any gear with me (a meeting with a client).
When I want to explain what a 'slap-back delay' sounds like, I could put on a typical Elvis song, but 'wood room' is ...
6
votes
3answers
926 views
Mixing piano and guitar
I'm trying to blend acoustic guitar and piano as background tracks behind vocals. Individually, both tracks sound excellent, but when I combine them they step on each other and sound really bad.
Any ...
6
votes
1answer
118 views
Why filmmaking with DSLR?
Adding video feature to digital camera was for their popular applications, as unprofessional users wanted to have both photography and videography at the same time. Professional cameras were ...
6
votes
3answers
435 views
How do I get a totally white background without the subject being too bright?
I would like to do a product demonstration similar to the White Room's demonstrations done by Apple, such as iPad 2 Product Demonstration
What type of lighting is used to keep the whites extremely ...
