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Give to the OCN, Get a Free Book
Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 5:15 PM by Jason Barker
The Orthodox Christian Network has a new donation program: give a monthly pledge of at least $10, and receive a free copy of Fr. Lawrence Farley's The Gospel of John: Beholding the Glory:
With your support and prayers, we've been touching lives for Christ and making a difference for Orthodox Christian outreach in this country for more than a decade.
Do you ever wonder if there's a way you can help spread the message? If so, I hope you'll consider joining us in this sacred cause today as a monthly donor. Your monthly gift would be a great help and it would support the long-term growth of Orthodox media outreach.
If you pledge $10 a month or more, we'll send you a gift copy of The Gospel of John by Fr. Lawrence Farley as our thanks for your support. This wonderful work explains the Gospel of St. John in a straightforward and Orthodox way to feed both heart and mind.
To make your pledge and receive your copy, please call us at 877.273.2348 or visit our Website to become a monthly donor.
Or if you are ready to pledge to make a difference for Orthodoxy, then click here to immediately begin your monthly donation of $10.00!
Once again, thank you for caring about Christ's Church and being a part of the growing OCN family!
Yours for the spread of Orthodoxy,
Rev. Dr. Christopher T. Metropulos
Executive Director
Orthodox
Christian Network
P.S. Your monthly pledge will make a real difference to the growth of Orthodox media outreach. Don't delay: We have a limited number of copies of The Gospel of John, so please make your pledge today. Thank you!
Posted in News
No Episode This Week
Posted on Sunday, June 08, 2008 at 7:52 PM by Jason Barker
There will not be an episode of GET WISDOM this week (June 8-14); something has come up that will take up most of my time this week, and unfortunately will not leave time for preparing, recording, and editing a podcast.
I hope to be back on schedule next week.
Posted in News
OCN Matching Grant Extended
Posted on Friday, May 02, 2008 at 9:45 AM by Jason Barker
Fr. Christopher Metropulos has announced that the Orthodox Christian Network's Pascha Appeal has been extended:
I hope you'll be as excited as I am to learn that the Orthodox Christian Network has received more than $35,000 in donations from supporters like you during this Paschal season, all of which will go directly to EXPANDING Orthodox Christian programming on the radio, the Internet and television!
That's truly amazing, especially when you consider that the vast majority of those donations came from individuals who gave $25 or $50. I believe this demonstrates the power of what we can do when we join together, and it proves that YOUR GIFT – no matter how large or small – REALLY DOES make a difference!
But the good news doesn't end there: I've just confirmed that we are able to EXTEND our Matching Campaign, so your Paschal donation can still be MATCHED dollar for dollar. With your support, we can continue to SHARE CHRIST'S JOYFUL RESURRECTION with thousands all around the world. Please join us. Every single gift makes a difference. Thank you so much!
Click here to donate.
Posted in News
More Info on Creating a Podcast
Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 9:27 AM by Jason Barker
A few months ago I created a short series of posts about how I create GET WISDOM; the point of the series was to give a few pointers about the ways I've gone about selecting and using hardware and software for podcast creation for people who might be considering creating an Orthodox podcast.
In his Podquod podcast, Mark Jensen recently devoted an extended episode to selecting gear for creating a podcast. Readers who want more information - and another perspective - about podcast creation might benefit from this episode of Podquod.
Posted in News
OCN Matching Grant Program for Lent
Posted on Monday, March 24, 2008 at 10:05 AM by Jason Barker
The Orthodox Christian Network has a matching grant program for Great Lent: gifts up to $100 (until $50,000 has been donated) will be matched by a donor, meaning that you have the potential to help the OCN raise up to $100,000 during Great Lent.
Below is the announcement from the OCN:
It’s no secret that many young people drift away from the Church. Do you ever feel like that unfortunate trend is simply unstoppable?
It’s easy to get discouraged, but I have good news for you: More and more people like this young listener from Las Vegas are “coming home” to Orthodoxy. And YOU can make a difference in the lives of others just like him by joining with the Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) in its mission to:
• CALL BACK the wayward
• INSPIRE the faithful
• CONNECT teens, young adults and families to Christ’s Church
As you may know, in this media-savvy age one of the best ways to engage the broader culture, as well as our own young people, is through the Internet, iPods, DVDs, radio and television. Numerous studies, and our own experience producing Orthodox programs for all of these forms of media, have confirmed the power and potential of this approach.
That’s why I’m writing to invite you to become a part of a growing movement. The Orthodox Church has SO MUCH to offer the modern world, but it needs people like you to give it a voice in today’s media world.
Your special Lenten gift to OCN will express your commitment to the next generation and create something truly valuable for Orthodox teens, young adults and families across North America and beyond.
YOUR GIFT WILL BE DOUBLED
And now, thanks to a $50,000 challenge grant from a private donor, your Lenten gift will also do something else: It will be MATCHED dollar for dollar!
That means that if you give today, your tax-deductible gift of $25, $50, $100 or more will be immediately DOUBLED in value. Think about it: If only 500 people like you give $100 by Pascha on April 27, that $50,000 will then be DOUBLED! And, most important of all, the $100,000 that you will have helped to make possible will meet a pressing need in our Church.
Posted in News
New Study Guide Design
Posted on Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 8:01 PM by Jason Barker
I've created a new design for the study guides that accompany each episode of GET WISDOM. The new design starts with episode 19 on the introduction to the Gospel according to St. Mark.
Click here to download the study guide for GET WISDOM 19.
Posted in News
Support the OCN
Posted on Friday, March 14, 2008 at 2:57 PM by Jason Barker
The Orthodox Christian Network has announced a matching donation program for Great Lent:
Thanks to a challenge grant from a private donor, your tax-deductible, Lenten gift to OCN of $25, $50, $100 or more will be matched DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR -- and it will help to share the light of Orthodoxy with the world! Please prayerfully consider taking advantage of this unique opportunity today. Call us at 877-273-2348 for more information or respond online.
Posted in News
Removed the Flash Player
Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 3:44 PM by Jason Barker
Regular visitors to this site will notice that I've removed the Flash player for playing episodes of GET WISDOM without loading a full media player. I noticed that some installations of Internet Explorer - but not all installations, and it wasn't consistent even among versions - were failing to load pages that contained the Flash player. I believe that this problem had something to do with the javascript that called up the Flash player, but I was unable to fix the problem, so I've removed (at least temporarily) the Flash player.
Visitors who have experienced a problem with this site should now be able to load all pages, and should also now be able to see my tweets in the "Jason Barker is Currently..." box.
Posted in News
No New Episodes for Two Weeks
Posted on Monday, March 03, 2008 at 9:26 PM by Jason Barker
Due to an exceedingly full schedule, there will not be a new episode of GET WISDOM either this week or next. On approximately March 19th, however, I will launch a new series on the Gospel according to St. Mark.
You can get a preview of the content for this series by looking at my Bible study Follow Me: A Study of the Gospel According to St. Mark.
Posted in News
Sacred Gift of Life and Share the Light Sunday
Posted on Friday, January 18, 2008 at 9:02 AM by Jason Barker
This Sunday - January 20, 2008 - is the date for two important events.
That is the date for the annual Sacred Gift of Life Sunday, in which members of Teen SOYO lead members of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America in protecting the unborn. You can find resources here.
January 20th is also the date for the annual Share the Light Sunday to support the work of the Orthodox Christian Network. You can find resources here.
Posted in News
Creating GET WISDOM 5: Music
Posted on Monday, January 07, 2008 at 11:35 AM by Jason Barker
As I continue this miniseries on equipment choices I've made in creating GET WISDOM (I previously covered - starting with the first article - choosing a microphone, an interface, a channel strip, and recording software), I'd like to briefly address the importance of using podsafe music in your program.
As with the earlier articles, I need to emphasize that this discussion is purely my personal experience and opinions, and does not imply any formal recommendation from the Department of Youth Ministry or the Orthodox Christian Network.
You have undoubtedly noticed that all radio programs - and most podcasts - use music in their program: at the very least, they play a musical theme at the introduction of the program, and most will also play music at the end of the program. This theme music provides two very important functions: on radio it creates a distinct separation between the program and the content that precedes and follows the program, and for both radio programs and podcasts it creates a signature sound that creates a stronger link between the program and listeners. There are other functions of music in a program, of course, but music performs these two functions in almost all audio programming.
I use music in a minimum of four places in GET WISDOM: I play "Going Coastal" by Brian Beshears for the intro and outro to the program, "Garden of Eden" by Matthew Corbett and Mike Wilkie underneath Jani's life application segment, and "Glide Short" (an uncredited jingle that comes with GarageBand) under my segment break just before "Garden of Eden" begins playing. I've also played music under additional life application segments by Jani, as well as extended liturgical or patristic readings I've done during the program.
You will notice that all of these songs are modern. While Orthodox hymns are a seemingly obvious choice for intro and outro music for an Orthodox program, the Orthodox Word podcast is the only one I've heard that uses liturgical music for its theme. There is a very significant reason that you might find applicable for using a recording from a supplier of music for radio and podcasts instead of liturgical music: the issue of licensing.
If you have access to both a talented choir and professional audio recording equipment (as well as a suitable environment for recording), your decision regarding whether to use liturgical music will be dictated only by the sound you decide to create for your program, as well as your target audience and distribution circumstances. If you are like me, however, you will lack at least one of those two necessary criteria for a quality recording of liturgical music. This will mean that, in order to have a clear, professional sound in your program, you will need to use professionally recorded music.
When using professionally recorded music, you cannot simply rip a track from a compact disc or download a track from iTunes and use that in your program, because you will be violating the license that restricts your use of that song exclusively to personal listening without any form of redistribution. Therefore, for example, if you used a track from Chants from Balamand in your program without having received permission from Conciliar Press, you would be violating the license applied to the recording restricting you from doing anything more than playing the recording for your personal benefit and enjoyment.
The key is to either write and record your own music or, if you are as lacking in musical ability as me, to purchase podsafe music. A podsafe license allows you to play the purchased tracks in a podcast (and, in some cases, in a program played on Internet radio - if your program will be streamed on an online Orthodox radio station like The ARK, you will want to check the license before purchase to ensure that the license allows this additional use).
A simple search for podsafe music will bring up a number of businesses which specialize in selling music for use in podcasts. If you are certain that you will only use a very limited number of music tracks in your program, purchasing individual tracks from one of these sources may be best, because you will both limit your expense and be able to purchase precisely the songs you want to use in your program. If you expect to use more than a few songs in your program, however, the expense of purchasing individual tracks may quickly become prohibitive. I found myself in this situation: I knew that I would play at least two songs in each episode of GET WISDOM, but I also knew that I would somewhat regularly use additional tracks underneath unique segments in individual episodes.
I therefore chose to purchase a CD with a variety of podsafe musical tracks. I chose a CD which incorporated the largest number and widest variety of music - as well as several hundred production elements - for a relatively low price; this allows me to select additional tracks and elements to highlight or underscore special segments in the program without incurring additional expense. Both "Going Coastal" and "Garden of Eden" come from this collection, as well as other tracks I've played in GET WISDOM.
I should note that the podsafe CD I chose offers only tracks that are encoded as MP3s, meaning that each audio file is highly compressed. Ideally, the sources for your music should be in uncompressed WAV or AIFF formats, because including an MP3 into a program that will itself be compressed as an MP3 means that the original music MP3 will be compressed twice, thereby reducing the quality of its audio. Because a CD of WAV or AIFF files is significantly more expensive than this CD of MP3 files, I decided to put up with the somewhat reduced quality of the music in GET WISDOM in order to save money (and because, since music is a relatively minor part of the program, it would not be particularly noticeable).
There are music tracks distributed with a Creative Commons license that can be used for free in a podcast. However, because using these tracks will require including notices regarding the source of the music, and will also require agreeing to a number of stipulations regarding the licensing and distribution of your program (for example, a program incorporating content licensed through Creative Commons may not be eligible for streaming on an Internet radio station), I strongly recommend purchasing the music used on your program; you can purchase a podsafe music track in MP3 format from a number of companies for around $30 dollars.
Posted in News
OCN Live Video Webcast
Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 at 12:17 PM by Jason Barker
The Orthodox Christian Network will host another live video webcast from 5-6 PM (EST) on Sunday, January 13th, to promote Share the Light Sunday (which occurs this year on January 20th).
Posted in News
iTunes Store Has Updated GET WISDOM
Posted on Friday, December 28, 2007 at 12:43 PM by Jason Barker
The iTunes store has finally added the current episode of GET WISDOM to its listing.
Posted in News
iTunes Store Has Not Updated GET WISDOM
Posted on Thursday, December 27, 2007 at 6:46 PM by Jason Barker
For iTunes users, I've noticed that the iTunes store has still not included the current episode of GET WISDOM. I'm hoping that this is simply a system slowdown because of all the new iPods and iPhones people received for Christmas, and that the store will update my listing soon.
Posted in News
OCN to Stream Web TV Christmas Special
Posted on Friday, December 07, 2007 at 3:33 PM by Jason Barker
On Sunday, December 9th, from 4-6 PM (EST), the Orthodox Christian Network will stream a live, interactive Web TV Christmas special: "Affirming our Faith. Proclaiming Orthodoxy to the World." The OCN describes the event:
Simply visit www.myocn.net on Dec. 9 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST to join listeners, supporters and special guests from around the world for an illuminating discussion of the Orthodox celebration of the Nativity and its meaning today. You'll be able to call in to make your own comments, meet the staff of OCN, hear from well-known Orthodox leaders and theologians, see the studios that produce Come Receive the Light, listen to Orthodox Christmas music, and discuss the exciting ways that OCN plans to expand its ability to proclaim the powerful relevance of our Lord's Incarnation in the coming year.
They have also announced that a supporter will match any donations made during their "At Year's End, You Can Make a Difference" campaign.
The OCN and the Antiochian Department of Youth Ministry partner together in the creation of GET WISDOM.
Posted in News
A Bad GarageBand Experience
Posted on Thursday, December 06, 2007 at 12:33 PM by Jason Barker
Since I wrote an article last week about using GarageBand 3 to create GET WISDOM, I should note a horrendous experience I suffered with GarageBand when doing post-production on episode six last night.
When sending the completed podcast from GarageBand to iTunes (to convert it into wav and mp3 files), GarageBand inexplicably deleted most of my audio track (while keeping Jani's and the music tracks). I did not do anything different or untoward from the two dozen other recordings I've done, so I know that the problem was in GarageBand itself. I ultimately needed to re-record and re-edit my audio track to finish the episode.
Just a warning for those of you using GarageBand: make backup copies as you work on your recording, rather than solely after you've completed the project.
Posted in News
Creating GET WISDOM 4: Choosing Software
Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 9:05 PM by Jason Barker
In my previous articles in this series on creating GET WISDOM I've discussed selecting a microphone, interface, and channel strip. I'd like to continue the series by discussing the software I use for recording and mixing my program.
As with the earlier articles, I need to emphasize that this discussion is purely my personal experience and opinions, and does not imply any formal recommendation from the Department of Youth Ministry or the Orthodox Christian Network.
Before beginning work on GET WISDOM, my primary audio recording experience on a computer had been done using a free, open source program called Audacity on a computer running Windows XP. I was fairly pleased at the time (this was in late 2002) with the simplicity of the application and the quality of its output. Audacity - which runs on multiple platforms - is an excellent program for learning the basics of audio recording: it allows you to record, edit, and even engage in basic processing (such as noise removal). Because of its quality and the fact that it is free, Audacity is a popular choice with beginning podcasters.
I should point out, however, that Audacity is not designed for multi-track recording and mixing (multi-track simply means that each audio source - e.g., each host of a podcast, music used in the program, etc. - appears in a separate track in the recording). With Audacity, you would need to insert a musical intro, stop the music completely, record yourself speaking, and then insert the concluding music sequentially in a single track. This means, for example, that you would never be able to speak over the top of a musical track (like my wife, Jani, does in the life application segment of each episode of GET WISDOM, and as I do at the end of the episode). Because I knew that I would have things like voice-overs in GET WISDOM, I knew that Audacity would not meet my needs.
My hardware purchases largely used up the money budgeted for equipment to create GET WISDOM, meaning that I needed to minimize my expenditures on recording software. The Mackie Onyx Satellite comes with a copy of Mackie's Tracktion 2 software, but - as Scott Bourne predicts - I found this awkward for creating a podcast.
I was therefore fortunate that, because I am using a Mac running OS 10.4 to record, GarageBand 3 was preinstalled on my computer (iLife '08, containing GarageBand 4, has been released, but I have yet to upgrade). While definitely not a professional recording application - as Tim Gideon says, "This app is one that you'll graduate from, rather than grow with" - GarageBand's podcast recording features make it a very viable option. Gideon writes,
For podcasters, there's not much to discuss, and that's a good thing. The project window that pops up for sessions is incredibly user-friendly. You can record separate tracks for male and female vocals (with optimum EQ settings for each), a stereo track for music, and even a track for artwork—say, a photo of whoever's speaking—which pulls from iPhoto. These images appear when listeners watch the podcast in iTunes.
I am truly amazed at how easy it is to record and mix GET WISDOM using GarageBand. For a novice at audio recording and production, GarageBand is very intuitive and easy to grasp. Recording is remarkably easy, and the programmers have made it quite simple to edit and mix tracks (even including a "ducking" feature to automatically reduce the level of background music during voiceovers). It would be inadequate if you were wanting to record professional masters of your church choir, but it is quite adequate for basic podcast production.
At the same time, as Gideon says, I've found that I'm beginning to outgrow GarageBand. While I will continue to use it for at least a little while longer, I want far greater precision and control in editing than I am able to do in GarageBand. I also want more options for saving my recordings and converting them to WAV and MP3 files (instead of the very limited choices offered by GarageBand's extremely inconvenient - and quality reducing - process of sending compressed files from GarageBand to iTunes, where you then go through more steps to convert the file into other formats). I therefore intend in the future to transition to a more full-featured recording application.
There is very little to say about the settings I use in GarageBand, largely because I incorporate very few software effects; I do almost all of my processing using my DBX 286A channel strip, meaning that there is very little postproduction of that sort to perform.
Because I save GET WISDOM as a mono - rather than stereo - file (as do most non-music oriented podcasts), the input on each of my tracks is in mono. The only effect I include is - depending on whether the track contains my voice or that of my wife - the "Male Radio" or "Female Radio" Real Instrument from the "Podcasting" options, with only the default "Speech Enhancer" effect applied (set for either "Male Radio" or "Female Radio").
Creating the MP3 (using the "Share > Send Song to iTunes" command) is where things get a little tricky. I have the Audio Podcast export setting on "Higher Quality," which is the highest level in GarageBand; this sends the highest quality file to iTunes, where you convert it to MP3. In iTunes, I encode the file as an MP3 (for the podcast) at the "Good Quality (128 kbps)" setting, and encode it as a WAV (for streaming on The ARK) at a custom "44.100 khz, 16-bit, mono" setting.
If you look at the file info for the first three GET WISDOM MP3s, you will notice a difference from the MP3 of the fourth episode. While they all sound as if they're mono files (because the source audio tracks are all in mono), in reality the first three episodes were encoded as stereo files in full 128 kbps, while the fourth episode was encoded as a mono file in 64 kbps (which is the standard for podcast MP3s). I attempted to encode the first three episodes as mono files in 64k, and was baffled that they kept coming out as 128k stereo files.
I found that the problem was that in GarageBand I had left in the "Podcast" track, which GarageBand uses for including graphics and other elements for enhanced podcasts (even though I do not create an enhanced podcast). GarageBand therefore sent a compressed M4A file to iTunes, which iTunes read as a stereo file and therefore encoded as a 128k stereo file. When you remove the Podcast track, however, GarageBand sends an uncompressed AIF file to iTunes, which iTunes correctly reads as a mono file and therefore encodes as a 64k mono file. While the lower bitrate results in slightly lower audio quality in the mono file, it also results in a significantly smaller file, which is important for three reasons: 1) It is easier for people to download, 2) it reduces the bandwidth used on your server, and 3) since I allow people to stream the episodes using a Flash player (in addition to downloading the episode), the smaller size allows for easier and faster streaming.
For the Windows users who read this blog, I unfortunately to not have enough personal experience to give you meaningful advice. While the majority of my computer experience has been in Windows, I switched to a Mac before I began creating GET WISDOM, and thus only have experience with creating a podcast on a Mac. The main Windows application I have heard of podcasters using is Adobe Audition - for example, Leo Laporte uses Audition - but I have no experience with the application.
In my next article I will briefly talk about the music I use in GET WISDOM.
Posted in News
Change in Status with the OCN
Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 at 4:06 PM by Jason Barker
Effective at the end of this week, I will no longer be on the staff of the Orthodox Christian Network. Due to a restructuring in the OCN, Fr. Christopher Metropoulos and the board of the OCN have found it necessary to eliminate my position (as well as eliminating or redefining a number of other positions within the organization). This means that after this week I will no longer create the study guides for Come Receive the Light or OCN newsletters and program descriptions.
I want to emphasize that I am not being "fired," and this does not in any way adversely affect the areas in which the OCN and the Department of Youth Ministry are working together in partnership. I will continue to create GET WISDOM for the Youth Department, and it will continue to be streamed each weekend on The ARK. The program currently being developed by members of Teen SOYO for the OCN is also still scheduled to be launched this winter.
If you would like to help the OCN during this time of particular need in the organization, please click here.
The Department of Youth Ministry, of course, can also use your support to help make possible things like my Bible studies and radio programs.
Posted in News
Creating GET WISDOM 3: Choosing a Channel Strip
Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 at 3:53 PM by Jason Barker
In the first two articles in this miniseries, I've written about the criteria and processes I used in selecting a microphone and an interface to create GET WISDOM. In this article I want to briefly discuss the channel strip I use, as well as reasons for not using a hardware audio processor.
Before continuing, I want to emphasize - as I have in my other articles - that the choices I've made are based upon my personal preferences, and are not indicative of any official recommendation from the Department of Youth Ministry or the Orthodox Christian Network. You may find that different choices in equipment or processes may better suit your preferences or circumstances.
A channel strip - also commonly called a mic processor - provides audio processing. This means that it processes - in other words, alters (and, according to taste, improves) - the audio that is recorded. A channel strip generally includes basic versions of several audio effects that can be performed by more sophisticated and powerful - but also more expensive - individual units, such as compression, de-essing, gating, etc. (I'll briefly discuss these effects below).
There are two general approaches to processing the audio for podcasts. One approach - and arguably the one most often recommended for beginners - is to use software for your processing. This is a very valid approach, and one that is relatively easily accomplished because most audio recording software offers at least a small array of basic processing effects, and there are also a number of free or inexpensive individual options (such as the very popular Levelator). The advantage of using software for your processing is that our original recording is pristine, i.e., unchanged by any effects. You can therefore try and retry different effects and settings in your postproduction (the editing you perform on your audio after recording it) until you have the audio track sounding precisely the way you want (or, in my case, sounding as good as you can make it until you finally get sick of postproduction and decide to just finish the episode). Also, if you make some "unfixable" mistake in postproduction, you will still have the original audio track upon which to fall back. Another important factor is that, since basic processing effects are built into most audio recording software, you will not need to spend additional money on a hardware processor.
The other approach to processing is to use an external hardware processor or processors. Many fully-dedicated professionals will use individual compressors, limiters, etc., to achieve the greatest control over their audio, but most part-time professionals or amateurs (like myself) who use external processing will use a channel strip that combines basic versions of this equipment into a single unit. The advantage of using a hardware processor is that you can hear exactly how the recording will sound as you're recording it (and even before you start recording). This greatly reduces the amount of time you'll need to spend in postproduction, but it also means that, if you have some problem with your audio that you didn't notice when you were recording it (such as a background noise that you didn't gate, or accidentally overcompressing your audio), you will either need to re-record the audio track or be stuck with the problem in your audio file.
Ultimately, your decision as to whether to use software or hardware audio processing will be based upon what is most comfortable for you. I am more comfortable using a hardware processor, because I prefer being able to monitor how my audio sounds as I'm recording. I - like many people - experience significant problems with latency when recording, meaning that time it takes for my computer to process and record the audio means that what I hear coming from my computer when recording is slightly behind my speech; by plugging my headphones into my interface, I can hear precisely how the audio sounds before it reaches the computer. Also, because I can leave my channel strip at the same settings for my recordings (with slight adjustments for current recording circumstances), I save time on postproduction.
One of the most popular channel strips for podcasters is the Aphex 230. I hope to someday use one of these in my recordings, but it was - and, at the moment, still is - beyond my budget. After purchasing the Heil PR40 microphone and Mackie Onyx Satellite interface - as well as necessary gear like cables, mic stand, etc. - I only had about $200 I could afford to spend on a channel strip. Needless to say, this means that I needed to settle on a unit that is far from top-of-the line, but there are nonetheless several decent channel strips for podcasters in this price range.
After looking at a number of options, I finally decided on the DBX 286A. It receives solid reviews for its price (see here), and it contained the processing features I needed most (see below).
One thing that many people like is that the 286A does not use the complicated settings for compression, etc., used by most audio equipment: instead, for most features, it uses settings that simply go from 1-10. If you are intimidated by needing to learn complicated settings and audio ratios, this may be a significant advantage for you. To be honest, however, I dislike these non-standard settings. If you are new to audio processing, you might prefer the simple settings of the 286A, but you will probably find as you become more knowledgeable and comfortable that you dislike the lack of precision control that these simple settings provide. Despite this significant limitation, however, I found the sound quality of the 286A to be my favorite of the channel strips available in my low price range.
I'll briefly go through my settings on the DBX 286A so that you can get a basic idea of what I choose to do in my specific recording circumstances - you might find that different settings work better in your circumstances. For example, you can listen to this episode of PodSquod, in which Mark Jensen quickly sets up a 286A to his taste (he likes a very processed sound, and therefore tends to use higher settings than I do).
The 286A contains an adequate mic preamp, but I vastly prefer the Onxy preamp in my Satellite interface, so I run an insert cable from the Mackie into the 286A. Because the dynamic Heil PR40 requires a lot of gain, I have the gain on the 286A set at +40db to acquire a solid signal for processing. I also have the Highpass filter on the 286A turned on, thereby filtering out low-frequency sounds like hum and rumbles; this reduces some of the noise from wind and traffic outside my window, and completely removes the sound of my computer.
Because I am very soft spoken, I do not need a lot of compression in my recording (compression reduces the dynamic range of an audio signal, and thus prevents the distortion - called clipping - that occurs when your audio overloads an amplifier); I prefer the sound boost that comes from simpy increasing the gain to the boost I could get from compression. I therefore have the 286A's drive (which determines how much the compressor reduces a signal) set at 3, and similarly have the density (which speeds up or slows down the amount of time it takes the compressor to increase or reduce compression) set at 3.
As you can tell from listening to GET WISDOM, my speech is very sibiliant (which means, essentially, that I place too much emphasis on "hissing" sounds like the letter S, and I also struggle with silibant-sounding mouth noise). I therefore set the 286A's de-esser Frequency at 8k, which is the upper-end of the normal range for de-essing. Setting it higher begins to make me sound as if I have a lisp ("Thaint Paul then went to Ephetheth"). I set the Threshold at a moderate 3.5.
The 286 combines its equalization into the Enhancer's two basic LF (bass) and HF (treble) controls. These provide a great deal of audio color, so you will want to use them sparingly to avoid causing your voice to sound unnatural. I have the LF set at 3 to provide a little depth to my voice, but have the HF set at 0.
The Expander/Gate controls the level of a signal by "opening" and "closing;" this enables you to filter out - to an extent - unwanted background noise. This, along with the de-esser, is the main reason I wanted a channel strip. You will probably want to use something like this - in either hardware or software - to remove sounds like traffic, wind, dogs barking outside, etc. (I also sometimes need to remove less common sounds, like a highly irritable burro, llama, and group of goats, but that's another matter). I have the Threshold set at -15dB for moderate attentuation, but keep the Expansion Ratio at just above 5:1 for gentle expansion. The key with the Expansion ratio is to have it match as much as possible the the Compressor Density: both my Expansion and Density are around 10:00.
Finally, I have my output volume set at -8. This keeps my level consistently high without clipping.
In my next article, I will look at the software I use to record and mix GET WISDOM.
Posted in News
New Email Address
Posted on Monday, November 05, 2007 at 9:26 AM by Jason Barker
Last week I was suddenly unable to access my antiochian.org email address (and am still unable to do so). Since this problem is continuing, I have - at least for the the short term - switched my email address. You can now reach me at .
If you sent anything from Tuesday through Thursday to my antiochian.org email address, I probably have not received it, so you will unfortunately need to resend it to this new address. I apologize for the inconvenience.
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Study of 1 Corinthians Now Available
Posted on Thursday, November 01, 2007 at 1:28 PM by Jason Barker
My new interactive Bible study application, Life Together: An Interactive Study of 1 Corinthians, is now available. The study currently goes through chapter ten, and I will add the remaining chapters in the next few weeks.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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!
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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.
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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.
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Preview the Study Guide
Posted on Friday, September 28, 2007 at 3:54 PM by Jason Barker
I've uploaded a preview of the free study guide for the first episode of Get Wisdom. Each episode of the program will have available an accompanying study guide that can be used to follow along with the episode, or to use in group studies.
The first episode should be completed this weekend.
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Welcome to Get Wisdom
Posted on Sunday, September 16, 2007 at 8:53 PM by Jason Barker
Welcome to the website for GET WISDOM, a radio program providing Bible study for Orthodox Christian teens. I develop and host GET WISDOM, and the program is produced by the Department of Youth Ministry - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and the Orthodox Christian Network.
GET WISDOM will begin streaming on The ARK beginning in late September / early October.
Be sure to see the free multimedia Bible studies I've created for the Department of Youth Ministry at www.orthodoxyouth.org, and read my blog to see the latest developments in my Bible study applications and expand your knowledge about Orthodoxy and online learning.
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