Technology

AKG Perception 220 Microphone

Mar 4th

Posted by Dan Taylor in Music

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As a follow-up to my previous review, let’s take a look at the AKG Perception 220 microphone. Priced around $50 more than the Audio Technica AT2020, the AKG packs a number of features into an agreeable (approximately) $200 microphone that are often found on much pricier microphones. Similar to the Audio Technica, the P220 is a cardioid condenser microphone, featuring AKG’s renowned 1-inch large-diaphragm true condenser transducer.

Both microphones feature a 20 – 20k hz response, with the AKG just edging out the AT2020 in the signal-to-noise ration department. The AKG clocks in at 78db while the Audio Technica scores only 4 db lower at 74 db. When it comes to miking up some amps or percussion, the AT2020 is capable of handling 144 dB SPL, 1 kHz at 1% T.H.D. while the AKG P220 will handle 155 dB SPL, at .5% T.H.D. One unique advantage that the AKG has over the Audio Technica is it’s -20db pad. What this means is that users can simply flip a switch on the P220 if they’re going to be miking big amplifier cabinets, and don’t want to run the risk of distortion.

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Audio Technica AT2020 Microphone

Feb 17th

Posted by Dan Taylor in Technology

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The folks at Audio Technica have done an outstanding job at packing a much more expensive sounding microphone into a minuscule $79.99 price tag. A Condenser Cardioid microphone, the AT2020 is perfect for recording voiceovers for your video productions and/or podcasts. An excellent entry level studio quality microphone, I’ve demonstrated in the video below a few of the finer points of the AT2020, including the usage of a pop filter, and not.

I also put the AT2020 to the test over the weekend, and closely mic’d by bass amp, and am proud to report no overdrive at all. Even at a fairly loud (by apartment standards) volume level, the AT2020 didn’t flinch.

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Google admits Buzz privacy fail

Feb 17th

Posted by Dan Taylor in News

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Google officially admitted yesterday that it’s testing procedure surrounding their new offering Buzz was less than sufficient. Since it’s February 9th appearance, Google has had to do some serious retooling of the product, amid privacy concerns that sprang up almost immediately. Google says that they’re working “extremely hard” to fix the problem. “We’re very early in this space. This was one of our first big attempts,” Todd Jackson, Buzz product manager, told BBC News.

But how could one of the world’s largest online service providers overlook such a detail? It comes down to a simple lack of widespread testing. Buzz was only tested internally at Google, something the company normally does NOT do. Most often, when Google wants to bring a new product to market, they’ll tap into their unofficial “Google Trusted Tester” program, a network of family and friends of Google employees who have proven track records and are trusted with a high degree of confidentiality. These “Trusted Testers” are in exchange, given early access to a soon to be launched Google product. Unfortunately, Buzz did not receive the same treatment. “We’ve been testing Buzz internally at Google for a while. Of course, getting feedback from 20,000 Googlers isn’t quite the same as letting Gmail users play with Buzz in the wild,” comments Jackson.

To battle the negative buzz now surrounding Buzz, Google has set up a “war room” at their Mountain View, CA. headquarters that is strictly devoted to sorting out the Buzz issues.

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Social Media Statistics

Feb 2nd

Posted by Dan Taylor in Social Media

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Opinions abound on Social Media. How it works, where it works best, how individuals and businesses can use it best, etc. Each of these opinions have their own intrinsic value, but sometimes, nothing beats cold hard numbers. As Joe Friday said, “All we want are the facts, ma’am,”- let’s take a look at some Social Media statistics.

  • Facebook receives and shares more than 3.5 billion pieces of content (links, news stories, blog posts) on a weekly basis.
  • Facebook pages have generated more than 5.3 billion fans.
  • Approximately 700,000 local businesses have active Facebook fan pages.
  • Approximately 70 percent of Facebook users arrive from outside the United States.
  • Over 250 Facebook applications have over 1 million combined users each month.
  • Since December 2008, more than 80,000 websites have integrated Facebook Connect. More than 60 million Facebook users actively use this service across any number of these 80,000+ sites that offer the feature.
  • 55-65 year old females make up the fastest growing segment on Facebook
  • Facebook paid $0 to have their entire site translated into Spanish via a crowdsourced Wiki. The site was translated in less than 4 weeks.

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