Phone-quality interviews sound lousy.
I detailed for PBS MediaShift how newsmakers can use their iPhone to sound studio-quality during a phone interview.
Here’s a new video tutorial:
Let me know if you have any questions.
Voddio, by VeriCorder, is the multi-track audio and video editing app I use.
It’s very similar to older cousins AudioPro and 1stVideo, but Voddio’s user interface is cleaner and easier.
The learning curve is fairly steep — the swipes, hidden menus, and ducking audio are not terribly intuitive.
Still, while I’ve tried quite several other audio and video editing apps, Voddio remains my clear choice.
Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Typing 140 characters and adding a link or photo is so 2010.
Too many news organizations merely toss web or broadcast content in a tweet.
Here’s an example of content created on mobile for mobile.
Seconds after arriving at an emergency scene, filing and sharing a quick report based on information gathered by the WTOP desk, before going underground into the Metro system. Thanks to Joel Gwadz for capturing this #iphonereporting moment.
#iphonereporting Go-Kit for Inauguration Day
The biggest challenge I anticipate is keeping my iPhone 5 and iPad Mini charged for eight to twelve hours. So, I’ve pulled together several charging options I can use with both devices.
Both styles of chargers have the old 30-pin connector, while the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini have the new smaller ports.
Wind is expected to be a problem. The iPhone’s built-in microphone is susceptible to a stiff breeze.
With the lack of available AC outlets for recharging, I’ll likely limit the use of the Verizon MiFi. Uploading audio reports shouldn’t be a problem, because the iPhone 5’s LTE is super-quick.
And, at the end of the day, when I finally find a Starbucks, my standard charging cables may come in handy.
It’s been a few weeks since Jeff Sonderman at Poynter Institute was kind enough to document my donating my iPhone to the Newseum. I’m indebted.
Facebook Messenger: Not ready for #iphonereporting
I had high hopes when I read Facebook Messenger on iOS devices was updated to include voice messages.
As you see in the first photo, a reporter could choose to Record Voice, in addition to sending a photo to a Facebook page.
In the second photo, by pressing and holding the red button, the reporter could record and automatically upload up to one minute of audio.
In my mind, this would be another, even easier way for an #iphonereporter to deliver studio-quality audio from a mobile device, directly to the WTOP Facebook page.
Even more encouraging, I envisioned this as a one-touch method for listeners/viewers with iOS devices to add studio-quality, rather than phone-quality audio to the conversation, which could be recorded from the WTOP page and used in reporter pieces.
Here are the problems:
1. While the Facebook Messenger mobile app quickly and effortlessly uploads clip to another’s page, the audio quality is mediocre — about as poor as a cell phone.
2. Facebook Messenger only facilitates interaction between an individual user Profile, not a Page, which is geared for businesses (like WTOP) and organizations.
With so many ways to deliver studio-quality audio, including the Vericorder apps and SoundCloud, the ease-of-recording for a reporter is far outweighed by the degradation in sound quality.
And, the inability for listeners with Facebook Messenger to interact with a commercial page, means they’ll still have to switch to the station’s website, or Facebook page, or make a cell call.
Disappointing.
Had the pleasure of speaking with Jolie Lee and Mike O’Connell of It’s All Journalism.
I wanted to love Blue Mikey Digital — but I don’t.
After loving and using the analog Blue Mikey, I had high hopes and waited patiently for the oft-delayed Blue Mikey Digital.
Unfortunately, it’s not going to work out.
Mikey Digital looks beautiful, fits snugly into my iPhone 4s, even with a case, and has great features including line input and and USB pass-through.
At first listen, Mikey Digital delivered a warm, nice bass response compared with the slightly metallic sound of the built-in microphone.
The problems occur when trying to produce multi-track radio pieces.
Audio recorded in Vericorder AudioPro, SoundCloud, and BlueFiRe all contained an unacceptable amount of digital ‘noise.’
While the ‘noise’ is often inaudible, it is very apparent when looking at the wav file.
By the time audio is edited and amplified, and run through the radio station’s audio chain, several of my reports sounded distorted to the end user.
And that’s a fatal flaw.
My testing was done with both Airplane Mode On, and off, with similar results.
The digital noise problem is not Blue Microphone’s alone — I experienced the same phenomenon with Tascam iM2.
So, as of now, I have not found a plug-in microphone that improves the sound of iPhone’s built-in mic, without adding other complications.
I’m open to suggestions.
How to turn your iPhone into a microphone — a guide for newsmakers and public relations professionals.
