This is a nice idea as there is a huge void left after RailsCasts hasn't gotten new episodes for a long time.
What's a little bit negative is the sound quality of the screencasts, it's really, really bad. It would be a really important improvement if you got a proper studio microphone and did some audio post-processing (I recommend https://auphonic.com/ for this kind of stuff, it's magic what they do).
I picked up a new mic (the Blue Yeti) because I know it's pretty terrible so far. About as bad as Ryan's were at the beginning actually if you go back to his first ones. ;)
Haven't done much recording before, so I'm learning the ropes. Auphonic looks really cool. I'll definitely be checking them out.
The classic technique for vocal capture with zero budget is to put a duvet over your head while recording. Failing this, you can pin the duvet to the walls of a wardrobe or something and sit inside that. Failing that, you may wish to build a little fort out of cushions and blankets or something. You may wish to do this anyway.
The traditional pop filter made from a pair of tights and a wire coathanger works very well too.
Also get some good closed back headphones asap, so you can monitor how you're coming in as you speak.
The next thing to think about after you're getting a decent capture is some kind of dynamics control, ie. compression, but that's beyond the scope of this comment.
Good tips! For monitoring, I love the Beyerdynamic DT 100 headphones. Being closed-back, you can be acoustically separated from your recording space, allowing you to hear its acoustical characteristics (which is the reason why engineers in studios sit in separate spaces from the musicians). You’ll be able to hear the effects of your experiments with duvets :)
Like the parent says compression is also quite important. It’s a big part of what makes radio voices sound radio, for example. Seeing it simplistically it is basically about lowering the dynamics of your sound—make the loud parts softer, so you can make the whole thing louder.
Any audio editing software comes with basic compression plugins. It takes some exercise to get right. Also, as you are making parts of your recording louder, any bad acoustics, noises artefacts are amplified.
Some recording software allows you to monitor effects while you are recording—this can help in finding the right acoustics. Of course there will always be a slight delay—a dedicated hardware compressor solves this problem.
One more thing: you should definitely look at the Reaper recording software: http://reaper.fm/
It has honorable pricing, an unlimited trial, and every feature you could ever need. It's particularly well suited for the kind of stuff you're doing: it has ripple editing, automatic alignment of repeated takes and so on. Can't recommend it enough. Make sure to read the manual though, it uses the mouse buttons in an unusual way.
I didn't think the audio quality was "really, really bad". It does have a slight echo effect, or maybe hall effect (not my area of expertise so please excuse me if I'm not describing it correctly).
I've watched a couple of them now and, if I hadn't seen your comment, I don't think I would have given the audio a second thought.
Thanks! One thing I noticed is that people who did complain about audio quality weren't receiving as much value from the content.
So far, the feedback from people who learned from an episode was that they didn't even notice the audio quality was bad which I'm happy about. It will improve as I have practice, but the content should matter more than the quality of audio.
I support Ryan needing some time off, I just wish he'd open up the Pro episodes if he's done. There are a few I want to watch, but I can't rationalize paying in my head if there's no new content coming out.
He deserves it. I'm not sure what happens exactly, but I know he's not charging the monthly fee anymore since he isn't active. It may just be a one-time $9 to get access to pro episodes.
To be clear; He is not currently charging $9/month. You are now charged a one time fee of $9 that is either indefinite, or until Ryan returns and starts adding new content.
It is definitely worth $9 for all of the existing great content.
What's a little bit negative is the sound quality of the screencasts, it's really, really bad. It would be a really important improvement if you got a proper studio microphone and did some audio post-processing (I recommend https://auphonic.com/ for this kind of stuff, it's magic what they do).