Audio

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Get the FIR widget!

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I found a new service called Sprout that allows you to build a widget that plays multimedia, among a lot of other things. It’s remarkably easy to use, as I found out when I managed to get into the beta. It took about 10 minutes to build this widget, which plays the most current episode of FIR. As each episode is posted, I’ll just go into the widget builder and update the media link so it always plays the most recent episode. Just copy the embed code (click “share") and visitors to your site or blog can listen to FIR directly from your page. Pretty cool, huh?

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

New gadgets: A handheld recorder and a microphone filter

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I’ve been coveting the Marantz PMD-620 digital recorder ever since I saw an early model on the trade show floor at Podcast Expo. I have the M-Audio Microtrack 24/96, but I’ve been having some issues with it that led me to explore alternatives. I’m already a loyal user of the PMD-660, about the size of a thick paperback book. The PMD-620 packs most of the 660’s functionality into a package about the size of a deck of cards.

It arrived the other day and I’ve been playing with it. While the real test will come with a real recording session, so far I’m thrilled with this device. The recorder comes with stereo condenser microphones built in—no more snapping an external mic into the 24/96 jack. The sound from the internal microphones is terrific, but it’s even better when I jack in my Giant Squid Audio lapel microphone. I’ve also tried it with a full-sized dynamic microphone, which also sounds great. The 620 automatically detects a microphone’s presence and adjsuts its settings accordingly.

The unit also features a “line-in” jack, which will make it a breeze to record FIR when I’m on the road.

The display is crystal clear with a wide range of settings, and the settings are fairly intuitive to use. The PMD-620 comes with a power adapter but also runs on two double-A batteries, which resolves one of my bigger issues with the 24/96, which uses a non-replacable lithium-ion battery that needs to be recharged when it runs out of juice. So far, the power display on the 620 is showing “full” despite the several hours I’ve spent experimenting with it.

The 620 uses an SD card with no limit on storage. I have a 4GB card in the unit, which will handle about 6-1/2 hours of recording to the uncompressed WAV format. I got mine from Sweetwater, where I order most of my audio gear, for $399.97, comparable to the prices of similar devices.

My other acquisition is an sE Electronics Reflexion Filter. This won’t excite anybody, but considering the volume of the fannoise on my Sony VAIO, I was looking for some solution that would reduce the hiss in my recording. (The computer needs to be on since I’m recording over Skype.) This filter is designed to improve the sound of the acoustic space surrounding the microphone, for people who don’t have acoustically-padded rooms (which I don’t). Sound input into the microphone passes through seven layers, diffusing the acoustic waves around the mic and keeping the sound from bouncing back. But it also does a nice job of filtering out ambient noises, reducing the fan noise considerably. Noise reduction in my audio editing software deals with the rest.

The filter was $299; I got mine at Guitar Center.

Yep, it’s been a good week for gadgets.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Utterzly cool

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So how did I miss Utterz? Jeez, you spend a few weeks on the road and you’re out of the loop!

I first saw the site referenced this morning in a post by Robert Scoble, which directed me over to Jeremiah Owyan’s blog, where he had posted his first Utterz. It looked simple enough, so I did one of my own. You’ll be able to hear any I do in the future in the widget over in the right-hand column of the page, although if they’re interesting enough, I’ll also post them as blog items, like this one.

Utterz lets you post any audio, test, photo or video via your cell phone or email (or direct upload, for that matter). You can put what you’ve posted on your blog or people can access it from your Utterz profile (mine is here and looks like this (only bigger):

The content in an Utterz profile can be shared just like a YouTube video, via an embed code. You can also listen to Utterz over your cell phone. I haven’t explored the full potential of Utterz yet, but will over the next few days as discretionary time allows. But this tool definitely looks like it has potential. Now, if only I could direct my Utterz to my Twitter stream…

Anyway, I gave it a try with a commentary I also discussed on yesterday’s FIR about whether consumer-generated video is a viable channel for making a living:

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Audio podcasting: Commenting on the comments

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Warning: Long post follows!

I arrived at a client meeting early and had time to kill, so I popped my wireless broadband card into my laptop and hammered out a post on podcating I’d been mulling over for some time. I figured I’d get a few comments—three, maybe four. But more than 30? Funny, isn’t it, how the posts you think will spark an outpouring of comments get a few and those you think will inspire only a few produce a torrent.

There were too many to address in the comment thread, so I figured—as long as I have 4-1/2 hours to kill on a flight home from Chicago—that I’d tackle them here.

To start, I have to express my awe and admiration at the thought, the passion, and the expertise conveyed in all of your comments. There are a lot of dedicated and smart people out there engaged in this space! It’s humbling that so many of them took the time to share their thoughts on my post.

Now, on to my reactions.

The money is flowing to video

Chris Brogan points out that the post I addressed didn’t dismiss audio as a medium, but suggested that those looking to make a living focus their efforts on video because that’s where sponsorships and advertising are going. I must admit, I did a lousy job of articulating this.

I agree, to a point. First off, advertisers from big consumer brands understand video: “It’s like TV, but on your computer.” Those videos that get tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions of views, which makes it easy for traditional advertisers who think in terms of CPM (cost per thousand).

The CPM model works like this: “Out of every thousand people who view a video (or TV show), a few might actually be in the market for our product. We’ll pay to reach them because, when you consider the total audience for that video (or show), there will be a critical mass of the those people.” That is, a video that gets 10 million viewers could include 100,000 buyers. When you look at a viral video like the skateboarding clip that has been viewed in excess of 19 million times, the CPM model makes sense.

Audio podcasting is another story. Niche-focused shows delivered by RSS can only confuse traditional advertisers. FIR (the podcast I co-host with Neville Hobson (that weird UK guy) has an audience of about 1,500, give or take. Under the CPM model, that’s one-and-a-half. What’s an advertiser to make of that?

On the other hand, FIR targets a niche audience. Our research indicates about 80% of our audience work in PR or organizational communications, are somewhat to very senior, and have budgets up into the millions of dollars. That’s a very attractive market to niche advertisers, which led CustomScoop (a media monitoring service) and Lawrence Ragan Communciations (a communications trade organization) to seek us out for advertising and sponsorship. We won’t get rich off of these relationships, but we never saw podcasting as a money-making venture to begin with, so it’s all cream.

The point of my original post is that the lack of a uniform infrastructure is holding audio podcasting back. Short videos with broad appeal don’t need a new infrastucture; the Web works just fine. Once podcasting gets its uniform infrastructure, and people like my mom are able to subscribe and listen without calling their kids for help, it’ll make more sense to advertisers and more of the money—including mainstream media buys—will start flowing the other direction. (After all, advertisers spend plenty on radio.) But most audio podcasting will always appeal to the niche, not the greatest common denominator as online video does.

So Chris is probably right—produce a silly video that gets millions of views and you’re more likely to make serious money than if you produce a thought-provoking, stimulating audio podcast targeting, say, structural engineers, even though marketers who want to reach structural engineers will be better served buying a sponsorship for the audio podcast than advertising on the skateboarding clip.

By the way, Chris is exactly right when he says that, ultimately, good content will win whether it’s audio or video. Crap is crap, regardless of the medium, just as gold is gold.

The plethora of bad podcasts

Sorry, Rob Usdin, but I largely disagree with you on this one. Rob Walch’s point isn’t that the ease of producing high-quality audio has produced nothing but great audio podcasts. His point is that the potential is there to produce a podcast that’s as good (if not better) than radio. (Geez, just listen to any edition of P.W. Fenton’s ”Digital Flotsam,” whichb beats the hell out of anything I’ve ever heard on NPR.) The fact that there’s a ton of garbage on TV hasn’t led anybody to believe that a Ken Burns documentary or a ”Firefly” isn’t possible. Audiences still flock to the movies even though producers crank out tasteless and brainless movies by the score. People listen to good podcasts—or, at least, podcasts they like—and ignore the rest.

Further, I don’t think most people figure out how to subscribe to a podcast first. They listen via the Flash player or download it first, sampling until they find something they like. Then they subscribe.

I don’t have to work hard as an indie podcaster to build an audience. My audience can’t find anything like FIR from mainstream broadcasters, and that’s true of everything from ”Grammar Girl” to the several knitting podcasts. People who listen to FIR (and ”Manager Tools” for that matter) do so as a new form of professional development, not entertainment. In that regard, it’s a unique medium (and one that, as noted above, is attracting advertisers and sponsors).

Chip, you also address the volume of bad podcasts produced by amateurs who ramble, rant, and whine (as compared to interactive radio). But as you know, there are also podcasts that are more interactive than radio can hope to be (based on the fact that you can interact without having to listen at the precise time the show is being broadcast). Cream rises to the top. With some 60,000 or more podcasts in production, it should be obvious that there are probably 50,000 or more that have audiences made up of a small circle of friends (or, perhaps, nobody at all). But that leaves a huge number of shows that can attract substantial audiences based on quality content, quality production, or in some happy cases, both.

By the way, Chip, the only way I can easily tune into the last few minutes of a radio broadcast is if I happen to switch to the station at during its last few minutes (as Rob Walch calls it, the “stumble upon” method). I can tune into the last few minutes of any podcast, any time, by fast-forwarding my media player or portable device, which takes only a few seconds.

It’s in our DNA to view video communally

While some people do watch TV in groups, some watch it alone and most people don’t gather around the computer monitor to watch videos, for the most part. It’s an individual experience. Yet people sit in the car together and listen to radio. On XM Radio, every Saturday night at 8 p.m. Pacific, “Deep Tracks” plays the long version of Iron Butterfly’s Inna Gadda Da Vida.” People get together and have parties based on that broadcast. My wife and I get in the car and cruise. It most certainly is about the content!

Ease of listening

Chip, Johan, and Whitney, you’re making my point! In order to move to the next level, a simple, one-click infrastructure is required so you won’t have to wrestle with iTunes!

You also talked about being tethered to a computer or device, which is true. But have you been on a bus or train lately? Have you seen the number of people with buds jammed into their ears? (Rob Walch notes there are 100 million iPods out there, and other brands are selling briskly, too.) How about the number of laptops open on a flight? People are happily and voluntarily tethering themselves, which means someone will benefit by satisfying a growing need for different types of content.

Indexing of content is also an infrastructure issue.

Vaspers, you mention that you don’t like listening to podcasts while working on a computer because it’s too distracting. By the same token, though, I suspect you don’t watch videos while you’re working—it’s even more distracting! And if you listen to music instead of podcasts, can I recommend the music podcasts “Accident Hash,” “Roadhouse,” and “Coverville” for starters? Listening to music is great, but I can’t tolerate the music on radio—the same 40 songs played over and over, pushed by RIAA labels to promote the likes of Britney Spears. I’d much rather listen to new talent uploading their music to the Podsafe Music Network. Rock on, Brother Love!

Podcasting is already mainstream

Several comments assert that podcasts are mainstream because CNN and other outlets offer them. Businesses are podcasting, too (a tiny sampling: Disney, Whirlpool, Speedo, Oracle), as are politicians and other institutions (including non-profits like the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which sponsors the Cystic Fibrosis podcast—talk about content you can’t get anywhere else!). It’s even a vehicle for employee communications. But that doesn’t make it mainstream. Say “TV” and “radio” and you get universal recognition in return. Say “podcasting” and you’re as likely as not to get eyebrows furrowed in confusion. When my Great Aunt Rose (who was an honest-to-God riveter in World War II), my sister-in-law Marcia, and my next-door neighbor Carter tell me they’re listening to podcasts, I’ll concede that it’s gone mainstream.

Mainstream also does not mean mass audiences. As noted above, I do believe most podcasts will always appeal to niches. But 100,000 podcasts with audiences of 100 each still reach 10 million people, right? And a million podcasts with 100 listeners each still reach 100 million people. And, of course, indie shows like “Manager Tools” reach a hell of a lot more than 100 people. Even Neville and my humble little podcast reach 15 times more than that!

The power of video

Good thoughts, Ron, but I think your video podcast appealed to more people because barbeque is a visual activity: I’d rather watch you grill than hear you talk about it; I’ll learn more that way. On the other hand, there’s nothing visual about what Neville and I talk about; there would be no point in watching us talk and play audio clips from correspondents and listeners. I’d be willing to bet our audience would dwindle if we went video. Ultimately, whether audio or video is a better medium for one thing or another is a huge case of “it depends.”

Wrap-up

To those I didn’t mention by name, I truly do appreciate your thoughts and, with luck, I offered my two cents in the course of this long-winded post. A special thanks to Matt Searles. What can I say? It’s comments like yours that make all of this so incredibly worthwhile!

By no means was my original intent to denegrate video. I watch video. ”Geek Brief TV” kicks ass, ”Ask a Ninja” still makes me laugh, and have you seen ”Hot for Words” yet? Oh, my God…

My only point is that audio is a viable medium, one that isn’t going anywhere, even as online video’s star rises. There’s plenty of attention to go around, there are ample advertising dollars available, there are plenty of MP3 devices in the field. But podcasting’s growth will remain incremental until an infrastructure emerges that makes it as drop-dead easy to use as picking up a telephone, turning on a TV, and, yes, clicking the play button on a YouTube video. Other factors will also help mainstream audio podcasting, too (do read Rob Walch’s column in the upcoming issue of “Blogger and POdcaster” magazine, which he shared with me over drinks on Wednesday night in Kansas City).

Because there is no profit motive for companies with big money to come together to create that infrastructure (which, again, already exists for video), we’re not likely to see a surge in the growth of audio podcasting. It will continue to be a slow, steady climb, just as it has been for some time now.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Nokia acqusition signals greater convergence

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I hadn’t even heard of Twango until yesterday, when the announcement came down that Nokia had acquired the multimedia file sharing site. Nokia apparently looked at about 75 companies before settling on the 10-person firm running out of the founder’s basement. The fact that the company is made up of former Microsoft employees who get Internet services had something to do with the decision.

More interesting is the reason Nokia went after such a company at all. According to the press release, “Nokia will be able to offer people an easy way to share multimedia content through their desktop and mobile devices.”

“The Twango acquisition is a concrete step towards our consumer Internet services vision of providing seamless access to information, entertainment, and social networks – at any time, anywhere, from any connected device, in any way that you choose. We have the most complete suite of connected multimedia experiences including music, navigation, games, and – with the Twango acquisition – photos, videos, and a variety of document types,” said Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Multimedia, Nokia. “When you combine a Nokia N-series multimedia computer that is always on, always connected, and always with you together with a rich media sharing destination like Twango, people will have exciting new ways to create and enjoy rich media experiences in real time.”

It’s another sign that the cell phone is becoming a more ubiquitous communication tool; companies not preparing content and services for the cell phone (as, for instance, the Mayo Clinic has) need to start strategizing.

(It’s also a sign that there are still phones out there other than the iPhone that can attract consumer attention.)

Twango is a nifty site. Unlike most media sharing sites, it allows for uploading of any kind of multimedia—audio, video, and photos. No login is necessary and you can upload your photos from a variety of device types (like, for instance, your cell phone). Embedding the content is as easy as it is with YouTube, but the same embed process works for all media types, not just video. There’s also a feature that lets you record a video with your webcam directly from the site and embed it in your blog or send it as an email attachment.

Friday, April 20, 2007

The next step in live blogging

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The kerfuffle over live blogging isn’t likely to subside any time soon, given the growing popularity of live online communication. Add audio and video to the mix and the people who hold live blogging in disdain are likely to go apopleptic.

To summarize, the foes of live blogging don’t like its instant nature—they’d rather bloggers took notes offline then pondered those notes for a while before writing an article (instead of instantly posting their notes). They also don’t like the fact that bloggers are tapping away at their keyboards—a distraction for the speaker.

If typing is a distraction, wait’ll people start showing up with video cameras aimed at them! Sites like Stickam and UStream let anybody with a camera and a Net connection broadcast live video. Initially, these services gained attention when a San Francisco tech guy named Justin began live-broadcasting just about everything he did, including sleep.

Of course, live webcams are hardly new, but the ability to house the stream on any page, a la YouTube, is just one of the features that makes these sites more compelling than the typical webcam broadcast.

Over at PodTech Robert Scoble and Jeremiah Owyang took UStream for a spin at the recent Web 2.0 conference, using the live streaming capability to broadcast panel discussions and other activities. (Jeremiah wrote about it here.)

As if being broadcast live—every word you say—isn’t enough, you could also be recorded for posterity. It has long been one of Doug Kaye‘s goals to capture as many meetings, conferences, workshops, speeches and other activities as audio files and make them searchable and retrievable. Recently, Kaye launched Podcorps, “a corps of volunteer stringers who can show up at these events with their digital recorders, process the digital audio, and then publish it — typically at the Internet Archive,” according to Jon Udell’s report.

I suppose those who don’t like live blogging may have less of a problem with live video and recorded audio, since they present accurate accounts and cannot be spun by an author (Steve Crescenzo’s criticism of live blogging that took place during one of his talks). But again, the argument can be made that most TV reporters shoot video, then go back to the studio and edit it. Of course, that’s not the case for on-the-spot reporting, and access to services like UStream and Stickam will make just about any event on-the-spot, and the audio files uploaded to the Internet Archive will be of the “live to the hard drive” variety—recorded and uploaded without any post-production. And in terms of distraction, as Shel Israel (the target of Crescenzo’s ire) notes, “What happens when UStream gets popular and there are as many cameras in the room as there are clickers on keyboards?”

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? It doesn’t really matter; it’s here and conference organizers and other institutions will have to figure out how to make the best of it. Certainly there are opportunities to do more than ban cameras, along with laptops, from conferences.