Recording interviews over the telephone is powerful tool for creating content and info products.
However, be aware of headsets and telephone hand helds.
The diameter of the mouth piece (microphone) will very the quality of the spoken word delivered via the telephone line. I will not get into the technical aspect of KHz and bandwidth, but the thing to remember is:
1) The quality of the telephone. Those $9.99 telephones you can buy at the pharmacy or retail sales stores are... well.. worth 10 bucks, so be sure to use a quality telephone
2) The smaller the microphone diameter (the size of the microphone capsule in the telephone) is in most cases limiting or enhancing the audio quality. The larger the capsule usually gives you better low end (bass) response and consequently a better voice recording
3) Wireless phones and cel phones... you are taking a chance that interference, battery decay and signal strength will effect your recording.
So yes, size does matter
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Flash Back to Audio Technology 1985
Interesting how times have really changed.
20 years ago I was editing voice recordings done in a studio in the same location on a 2 track Scully Reel to Reel tape recorder. I would then edit the narration using a rasor blade and splicing block.
Yesterday I recorded a narration by telephone with someone in Wisconsin and I am in Montreal, QC, Canada. It was recorded on a computer and edited using a program called sound forge. Then I uploaded the final files onto my server and the client in wisconsin downloaded them.
Today, 1 day later, they are a final CD for sale to subscribers.
Gotta love it!
PS: I was paid within an hour of completion through electronic banking....
20 years ago I was editing voice recordings done in a studio in the same location on a 2 track Scully Reel to Reel tape recorder. I would then edit the narration using a rasor blade and splicing block.
Yesterday I recorded a narration by telephone with someone in Wisconsin and I am in Montreal, QC, Canada. It was recorded on a computer and edited using a program called sound forge. Then I uploaded the final files onto my server and the client in wisconsin downloaded them.
Today, 1 day later, they are a final CD for sale to subscribers.
Gotta love it!
PS: I was paid within an hour of completion through electronic banking....
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Promote in Your Online Audio Messages
More and more websites now have audio on the home or landing page.
However, many forget to promote their "sign up" for a newsletter, podcast or product notifications.
Explaining the quick simple steps, as well as and equaly important, benefits of signing up.
Website marketers and owners are always asking how they can build their mailing list. Why not take advantage of your own website to move your prospects closer to the sale.
However, many forget to promote their "sign up" for a newsletter, podcast or product notifications.
Explaining the quick simple steps, as well as and equaly important, benefits of signing up.
Website marketers and owners are always asking how they can build their mailing list. Why not take advantage of your own website to move your prospects closer to the sale.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Forced to Listen
Been a bit of a gap here due to the fact that I have fighting a cold. (Head, nose and throat).
Drinking lots of water, sweating it out and rest has been the order of the last few days. Of course, giving the throat a bit of a break by talking the least possible has made me appreciate (once again) that listening is so important.
I ride the train in and out of town when I go into the city (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) , which is about once a week.
Today on the way back I noticed that about 2 out of 5 people were plugged into MP3 players and iPods. (This is good news for Podcasters!)
2 out of 5 are reading or snoozing, hope they don't miss their stop and the rest are having conversations.
Now some are loud and others more intimate.
Why am I telling you this?
Just to say that LOUD constantly, is annoying and to quite forces you to over consentrate to listen, which is very tiring.
Listening should not be work for your audience.
Speaking with some variation of volume, vocal infection, good tone and using pauses when intended is what makes dialog interesting and keeps the listener tuned into the conversation.
NOTE: 4 Cellular phones rang during the few minutes that I wrote this.
Boy are we plugged in or what?
Bernie
Drinking lots of water, sweating it out and rest has been the order of the last few days. Of course, giving the throat a bit of a break by talking the least possible has made me appreciate (once again) that listening is so important.
I ride the train in and out of town when I go into the city (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) , which is about once a week.
Today on the way back I noticed that about 2 out of 5 people were plugged into MP3 players and iPods. (This is good news for Podcasters!)
2 out of 5 are reading or snoozing, hope they don't miss their stop and the rest are having conversations.
Now some are loud and others more intimate.
Why am I telling you this?
Just to say that LOUD constantly, is annoying and to quite forces you to over consentrate to listen, which is very tiring.
Listening should not be work for your audience.
Speaking with some variation of volume, vocal infection, good tone and using pauses when intended is what makes dialog interesting and keeps the listener tuned into the conversation.
NOTE: 4 Cellular phones rang during the few minutes that I wrote this.
Boy are we plugged in or what?
Bernie
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Frequently Asked Questions in Audio
One of the big time consumers in business is reapeting the same answer to the same questions over and over.
Now most web sites have an FAQ page. But in all fairness when the answers are to long, many visitors will not read them and either:
1) Ask the question in an email
2) Just leave the site to never come back.
An audio answer option explaining your response is just as effective as when you are at a business networking event or having coffee with a prospect and telling your listener the answer to the common question.
You'll not only be sharing some usefull info, bringing your listener to a better understanding of how you can help, but solidifying the relationship because hearing a voice brings with it personality. Personality that is hard to transmit in a brief amount of time with just the written word.
Now most web sites have an FAQ page. But in all fairness when the answers are to long, many visitors will not read them and either:
1) Ask the question in an email
2) Just leave the site to never come back.
An audio answer option explaining your response is just as effective as when you are at a business networking event or having coffee with a prospect and telling your listener the answer to the common question.
You'll not only be sharing some usefull info, bringing your listener to a better understanding of how you can help, but solidifying the relationship because hearing a voice brings with it personality. Personality that is hard to transmit in a brief amount of time with just the written word.
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