I have revived my Instagram account. I stopped posting due to the lack of interaction. Not the likes but comments 💬 I was probably doing something wrong (not being engaging enough? Simply bad content?). Likes are good but I love when conversations get started. I’ve had such interesting exchanges in my different blogs (except this one… Thank you for reading 😎 Leave a comment?).
Long story short, I have realized I have way too many pictures from my travels and I want to share them. Collecting digital dust in my Google Photos makes little sense. All and all it’s an effort to improve myself, putting my photography work out there. Hopefully getting feedback ♻️
Microphone upgrade
I have upgraded my setup 🥳 Back when I started my personal podcast I wanted to use something else than a clip-on 5$ cheap microphone. It’s possible but I’m a geek 🤓 and wanted better sound 🔊 To from from that cheap mce I did upgrade to the Samson Q2U, which is a nice microphone (USB and XLR connections). The problem is with this mic, which nobody reported on my research (blog posts and YouTube), is that the gain/input volume is low. Unless you have the mic inches from your mouth (it’s not ideal if you also want to use the setup for work calls. Having the mic a little bit farther is more comfortable).
I found a workaround using my Scarlett Solo from Focusrite, an audio interface that allowed me to boost my signal. The mic went into the interface and the interface to the Mac. It worked well 😌
Fast forward, now I’m using the Blue Yeti. It’s not a new product but it’s battle-tested 🛡 I’m sure there are better and cheaper microphones out there 🤷♂️ This one is a hand down from a colleague, so not that I could choose. I just took them on the offer 💰
With the Blue Yeti, I have gotten rid of the Focusrite audio interface because this microphone is very sensitive. I have the mic’s gain all the way down and I get enough input volume.
Now I have only 1 device, the microphone. My desk is now cleaner of stuff and the setup has been simplified. The mic is connected via USB (B) to the display so I have one free port on my Mac now! That’s luxury 😂
Very happy with the results, I’m still fiddling with the settings, position… You can listen to it on my latest Korean Tapas episode.
Do you do video calls for work? What’s your setup? Any specific headphones/microphone?
Ricard