What I Wanna Do With The Studio In The Future?

                With the rumors of CBOTW Gamers Podcast eventually coming back possibly, not 100% sure as there are other reasons behind that I didn't explain which I am not going to talk about publicly as I do not wanna discuss it. However my computer is aging and getting really old for computer years and I am already planning for the future of this studio whether this podcast happens or not, I still need a computer for recording and honestly this one is slowing the heck down. Anyways this is what is planned with this new PC:

- 3rd Monitor: Yes it is quite difficult to stream or record with so I am putting the money forward on top of the cost of the computer which could be up to 5 grand or more plus another 2 - 4 hundred dollars for the monitor and also the monitor stand for 3 monitors since I am expanding on the screens and will be the 3rd and final screen as I do not wanna get too exotic. 

- Possibly upgrading Larry's Mic: I have had Larry's mic for quite sometime, years since probably 2015 at this point and eventually I wanna have both mics the same mic, AT2020 Condenser Microphone. Do not worry the Audio Technica PRO31 will remain in my studio and not going anywhere anytime soon. However I plan to do that soon before that happens and it will happen probably after Larry is able to return to the studio.  This is a possibility and not 100% sure at this moment. 

                   That is the update of when I get the computer and even before and I am excited for the future of this studio and yes I will continue to give you guys updates on the studio and the changes I make. I hope you guys enjoyed today's post and yes it was I guess it was a part 2 of yesterdays post but now you guys know my entire plan moving forward and I can say this, I am excited for the future! Have a great weekend and I will talk to you all Monday! 

Chris 

Condenser Mic Vs. Dynamic Mic, Which One Do I Prefer?

             Today's post I am going to talk about two different microphones I have used and which one I preferred to use. For those who didn't know I started out with the dynamic microphone back when I still on Stickam.com which no longer exists actually but that is when I started using microphones. The first microphone I had originally was dynamic but was a Radio Shack, followed by the Audio Technica Pro 31 Mic. Mind you it was a great start to the podcasting world and that microphone I still got an used quite often when guests are in the studio. One thing about that mic is, it has different settings then the condenser but it depends on the guest behind that particular microphone. Anyways the sound is completely different and it is hard to explain to you guys the quality but there is a complete difference in the quality. OK, let me break it down so you can understand. The Dynamic microphones are hooked up to the mixer as it has a 3.5mm stereo jack compare to the condenser which is completely different from the dynamic if that makes any sense to you guys. Don't get me wrong the dynamic is the way to start with podcasts or broadcasting if you if you are on a small budget like I was and I am still on a small budget, just saving up helps but the dynamic costed me around 70 - 75 dollars. 

              Now moving onto the condenser which yes it does costs money, around 200 bucks later but again quality which is well worth it for the price of the microphone. Yes it was a bit of a learning curve, especially when my voice echoed at the start but that is when I figured I had to get a wind sock which you guys have seen on it many times in the past in pictures I have posted on both Instagram and Twitter from time to time. The cable end to the condenser is different obviously as I had to make sure when i bought this mixer that it had phantom power for the condenser to work. However that is besides the point but the sound is really different from the dynamic but as a listener, you probably cannot notice but least quality is good.  Which mic do I really prefer to use? Well that is a hard question to answer, as I love both my mics which is ironic both are Audio Technica products, you can say honestly i vouch by the brand. However in the end, I have grown to love my condenser microphone and getting use to it now and the quality it has given me over the last 1.5 years, so I guess my condenser microphone is my pick, however microphone is a microphone and it does the job for a reason but it is quality over quantity honestly. 

Chris

My First Ever Mixer and Mics I Ever Owned!

              This is going way back to the time I use to broadcast on video platforms, before I got my Samson Mixer that I currently own to this day. I do not remember what kind of mixer it was but I think it was a Radio Shack mixer and that company does not have those stores, not up here in Canada at the moment. This mixer did not allow me to connect a condenser Microphone at the time it had a 3/4 inch piece to hook up into it and this mixer had faders, meanwhile this one I got now has the knobs but I honestly prefer faders in my opinion. Trust me my next one is going to have faders as they are sure as heck easier to use. However this mixer was used which meant someone else used it before I got it as a donation to The Video Projects Team. I know that is a long way back now since this happened. I never really talked about it at all but hey it got me more into being more professional with broadcasting and now what you see, the podcasting universe which I am currently to this day. It was always a learning curve at the start, I learned about the color lights on a mixer, orange levels means you are going to distort and I learned that very, very quickly as a broadcaster what the levels mean. Also with the mixer I got two microphones. One wasn't working well but the other worked for a while. I did replace it with a cheap mic but then got the Audio Technica PRO 31 which still is in the studio to this day.


              As it went to the end of it's run it started to struggle where the voice wasn't being picked up and mind you it was an old mixer and it was ready to be retired and scrapped in the garbage and that was the fate of it. It was a good mixer at the start, but then it got old and just ready to be thrown away and make way for my second mixer which now is used to this very day and working so great for me now too! It will always be my first mixer and will always remember this as my first ever mixer I ever had. I had to start somewhere and I will always remember my first mixer.



Chris

The Podcasts Are a Big Success!

              2 Years later with the Audio ONLY, podcasts are truly coming together very nicely. I have had so much fun recording episodes for you guys and I really, really would like to do video stream but it seems to be an issue to go live with video. Honestly I can say I enjoy pre-recording em as it is easier for me and plus I got more time on my hands but I can and I know it's possible that I can do recaps on Ice Cast which is like shoutcast, yes radio airwaves. I have been talking to Larry about it too and it's not really confirmed if it will happen but what I am trying to say if you guys want it to happen then let's make it happen, lets make it an official thing! I can honestly it has been fun but also a struggle to stay on schedule but in the last couple of weeks I have been on schedule even if I was an hour to an hour and a half late still came out on the same day.


              Even with The CBOTW Show which has just begun it's journey and over the next couple of days will be an interesting journey. I have learned how to adjust to change and I have learned so much about Audio ONLY, microphones, mixers and what not. Also the quality of the podcast has gotten so much better over time as when I first started it was distorted and crappy audio but now it is so much better and gotten better. I use to have the Audio Technica PRO 31 when I started this journey but now its changed, but mind you I still got that microphone and it still works and used within this studio but as a second mic and... Wait here is my setup:


Monitors: ACER

PC: ACER Computer Aspire- TC 605
       Windows 10

# of Boom Arms: 1 boom arm, planning to have a second boom down the road.

Microphones:  Main Mic: AT2020 (Audio Technica 2020), Second Mic: Audio Technica PRO 31

Mixer: Samson MDR624

Headphones: Sennheiser HD204

                That is the setup it isn't much but it gives you an idea and I made the decision to spend the money on more professional equipment like the condenser Microphone and the mixer and mind you you need a mixer for mics anyways as it makes the sound much better then just plugging it into your computer, trust me I've tried it. I will do a throwback Thursday story this week talking about my first mixer, don't worry.


Chris

Dynamic Microphone or Condenser? Which One Do I Prefer!

               With me being almost a year since having the condenser microphone since switching from Dynamic mic to a Condenser mic and I think today is suitable to talk about which one I actually prefer the most and it has been an interesting and learning experience in change of type of microphones. I didn't realize I could talk into it upright position till I started talking into it. Before I got the AT2020 condenser Microphone which the mic I own right now on top of the dynamic Mic I also have which is now acting like the guest microphone when I do have guests here in the studio with me like Larry for example. 


                I can tell the difference between the two microphones in the way of Audio Quality of the microphone. The dynamic was good but not as good as the condenser microphone that I currently use so there is  bit of a different in the audio quality but that's OK, both still get the job done and done right for. My Dynamic Mic has a lot more mileage used on it then the condenser but this mic will in time will have the mileage too. Either way having a second mic like I said above does help me with the guest situation as it was hard before with one mic only. LOL, we used Larry dead end headset which was a piece of junk honestly and crackly sound and what not... I am not putting down Larry's equipment. 


                  Now, which one do I prefer? Well either mic I prefer but honestly mic is a mic and it don't matter which one I  use as long at the end of the day it gets the job done and done right.  The studio is growing as I get further and further along with Chris B On The Web and  I am excited for the future of the podcast, yes I realize the .com website is now gone and I will be addressing it soon in the coming days, maybe tomorrow, maybe by Monday at the most when I get more news on why they blocked my site for no apparent reason when it was just a blank website at the time. 




Chris