Mic recording app w/ full screen meters

[[email protected]]

I have looked through several sound recording apps but can't find one w the feature I need: show a recording signal meter full-screen or darn close so it can be seen from 10' away. Dont need other options, only record to PCM/WAV, 24-bit, 48kHz. WHY DO I NEED THIS? I'm recording interviews on location and this could greatly help the experts control their speaking levels while talking. We don't have time for proper training or long shoots. Hoping to try this out. If nobody knows of one, would it be hard for a freelance app dev to make it, do you think? Budget is tight, as always! Thx in advance!

- DK

[polymod]

wrote in message
...

I have looked through several sound recording apps but can't find one w the
feature I need: show a recording signal meter full-screen or darn close so
it can be seen from 10' away.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Can't you just zoom/magnify the view of the track you're recording on to fit
the screen?......or did I have one too many Samuel Smith's organic chocolate
stouts last night?

Poly


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[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

On 10/14/2018 10:39 AM, wrote:
> I have looked through several sound recording apps but can't find one w the feature I need: show a recording signal meter full-screen or darn close so it can be seen from 10' away.

I haven't seen recent versions of Tracktion, but the old version had a
"Big Meters" setting that should be big enough for you to see. There's a
free version.

https://marketplace.tracktion.com/shop/free-daw

Audacity has fairly big meters, and it's free, too.

https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

There are also several VU meter plug-ins that should work for you. Try
this free one if you already have a program that uses VST plug-ins:

http://www.tb-software.com/TBProAudio/mvmeter.html



--

For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[Scott Dorsey]

> wrote:
>I have looked through several sound recording apps but can't find one w the=
> feature I need: show a recording signal meter full-screen or darn close so=
> it can be seen from 10' away. Dont need other options, only record to PCM/=
>WAV, 24-bit, 48kHz.

Use whatever application you want, and get a metering plug-in. Orban has
a free one that is pretty good. There are some for-pay ones that are good
too. Most of them should let you put the meter on a second screen and make
it large so that you can put the meter near the talent.

> WHY DO I NEED THIS? I'm recording interviews on locatio=
>n and this could greatly help the experts control their speaking levels wh=
>ile talking. We don't have time for proper training or long shoots. Hoping =
>to try this out. If nobody knows of one, would it be hard for a freelance a=
>pp dev to make it, do you think? Budget is tight, as always! Thx in advance=
>!

I think you'll find that "playing to the meter" is very difficult and will
require a lot of practice for the talent. It's a useful skill to learn;
radio folks practice a lot keeping the meters in range, but it's not something
you can expect a guy off the street to do right off.

You're much better off just allowing huge amounts of headroom and riding
gain in post. We live with 16 and even 20 bits of resolution, there's no
reason not to just keep levels at -20dBFS to allow a little room for the
talent to get loud.

If you're booming and mixing at the same time you may not have the ability
to ride gain so well, but we have so much available dynamic range today that
you really shouldn't need to.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[geoff]

On 15/10/2018 5:23 AM, Mike Rivers wrote:
> On 10/14/2018 10:39 AM, wrote:
>> I have looked through several sound recording apps but can't find one
>> w the feature I need: show a recording signal meter full-screen or
>> darn close so it can be seen from 10' away.
>
> I haven't seen recent versions of Tracktion, but the old version had a
> "Big Meters" setting that should be big enough for you to see. There's a
> free version.
>
> https://marketplace.tracktion.com/shop/free-daw
>
> Audacity has fairly big meters, and it's free, too.
>
> https://www.audacityteam.org/download/
>
> There are also several VU meter plug-ins that should work for you. Try
> this free one if you already have a program that uses VST plug-ins:
>
> http://www.tb-software.com/TBProAudio/mvmeter.html
>
>
>

I would have thought that most recording apps these days have undockable
and fully resizable meter windows up to full screen - at least on the
Master. Meters for individual inputs might be a bit more tricky though ....

Reaper, Acid, Vegas, do for sure.

geoff

[[email protected]]

I can't say it's the stouts for sure, but none of the dozen or so apps I've tried allow me to zoom in on the GUI. That would make things too easy I guess LOL.

- DK

[[email protected]]

My sincere apologies for the misunderstanding I created to all who have read/replied to my post. I use the term "app" in my verbage exclusively to refer to software on mobile platforms, which I did in my post. I know it's not limited in definition that way, so I should have been less ambiguous. So sorry. To be clear then, it's an ANDROID app I need that will show full-sized meters. I imagine many of you thought I was completely mad for asking what appeared to be an inane question. Oh my.

Thanks,
- DK

[[email protected]]

Hi Scott,

To your second point about the talent, I hear what you're saying and I know it won't make them great instantly. But I'm hoping that with the immediate visual feedback we can get noticeable improvement, not superlative. My mic is a factor in this too, as it has a low signal/noise ratio, but no budget for an upgrade. 8/

Thanks in general as I've learned much from you by proxy over the years. Much appreciate your sharing your knowledge.

- Dk

[geoff]

On 15/10/2018 11:48 AM, wrote:
> ise ratio, but no budget for an upgrade. 8/

Best workflow night be the 'plenty of headroom' scenario, and simply
normalising afterwards (or more complex treatment if desired).

You really don't want the talent changing the nature of their speaking
(or singing) voice just to get meters going right.

geoff

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

On 10/14/2018 6:38 PM, wrote:
> So sorry. To be clear then, it's an ANDROID app I need that will show full-sized meters.

Oh, OK. Mobile recording applications with a decent meter are few and
far between. iRig Recorder has a meter that runs the full width of the
device and it should be easy enough to watch from across the room. It
has a a record level control, too, which is something that a lot of the
mobile device recording apps don't have.

--

For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[Scott Dorsey]

> wrote:
>My sincere apologies for the misunderstanding I created to all who have rea=
>d/replied to my post. I use the term "app" in my verbage exclusively to ref=
>er to software on mobile platforms, which I did in my post. I know it's not=
> limited in definition that way, so I should have been less ambiguous. So s=
>orry. To be clear then, it's an ANDROID app I need that will show full-size=
>d meters. I imagine many of you thought I was completely mad for asking wha=
>t appeared to be an inane question. Oh my.

I have absolutely no idea about android applications. But you can probably
buy a used Panasonic Toughbook for $150 or so on the surplus market, put
Boom Recorder on it, and be a whole lot happier than you would be with any
cellphone recorder. If only because you can easily enter the scene names
without fighting with that stupid pop-up keyboard.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[[email protected]]

>
> You're much better off just allowing huge amounts of headroom and riding
> gain in post. We live with 16 and even 20 bits of resolution, there's no
> reason not to just keep levels at -20dBFS to allow a little room for the
> talent to get loud.

+1

it's not the talent's job to watch the meters

and with 24 bits no need to, just leave 20 dB of headroom and re-adjust the level in post.


m

[[email protected]]

REPORTER from Rode Microphones in Dark Mode.

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

On 10/15/2018 6:25 PM, wrote:
> REPORTER from Rode Microphones in Dark Mode.

Huh? The Reporter is a microphone - a pretty nice one for interviews,
but it's not a recording application and it doesn't have a meter.

At first I thought that maybe there was a companion app that had a dark
screen mode, but I couldn't find any reference to that. Maybe a used-to-be?


--

For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[geoff]

On 16/10/2018 11:47 AM, Mike Rivers wrote:
> On 10/15/2018 6:25 PM, wrote:
>> REPORTER from Rode Microphones in Dark Mode.
>
> Huh? The Reporter is a microphone - a pretty nice one for interviews,
> but it's not a recording application and it doesn't have a meter.
>
> At first I thought that maybe there was a companion app that had a dark
> screen mode, but I couldn't find any reference to that. Maybe a used-to-be?
>
>


The cunningly-named Reporter App maybe ?

http://www.rode.com/software/reporter_app

Unfortunately doesn't appear to be an Android version - still stuck on
the Dark Side with Apple ....

However IK do, though not sure if meter big enough, but shows a big
waveform:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ikmultimediaus.android.irigrecorder 3&hl=en

geoff

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

On 10/15/2018 7:16 PM, geoff wrote:
> The cunningly-named Reporter App maybe ?
> http://www.rode.com/software/reporter_app

Your searcher works better than my searcher. Maybe by "dark mode" he
meant "dark side."

--

For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[geoff]

On 16/10/2018 2:21 PM, Mike Rivers wrote:
> On 10/15/2018 7:16 PM, geoff wrote:
>> The cunningly-named Reporter App maybe ?
>> http://www.rode.com/software/reporter_app
>
> Your searcher works better than my searcher. Maybe by "dark mode" he
> meant "dark side."
>


Yeah "Dark Side".

;-)

geoff

[cmp1947]

On Sunday, October 14, 2018 at 11:39:49 AM UTC-3, wrote:
> I have looked through several sound recording apps but can't find one w the feature I need: show a recording signal meter full-screen or darn close so it can be seen from 10' away. Dont need other options, only record to PCM/WAV, 24-bit, 48kHz. WHY DO I NEED THIS? I'm recording interviews on location and this could greatly help the experts control their speaking levels while talking. We don't have time for proper training or long shoots. Hoping to try this out. If nobody knows of one, would it be hard for a freelance app dev to make it, do you think? Budget is tight, as always! Thx in advance!
>
> - DK

klanghelm.com (VU)

www.darkwooddesigns.co.uk (Wide Range Peak Meter)

[John Williamson]

On 14/10/2018 15:39, wrote:
> I have looked through several sound recording apps but can't find one w the feature I need: show a recording signal meter full-screen or darn close so it can be seen from 10' away. Dont need other options, only record to PCM/WAV, 24-bit, 48kHz. WHY DO I NEED THIS? I'm recording interviews on location and this could greatly help the experts control their speaking levels while talking. We don't have time for proper training or long shoots. Hoping to try this out. If nobody knows of one, would it be hard for a freelance app dev to make it, do you think? Budget is tight, as always! Thx in advance!
>
> - DK
>
Trying one out is a good idea.

However, if the interviewees are experienced, they will probably already
be speaking with a fairly even level, and if they are not, then you will
still need to leave lots of headroom, as well as compressing the signal
to get a decent result, and the flashing meter will likely distract them
from being able to say what they want in a clear way.

If you are using a dedicated recorder, then you may find it useful to
turn on either the built in limiter or use the AGC function if all you
are recording is speech. I find the Zoom H2 handy, as you can get quite
good separation between the interviewer and the interviewee using the 4
channel mode.
--
Tciao for Now!

John.