ERS What's New in VO Tech tag:www.eldorec.com,2008-07-17:/eldoblog//1 2008-12-17T20:15:44Z We're going to keep you posted with the latest in home studio technology so you don't have to do the leg work. Newsletters will announce blog updates, but we suggest subscribing to our blog using an RSS reader. Movable Type Personal 4.12 Mac OS 10.5.6 Update - SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS tag:www.eldorec.com,2008:/eldoblog//1.15 2008-12-17T20:08:12Z 2008-12-17T20:15:44Z George Whittam http://eldorec.com Apple Mac OS Combo Update. 
It is a 668MB download, so don't do this when you are in the middle of your workday.
Better yet, wait until the weekend, in case you need to do an emergency fix.
And, AS ALWAYS, BACKUP your computer first.  Get an external hard drive (USB or Firewire) and use the free Carbon Copy Cloner to dupe your entire system so you can recover if needed.

]]> Mac OS X 10.5.5 Combo Update may fix audio glitches tag:www.eldorec.com,2008:/eldoblog//1.14 2008-12-12T23:38:00Z 2008-12-12T23:48:44Z George Whittam http://eldorec.com Mac OS 10.5.5 Combo Update  is recommend for ALL USERS running Mac OS Leopard on their Apple computers.  We've had several reports of glitchy recordings recently, and the common thread is the users have Mac OS Leopard running on their computers.  The latest OS update 10.5.5 could very well be the culprit.  Sometimes the automatic updates that Apple supplies, intended to fix bugs in the OS, creates NEW bugs in the process.  Doing a Combo Update can fix some of the problems.  It's pretty obvious now that Apple admits Leopard to be far from bug free, since their next update 10.5.6 is purported to have over 100 bug fixes. 
Let's hope that annoying bug in Apple Mail causing your signature to end up in the wrong place is fixed!!
]]> ProTools Prefs & Database helper for Mac OS tag:www.eldorec.com,2008:/eldoblog//1.13 2008-12-09T00:53:38Z 2008-12-09T00:59:58Z George Whittam http://eldorec.com ProTools Prefs & Database Helper works with Mac OS 10.3, 10.4, and 10.5.

REMEMBER! After you run this application, your ProTools preferences will be returned to factory defaults, so be sure to set everything back the way you like it.  Sometimes your Aux faders will get turned down by default, which can be very confusing when you aren't used to checking those volumes in the mixer. 
]]> Apple LED 24" Cinema Display pros and cons tag:www.eldorec.com,2008:/eldoblog//1.12 2008-11-24T20:53:27Z 2008-11-24T21:10:46Z George Whittam http://eldorec.com Apple finally released the long awaited next edition to it's Cinema Display line last week.
They call it the LED Cinema Display.  It's a 24" display that shares its panel with the current iMacs, with the addition of an LED back light.  LED lasts longer, is mercury-free, and lights up instantly when powered on. 

Pros:
1-  Beautiful LED back lit display is their best yet, with more accurate color
2-  Attractive styling matches new Macbook and iMac designs
3-  Acts like a mini dock for the new Macbooks, with a mag safe connector and DisplayPort connector, and 3 USB 2 ports.  No need for your Macbook power supply while at your desk!
4-  Built-in iSight camera and mic for easy video conferencingm as well as speakers. 

Cons:
1-  Glossy screen reflects light like a mirror, tough to use in some lighting situations
2-  DisplayPort connector is not DVI or VGA compatible until an adaptor comes along.  You can't use this incredible screen with your Mac Pro, iMac, or previous gen Macbooks and Macbook Pros.  Yet...

So, what is DisplayPort?  Essentially it is a direct competitor to HDMI, and not compatible.  Monitors and video cards are coming along with this port, but who knows how well it will catch on?  Anyone remember the ADC, Apple Display Connector?  I guess that's not a fair comparison, since DisplayPort is supported by many manufacturers beyond Apple...
Here's some really geeky info on Wikipedia.
]]> Voice Over microphone tests website; hear the mics! tag:www.eldorec.com,2008:/eldoblog//1.11 2008-11-24T19:46:42Z 2008-11-24T19:47:30Z George Whittam http://eldorec.com useful resource for VO artists who'd like to become familiar with a selection of some of the mics available that would work well for VO.  It's not a scientific test, it just allows you to hear a voice recorded on a variety of microphones to help give you a comparison of their characteristics.  The very first mic in the test is a Sennheiser 416, which many of you may be familiar with, and gives a nice point of reference.  New mics are added all the time, so keep checking back.   See the links at the bottom of the website for a few other mic test resources.

MICROPHONE TESTS

Here are a few of the mics you'll hear:

]]> CEntrance MicPort Pro USB Mic pre-amp interface tag:www.eldorec.com,2008:/eldoblog//1.10 2008-11-24T19:43:37Z 2008-11-24T19:44:15Z George Whittam http://eldorec.com CEntrance MicPort Pro portable USB mic preamp.  Don't suffer with a typical USB microphone when you can have a very high quality mic preamp w/48V Phantom power, headphone amp with zero latency monitoring, and 24bit/96khz sampling rate A/D converters.  It weighs about the same or less than most cell phones, and is completely plug and play with Mac and Windows computers.  Think of it as an Mbox strippemicport-200-2.jpgd to the bare essentials, that actually sounds BETTER, and takes up less space than your microphone. 

Use it with almost ANY professional microphone with an XLR connector.  You don't even need a mic cable with most mics!  It's a ONE CABLE recording solution for your computer, requiring just the included USB cable.  You can install the CEntrance Universal driver for Windows XP and Vista SP1 to give you more control over the MicPort Pro, such as sample rate and latency settings.  Use it to record audio into your favorite recording software on Mac or Windows (almost everything but Pro Tools, of course).  Throw it in your laptop bag with a mic and a small desktop mic stand and record whenever and whereever the need arrises.    

What one?  Get one from ERS NOW!

Use and LOVE it?  Let our readers know!  Leave a comment for all to see! 


]]> Apple Mail email attachment bug found, here's the fix tag:www.eldorec.com,2008:/eldoblog//1.9 2008-11-24T19:41:03Z 2008-11-24T22:38:34Z George Whittam http://eldorec.com I won't go into technical whys and hows, but here's the solution.
When composing a new email that you intend to attach a file to, always type the body of the message, or at least some of it, BEFORE attaching the file.  I have a habit of making a new message, and immediately attaching an Invoice, then typing the message, so it's taken some getting used to.  So far so good! 
Remember:  TYPE then ATTACH

Here's the source of the information if you want the details.
]]> Pro Tools is now officially supported by Mac OS Leopard 10.5.4 tag:www.eldorec.com,2008:/eldoblog//1.4 2008-08-16T02:35:00Z 2008-08-17T18:23:20Z George Whittam http://eldorec.com If you've been holding off that purchase  of a shiny new Apple Mac computer because you rely on Pro Tools LE for your production, then you'll be happy to know that Digidesign has finally caught up and released Pro Tools 7.4.2 for Mac OS Leopard 10.5.3 & 10.5.4.  We've found it to be a stable release on the latest series of Mac computers.  As always read the compatibility page thoroughly before taking the plunge.  If you are running an previous release of Mac Leopard, or have been using Apple's automatic updates (NOT recommended for Pro Tools users), then be sure to download the GIGANTIC Mac OS 10.5.4 Combo Update as it is the best way to ensure that Pro Tools will run properly. 

After you've downloaded and installed Pro Tools 7.4.2, you may receive this message in an email:
Thanks for downloading Pro Tools® 7.4.2 software. If you're currently using the software, we wanted you to be aware of a Pro Tools 7.4.2 preview release dialog we forgot to remove prior to releasing the final version of Pro Tools 7.4.2. Starting around July 18th, you may see this dialog pop up, incorrectly stating that you are running a pre-release version of Pro Tools. We know you're not -- sorry about that.

If you do then read see this page for a patch to fix this problem. 


]]> Don't text while driving, Jott instead! tag:www.eldorec.com,2008:/eldoblog//1.3 2008-08-16T02:18:50Z 2008-08-17T18:26:45Z George Whittam http://eldorec.com Jott.  Jott does a lot of stuff, so I won't get into too much detail here.  I'll just tell you the cool stuff I've tried and know works well. 

  • Return an email
  • Send a reminder to yourself
  • Enter a task into your calendar
  • Reply to a text 
OK, so what's the big deal?  You do all of that with your VOICE. 
Jott listens to your message, transcribes it into text for you, and posts it to your calendar, sends it as an email, or any number of things.  And... it's FREE.

There are a few ways to use Jott from your cell phone.  You can install their application into your phone, which then integrates the Jott function into your messaging application and calendar.  Or you can just make a speed dialer entry to call Jott's 800 number and create entries this way.  The latter is my preferred method for Jotting while driving.  On my Blackberry I set the letter "J" as a speed dialer for Jott, and away I go. 

It has some issues translating your voice if you are driving in a particularly noisey car or standing on a busy intersection.  I've find I need to slow down a little to reduce the road noise in my Subaru, but those with a more sleek and modern car shouldn't have a problem.  Forget trying to use it with the top down on the freeway!   

Now if you get a Jott from me, you'll know what the heck this Jott thing is all about. 
Give it a try!



]]> Welcome to the ERS What's New in VO Tech blog tag:www.eldorec.com,2008:/eldoblog//1.2 2008-08-16T02:05:26Z 2008-08-17T18:31:43Z George Whittam http://eldorec.com OK, I gotta admit, I was feeling really behind the times posting ONLY an email newsletter once a month.  I am hearing more and more that newsletters are getting very passe, and that they are often filtered as Junk mail or deleted before read.  So when I found out that my webhost, Pair Networks, provides a blogging tool called Moveable Type, I decided to give it a shot. 

Now, whenever something really important, or just plain COOL, pops up on my radar, I will post it here for you to read.  This  also provides a means to keep my pearls of wisdom organized and archived to make it easy to refer to past posts and search for information.  But if I am no longer posting all of this great stuff in a comprehensive monthly newsletter, how will you know about it?  That's where RSS comes in!  Just look for this logo:
feed-icon-28x28.png
Want to give it a try?  Please read on...

I will now steal some text from whatisrss.com:


What is RSS?

RSS (Rich Site Summary) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it.

Why RSS? Benefits and Reasons for using RSS

RSS solves a problem for people who regularly use the web. It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually. You ensure your privacy, by not needing to join each site's email newsletter. The number of sites offering RSS feeds is growing rapidly and includes big names like Yahoo News.

What do I need to do to read an RSS Feed? RSS Feed Readers and News Aggregators

Feed Reader or News Aggregator software allow you to grab the RSS feeds from various sites and display them for you to read and use.

A variety of RSS Readers are available for different platforms. Some popular feed readers include Amphetadesk (Windows, Linux, Mac), FeedReader (Windows), and NewsGator (Windows - integrates with Outlook). There are also a number of web-based feed readers available. My Yahoo, Bloglines, and Google Reader are popular web-based feed readers.

Once you have your Feed Reader, it is a matter of finding sites that syndicate content and adding their RSS feed to the list of feeds your Feed Reader checks. Many sites display a small icon with the acronyms RSS, XML, or RDF to let you know a feed is available.


Thanks for reading!!

George Whittam
eldorec.com
]]> New Policies for 2008 from ElDorado Recording Services tag:www.eldorec.com,2008:/eldoblog//1.1 2008-01-17T02:31:22Z 2008-07-18T01:37:03Z George Whittam http://eldorec.com
ERS provides a unique service to our customers and a knowledge base rivaled by few for technical support in the field of voiceover and recording studios.    We've learned a great deal in the past year about what it takes to succeed in this business and what changes are necessary to achieve our goals in the new year.  As of February 1st, 2008 the following changes will go into effect.  

The first area of focus is formalizing our billing and rate structure.  We have found that in order to maintain the open and flexible schedule required to accommodate the needs of our clients, we need to increase our hourly billing rate.  

Hourly billing rate for services during regular business hours, 8AM to 8PM PST Monday through Friday will be $135/hr.  

All house call services billed at a minimum of 2 hrs.
Travel time billed at $135/hr for only one direction.   

Any service outside of those hours will incur a 25% surcharge.  
Overtime billing (1.5x) will be charged for services calls extending beyond 8 hours.

Services rendered on Saturday is billed at time and one quarter rate (1.25x).  
Services rendered on Sunday is billed at time and a half rate (1.5x).

We do not charge a "rush" fee because we consider every service call urgent in this business.  

All materials and equipment purchased for the client is marked up at a standard rate of 20%.  This margin covers the time and expenses incurred to research, locate, and procure materials to meet the timing needs of the project.  

Clients will only receive a written estimate for new services if one is requested.  Clients must make payment for equipment in full to initiate any project.  Labor charges are billed at the completion of the project unless otherwise stipulated.



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