Wes and Scott talk with Syntax Producer Randy Rektor. From mastering mic technique to lighting hacks and choosing the right camera, they discuss the best ways to upgrade your audio and video setup on any budget.

Show Notes

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 03:01 Brought to you by Sentry.io
• 04:14 Understanding signal-to-noise ratio
• 06:48 Using de-noise
  • iZotope Voice De-noise
• 09:12 The importance of mic technique
• 10:28 Dealing with electrical noise
• 11:15 The proximity effect
• 13:01 Sound treatment vs sound proofing
  • Sound Wavelength Calculator
  • Syntax 516: Wes’ New Soundproof Office
  • Studiobricks
  • Randy’s Studiobricks video
  • GIK Acoustics
• 23:33 Do egg crates work for sound treatment?
• 25:22 USB mics vs XLR mics
  • Shure MV6
  • Syntax 845: Are Companies Hiring? State of the Dev Job Market With Taylor Desseyn
• 27:06 Video composition
• 30:18 How to improve your lighting
• 35:37 Choosing the right camera
• 36:58 The importance of codecs and bitrates
• 38:14 What to look for in a webcam
• 38:50 Randy’s packages for $50, $150 and $500-$1000 budgets
• 40:02 The $50 package/selecting your mic
  • Feelworld PM1
  • Fifine K688
  • heyday Stone White Desktop Mic
• 43:53 The $150 package
  • Neewer lights
• 45:32 The $500-$1000 package
  • Shure MV6
  • Insta360 Link 2
  • Insta360 Link 2c
  • Elgato Cam Link 4k
  • Sonay a6000
• 51:07 Mic stand recommendations
  • VIVO
• 56:50 Sick picks & Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

• Randy: etymologynerd on TikTok

Shameless Plugs

• Randy: Randy’s YouTube Channel

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