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Archive for October 2007
No Episode This Week
Posted on Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 2:17 PM by Jason Barker
Just a quick note to let you know that there will be no episode of GET WISDOM this week. I am frantically working to complete my new Bible study, Life Together: An Interactive Study of 1 Corinthians, which launches on Thursday, November 1.
You can learn more about this free Bible study, as well as my other work, at my Orthodox Christian Bible Studies blog.
Posted in News
GET WISDOM Should be on The ARK This Weekend
Posted on Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 3:46 PM by Jason Barker
I just received word that GET WISDOM has finally been uploaded to the OCN's server and added to The ARK's playlist, and therefore should stream at its scheduled times (11:00 AM and 5:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday) beginning this weekend.
Posted in News
GET WISDOM 3: 1 Corinthians 1
Posted on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 12:19 AM by Jason Barker
In this episode of GET WISDOM we begin our study of 1 Corinthians, looking at what chapter one tells us about the problem of divisiveness in a church.
Podcast (MP3): Click here to download.
Study Guide (PDF): Click here to download.
Posted in Episodes
Creating GET WISDOM 2: Choosing an Interface
Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 at 3:44 PM by Jason Barker
In the first post in this series I wrote about the criteria I used in selecting a microphone, and the advantages and disadvantages in the microphone I use (the Heil PR40). In this post I'll discuss choosing an interface.
Unless you are using a high-quality USB microphone to record your podcast (like the Rode Podcaster), you will need an interface to connect a professional microphone to your computer (this is assuming, of course, that you will use software to record and/or edit your recording). I will briefly go over some of the options I considered, and then finish up with the interface I ultimately chose (which, if you only want my conclusion, is the Mackie Onxy Satellite).
I initially considered getting a simple interface with one or two mic preamps. There are a number of makes and models of entry-level interfaces, with numerous choices for USB and Firewire connections. The primary interface I originally considered, the Presonus Firebox, is extremely popular with podcasters (as well as people who want to record singing or guitar writing sessions and practices), and allows 24-bit/96k recording using Cubase LE. I also considered the M-Audio Fast Track Pro, but preferred the native 24-bit recording of the Presonus' Firewire connection.
I then began thinking about how GET WISDOM might grow down the road: might it involve more than two hosts in the future (a remote possibility, given that I live in Hooterville, but still something to be considered)? I really like the Mackie Onyx with a Firewire card, particularly for its excellent Onxy preamps, but cannot afford $1000 for a mixer. I've read good things about the Alesis MultiMix 8 with Firewire, but have also read a number of negative reviews from knowledgeable reviewers, and I also simply didn't like the feel of the mixer when I tried it out at a store. Since I will probably not need a mixer in the near future, I thus began to look away from mixers and back to simple interfaces.
It was during this research and testing that I discovered that the Mackie Onyx Satellite interface, which debuted not long ago at $400, had just been dropped to $200. The Onxy Satellite uses the same Onyx preamps as the more expensive (and, of course, more full-featured) Onyx mixer, and it also includes inputs that would make it possible to connect a mixer in the future if necessary. This made my final decision easy, and I have gone with the Mackie Onyx Satellite.
To this point I've been very pleased with the interface. Running the Heil PR40 requires running the gain at about 57 db (of 60), but there is absolutely no distortion, and the sound is quite clean. I've also had no problem using my mic processor with the interface.
Users of Apple OS X should know that, if you've updated OS X to 10.4.10, the system will not immediately recognize the Mackie interface. You will need to roll back your Firewire driver from 2.1 to 2.01 - instructions are available from Mackie. I did this, and it worked without a problem.
In my next post I will discuss choosing a mic processor (and reasons why you may choose to not use a processor). In the meantime, please keep in mind that these discussions are simply my personal experiences and opinions. For example, any of the interfaces or mixers I discuss in this post would almost certainly be adequate for creating an excellent podcast; I simply am relating my choices given my preferences and circumstances.
Posted in News
GET WISDOM Not Yet Streaming on The ARK
Posted on Saturday, October 20, 2007 at 12:14 PM by Jason Barker
I listened to The ARK this morning, and noticed that GET WISDOM is still not streaming on the station (at least at its scheduled time of 11:00 AM EST); it also hasn't gone out as part of the OCN on the Go podcast feed. Since the program is on The ARK's schedule, I assume that there's simply been a delay getting the file into the various playlists.
Regardless of its current availability from the Orthodox Christian Network, you can always download the latest episode of GET WISDOM from this website or iTunes.
Posted in News
Creating GET WISDOM 1: Choosing and Using a Mic
Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at 3:23 PM by Jason Barker
I've decided to write a short series of articles describing how I create GET WISDOM! The Orthodox Bible Study Program for Teens. There are a tremendous number of priests laypersons working in Orthodox ministries who could provide superb content for radio programs and podcasts. For those interested in creating such programming, I hope you might be able to learn a little about audio production from the learning experiences through which I've gone (and continue to go).
There are many tutorials and overviews of podcast production (see here and here for two older but still useful examples), and thus I will not give such a general introduction to podcasting. Instead, I'll discuss some of the specific decisions I've made and approaches I take in my specific circumstances.
I'll begin by discussing the microphone I use, since the mic is the most important piece of equipment in audio recording.
I was somewhat fortunate in deciding to engage in an audio recording project that my bachelor's degree is in communication, with the emphasis in broadcast production (albeit television rather than radio). Thus, despite the fact that I haven't engaged in any production since I received my BA (sixteen years ago - egads, I'm growing old), and the fact that almost none of that work involved radio production, I nonetheless still had buried in the recesses of my memory general knowledge about microphones and audio recording.
I therefore knew that the best microphone for my circumstances - recording in a bedroom converted into a typical home office without any any acoustic treatment - is a dynamic microphone. Condenser microphones are much more popular with podcasters than dynamic microphones (see here for an explanation of the different types of mics), in large part because a decent condenser mic is less expensive than a decent dynamic mic, but dynamics are much better at off-axis sound rejection (meaning they do not pickup a lot of background noise coming from behind - and even the side of - the mic). Because my office has noise coming through the window from the highway about one-half mile away, as well as standard room echoes (particularly from the hollow closet door beside my desk), a dynamic mic was absolutely my preference.
My specific microphone I initially intended to purchase was a Shure SM7B, which has a good, rich sound and is very forgiving for people with poor mic technique (which absolutely includes me, as I'll discuss later). Unfortunately, dynamic mics require a lot of gain (the amount of amplification of an audio signal), and the SM7B requires a particularly high level of gain: in fact, it requires more gain than the mic preamps on most interfaces can provide without distortion (all professional microphones plug into a preamp to provide sufficient gain for recording; the preamps are the primary feature of most interfaces, which are the way you connect a professional microphone to a computer).
Therefore, after a mind-numbing amount of research and experimentation, I purchased a Heil PR-40 dynamic microphone. The Heil is popular with many podcasters (such as Leo Laporte), and its required gain level can be met by the preamps on most interfaces (it works very well with my Mackie Onyx Satellite, which I'll discuss in my next post). While the PR-40's sound is a bit "bright" for my voice (something I knew when I purchased it), I've nonetheless been pleased with the mic.
The biggest problem with the Heil PR-40 is that it requires very good mic technique (meaning the way in which you speak into the mic). As you can tell from listening to GET WISDOM, I have absolutely atrocious mic technique. I know how to speak into a mic (see here and here for good video tutorials about mic placement) - my collegiate training, combined with all the radio programs and church presentations at which I spoke in my days in Evangelical Protestant parachurch ministry, gave me a reasonable amount of experience in using a mic - but I have a very strange speech style. In addition to simply being very soft spoken, a serious childhood speech impediment, combined with a lifelong struggle with stuttering, causes me to speak in a way that does not record well: I have a serious problem with plosives (hard consonants like p, t, and k), as well as with excessive saliva (you might find it disgusting to mention salivation, but you'll be amazed - and possibly repulsed - by some of the things you hear the first time you record yourself). In case you are unaware of this fact, bad vocal habits and tics that are minor - and perhaps even generally unnoticed - when you are speaking in person can be horrendously irritating when someone is listening to them through headphones.
If you listen very carefully to my recordings (and, of course, I hope you don't listen THIS closely, but it might be useful in helping you identify problems you may have when recording), you'll hear three general problems: I have a very harsh, but flatly mid-range, voice; I tend to really slam out hard consonants at the beginning of sentences or clauses (e.g., saying "Corinth was..." can sound like I've just snapped a piece of wood); and saliva - specifically, saliva bubbles - can create a crackling sound when I speak. Regarding my voice, there is little I can do; I use a small amount of equalization, but only enough to add a little extra depth without changing the true sound of my voice (I'll discuss this in a later post). I've been able to reduce - but certainly not eliminate - my problem with plosives and mouth noise (the technical term for problems with things like saliva) by careful mic placement. I have the mic placed about twenty degrees to my left, elevated on its stand so that the center is about even with my left cheekbone, with the front pointing at the corner of my mouth. I also speak about three inches from the mic (perhaps slightly more, since I cannot measure exactly with the mic at an angle). This lets in a little more room noise than I would like - the Heil PR-40 works best when you can speak VERY closely - but it is the best compromise for moderating my speaking problems until I my mic technique improves and I can work the mic more closely.
If you purchase a Heil PR-40, and want to gain a better understanding of how to work this particular mic, Leo Laporte streams video of himself doing his Tech Guy radio program on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. You might get a better understanding of what I've just discussed by watching how Leo works his mic.
You will almost certainly need a pop filter when recording (a pop filter is a screen placed between the mic and your mouth that stops the explosive rush of air created when you speak plosives). I use a Sterling Audio PF1 metal screen; I chose this simply because I knew the metal would survive being grabbed by a highly inquisitive three year-old (and it has already proved its worth in this regard on several occasions), but if your circumstances do not require a particularly durable pop filter, then you would do fine with a less expensive nylon screen.
In my next post I'll discuss the rationaled behind choosing the interface I use.
Posted in News
Listen to GET WISDOM on The ARK
Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 at 1:08 AM by Jason Barker
In addition to subscribing to the GET WISDOM podcast, you can also listen to the program on The ARK, the Orthodox Christian Network's contemporary Orthodox music station. The program will stream on Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM (EST).
Posted in News
NEW BIBLE STUDY BOOKLET
Posted on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 at 9:55 AM by Jason Barker
You can now download my free, eight page, full-color booklet on Bible study, You Can Read the Bible: An Orthodox Guide to Bible Study.
The booklet gives a brief overview of why you should read the Bible, the role of Orthodox Tradition in Bible study, and three methods for engaging in transforming Bible study.
The first two episodes of GET WISDOM - and their study guides - were based on this booklet.
Download your free copy today!
Posted in News
Listening to The ARK and The RUDDER in OS X and Linux
Posted on Monday, October 08, 2007 at 1:14 PM by Jason Barker
As I've written before on my other blog, listening to the Orthodox Christian Network's Internet radio stations can be difficult for users of OS X and Linux, because the player pages for those stations use Direct X to embed the Windows Media Player into a webpage. Since OS X and Linux do not use Direct X, the player cannot embed and play in those systems (plus, Microsoft stopped development of the Windows Media Player at version 9 for OSX, and it doesn't exist at all for Linux).
OS X users can use Flip4Mac to substitute QuickTime for Windows Media Player, although I've never been satisfied with the performance of this workaround.
I've therefore looked at the code for the player pages for The ARK and The RUDDER, and have found the URLs for the direct Windows media streams for these stations (I do this every few months when I notice that the stations have updated their streams, and thus the old URLs I've posted before no longer work). Simply paste the URL of your choice into your WMA-capable media player, and you'll be able to listen to the station on OS X or Linux:
THE ARK
128k Stream: http://stream.nwrnetwork.com:7475/SAM_WMA_3A-128
32k Stream: http://stream.nwrnetwork.com:7475/SAM_WMA_3A
THE RUDDER
128k Stream: http://stream.nwrnetwork.com:7475/SAM_WMA_1P-128
32k Stream: http://stream.nwrnetwork.com:7475/SAM_WMA_1P (Note: At this time I wasn't able to open this stream, but it is the one given in the code for the low-speed stream)
You will still want to go to The ARK and The RUDDER's player pages when you're listening to see the artist and song information.
Posted in News
GET WISDOM 2: How Should I Study the Bible?
Posted on Sunday, October 07, 2007 at 10:37 PM by Jason Barker
In this episode of GET WISDOM we examine the question, "How you study the Bible?" We look at the practices of devotional reading, topical study, and book study to see how they can teach you about God, His Church, and your life as a Christian.
Get ready to GET WISDOM!
Podcast (MP3): Click here to download.
Study Guide (PDF): Click here to download.
Posted in Episodes
GET WISDOM Now Available Through iTunes
Posted on Monday, October 01, 2007 at 7:25 PM by Jason Barker
If you prefer to subscribe to podcasts through the iTunes store, instead of directly through the RSS feed, you can click here to go to GET WISDOM's page in the iTunes store.
Posted in News
GET WISDOM 1: Should I Study the Bible?
Posted on Monday, October 01, 2007 at 9:23 AM by Jason Barker
In the first episode of GET WISDOM we examine the question, "Should you study the Bible?" We look at the reasons for reading the Bible, the necessity of conforming our lives to the Bible, and the reasons why the Bible cannot be interpreted outside the teachings and practices of the Church.
Get ready to GET WISDOM!
Podcast (MP3): Click here to download.
Study Guide (PDF): Click here to download.
Posted in Episodes