If you want to really step up your podcast, video blog, or next live streaming event, here are some things to consider when setting up.  There’s a saying in the audio industry:

TV without picture is radio. TV without sound is useless.

Take your sound seriously. Other people are listening.

Set Your Gain Correctly.

This is hands down the most important stage of your signal chain.  If it isn’t correct, it compromises everything thereafter.  If you set your gain on your mic preamp to low, you’ll have a very low signal overall, resulting in a quiet and frustrating recording.  You’ll risk losing listeners or viewers.  However, if you have it set too high and it’s what would be considered “hot”, you’ll have clipping and will distort your signal.  This can be even more frustrating that a level that is too low.  It sounds harsh and unprofessional.  It sounds like an amateur recorded it in their garage without a clue.

So find a happy medium.  A gain setting that isn’t too low, but not so high that if you or your guest gets loud or excited it won’t clip. Do a few tests, record the same phrase each time, and then listen to them back to see which sounds the best.

Use a Compressor.

So you’ve set your gain at an appropriate level.  But it’s still not quite as loud as you’d like.  It doesn’t sound like “the pros” sound.  You know what I’m talking about.  Listen to the radio.  The DJs have that big, full, “pro” sound to their voice.  It’s not weak, thin, or tinny sounding.  It never clips, and you can always hear them over the background music.

I’ll let you in on an audio engineers secret weapon.  Compression.

Okay, so a compressor is not a secret.  What it does and how to use it correctly, though, is often a mystery to people.  Even in my line of work, I come across other “engineers” that admit they don’t fully understand how a compressor works.  Unfortunately, if you don’t understand how a tool works, you can’t maximize its potential.

Compressors basically hug your audio signal.  With the left arm wrapping around, it’s keeping the low signals from being too low.  Then, with the compressors right arm, it’s pulling in the signals that might be too loud.  What it’s doing is keeping the fringe signal levels in a more controllable, appropriate, and enjoyable dB range.  When used correctly, it truly helps polish a vocal signal.

You have a couple choices when looking to start using a compressor.  You can go with a nice little hardware version like the dbx 266XS 2 channel compressor.  This is a two channel compressor, so if you have a guest, you can run two mics through it and have a great sound.  In this setup, you’d plug your mic into the compressor, then run a line from the compressor to your existing audio interface.

Most audio recording software suites will have a plug-in that would also work just as well.  The nice thing about the software versions are the presets and the ability to save your settings for particular guests and scenarios.

It is very easy to get the settings wrong on your compressor and wind up peaking your signal.  I’ll be posting an article on how to use a compressor correctly following this post.

Maintain Proper Position.

One of the most simple things to do to improve your sound for your audio or video podcast is to use correct positioning of your mic.  In the audio engineering world, we call this proximity.  Maintaining proper distance from your microphone goes a long way.  If you’re too close, you’re using a bad mic, and you’ve got your gain set too high, you might as well light it on fire.  If you’re sitting too far from it and your gain is set too low, you’ll only be pulling your hair out when you listen to it back.  Or, if you’re too far away, you might boost the gain so that it picks up your voice.  The down side to this is what’s called the noise floor.  The noise floor is the ambient sounds in your surrounding environment.  For instance, you are recording in your office.  There is a dog barking outside, cars driving by, the HVAC pumping air, and a loud fan on your PC.  All of these noises, while not terribly distracting to us individually, when added together create a noise floor that you can’t get rid of.  If you boost your gain on your mic pre, you’ve made your mic more sensitive, thereby picking up all of these little noises even more and creating an unprofessional sounding recording or live stream.

So, stay close enough to the mic that you’re the only thing it’s picking up, keep your gain at a manageable level, and invest in a compressor.

Thanks for reading and as usual, I’m looking forward to your comments below.

Cheers,

Josh

I’ve got a lot of ideas bouncing around in my head.  Some are pretty solid while others are still blobs of unformed thought.  Regardless, I have had a difficult time in the past trying to make something out of these ideas.  I would wait on them (or forget about them altogether) while someone else accomplished them before I did.  This was extremely frustrating.  I didn’t get frustrated with that other person that did it before me; I got frustrated with myself for not devoting the time and effort to that one, singular idea.

My wife is always right alongside me, hearing my crazy ideas and business plans as I spout them out at the most random times.  I think she might have grown tired of them which led her to make a fantastic suggestion:

Use an “idea journal” to keep track of all my ideas and thoughts.

Genius!  I am now able to jot down that million-dollar idea that I got after talking with someone about an issue at their company, or in the middle of taking a shower. (I come up with some weird stuff at some random times.)

With an idea journal my ideas have started taking much more shape and are taking off in their own directions.  Without this outlet I’d still be tossing them around in my head instead of holding brainstorming meetings with other people.

Shortly after starting my idea journal, I realized that I was still not able to actually accomplish any of them; I was only able to keep track of them.  This prompted me to scrutinize how and on what exactly I was spending my time.  I am still in the process of this evaluation and am always trying to improve the use of my time to better facilite the cultivation of my ideas and projects.

I’ve started implementing the following habits that have helped me increase my productivity:

1.  Limit your interaction on multiple social networking sites.

This could very well be the biggest timewaster of them all.  Facebook.  Twitter.  LinkedIn.  MySpace.  Four Square.  Ning.  And the list goes on and on.  A lot of the data is duplicated from one site to the other, which leads to overlaps that could waste more time.

I evaluated what I used (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Foursquare) and how/why I used them.  This evaluation led me to to a 30-day break from Facebook and delete my Foursquare account altogether.  My time spent on MySpace is very, very minimal (though I make plans to interact more but never do), and Twitter is one of my main sources for gathering news and local updates from businesses and individuals.  It’s easier to sift through Twitter than it is Facebook.  LinkedIn is another site that I use with minimal time spent on updating.  I’ll do the occasional search for jobs and gigs in the area, but this is time spent being more productive than it is wasteful.

Do you have to completely give up one or the other?  This is up to you.  For me, I don’t get enough value back from Foursquare to justify the time spent interacting with it.  Maybe you do get a lot of value out of it.  Free wine or parking?  Each service varies from person to person and how they use it, so there is not definitive answer.  I do believe, however, that as a whole we’ve become infatuated with the newest services popping up and trying to be beta testers and early adopters.  For the record, businesses need to engage on many different platforms simultaneously in order to best reach the widest audience possible.

2.  Get into a routine.

Even if it means making your coffee at the same time every morning (or programming it the night before) and writing out the next day’s agenda on a real piece of paper.  Sometimes it can be beneficial to abandon technology for simple tasks such as to-do lists and similar items.  I’ve tried many iPhone and Mac OSX apps to help with this but find that I wind up getting sidetracked and eventually waste more time.

My routine is as simple as setting my coffee the night before and then sitting at my desk (not the kitchen table; I believe that your surroundings do affect your ability to focus in on things) to write out my list for the next day.  Otherwise I wind up getting up in the morning and spending 20 minutes trying to lay out my day instead of jumping right into it.  That first 20 minutes could have been spent knocking off an item from the list had I laid it out the night before.

3.  Track your results.

If you make progress on something, make a record of it.  Use Google Analytics to track extremely useful data on your website.  Use that data to make informed decisions regarding your next marketing campaign and where to focus your efforts or which pages to revamp that are not getting hits.

By tracking your progress you are able to look back over time and see how far you’ve come.  You’re able to see what worked and what didn’t.  Those things that didn’t work so well?  You’ll know not to do them again in the same context because you documented it.  Without this information, you might very well do it all over again in a similar scenario and fail again.  We want to avoid this.

Update your ideas and make notes regarding your progress.  If you don’t know how far you’ve come, you run the risk of losing motivation that could otherwise be just what you need to make it over the hump and release your product or service to a new market.

To keep up with me, follow me on Twitter – @josh_walker.  What are some of your ways you improve productivity?  Let’s hear them all.

Here’s my short list.  It is in no way exhaustive, though.  I will be doing more in depth posts on some of these topics in the future, so get the RSS feed now!

6. Have some talent.

You don’t have to be the best, but at least try.  And if you don’t have any talent but have lots of passion, try another part of the music industry like management.  Just because you’re not cut out to be in a band does not mean you can’t have an integral part in the industry.

5.  Create a roadmap of where you’re going and how you’ll get there.

Take out a piece of paper and on one side put “I’m Here”.  On the other side, make a circle with wherever it is that you want to be.  Connect the two with a line and then put hash tags with “checkpoints”: people to meet, certain number of shows to play, marketing goals, etc.

Make sure that you stick to your roadmap.  Otherwise you’re likely to get lost on your trip and wind up playing cover songs in local bars for the next 20 years.  While that may pay the bills, it probably wasn’t the destination circled at the end of your roadmap.

4.  Cut a quality demo of some of your tracks.

You’ll want to put your best foot forward, so only showcase your best material.  Book time at a real recording studio and go into the studio practiced and prepared.  Don’t try to cut corners and do it yourself.  Choose some songs that show your ability.  You never know who you’ll run into that might be interested in your sound.  Speaking of…

3.  Network and surround yourself with other people who are likeminded and serious.

These people may see some potential in you and take you under their wing.  If they see that you are also serious about what you do, you stand a better chance.  Always have business cards and a copy or three of the aforementioned demo with you.  You’ll run into people in the most unlikely of places.  Be prepared.

2.  Run your band like a business, not a party.

Consult with a music attorney (here’s one – Kenan Farrell in Indianapolis) and they will help you determine how to form your business, tax guidelines, help you copyright your songs, and more.  That person can give you great advice on ways to navigate the industry and keep your head above water.  It will be much easier to take care of these details now as opposed to years down the road after things have gotten more complex.

1.  Take yourself seriously.

If you don’t, no one else will.

As I mentioned, that is the short list.  Obviously there’s a lot more to it, but if you start with these points, you’ll be well on your way.  Good music, passion, and persistance are what will get you through.  Knowing people and being in the right place at the right time can also have a helping hand.  That ties right into point #3, so you’re covered.

Go out, make a plan, and drive till you get to your destination.

Cheers,

Josh W.

On that note, Sweetwater is once again producing their annual GearFest 2010 event where they will be giving away $75,000 in gear.  This is a two day festival/conference where audio professionals and musicians alike will benefit.  There are workshops, a musicians flea market, live performances, tours, and more.  It is being held on Friday June 25th (noon-7pm EST) and Saturday June 26th (9am-5pm EST).

If you’re an artist, songwriter, recording engineer, band, producer, or involved in the music industry, it is a great place to find new gear and meet some new people in the industry.  After all, it’s all about who you know, right?  You never know either; you just might walk away with a new project studio setup!

*DISCLAIMER* It is always a good practice to make a backup of your calendars.  The reader assumes all responsibility by following the steps listed below and understands that it is their responsibility to backup their files prior to beginning the sync process.

1.  Set up your Google Calendars

- If you don’t already have one, sign up for Google Calendar.  It’s free and easy to use.
- After you’ve set up your Google Calendar, go ahead and create multiple calendars if you’d like.  For instance, make one “Family”, “Work”, and “Church”, etc.

- Click on the down arrow next to one of the calendars and click on “Calendar Settings”
- Next, scroll down to “Calendar Address” and click on the green iCal button.  A dialogue box will pop up.  Make sure you copy the full address here!

2.  Set up iCal on your Mac

- in iCal, go to the iCal main menu and click on “Preferences”.  From here, you’ll click the + sign in the bottom left of the window.

- Under “Account Type”, choose “CalDAV”.
- For your username, use the Google email address that you used to sign up for your Google Calendar account.  The password is the corresponding Google password that you chose.  For the server, use google.com.
- Click “Create”.  You should see some of your appointments populating the calendar at this point (assuming you already added some in Google Calendar).
- Now, click on the “Calendar” menu and then on “Subscribe”.

- In the dialogue box that opens up, paste the address that you copied from your Google Calendar settings.
- Next, click on the main iCal menu and go to “Preferences”.
- Click on the “Accounts” tab and go to the right under “Delegation”; check the boxes next to your Google Calendars so that you can post to them directly out of iCal.  After this, you’re finished with iCal.

3.  Set up iPhone Calendar

- Click on the “Settings” icon.
- Next, open the “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” menu under “Settings”.
- Under “Accounts”, click on “Add Account”.
- Next, choose “Microsoft Exchange” from the very top.

- For “Email”, use the same address that you used for the Google Calendar.
- For “Username”, again, use that same email address.  And for “Password”, use the Google password you set.
- Under “Description”, I recommend labeling it as “Google”.  Click “Next”.
- When the dialogue box pops up, click “Accept” and then put “m.google.com” in the new “Server” field.
- The next menu gives you the option to sync your Google Mail, Contacts, and Calendars.  For the purpose of this article, turn off Mail and Contacts so that we’re only syncing the calendars.

- Now, open Safari on your iPhone and in the address bar type “m.google.com/sync”.
- From here, choose the calendars that you want to sync on your iPhone Calendar and click “Save”

That should do it!  Comment below to let me know if you have any issues, or how easy/hard you thought the whole process was.  Once it’s set up, though, you’ll never have to worry about saying “Let me check my iCal when I get home”.  Do it on your iPhone.  On your Mac.  Or on someone else’s computer with Google Calendars.

We’ve been using Facebook and Twitter now for awhile.  Some prefer one over the other.  Some only use one tool.  Others are addicted to both. (Then there’s MySpace.  Remember that?  Facebook needs to take a hint.  But that’s another post…)

Twitter and Facebook.  They’re two completely different platforms.

Like oil and water, they both have their place.  We use both.  Yet they don’t always mix.  Likewise, Twitter and Facebook are two very different mediums with two very different niches.

Facebook.

When Mark Zuckerberg was at Harvard, he had an idea.

He and three classmates got together and developed their idea into a platform that connected them with their friends.  They kept it exclusive to begin with (you had to have a .edu email address).  This allowed them to test it out and have their ideal demographic figure out how they wanted to use it.  Once they were able to set the standards, they slowly started opening the gates to other people.  This exclusivity only helped to build anticipation (can we say Apple?) for the release of updates and the allowing of everyone to participate.

On Facebook you are able to post native pictures, embed links, write comments and replies, send personal messages, and more.  You can see full conversations at a glance.  Entire photo albums.  All within Facebook.  You aren’t limited too much in terms of content length, either.

An interesting thing has happend with Facebook.  The original users (mostly college students) set the standard methods of use.  After a few years, we’ve seen the way Facebook is used transform into something that it wasn’t originally.  This is most apparent with all of the Farmville and Chef’s World updates you probably see in your Live Feed.  The people that started out with Facebook in its early days are easily frustrated by this and many other little things that have popped up, such as privacy issues.  Yet the new Facebook users have no preexisting concept of how it is supposed to be used; to them, it’s a networking/gaming platform.  Others use it specifically to share photos from family trips.  Still others use it for the messaging and chat.  It’s quickly developing into a catch-all platform where you can do just about everything you need.

These things aren’t necessarily bad.  It’s to be expected with anything.  Facebook started with an idea.  Mark Zuckerberg had no idea what it would become. Evolution and growth.  Adaptation.  These all propel success.

Twitter.

If you can’t adapt to this format, it’s probably because you wish it were more like Facebook.  But it’s not, nor is it supposed to be.  Twitter is a different platform where a different language is spoken.  Hashtags (#), replies (@), and retweets (RT) are just a few items.  Then there’s Follow Friday (#followfriday or #ff) and Music Monday (#musicmonday or #mm).  And the ever popular Tweetups (#tweetup) in their various formats and locations.

Twitter was developed to allow people to communicate and update what was happening in their lives at that moment.  It was not designed as a sales tool for businesses. Too often I see companies just using it to throw out their sales pitch in hopes that people will respond to the call-to-action and buy the product or service. These companies spew out their content without adding value to anything other than their own messages.  It’s a shame to see this misuse of a wonderful communication medium.  To use it effectively, listen more than you speak.  Create relationships.  Build networks.  Engage in conversation. Neither was it designed so much as a communication tool where you see a back-and-forth conversation, though this does happen routinely.  It is more of a tool that helps you propagate your content, ideas, and thoughts to the masses.  Let people know what’s going on.  Quickly and efficiently.

We’ve seen Twitter expand and adapt as well.  From the news anchors using it to update the world to the bands keeping fans posted on show times.  Twitter has helped me gain new real life friends and freelance work.  I’ve been able to meet some really great and interesting people thanks to Twitter.  When I first started using Twitter, I was overwhelmed by the fact that I had 13 followers while these other guys had 5,000 or more.  Then I realized that it’s not about how many followers you have, it’s about the relationships you build.  When people see that you’re using Twitter effictively and unselfishly, they will be more likely to follow you.  Then your numbers go up, and all without the help of a third-party app or bot.

If you’re looking to find ways to use Twitter more effectively and live in the Northern Indiana area, the #nwitweetup is a great place to meet people that are using social media in one way or another.  There are many, many more Tweetups around the country.  I encourage you to find one close to you and see what it’s all about.  It there isn’t one in your area, start one!

That’s about it for this post.  I’d love to hear your comments and experiences concerning Facebook and Twitter.  How do you use these tools?  And remember, it’s not that one is better than the other.  It’s not apples to apples here.  We need to learn how to maximize the effectiveness of each tool while realizing what works on one platform won’t always work on the other.  Now, go take a look at this video by @equalman that shows the magnitude of social media today.

If you’ve got hundreds, or thousands, of people in your area that share common interests, why not engage the local businesses and partner together to host events, shows, and festivals? Not only will this bring the businesses revenue from their local (and hopefully regional) patrons, it also shows the community that they don’t need to drive 40 minutes to do something fun. Bringing in regional artists and musicians will help the community remember why art and music are important in our school systems. The arts promote creativity, innovation, and raw emotion. These are characteristics that one carries for a lifetime and are applicable in all different arenas of life.  I am a big fan of all different types of art.  I find things to be art that others might not.  And I truly appreciate it when people take action and create their art in various forms.

Being a part of a smaller community, I’ve decided to help take action and try to help the arts regain that traction that was once great. To do my part, I’m helping put on regularly occurring shows with some regional (and even international!) artists. We’ve got a great venue, art gallery, and recording studio in Indiana (not to mention The Sisters’ Tea & Eatery!) that all come together to make great things happen.  It’s $5 at the door, and there are great local eateries within walking distance that will fill your stomach with their specialties. It’s a great way to reconnect with friends as well as discover the undiscovered.  This month we’ve got The Great Flood Catastrophe, The Rendition, The Jill Hagen Band, and From the Rooftop.  Not only will you get to see and hear some great music, you’ll also witness the visual art of Sayaka Ganz, Angela Leed and Adam Parsons.

I encourage you to do the same in your community. Talk with your local businesses and artists and see what kind of ideas are floating around. Sometimes all it takes is a few like minds to get together. Before you know it you’ve got more on your plate then you can handle and are forced to bring in more people to help make everything happen. It’s a beautiful thing and a good problem to have. If you’re in the northern Indiana region and want to find out how you can help, let me know!  The most simple of ways that you can help make an impact is by going to the local events, shows, and businesses. Just showing up is more than enough support. Let me hear your thoughts about ways to help impact the local communities, businesses and arts!

Cheers,

Josh Walker

As an Indiana commercial builder, he knows the importance of staying on the forefront of his industry and doing what it takes to keep connected to his potential customer base.  One way he does this is through multiple web sites.  If you’re looking for anything to do with construction, architecture, or the solid waste industries, you only need to visit one website for a Northwest Indiana general contractor.  Here you’ll find links to his blog, www.constructionandwaste.com where you can read about tips, insight, and more on these industries, and you’ll be able to access his site for Northwest Indiana design and architecture company, IN-Cambridge Architects.

If you or a business you know is looking for a company to handle your construction needs, or if you’re just looking for someone with experience to talk to, contact Jeff Eriks and his company one of the following ways:

On the website

Jeff on Facebook

Cambridge Construction on Facebook

Cambridge Construction on Twitter

As usual, thanks for reading!  I hope that I’m able to help expose everyone that reads to some new and useful resources in northern Indiana.

Cheers,

Josh Walker

As I’m getting close to wrapping up my networking series, I’ll be writing about yet another individual in the Indiana mortgage loan industry.  Steve Dalton is a Northwest Indiana mortgage banker that knows the first time home buyer market.  He is also an expert on first time home buyer and VA loans as well.

My wife and I just bought a house a few months ago, so it’s somewhat funny that after moving back to northern Indiana I’ve gotten to know a few of the best Northwest Indiana mortgage lenders in the area.  They would have come in handy before I moved back!  However, I know that my wife and I intend to purchase another home at some point, so it’s always good to keep in contact with the people that know what they’re doing.  And I’ll be making sure to recommend Steve to friends and other people I know that are in the market in Northwest Indiana.

Steve takes a personal approach to the lending process.  If you go to his Northwest Indiana mortgage website you’ll see that he takes time to answer people’s questions about the process.  He is also very good at keeping an eye on the market in general and updating readers about any fluctuations and changes to look out for.  If you’re looking for a solid lender to help you in the new home buying process, give Steve Dalton a call.

I’ve had the chance to talk with Steve a few times.  He knows the industry, but he’s also just a great guy to get to know all around.  Even if you’ve already bought a house, it’s still a great idea to keep up with the latest news.  Steve can help you make the right decision at the right time.

You can also follow Steve on Twitter and keep up to date on his Northwest Indiana mortgage blog.

As usual, thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Josh Walker

To start off, this particular album is titled “Live at Eddie’s Attic”, where the album was recorded during a live performance.  The Civil Wars consist of Joy Williams and John Paul White, both successful independent of each other as musicians.  The majority of their music is acoustic guitar and vocals, with the occasional piano.  They have a very basic and almost simple sounding foundation built around John’s acoustic guitar.  If you enjoy listening to Over the Rhine, you’ll probably like The Civil Wars.  If you’d like to listen to the tracks, you can go to NoiseTrade.com or The Civil Wars MySpace page and click on the album cover to download if for free.

Overall, the sound is somewhat folky with a little country or americana influence at times.  The opening track has a haunting feel to it vocally.  The sweeping harmonies are one of the things that first stood along with the tracks not being over produced or polished.  They really do a good job letting their talent show through without the assistance of more instruments or programming.

One of the bigger tracks on this album is the single titled “Poison & Wine”.  This track was also featured on Grey’s Anatomy, episode 609, “New History”.  It starts out with a simple strumming acoustic and backing piano, while Joy and John go back and forth lyrically before joining together for a great sounding harmony at the hook of the song.  The way they interact in this track really helps to portray the tension of the song. After that, it continues to build and return to that original hook.  You can check out the official music video for “Poison & Wine” on YouTube.  The album version of the song has more dynamics to it as they include some subtle snare and kick drum in the background of the track to help add to its old-time feel.  There is a huge, boomy kick drum that along with the snare sound miles away.

Another interesting track from their live album is “No Ordinary Love”.  It’s a bit more driving than the other tracks on the album.  The slightly quicker tempo and the harmonies and  vocals help give the listener a sense of angst or suspense.  Joy’s voice is well suited for pairing with John’s vocals and guitar.  Neither of them would stand on their own in this genre quite as well as they do together.  Joy Williams does great on piano and vocals alone, and John can certainly write and perform solo acoustically, but their pairing lends an almost palpable stress and tension between the two that makes it even more interesting to listen to.  Their work together feels and sounds real and true.  Not like a pre-packaged product for sale.

These two artists are obviously capable of a nice range of style inside of the acoustic genre.  I’d be interested to see them perform live with a full band.  Check out the links below to find out more about The Civil Wars and listen to their music.  Don’t forget to go to NoiseTrade.com and download the live album for free (or by paying whatever you feel).

The Civil Wars MySpace

The Civil Wars Facebook page

The Civil Wars on Twitter

The Civil Wars on YouTube

Thanks for reading.  I’m enjoying listening to some new music and getting to know some new artists.  Looking forward to the coming weeks of this review series.

Cheers,

Josh Walker