I’ve started to do some screencasts to make training available to customers on things we’ve set up for them. One recent project was a managed file transfer application for a customer who needed a PCI-DSS compliant MFT solution for a telephone order vendor. Rather than just resorting to written documentation, I made a screencast for the client and their vendor to use. I used a USB headset/microphone combination along with Snapz Pro X to do the screen captures. The result was very good, and professional-looking, but I decided that if I were going to try to repeat the performance, I’d want better audio as well as the ability to edit the software more to zoom in to relevant screen sections for example. Phase one was taking care of the audio. In that regard, I ordered the Behringer Podcast Studio- since I use USB for my keyboard, mouse, card reader and other peripherals, I decided to go the firewire route for the audio interface. Of course, I forgot that Apple decided that they were only going to provide 9-pin firewire 2 ports on the new Mac Pros, so it took me a couple of extra days to get a 6-pin to 9-pin conversion cable. Along with the Podcast Studio, I ordered a metal pop filter. All set up, while I can hear a lot of background noise in the headphones when I’m monitoring my tests, the actual recordings sound great. This may motivate me to try to get some information security and photography podcasts done since I have the equipment now.
Behringer 802 Mixer from Podcast Studio kit
The kit comes with a 4-channel mixer, headphones, a powered mic, XLR cable, F-Control FCA-202 firewire audio interface, 4 balanced 1/4″ audio cables, a mic stand and the two power bricks for the mixer and the audio interface. It provides power for the mic, and the audio cables are for in and outbound routing, so you can re-mix sound out from the computer as well as from the local inputs (2 XLR/1/4″ mic inputs, 2 channels of 2 (stereo) 1/4″ inputs, 1 set of RCA inputs and 1 set of RCA outputs, 1 1/4″ FX panel input, headphone and 1/4″ control room and main outputs and two 1/4″ return inputs, as well as a headphone output on the audio interface.)
Paul