What Microphone To Use For Man On The Street Interviews

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For Man on the Street interviews (interviewing people on the street, or MOS) we mostly see people using handheld microphones.  This makes sense.  The pick up the speaker and can easily be pointed to another speaker, and the range isn’t big enough to pick up a ton of background noise.

For me the big question is do I want a cardioid pick-up pattern or an onmi pickup pattern, that usually depends on the microphones I have available and if I am going to be inside or outside.  It is nice to have some background noise so the viewer can hear the environment without being too distracted by it.

Hear are some recent videos I did experimenting with microphones on the street. For more videos please check out the categories on the website or my Youtube channel

Redford Comic Con October 2015

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Your Comic Con is becoming known in the Detroit (Michigan) area for small comic conventions. This convention was Halloween theme and even some of the venders were dressed up. It is a rarity to see venders dressed up during the day at a comic con. Normally since the venders are at shows every-weekend they just dress normal.

This was a very small comic con and that is not a bad thing. What you get with small comic cons is that you meet everyone. The 2 costume contests were the first costume contests at a comic con that I participated in.  I was a judge for the kid’s costume contest and I participated as Mario in the normal costume contest.

USB cords everywhere . . .

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My desk is a mess. I would take pictures of my desk but I rather not. I am moving in a month so I’m sure my desk will be more organized for at least a week after I move.

One reason my desk is a mess is because of all the usb cords. I always have at least 2 external hard-drives, my P2 card reader (2 usb slots for this), printer, webcam, mouse, keyboard (I don’t like wireless for the desktop), and other usb cords for charging miscellanies things. The fact that my current usb hub as at least 2 broken ports doesn’t help things at all.

I want a new usb hub, but the issues do go father than that. So many things are charged via USB now I decided to charge them somewhere else other than my desk. Borderwing was awesome enough to send me an Alisten PowerPort 6 USB-C/USB Charging Hub. It has 5 normal usb slots and an usb-c slot. This replaced the 2 usb converters in a power strip that I use for cellphones. I also use this same power strip to change batteries and other miscellanies things so for me this is perfect to move all my usb charging cords (that don’t need to be hooked up to the computer) into one spot.

USB charging hubs makes sense because if you are like me need to charge at least 4 different usb devices lets just say every-other day, you may not have enough converters . . single usb power converters I don’t think are worth having more that 2 per cell phone (one for home, one for travel) and there are so many usb devices now you can usally getaway with less if need be. Of course most devices that have usb on them you can only charge through usb when the device is on. I don’t like leaving my computer, tv, dvd player, ect . . . on when I don’t need it on.

Bottom line, the Alisten PowerPort 6 USB-C/USB Charging Hub works and should help me organize my cords and have less things tangles on my mess I call a desk.  For only $20 I can’t ask for more. The only way I would spend more for for an item like this is if the USB charging hub would A. also connect to the computer and B. had individual power switches for the usb slots. B of course would mean the device would be bigger as well. For a small device like this it does exactly what it needs to do and I am very happy with it.

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As you can see it is small and my smallest remote is larger than it. To answer in advance: hanging wires do not bother me and I do have it connected to a power switch so I can turn it off when not in use.

If you would like me to blog about more stuff like this, please let me know 🙂

Testing Bluetooth Equipment For Halloween Collab (while not being a Halloween video)

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I do not like to do “dated” videos. What I mean by this is I don’t want to do a video that is really only asking for views around a particular time. This could be a gossip topic that everyone will forget about in a year, or a holiday video that is only relevant a few weeks a year.

Keeping this in mind, I also want to do as many “collab” videos as possible. A collab video is a video that you work with other people on. In this case I was asked to be part of a playlist that shows about 20 YouTube channels all doing similar videos. Doing a Halloween DIY/tutorial video does sound “dated” but it is up to the creator to find their own angle.

To find my own angle (and in a limited time) I look at my own material. I do a lot of zombie events but it was not practical for me to time out during an event to a tutorial. This would also make me have to figure out a topic that people are actively searching for. The other large topic that my channel has is AUDIO. I like making audio equipment tests. This now gives me an excuse to play with low budget equipment for a larger audience (since the video will be promoted by others in the collab/playlist).

I decided to buy some cheap ($20) JETech bluetooth receivers/transmitters. This is something I have been wanting to do anyways . . . I was waiting to get a deal on them (maybe a brand deal) but $40 for equipment, I can consider this “toy” money.

Now all I had to do was figure out a way to use these “toys” in a Halloween theme, but also not “dated”. “ever-green” videos are videos that are not considered “dated”. If you watch the video below I believe i figured out how this video could be considered fine for Halloween viewing but also “every-green” in nature.

Here is the play-list of all the videos in the collab. Please check them out.

Scotty (Toaden)

Wyandotte Zombie Pub Crawl 2015

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I really wish I could have done more zombie events this October.  One event I am glad I didn’t miss was the Wyandotte Zombie Pub Crawl.  In it’s second year this event more than doubled in size.  This Pub Crawl benefits Yes Ma’am. The Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital “Yes, Ma’am” program provides free mammograms to uninsured women in the Downriver (downriver from Detroit, Michigan) region on an annual basis (taken from the Yes Ma’am’s website).

Whenever there are zombies walking around a downtown area and not getting hit by cars, I call that a win.

2015 Wyandotte Pub Crawl

2014 Wyandotte Pub Crawl

Update: Got the video in the local news

ConClave SF 2015

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When I think of a Sci Fi Convention I think about movies and television shows. I tend to forget about the world of books. I went to a convention that was filled with panels about writing books and stories. Of course these can be related to webcomics (there were panels on webcomics) cosplay (there was a game room and a room for fighting and larping things) and even video (I did 2 videos with video as the focus).

For a convention that is in it’s 39th year it was amazing that there were less than 500 people there, although it was full of great panels all weekend (always something to do).

I look forward to next year and I really urge people to check out this convention in the Detroit area.  Conclave website

Monroe Comic-Com 2015

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October is the month that every-weekend there is at least one event I must go too.  There are so many conventions and zombie walks and just amazing events. This year I changed things up and I went to some different events than I did last year.  Last weekend I went to Monroe Comic-Con.  As you can tell by the video below it was small but full of people in full “comic-com” spirit and was a well worth-while convention.

Man on the Street Handheld Tests: Shure SM58 vs Rode Reporter Mic

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Man on the street interviews are very popular. Just going up to someone and asking them questions or otherwise interacting with the public. I prefer using a handheld because I don’t have to take time to set up a lapel on a complete stranger, and I also get less background noise I risk getting if I used a shotgun.

In this video I test 2 well known handheld microphones for man on the street. The Shure SM58 is used for many, many things.  The Rode Reporter mic is aimed more for interviews. I recommend watching this video wearing good headphones and making your own decision on what would work best for you.

My First True Car Event: Hell Michigan’s HearseFest 2015

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A few months ago I asked on my FaceBook page “What kinds of events should I start doing?”  A few people suggested I start doing car events. I am not a car guy. I said I would do a car event if it fit in with the other events on my YouTube channel. A good friend suggested I go to Hell.  Hell, Michigan has a yearly car event all about hearses.


If you enjoyed this video please share it, commit, thumbs up, and subscribe for more event videos.

Shure SM58: Wired Vs Wireless

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The debate has faded when it comes to wired vs wireless, it is no longer “what is better?” as it is “what should I use?”.  Honestly what I hear the most is “why are we not using wireless?”

I still feel if I can get away with a wired microphone, that is what I go for. If the person is not walking around, and the wire is not a trip hazard, I see no reason to go wired. Although there is less chance of interference today vs ten years ago, I still feel like it is simply more reliable.

So what sounds better. I did a comparison video with 2 different types of the same microphone: Shure sm58.  This microphone is a staple of the audio/video industry and you can find at least one around any studio. When you watch this still keep in mind, this is what is sounds like in my camera (Panasonic HPX250) on auto mode with no post done on the audio. Processors make a big difference so just because it sounds like this on my camera, doesn’t be you won’t find a difference on another camera or soundboard. Another big thing is with wireless you have to have a receiver so it may sound different depending on the receiver you are using as well.

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