I’ve been thinking for a while about recording and editing our sessions at the table, but I have no experience such things. Does anyone have any advice on recording a group of people? What kind of mic would be good for it, audio editing software to use, etc. It would need to be relatively affordable as I am about to be a father in about a month, but I forsee it taking a bit of money.
I’ve been thinking for a while about recording and editing our sessions at the table, but I have no experience such…
I’ve been thinking for a while about recording and editing our sessions at the table, but I have no experience such…
The easiest solution would be to buy a Zoom. I’ve used it for this – works great.
Zoom H2n Handy Recorder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CQ2ZY6/amazon.com – Amazon.com: Zoom H2n Handy Recorder: Musical Instruments
The easiest solution would be to buy a Zoom. I’ve used it for this – works great.
Zoom H2n Handy Recorder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CQ2ZY6/amazon.com – Amazon.com: Zoom H2n Handy Recorder: Musical Instruments
We record from phones. It works well enough if you’re not trying to publicize.
We record from phones. It works well enough if you’re not trying to publicize.
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More important than gear is time. People tend to underestimate how much of a time sink editing audio is.
More important than gear is time. People tend to underestimate how much of a time sink editing audio is.
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Congrats on the baby!
Definitely get a good Mic. Anything really, just dont go cheap-o.
As for editing software, this you can save some money if you are willing to work a little harder. The more money you sink here, the easier your life will be, but its not necessary.
Remember, the better your hardware, the less editing/fixing you have to do.
Congrats on the baby!
Definitely get a good Mic. Anything really, just dont go cheap-o.
As for editing software, this you can save some money if you are willing to work a little harder. The more money you sink here, the easier your life will be, but its not necessary.
Remember, the better your hardware, the less editing/fixing you have to do.
I’ve only done it at home (so haven’t looked or tried portable solutions). I’ve used a Snowball mic (bluemic.com – Blue Microphones – Products – Snowball) – my work paid for mine cause I have to do good quality audio recordings for Web learning but they’re not crazy expensive. It works well for hearing everyone at the table even though mine is off to the side.
I use Audacity software (free) to edit. I do little editing (cut out breaks). I don’t otherwise do much but maybe increase the volume of it comes out to low. I find that works very well for being able to save it for later listening. Not sure if it’d make good AP material.
I’ve only done it at home (so haven’t looked or tried portable solutions). I’ve used a Snowball mic (bluemic.com – Blue Microphones – Products – Snowball) – my work paid for mine cause I have to do good quality audio recordings for Web learning but they’re not crazy expensive. It works well for hearing everyone at the table even though mine is off to the side.
I use Audacity software (free) to edit. I do little editing (cut out breaks). I don’t otherwise do much but maybe increase the volume of it comes out to low. I find that works very well for being able to save it for later listening. Not sure if it’d make good AP material.
Is the intent for people outside the game to listen to it? If so, the editing struggle is real. Editing a three-hour session into the parts worth listening to (let’s be honest, maybe half of it) could be a good six-hour task. I speak from experience with Pocket-Sized Play! 🙂
A dynamic mic between 3-4 people (not on a surface where dice are rolled) in a small room works fine, and free software like Audacity is perfectly decent for editing. Like Jason Cordova said, my focus would be more on time to invest and also design intent with the project.
Is the intent for people outside the game to listen to it? If so, the editing struggle is real. Editing a three-hour session into the parts worth listening to (let’s be honest, maybe half of it) could be a good six-hour task. I speak from experience with Pocket-Sized Play! 🙂
A dynamic mic between 3-4 people (not on a surface where dice are rolled) in a small room works fine, and free software like Audacity is perfectly decent for editing. Like Jason Cordova said, my focus would be more on time to invest and also design intent with the project.
I would try a PZM/Boundary mic, or a more general omnidirectional condenser mic in the middle of the table (As Tim says, the microphone should not have unabsorbed contact with the table where there are dice rolled). They are not so prejudiced towards a particular direction or area, so you’re less likely to get people moving in and out of being audible. Both give a very ‘natural’, live sound. I expect you can get USB versions of either.
If you need help with editing, i’m certain there are friendly and nice audio editors for hire within the Gauntlet community…
I would try a PZM/Boundary mic, or a more general omnidirectional condenser mic in the middle of the table (As Tim says, the microphone should not have unabsorbed contact with the table where there are dice rolled). They are not so prejudiced towards a particular direction or area, so you’re less likely to get people moving in and out of being audible. Both give a very ‘natural’, live sound. I expect you can get USB versions of either.
If you need help with editing, i’m certain there are friendly and nice audio editors for hire within the Gauntlet community…
I’ve recorded a couple of group sessions myself and the best parts of the recordings sound good, but it’s easy to ruin it with noise from bumping tables, stacking dice, eating, talking over each other and general background noise. The first half of one of my recordings had loud slurping noises from one player sucking a lollipop. Good thing it was only for us to listen to.
I’ll let the experienced people talk about equipment that can deal with noise, but think about how much effort your group is willing to put in to preserve sound quality. Are they willing to give up snacking or start raising a hand to get attention?
I’ve recorded a couple of group sessions myself and the best parts of the recordings sound good, but it’s easy to ruin it with noise from bumping tables, stacking dice, eating, talking over each other and general background noise. The first half of one of my recordings had loud slurping noises from one player sucking a lollipop. Good thing it was only for us to listen to.
I’ll let the experienced people talk about equipment that can deal with noise, but think about how much effort your group is willing to put in to preserve sound quality. Are they willing to give up snacking or start raising a hand to get attention?
I can touch on the equipment side. Like YG Mitchell says, “omnidirectional” is probably the key word you’re looking for in a microphone for whole-table recording.
“Unidirectional” mics (sometimes listed as “cardioid”) are designed to only clearly pick up sound from the front of the unit (great for reducing background noise and echo when doing single-person vocal recording).
“Bidirectional” do a similar thing but pick up from both the front and back (good for 2-person interviews across a table, for example).
“Omnidirectional” pick up sound in a full 360, so everyone at your table will come through as clearly as each other, with the downside being limited filtering of background noise, since you can’t point it right at the sound you’re trying to record.
You can also find “multi-pattern” microphones that let you switch between those styles to suit your purposes. The Blue Yeti is a commonly-seen USB mic that offers this.
For the table bumping issue, ideally you want a shock mount of some kind for the microphone (a piece of kit that gives the mic suspension so that when the mic stand moves, the mic itself — and thus your recording — doesn’t directly take the bump). If you’re a crafty type you can actually bash together a homemade spider mount from basic materials and rubber bands for next-to-nothing; YouTube can sort you out with the how-to.
For dice rolling, choosing a rolling surface that’s as quiet as you can get it will help a lot — rubber, thick felt, whatever works — and try to do it as far from the mic as you can manage. You’ll have your volume adjusted so that your voices come through loud and clear, and since dice rolling typically takes place closer to the center of the table than where your voices issue from, what your ears think is the beloved clatter of dice on plywood will sound like the world is shattering to your microphone.
Like people have been mentioning though, mic discipline is the other half of recording, and the best setup in the world won’t help if people are blowing their nose at the mic or nervously clicking a pen or whatever else throughout your recording. And you can throw money around to fix bad gear, but convincing your friends to behave for 4 hours is much less easily resolved. 😛
I can touch on the equipment side. Like YG Mitchell says, “omnidirectional” is probably the key word you’re looking for in a microphone for whole-table recording.
“Unidirectional” mics (sometimes listed as “cardioid”) are designed to only clearly pick up sound from the front of the unit (great for reducing background noise and echo when doing single-person vocal recording).
“Bidirectional” do a similar thing but pick up from both the front and back (good for 2-person interviews across a table, for example).
“Omnidirectional” pick up sound in a full 360, so everyone at your table will come through as clearly as each other, with the downside being limited filtering of background noise, since you can’t point it right at the sound you’re trying to record.
You can also find “multi-pattern” microphones that let you switch between those styles to suit your purposes. The Blue Yeti is a commonly-seen USB mic that offers this.
For the table bumping issue, ideally you want a shock mount of some kind for the microphone (a piece of kit that gives the mic suspension so that when the mic stand moves, the mic itself — and thus your recording — doesn’t directly take the bump). If you’re a crafty type you can actually bash together a homemade spider mount from basic materials and rubber bands for next-to-nothing; YouTube can sort you out with the how-to.
For dice rolling, choosing a rolling surface that’s as quiet as you can get it will help a lot — rubber, thick felt, whatever works — and try to do it as far from the mic as you can manage. You’ll have your volume adjusted so that your voices come through loud and clear, and since dice rolling typically takes place closer to the center of the table than where your voices issue from, what your ears think is the beloved clatter of dice on plywood will sound like the world is shattering to your microphone.
Like people have been mentioning though, mic discipline is the other half of recording, and the best setup in the world won’t help if people are blowing their nose at the mic or nervously clicking a pen or whatever else throughout your recording. And you can throw money around to fix bad gear, but convincing your friends to behave for 4 hours is much less easily resolved. 😛
Learn to love wire coat-hangers.
Learn to love wire coat-hangers.
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Nice suggestions everyone! The recordings were supposed to be for others to listen to them. I had considered suspending the microphone from the ceiling to avoid table bumping, but I wasn’t sure how that would work.
I already had an idea for a podcast with just me talking, so if I start that then I could try recording a session out and see how big of a pain it might be. That idea is also something I came up with after one of Jason’s posts, so I’d probably run it past him first anyways. Thank you all for the suggestions!
Nice suggestions everyone! The recordings were supposed to be for others to listen to them. I had considered suspending the microphone from the ceiling to avoid table bumping, but I wasn’t sure how that would work.
I already had an idea for a podcast with just me talking, so if I start that then I could try recording a session out and see how big of a pain it might be. That idea is also something I came up with after one of Jason’s posts, so I’d probably run it past him first anyways. Thank you all for the suggestions!