It Is...Alive [Bill Murray Voice]

Hey-o.

Welcome back, class. Now, I want you to take out paper and pencil and write an essay about what you learned over your winter break. [class rolls eyes]

I, for one, spent most of the month duking it out with software gremlins that have been plaguing my latest post audio project. Tough little boogers, they are....

But, on to catching up: Petrol announced an update to their Eargonizer audio bag, including new design features. Snip:

At the rear, the Eargonizer is equipped with a longer Velcro holding strap. This allows the strap to more firmly grip the top carrying handle and anchor it to the back of the bag when not in use -- keeping it safely away from the opening. The new, fully transparent vinyl top cover provides better visibility of the bag's contents. Three “D” rings have been added at the top of each side to enable a greater range of carrying options. A neoprene carrying strap is now included for comfortable, over-the-shoulder toting.

Although, anyone with any sense of self-preservation would do well to acquire a harness; your shoulders will thank you for it. (And, if any other body parts start talking to you, seek help immediately).

I own one myself; a review will be forthcoming.



MSRP: $283

www.petrolbags.com

Pass the Mic

Dan Brockett has written up a very extensive and useful article over at kenstone.net entitled As I Hear It - Choosing the Right Microphone. In it, Dan reviews several industry mainstays as well as some recent upstarts, posting his personal impressions along with recording samples of "popular short shotgun, supercardioid, hypercardiod and cardioid microphones." Snip:

I am not an engineer and I don't know all of the answers but I can tell you that after reading this article and carefully listening to the recorded samples, you will have saved yourself several days of shopping, internet research to hunt down disparate sound samples and lots of misinformation that you might hear from uninformed sound forum posters, salespeople or retailers who just didn't do their research or have a vested interest in not being unbiased. There are no clear-cut winners and losers amongst these microphones; this review is not a contest. All of the microphones I tested and reviewed are capable of excellent sound. Not a single one of the microphones sounded "bad". Some were better than others or stood out from the rest for specific sound qualities though, the purpose of this article is to help you find the best microphones for your needs, taste and budget.

Amen to that.

Link, via kenstone.net.

Self-Education Is, I Firmly Believe, the Only Kind Of Education There Is.

Happy New Year, kids.

To start things off with some momentum, head on over to dv.com for Jay Rose's column, "Audio Solutions: Confessions of an Autodidact." In it, Mr. Rose details the many options available on the web to foster self-education in the ways of audio. Indeed, I would not have the job I do now were it not for online resources such as these. Snip:

The luck part involves finding mentors and opportunities to practice your craft. These are important, and a good college can provide them both. It can also give you lists of books and help you find Web resources. But if you want to be any good, you have to keep learning throughout your career—whether you’ve taken college courses or not. So let me list some non-school resources that are part of my own continuing audio and film education. Many are free, and all are bargains.

It's a good list (someday I hope that this blog will be included on a list such as this :). Additionally, I would also check out lynda.com. They have an extensive collection of online training videos about software and basic concepts, including sound. While it is a subscription service, many of the more basic clips are free.

Link to column.

Link to lynda.com's audio section.

(With respect to Isaac Asimov for the header quote).