The cameras built into lots of laptops are generally fairly fundamental, and this has led to booming profits of webcams in current months as hundreds of thousands of distant-doing the job business users have upgraded to a better-excellent devices for video clip calls and presentations. But video clip excellent is only one 50 percent of the equation, and lots of users also require to make improvements to the audio side of their presentations, vlogs and podcasts.
AKG’s aptly named Podcaster Essentials is a extensive and reasonably priced option for high-excellent audio get the job done that bundles collectively the firm’s skilled-degree audio devices with additional audio modifying software. Priced at $249, or £259 (inc. VAT) in the British isles, the Podcaster Necessities package includes the AKG Lyra microphone, AKG K371 headphones and Ableton Dwell ten Lite recording software.
The package is bought direct from AKG’s web page in the US, although British isles profits are by way of the specialist Sound Technological innovation.
The Podcaster Necessities package comprises AKG’s Lyra microphone and K371 headphones, and Ableton Dwell ten Lite recording software.
Image: AKG
Style and design & features
The Lyra USB microphone is the centrepiece of this all-in-one recording studio. Its retro style and design seems to be quaintly aged-fashioned, but it houses a wide range of modern day audio features, like plug-and-perform USB-Audio input for Macs and PCs (with cable bundled). It can also be utilized with Android and iOS cellular products with a suitable adapter (not bundled).
The Lyra is basically much more than a solitary microphone, as it includes four separate microphone ‘capsules’ — still left and suitable, entrance and back again – that allow for it to file high-resolution stereo audio up to 24-little bit/192KHz (when compared to 16-little bit/44.1KHz for normal CD-excellent audio), with four separate recording modes. The ‘front’ recording method focuses on a solitary speaker sitting instantly in entrance of the microphone, although ‘front-and-back’ can include two persons sitting opposite each other. For two speakers sitting side-by-side there’s a ‘tight stereo’ method, although ‘wide stereo’ extends the sound stage for larger teams, or for persons who might require to move close to in the course of a functionality or presentation.
4 separate mic ‘capsules’ allow for the Lyra microphone to cater for various audio environments.
Image: AKG
Along with the Lyra microphone, the Podcaster Necessities package also includes AKG’s well-liked K371 headphones. Created for skilled audio recording, the K371 eschews the compromises of Bluetooth streaming, and opts for a classic wired audio connection, together with huge, padded earpieces that supply superior sound isolation to assist you target on your audio recordings. I have utilized the K371 in the past, and its high-resolution sound is definitely outstanding, thanks to a frequency reaction of 5Hz – 40KHz that captures much more element at both the better and decrease finishes of the audio spectrum than standard customer-oriented headphones.
To deliver audio input and output collectively, the Podcaster Necessities package also includes a copy of Ableton Dwell ten Lite, a ‘streamlined’ model of the well-liked Ableton Dwell ten audio software. As perfectly as multi-observe modifying instruments, Ableton also includes a wide range of built-in sound consequences and sampled loops that can be utilized to produce qualifications music. And, for newcomers to audio recording get the job done, the package also includes a no cost four-aspect training training course furnished by Berklee Online.
SEE: IoT: Key threats and stability strategies for products (no cost PDF) (TechRepublic)
The Podcaster Necessities package may possibly be overkill for easy video clip calls with colleagues, but it will be a beneficial upgrade if you require to file and edit on the net presentations and marketing materials, or generate podcasts and vlogs.
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