LectureMaker, LLC » Lecture Secrets

Live Event Multitrack Audio Capture

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:13:50 +0000

Ron Fredericks writes:

LectureMaker’s video studio captures audio with highest quality. Each audio source is recorded on separate tracks because audio is so important to a high quality video or podcast. I hope this overview helps my clients and prospects see just how serious I am in recording the very best audio for my live event video capture projects as well as my in-studio projects.

For hardware, I designed my audio capture platform around a PreSonus StudioLive 16.4.2 analog plus digital 16-track recording system that includes mic pre-amps, dynamic audio correction, and both analog and digital mixing. For software, I use Adobe Audition 3 (AA3) for multitrack capture, recording, and final post production mixes.

Here is a photo of LectureMaker’s studio setup:

Figure 1 – LectureMaker’s audio system managed by PreSonus StudioLive system

Setting up the hardware and software is not difficult once you see a sample of how its done. Here is an overview of what the setup looks like with respect to Adobe Audition 3′s Multitrack mode:

Figure 2 – Sample Multitrack Session input (from StudioLive) and Master Mixer output (back to StudioLive)

Step by Step Setup

I use AA3 and PreSonus StudioLive 16.4.2 with no problems both in Multitrack mode and in Edit (single track/stereo) mode – as well as with digital firewire and analog i/o drivers. The key to success is to decide how you want to record and playback:

Option 1) Via digital/Firewire for Edit ( mono/stereo track) or Multitrack recording/playback –

a. Launch PreSonus Universal Control utility on your PC to define audio in/out via StudioLive Firewire

b. Connect as many microphones/instruments/iPods etc… into StudioLive channels 3 to 16 (for example) so you can record, while also assigning sub1 for output

c. For Edit mode in AA3 using Edit -> Audio Hardware -> your FireWire for input, and for output; or

For Multitrack mode in AA3 Select Mono -> StudioLive Channel 3 for Track 1, Channel 4 for Track 2, etc… (for this hypothetical channel setup example)

d. For Edit mode click record on AA3 and test, if you want to include dynamics on StudioLive don’t forget to “Dig Out” on each audio channel mentioned in b. above; or

For Multitrack mode, arm each channel you want to record (you may need to do this before step c above to switch from analog to Firewire driver), then click record button when ready;

e. for playback from AA3 through StudioLive, check AA3 master mixer output select Firewire channel 1 and 2 for output (in this stereo example or just channel 1 for mono), on StudioLive make sure “Firewire” button is lit just below the trim knob, and adjust channel 1 and 2 trim and dynamics as desired.

Option 2) Via analog for Edit without use of Firewire ( mono/stereo track) recording/playback –

a. Connect PC microphone jack into sub1 (for example) output so you can send audio to your PC;

b. Connect as many microphones/instruments/iPods etc… into StudioLive channels 3 to 16 (for example) so you can record, while also assigning sub1 for output;

c. Connect PC speaker/headphone jack to channel 1 and 2 Line input on PreSonus StudioLive (for stereo example, just channel 1 in this hypothetical example for mono);

d. In AA3 using Edit -> Audio Hardware -> select your analog microphone for input, and your speaker/headphone for output;

d. Click record on AA3 and test your setup, if you want to include dynamics from StudioLive into your AS3 recording, don’t forget to select “Dig Out” on each StudioLive audio channel mentioned in b. above;

e. For playback from AA3 through StudioLive, check AA3 master mixer output to make sure speaker/headphone jack is selected, and make sure channels 1 and 2 are setup for reasonable volume and dynamics for playback via StudioLive (headphones in my case).

I hope this helps others who have these tools but are unable to figure out how to connect them together.

References

LectureMaker’s Video Studio

PreSonus StudioLive 16.4.2

Adobe Audition Audio Capture, Edit, and Music Creation Software

Technorati Tags: Adobe, Analog, Audio, Audition, Event Capture, FireWire, Podcasting, PreSonus, StudioLive

Humorous Speech – What Makes It funny?

ronf — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:39:54 +0000

Ron Fredericks writes: Well it’s that time of year again at Toastmasters International – the annual Humorous Speech Contest for clubs and their local areas.

Read the rules for detail on the format of this type of meeting: rules (as PDF document)

Two key points from the Toastmasters rules for humorous speech contest:

Speech should be from 5 to 7 minutes long
A humorous speech is not usually a funny speech with jokes, it’s more likely to be a serious speech told in a humorous manner.

But for those of us that find telling jokes or contemplate what is funny – this next section may help.

Helpful tips for adding humor to your next speech

Timing is one of the most important aspects. Here is one article on how to master the art of humor with effective timing along with some examples from famous comedians: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comic_timing

I recently found a list of ten familiar circumstances that produce laughter, taken from “The Film Director”, 2^nd edition, by Richard L. Bare. Many of these points would have to be modified to be suitable for a Toastmasters club meeting, but the categories are useful as a reminder to me all the same:

Any breach of the usual order of events, such as eating with chopsticks when one is accustomed to forks.
Any forbidden breach of the usual order, such as belching in public.
Any indecency, such as a man caught outside his house in his underwear.
Any importing into one situation that which belongs in another, such as a drunk at a funeral service.
Anything masquerading as something it is not, such as two people in a horse costume.
Plays on words, such as puns, spoonerisms, etc.
Nonsense, such as television’s 3^rd Rock From the Sun.
Minor misfortunes, such as a man who slips on a banana peel.
Any incompetence, such as the paperhanger who gets tangled up in his paper.
Veiled insults (Wife: “To you, marriage is just a word.” Husband: “It’s more than a word; it’s a sentence.”)

My experience in last year’s humorous speech contest

On September 30’th, 2008, I was the candidate from Blue Cube Toastmasters representing us at our area’s humorous speech contest using my prepared speech notes below. During the speech I outlined my how my experience with whales taught me to be a better project planner:

How whales have improved my understanding of project planning – humorous speech notes from Ron Fredericks area contest 2008

1) Speed is important: I overheard a girl at the Monterey Aquarium ask her dad what the gooey stuff between the killer whale’s teeth was? Another guy in the crowd told her “That gooey stuff was the slowest swimmer”. Project planning is an effort to rally a team to deliver a new or updated product within a certain amount of time. Speed is the essence around this effort.

2) Honesty leads to better results: My grandfather moved to the Bay Area and was easily taken advantage of by some vendors in this community. His worst purchase was a life insurance policy at 80 years old from a horrible little outfit. Afterwards, he was hit by a falling wooden whale hanging over a fish restaurant entrance in a freak accident. He filed an insurance claim stating he was “hit by a falling whale” – in Sunnyvale! In turns out being hit by falling whales, was the only claim with a payout from that insurance company. Project planning is an effort built on communication between management and technical expert stakeholders. Removal of time line padding from project estimates allows future project time estimates to be improved from experience gathered as current time line estimates run their course. Tracking actual earned value during the course of a project allows the project manager to schedule meetings between stakeholders to resolve time and budget deviations at the earliest possible moment. Honesty combined with speed is the essence around this effort.

3) Do your research before executing your plan: I discussed the famous exploding whale incident on a beach in Oregon back in 1970. The park ranger decided to remove the carcass of a dead 8 ton 45 ft long beached whale with 1/2 ton of dynamite on the advice of the local military training center. The explosion spread blubber bits on everyone in the large crowd of spectators held back 1/4 mile for their own protection in a parking lot, with several cars completely crushed by the larger pieces. Half the whale was still on the beach too. It was later realized that most communities tow their dead whales out to sea as a low impact environmentally friendly solution. No engineering project need be planned in a vacuum. Research the outcome and lessons learned from previous similar projects before launching a new project. Research combined with honesty and speed is the essence around this effort.

No, I didn’t win the humorous speech contest. I went over the time limit by 3 seconds – 3 important seconds past the disqualification mark. But I had a significant public speaking and leadership learning experience:

Walking up to give my speech while worrying if I could be humorous on demand in front of such a large audience,
Working with my club and our area before the event, and
Participating in the event itself.

I recommend you try out for the Toastmasters Humorous Speech and Evaluation contest in your local area too – even if you are a relatively new member. Perhaps you too will find new public speaking and leadership skills as the event unfolds.

Technorati Tags: contest, funny, humorous, Lecture Secrets, speech, Toastmasters

Blue Cube Toastmasters

admin — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:39:19 +0000

Welcome to Blue Cube

The Blue Cube Toastmasters Club members meet regularly in a business-like environment to develop and improve their public speech and leadership skills.

The club meets at LectureMaker LLC’s office every Tuesday from 5:30pm to 6:30pm
830 Stewart Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94085

Figure 1 – Ron Fredericks is hired as a technical marketer and public speaker, Moscone Center, thanks to skills learned as a Toastmaster.

Who can participate

Guests are welcome
Visiting Toastmasters from other clubs are welcome
Toastmasters officers from area, district, and beyond are welcome
Adults 18 years or older may apply for membership
Blue Cube Club officers reserve the right to refuse individual participation at its sole discretion

Benefits to Jointing Blue Cube
The main benefits to joining any Toastmasters club revolves around public speech and leadership training.

One special benefit of LectureMaker’s sponsorship of the Blue Cube Toastmasters Club is that members can request their speeches and evaluations be videotaped and published. Some of those videos are posted here.

Contact Ron Fredericks to learn more about LectureMaker’s sponsorship of Blue Cube Toastmasters Club to:

Request a password to access members’ only videos
Learn how to become a club member
Create blog posts for the club’s benefit
Get more information on meeting agenda or membership

Best regards,

Ron Fredericks
Phone: 408-390-1895
Email: RonF@LectureMaker.com

Technorati Tags: leadership, Public Speech, Ron Fredericks, Toastmasters

Use Screencasting In Your Next Lecture

admin — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:29:55 +0000

Ron Fredericks writes: Screencasting is an easy way to document your activities on a computer. Its a digital recording of computer screen output, opten containing audio narration.

During a recent poll, I found very few people were aware of screencasting . Watch my online lecture on the subject to learn how to:

Express your ideas as a screencast on the web,
Embed them within documentation instead of screenshots mixed with tedious explanations, or
Use them as visual aids to enhance your next public lecture, as I have done here.

Introduction to Screencasting: Quicktime Video

During this 10 minute Quicktime video you will learn:

How to use screencasting as a fast and clear communication tool,
The value in working with your local Toastmasters club as a public lecture resource,
How to use the free and open source screencasting tool called Camstudio.

Lecture secrets: Two examples of Camstudio screencasting are included in this video. One example of a screencast captured using a video camera of an LCD monitor is used in this video.

This online lecture is a recording of my prepared speech presented to the Blue Cube Toastmasters club from the advanced manual Communicating on Television

For those who live near or travel to Sunnyvale, CA – you’re welcome to visit our Toastmasters club with regular meetings held at the LectureMaker LLC video studio conference room:
http://bluecube.freetoasthost.com

Technorati Tags: Blue Cube, Camstudio, Ron Fredericks, screencast, Screencasting, Toastmasters, Video

How to Display Math Symbols in WordPress

admin — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:52:30 +0000

Ron Fredericks writes: Have you ever wanted to include math equations in your blog posts or lecture materials? Here is an easy and slick way to get the job done. Use Embedded Components new WordPress plugin called WordPress Math Publisher, or wpmathpub, for short.

As an example, when I embedded the wpmathpub [pmath size=xx] tag into my blog post — like this:

Code (mathtext)
[pmath size=16](a^2+b^2)=a^2+2*a*b+b^2[/pmath] 
 
Where: 
[pmath size=12]~a[/pmath] is defined as a 
[pmath size=12]~b[/pmath] is defined as b

I get the following mathematical equation displayed in my blog post:

where:
is defined as a
is defined as b

You can learn more from the plugin’s wiki-like documentation on wordpress.org site itself from here:

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wpmathpub/

You can post questions or comments on this plugin from here:

http://www.embeddedcomponents.com/blogs/2008/03/wpmathpubsupport/

Technorati Tags: equation, math, phpmathpublisher, plugin, Ron Fredericks, WordPress, wpmathpub

Lectue Secrets

admin — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 09:15:58 +0000

A new blog dedicated to delivering high quality lectures.

Technorati Tags: blog, Lecture