One of the things I learned while narrating the audiobook is that I need a few small upgrades for my recording gear:
- Pop filter. I use a generic foam windscreen on my Heil PR-40, but it's not enough sometimes. The cheap-ass filter I picked up a couple of years ago is too inflexible (and too damn crappy) to work with my rig, so it was time to spend some money for something far better: BSW's RE27. It's custom made for this and one other mic, so it fits very well. Its color also matches my mic perfectly. It looks like it was there all the time. And it works beautifully, so good news all around!
- Shock mount. One thing I've learned over the years is that for the most part, cheap is expensive. If you go with a cheaper option for most things, chances are you'll be disapppointed and/or have to replace it far sooner than you had hoped. I could have gone for a cheaper shock mount, but since Heil makes one specifically for my mic, this was a no-brainer.
- Mixer. My M-Audio USB interface has served me well for the last few years, but it's picking up far too much noise for some reason. That translates directly into more editing time for me, which kinda bites. So to combatthis problem--and to open up new possibilities as well, I ordered a Mackie 402-VLZ3 mixer. It's small, cheap, and friggin' great because it's a Mackie VLZ mixer.
The pop filter has already been deployed, and has already worked its magic. The shock mount arrived slightly broken. One of the welds cam apart in transit. However, BSW handled the return beautifully. It arrived on Thursday, FedEx picked it up again on Friday, and its replacement is due tomorrow (Tuesday). Very nice indeed!
The last piece is the mixer, which is due here on Thursday. Now that the audiobook is out the door, there's no rush.
