Analog to Digital

[oldradioguy]

ok, being an old commercial radio guy from "way back" (sad but true), i've definitely been looking into podcasting hardware (software i have figured out, lol). my question is this: do i need to buy additional digital equipment to create a podcast...OR...can i just feed my already exisiting analog studio into the sound card of my computer? keep in mind, i have some high dollar broadcast gear. my issue is quality, obviously. for the average listener, will he or she be able to tell any "noticable" difference after the analog input has been converted to a digital output? heck, we did it in radio for years before i retired from "that end". i was just wondering IF my existing analog gear would work...i kind of hate spending MORE money on additional digital gear (since i already have the analog studio), as i produce commercials, v/o's, liners, and such in this manner, that i either email...or snail mail a cd...to radio stations. they seem to be of excellent quality "on the air" so i assume it would work with podcasting. your input would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

[WyethDigital]

Yeah, as long as the quality of the lines and connectors going into the computer are good, you should have no problem. Being an experienced radio guy, and I'm assuming someone with an "ear" for this sort of thing, you may notice a degredation in quality when you take your audio down to an .mp3, but since it's a "lossy" format anyway, that's to be expected.

I have a cheap analog soundboard that I sometimes use to mix audio for my video podcast, and I do notice in some instances a bit of a hiss under the desirable audio, but that hnestly has more to do with my equipment than the analog/digital conversion.

Eric

[oldradioguy]

thanks eric! that helps quite a bit, actually. yes, mp3 seems to have a "loss" overall. in my experimentation, i have experienced a less than "annoying" background hiss on RARE occasions, but i'm wondering if i can just filter that out with software. i'm certain others will offer additional input. quick response! thanks, man! seems to be a good place here!

ben

[ElNacho]

a simple noise reduction can take that out. or, more expensively, meaning not free, you could stick a gate between the connections

[WyethDigital]

It's not usually a problem. I have a killer app that gets out all sorts of stuff, and I can pretty much use it in-line with my workflow.

I will probably upgrade to some hardware solutions at some point, but right now, I'm more interested in portability, and the less cables/connections I have to take with me, the easier set up is.

But thanks for the suggestions!

Eric

[Dr. Trey]

When going digital from analog, the converters are all that really matter. So if your computer sound card has great converters, it'll work out great for you.

[WyethDigital]

thanks eric! that helps quite a bit, actually. yes, mp3 seems to have a "loss" overall. in my experimentation, i have experienced a less than "annoying" background hiss on RARE occasions, but i'm wondering if i can just filter that out with software. i'm certain others will offer additional input. quick response! thanks, man! seems to be a good place here!

ben

Hey Ben,

Not a cheap piece of software, but SoundSoap (http://www.bias-inc.com/products/soundsoap/) is excellent at removing hiss from audio. All you need is about 1.5 to 2 seconds of straight noise, and the program can learn it and eliminate it. You also have manual controls to fine tune it, as well

[oldradioguy]

great tip, eric, thanks! the "hiss factor" really hasn't been an issue, so far. but i'll log the info. my main concern was the "additional" equipment side of things.

[monkey_one]

I dont know what gear you have on the analog side...or what kind of editing you want to do on the digital end ....there are deicated digital multitrack editors...or posible a pc/mac with a analog/digital mixing board like the onyx by macie with firewire card
if you have a hw gate/compressor or other effects already this would probbally be your best bet....If you go this route anolg/digital sound board to a computer I would opt for a firewire interface as opposed to usb....but you also have to consider software

[oldradioguy]

right now, my analog feed goes directly into the "line in" of a dedicated computer's sound card. i'm using cool edit pro fro recording/multitracking/mixing, and so forth. its an older piece of software and i'm not even sure bsi makes it anymore, but it was pretty cool for its time. i've also got its mp3 plug in. what i do now, is just email the finished file (spots or liners) to a client or burn a cd and fed ex it. i've heard the spots on various stations and they sound comparable to anything "on the air," technically. my analog gear is just standard radio station brodcast equipment, so i won't go into alot of detail, lets just say i've built and updated the studio over MANY years time. no analog tape is used in any of my productions, LOL. as i've been exploring the possibility of podcasting (it has great potential), i've heard folks discuss various equipment issues and needs. i figure that if i'm going to do it, i want to do it right. i'm kind of a perfectionist.

[monkey_one]

Well if you are producing an mp3 file to your liking now and are satified with the compresion and sound quaility the recording end is taken care of right /sound like the other side of podcasting publishing to an rss feed mabey is were you need help I think?

[oldradioguy]

i'll admit, i'm satisfied - overall - with the technical quality, i've just seen SO many folks with completely differnt equipment set-ups for podcasting, i wanted to make certain i was doing the right thing. so i guess i'm, at least, moving in the right direction. i wanted to make sure i was "semi" in line with everyone else. meantime, i've been looking at various feed "publishing" software, as well as the plugin for word press, there's alot to chose from! i'm sure everyone has their preference. i really hope nobody minds me picking their brain. :wink:

[monkey_one]

nope this is what this forum is for other resources are
http://www.podcastpickle.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/podcasters/
I know there are more but this sight were on and these other 2 are top notch in getting info on all aspects of podcasting

[monkey_one]

nope this is what this forum is for other resources are
http://www.podcastpickle.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/podcasters/
I know there are more but this sight were on and these other 2 are top notch in getting info on all aspects of podcasting

oops soory messed up

[roadrageradio]

right now, my analog feed goes directly into the "line in" of a dedicated computer's sound card. i'm using cool edit pro fro recording/multitracking/mixing, and so forth. its an older piece of software and i'm not even sure bsi makes it anymore, but it was pretty cool for its time. i've also got its mp3 plug in. what i do now, is just email the finished file (spots or liners) to a client or burn a cd and fed ex it. i've heard the spots on various stations and they sound comparable to anything "on the air," technically. my analog gear is just standard radio station brodcast equipment, so i won't go into alot of detail, lets just say i've built and updated the studio over MANY years time. no analog tape is used in any of my productions, LOL. as i've been exploring the possibility of podcasting (it has great potential), i've heard folks discuss various equipment issues and needs. i figure that if i'm going to do it, i want to do it right. i'm kind of a perfectionist.

Cool Edit Pro lives on as Adobe Audtion (yes, that Adobe). They bought the rights to it, changed the name, and have since come out with two new releases. It looks and feels just like CEP, but with more gadgets and whistles. There was an upgrade offer, which may still be available.

As far as your signal path goes, generic sound cards are often a weak link because cheap A to D circuits sound like crap. Brand name sound cards are usually better and there are aftermarket cards made for audio available. If you have the time and the test equipment, you might play with recording some pure analog tones at say 200, 400, 1000 Hz, and see what the look like in Cool Edit. But if you can't hear a problem on the digital side, chances are your sound card is decent.

If I had to choose between getting a high end sound card or a new RE 20 for about the same money, I'd get the mic.