Kendall Giles » mp3

Review: Rode Podcaster USB Microphone

Kendall — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:52:44 +0000

I had a few audio projects coming up and I didn’t want to rely just on my built-in laptop microphone. But I am not an audio engineer and didn’t want to have to buy racks of equipment just so I could record high-quality audio. I also wanted my setup to be portable and durable.

So after shopping around I decided on the Rode Podcaster USB Microphone.

This is a hefty microphone — very solid design. Also, using it couldn’t be easier. Just plug it into my laptop’s USB port (Mac) and start recording — no need for external power supplies or other interface gadgets.

As a simple example, I just plugged in the mic, fired up Garage Band, and recorded the introduction to the story “A Scandal in Bohemia” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Here is the audio MP3:

Introduction to “A Scandal in Bohemia” [MP3] 1 min 28 seconds

I’ve already mentioned the heft of the microphone — this means that you will likely need a solid mic stand to support the mic, especially since it connects to the stand at the base of the mic, and so the result makes the stand and mic a little top-heavy.

But I am very happy with this mic — easy to use, durable, and makes high-quality recordings.

Rode Podcaster USB Microphone, available from Amazon.

Beowulf Project: Part 1, Chapters 8-9

Kendall — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:43:46 +0000

I’ve uploaded Part 1 Chapters 8 and 9 of Beowulf.

book, culture

Beowulf Project: Part 1, Chapter 7

Kendall — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:56:06 +0000

I’ve uploaded Part 1 Chapter 7 of Beowulf.

book, culture

Beowulf Project: Part 1, Chapter 4

Kendall — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 03:02:27 +0000

Tonight I’ve uploaded Part 1 Chapter 4 of Beowulf.

Technorati Tags: book, culture

Beowulf Project: Part 1, Chapter 3

Kendall — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 03:21:31 +0000

I’ve been on the road lately, and so have not had a chance to make many audio recordings.

Tonight I tried a new audio source, and have added Part 1 Chapter 3 of Beowulf.

I’ll need to play some more with my mobile audio setup, as the recording levels and room echo are not currently quite what I am looking for.

Technorati Tags: book, culture

Beowulf Project: Part 1, Chapters 1-2

Kendall — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 23:57:54 +0000

The latest installment of the Beowulf Project is up, Part 1, Chapters 1-2.

Technorati Tags: book, culture

The Beowulf Project

Kendall — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:35:15 +0000

As another piece of our cultural history, and given the timeliness (and timelessness) of this hero, I’ve started a series of Beowulf readings.

After all, according to Wired magazine, this is the year of the Viking:

Why this sudden interest in the savage tribes who roamed across what became the UK and Scandinavia? Maybe because they combine the best of zombies, ninjas, and robots. Their cool ships and armor are sort of the Dark Ages equivalent of high tech, their fighting skillz are fully ninja, and of course they shamble along in rags with chopped-off limbs just like zombies do. Really, you just can’t go wrong with Vikings.

And, Valhalla knows, we could all use a real hero these days.

Technorati Tags: book, culture

Edgar Allan Poe: An Appreciation

Kendall — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 05:40:09 +0000

I spend a great deal of time both in Richmond and in Baltimore, so it is natural that I have an affinity for Edgar Allan Poe. One of the world’s greatest writers, Poe’s works cross a variety of genres and styles.

Richmond sports an Edgar Allan Poe museum, and it is worth a visit. There is even an annual Young Writer’s Conference held there.

I made an audio recording of “Edgar Allan Poe: An Appreciation”, by W. H. R. While the language used in the appreciation’s writing is somewhat stilted due to its age, it does serve as a brief introduction to Poe and some of his works.

Listen to Edgar Allan Poe: An Appreciation (.MP3, 14.7MB).

I’ve issued this recording under the Creative Commons License. While you can click the link below to investigate the details, basically you can listen to it and copy it as you like – you just can’t use it commercially or derive works from it.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License.

Technorati Tags: book, culture, virginia

Cicada Song 2

Kendall — Mon, 31 May 2004 19:17:54 +0000

Unlike my last cicada song entry, here is a short sample of just one cicada – up close and personal. I tend to pick up wayward ones who have missed the trees and found themselves on the sidewalk or parking lot – not a strategic spot for a cicada. So twixt the sidewalk and the tree, we stopped by the microphone, one cidada and I.

There is a brief period of silence at the beginning – my little friend decided to crawl away from the mic, so it took some time to retrieve him. Little did he know the tape was rolling when he decided to take a break – performers are like that sometimes.

Technorati Tags: living, virginia

Cicada Song

Kendall — Mon, 24 May 2004 19:19:41 +0000

In the Northern parts of Virginia and in Maryland in general the 17-year cicadas are in full force. While the talking heads on the local tv stations caution people about the cicadas flying into your hair and other hysteria-mongering (as is usual for tv-type news), they are in actuality a miracle to behold.

I’ve taken a simple sound recording of them just to show how awesome they are – I simply opened my window in Falls Church, Virginia (where I work) and held out a microphone (actually I didn’t even clear the window because of the screen, but you get the idea). In the mp3 clip (about 1.2MB) you can hear normal outdoors-in-the-city sounds, such as cars passing on the road or birds chirping. But if you listen closely you will hear a definite background hum, kind of like the sound of an original Star Trek phaser firing constantly. This hum is the sound of thousands of cicadas way up in the trees trying to attract a mate so that they can breed, die, and let the 17-year cycle start anew. The audio might have been better had I actually gone outside the window, perhaps climbing to the top of a tree, but I think from the sample you can get the idea.

Technorati Tags: living, virginia

Kendall Giles » mp3

Review: Rode Podcaster USB Microphone

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