New Media Interchange

March 19, 2012 • 8:29 pm 0

Software: Audacity 2.0 Audio Recorder Released

Wow, this is great news. Audacity has long been the goto audio app for Windows-based podcasters and others who wanted a capable audio editing environment. That said, it has had some stability problems over the years and has been slow to update. The crash recovery mode alone is worth the upgrade. You could recover from crashes before but it was a fiddly and time consuming process. I hope this makes it easier.

Audacity also carries one big banner feature…it runs on nearly any computer platform including Windows, Mac and Linux. No wonder it has been the audio recorder of choice for so many for so long.

Download Audacity form Sourceforge.net

Audacity 2.0 Adds Automatic Crash Recovery, Improved Keyboard Shortcuts, Stability, and Better Effects from Lifehacker
by Thorin Klosowski

Windows/Mac/Linux: The free, open source sound editing program Audacity has been updated with a few new features. The most notable include improved effects, a ton of new keyboard shortcuts, and a handy automatic crash recovery mode.

The big change is the subtle improvements to the sound effects, but you should also notice an increased stability on new operating systems, a new import feature for WAV and AIFF files, and a significantly better device toolbar to manage your inputs and outputs. The new list of keyboard shortcuts is also a handy way to move audio around. You can check out the huge list of changes and big fixes in the release notes if you want to get into the details. Audacity is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Audacity 2.0

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Filed under: News, podcasting, Software, Technology

March 19, 2012 • 10:51 am 2

New Media Producers need to pay their workers SOMETHING!

This post originally appeared in “Careers in New Media by Douglas E. Welch“…

It is a sad fact of the entertainment business that many of the entry level workers are unpaid interns who are working in order to build their “reel”. Working to build your portfolio is fine, up to a point. In reality, we all need to eat. We all need clothe ourselves. We all need to support our families. Low pay is one thing. NO PAY is another thing entirely!

I understand that in the past, New Media projects have been cash poor. These shows and channels were typically bootstrapped on nothing more than the time and pocket change of those involved. Pay was little, if any, simply because there wasn’t any money to give. That’s not true anymore.

Today, money is beginning to flow into New Media projects, through advertising and programs like YouTube’s Content Initiative, Amazon and Netflix production programs, DVD sales, merchandising, online rentals and more. As this money comes in, producers need to make sure that some of it makes it down to every level of their production organization. Asking someone to work for free when the producers are working for free is one thing.

Asking others to work for free when there is revenue coming in — revenue they helped to generate — is entirely another.

Producers, if someone is good enough at their job that you want them working on your project — PAY THEM! To do otherwise is offensive and disrespectful. Respect those who are helping you develop your project — with your actions, your words and your dollars.

I’m not saying you need to put all your revenue into payroll, but some payment commensurate with the work and with your current revenue is the right thing to do. As your revenue increases, so should your worker’s pay. You benefit from this arrangement, too. Paying your workers helps to insure that they work for you and don’t have to (or want to) go work for someone else.

So, to put the finest point on it possible….

New Media producers should pay all levels of their staff — SOMETHING — ANYTHING!

It is productive. It is important. It is right!

For me, in my business dealings — everyone has to win…or everyone will eventually lose. You would be wise to remember that.

Filed under: New Media, Opinion

March 17, 2012 • 6:04 pm 0

Geek and Sundry with Felicia Day, Wil Wheaton and More! – New YouTube Channel

Ok, call me a geek (and many do) but there are several shows on this new channel that I would consider watching. I already watch the guild, of course, but the sizzle reel makes the other look really interesting too.

There is not a lot of info, but some of the shows listed and showing quick video snippets are Felicia Day’s The Guild, which already has a large following, Wil Wheaton’s Tabletop, which looks to be a show with celebrities playing various board games. (Which looked more interesting than it might sound), Dark Horse, which provide animated versions of indie comics, Written by a Kid, which looks like writers listening to kids tell a story and then they animate the story, and Sword & Laser, a science fiction and fantasy book review show.

It is hard to tell the exact focus of these shows from the short video, but I am subscribing to the YouTube Channel. It looks to be a very interesting lineup. The channel premieres April 2, 2012.