RODECaster Pro 2 versus Mackie DLZ Creator Podcast & Livestream Mixers/Recorders

In this week’s episode we compare the RODECaster Pro 2 and the Mackie DLZ Creator. The RØDECaster Pro II and the Mackie DLZ Creator are both dedicated podcast and livestream recorders, mixers, and audio interfaces. A question I get a lot is, "Which one is better?"

There isn't a clear answer to that question for everyone because It all depends on which features are important to YOU and the type of show you produce.

So we created a chart comparing many of the features between the two so you can figure out which is a better fit for you.

You can find the comparison table here.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- RODECaster Pro II podcast mixer — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Mackie DLZ Creator podcast mixer — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Earthworks ETHOS broadcast condenser microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- ART Cleanbox Pro (convert balanced to unbalanced audio and vice versa) — Amazon, Sweetwater

- SHURE SM7B dynamic microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Mogami microphone cable — B&H, Sweetwater

- Blackmagic Design ATEM switchers — B&H, Amazon

- Amaran 200x S LED light — B&H, Amazon, Aputure

- Aputure Light Dome II soft box — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2023, Curtis Judd

SHURE SM7B vs SM58 Microphones for Livestream and Podcast

In this week’s episode we compare two classic microphones from SHURE: the SM7B and the SM58. These cardioid dynamic mics have proven themselves to be staples amongst podcasters and vocalists, respectively, but why exactly is that? In this episode we listen to some sound samples from each mic, discuss their features and histories, and walk through how you might incorporate one or the other (or both!) into your audio recording workflow. Let’s take a closer look and listen!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Shure SM7B Vocal Microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Perfect Circuit, Amazon

- Shure SM58 Dynamic Vocal Microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Shure A7WS foam cover, what we used on the SM58 to record this episode — B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices MixPre-3 II audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon, Trew Audio

- Cloudlifter CL-1 in-line preamplifier — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Triton Audio FETHead in-line preamplifier — B&H, Amazon

- MOTU M2 USB audio interface — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure P300C LED used as key light — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store

- Aputure LS 300X used for background light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store. Amazon

- Rosco Gobo creates the pattern on the back wall — B&H

- Canon C70 cinema camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L lens — B&H, Amazon

- Schneider Radiant Soft diffusion filter — B&H

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2022, Curtis Judd

Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP - Low Profile

In this episode, we have a look at the Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP, a low profile studio microphone arm.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest course is Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP - Amazon

- RODE PSA1+ microphone arm - B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store

- Earthworks SR-314 microphone - B&H, Sweetwater

- SHURE SM7B microphone - B&H, Sweetwater, Perfect Circuit, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series audio recorder - B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

512 Audio LIMELIGHT & SKYLIGHT Microphones for Podcasts, Live-streams, Video

In this episode, we have a look at and a listen to two new microphones from 512 Audio: The LIMELIGHT and the SKYLIGHT. These microphones are designed for podcasters, live-streamers, YouTubers, and content creators of all sorts. The LIMELIGHT is a dynamic, broadcast style microphone with a rich, bassy sound. The SKYLIGHT is a large diaphragm condenser microphone with a vintage, mid-forward sound. In this episode, we put both of them through their paces.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest course is Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- 512 Audio LIMELIGHT dynamic microphone - Sweetwater, Amazon

- 512 Audio SKYLIGHT condenser microphone - Sweetwater, Amazon

- Desk microphone stand - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 camera - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L lens - B&H, Amazon

- Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 lens - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C200 camera - B&H

- Canon EF 24-105 f/4L lens - B&H, Amazon

- Aputure C120D II LED light - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Aputure Light Dome II soft box - Aputure, B&H, Amazon

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Microphones for Zoom & Teams Meetings for Beginners

In this episode, we cover the basics you need to know when choosing a USB microphone for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or any other online meetings. We teach you the difference between dynamic and condenser microphones and when you might want to choose each. We cover directionality, also referred to as polar patterns. And then we demo two different USB microphones — the Shure MV7 and the RODE NT-USB Mini.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest course is Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Shure MV7 dynamic USB microphone - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- RODE NT-USB Mini condenser USB microphone - B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Desk microphone stand - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 camera - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L lens - B&H, Amazon

- Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 lens - B&H, Amazon

- Aputure C120D II LED light - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Loudness Meters & Q&A

In this week's Sound for Video Session, we have a look at various loudness meters, from hardware to software, and then we cover your sound related questions.

ITU-BS.1770-4 Loudness standards document

Thanks to Musicbed for the music for this session - “Sunset Drive” by Virgil Arles. Get the best music for your videos at Musicbed. Also check out the playlist of songs we've used over time on the streams.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We also just added a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- tc electronic Clarity M stereo loudness meter - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Earthworks SR314 - B&H, Sweetwater

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L IS lens - B&H, Amazon

- TA3-M to XLR-F Adapter cable to feed microphones to C70 or Blackmagic Pocket cameras - B&H

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Izotope RX Phase — Fix Uneven or Asymmetric Audio Waveforms

Have you ever found that your audio waveforms are uneven or asymmetric — where the top of the waveform hits a much higher peak level than the bottom of the waveform? Or vice versa? And, is it a problem when it does? It turns out that this sometimes happens, especially with some men’s voices. And the problem is that you just aren’t left with enough headroom to boost or normalize the sound levels for your online videos or podcasts. In this episode, we show how you can use Izotope RX’s phase plugin to fix this issue. This will allow you to boost your sound levels without clipping or distorting.

The Phase plugin is available in RX Elements, Standard, and Advanced. See link for Izotope RX below.

Videos on Loudness: Volume vs Loudness How to Loudness Normalize your Audio

Special thanks to Paul Figgiani who provided valuable insights on waveform asymmetry and how to fix it.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest course is Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Izotope RX - B&H, Sweetwater

- Sennheiser MKH8050 microphone - B&H, Amazon

- Sound Devices 888 audio field recorder/mixer - B&H, Sweetwater

- Earthworks SR-314 microphone - B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series audio recorder - B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Sennheiser MKE 400, Coda MB-Stealth, & Q&A

In this week's Sound for Video Session, we demonstrate the Sennheiser MKE 400 camera-top tiny shotgun microphone (we'll use it set up as a mic for live streaming), the Coda Music MB-Stealth (an inline microphone preamp like the Cloud Lifter or FETHead), and then answer your sound for video related questions.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We also just added a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Sennheiser MKE 400 camera-top shotgun microphone - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Coda Music Technologies MB-Stealth inline microphone preamplifier - Coda Music

- Earthworks SR314 - B&H, Sweetwater

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L IS lens - B&H, Amazon

- TA3-M to XLR-F Adapter cable to feed microphones to C70 or Blackmagic Pocket cameras - B&H

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Izotope RX De-click & Mouth De-click Demo

The Izotope RX De-click and Mouth De-click modules/plugins are helpful tools in managing mouth clicks, pops, and saliva noise in spoken word audio. In this episode, we demonstrate where, when, and how to use each of them.

The De-click plugin is available in RX Elements, Standard, and Advanced while the Mouth De-click plugin is only available in the Standard and Advanced versions of RX.

Mouth De-click is generally less aggressive and can be used to remove saliva noise and clicks within dialogue audio. The De-Click plugin is more aggressive and I usually only use it when I can select just the mouth click I want to remove.

Special thanks to Paul Figgiani who provided valuable insights on how best to use the De-click and Mouth De-click plugins. Paul shares insightful information on spoken word audio post processing over at Produce New Media.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest course is Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Izotope RX - B&H, Sweetwater

- Earthworks SR-314 microphone - B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series audio recorder - B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

CEntrance PortCaster Podcast & Livestream Audio Recorder & Mixer

In this episode, we take a look at and a listen to the CEntrance PortCaster podcast and livestream recorder and mixer. The PortCaster is unique in that it does not have a screen or menus, just buttons, dials, and switches. Its durable build and compact form factor make it an interesting option for mobile podcasters and live streamers. The preamplifiers are top notch and the analogue limiters help prevent distortion when things get a bit louder than expected. Let’s have a closer listen!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest course is Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

• CEntrance PortCaster podcast recorder/mixer - B&H

• Canon C200 camera - B&H

• Canon EF 24-105 f/4.0L lens - B&H, Amazon

• Sennheiser MKH8050 microphone - B&H, Amazon

• SHURE SM7B microphone - B&H, Sweetwater, Perfect Circuit, Amazon

• SHURE KSM8 microphone - Sweetwater

• RODE NT1 microphone - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

• Aputure C120DII LED Light - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

• Aputure Light Dome II soft box - Aputure, B&H, Amazon

• Aputure Amaran 100D LED light - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

• Aputure Spotlight Mount made the background lighting - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd