Polishing the Turd Campaign

Dirty Boxers started small. Quality of sound and production wasn’t important, because the show wasn’t that important. As time went on, and the show gained listeners and notoriety, so of course production standards had to improve.

Unfortunately, improving standards on a second-hand shoestring budget is hard, so it is has come to that time when I cannot afford to make Dirty Boxers what it can be without asking for your help. At the moment, I feel Dirty Boxers is only running at 50 – 60%, but with your help, together we can Polish the Turd and make it shine!

Over the past few weeks, and after a lot of Google searches, asking Ginger Steve the ‘official’ Sound Tech guy of Dirty Boxers some questions, AND working out how I would like to see Dirty Boxers grow, I have managed to come up with several pieces of equipment and elements to help make my 100% goal a reality. I have broken our targets in to phases, as you can see below, with clear equipment purchases in mind – to be 100% transparent.

Each phase has a purpose – not just to make Dirty Boxers more professional, but to ensure YOU as a valued member of the Dirty Boxers family can enjoy more variety and fun from the shows with what the additional equipment will allow me to do.

Thank you,
Leigh

Phase 1 – Completing the Audio Studio
0% Complete

The idea for phase 1 is to complete the studio set-up I use to produce the show on a day-to-day basis. With the additional equipment below I will be able to include guests on the show without sacrificing quality of production and ensure that the shows have a better all-round professional quality to them.

Behringer MDX-1600 Autocom PRO-XL 2-Channel Expander/Gate/Compressor

Sennheiser Evolution E 845-S – Microphone

The Sennheiser Evolution E 845-S features extended high frequency response and supercardioid pick-up pattern for higher signal output, cutting through high on-stage sound levels. Smooth warm tonal response and full dynamic range with presence lift guarantee vocal clarity and projection. Consistent on/off axis and proximity response maintain sound quality while moving provide greater on-stage freedom. Full metal construction and extensive suspension and shock-mounting minimize handling noise and signal interference. The Sennheiser Evolution E 845-S features high output performance microphone, offering power, clarity and projection.

Microphone ‘Control Arm’ Studio Stand

General studio arm for guest microphone to ensure ease of use.

General Leads & Accessories

To hook everything above together to make it work – including leads, pop shields / wind deflectors and have I mentioned the leads to make the above work?

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Phase 2 – ‘Outside Broadcasts’
50% Complete

Previously, when I wanted to record something on the move, then I’d use my phone to record the MP3. But the quality was awful, and in some cases the recording turned all digital and weird – so where unlistenable and unusable. I would also like to be able to record additional content to our You Tube channel.
Currently I am still researching the best solutions for what I would like to achieve, but here are what I am looking for:

MP3 Recorder

• Quality recordings
• Ability to use ‘better’ 3rd party Microphones

For the ‘MP3 Recorder’ I came up with a brainwave… Instead of purchasing a little expensive box – I have decided to use a slightly older, slightly more battered, slightly more ALREADY OWNED box called an iPhone. I have used the iPhone to record short interviews before, but the biggest issue was the lack of quality of the sound recorded due to the built-in Mic. Even using the fiddly earbuds with mic was painful in some test recordings.

Now however I found a new little gizmo called an “iRig iMic” (about £39 off Amazon). This device is a clever beast of a Mic with a jack splitter which plugs in to your normal earphone port on the phone. There is the splitter, so you can then plug in your earbuds / headphones on top to get live audio playback while recording. There are three settings on the Mic to change the amount of sound it’ll pick up too – basically making it either an Omni-directional or Cardioid with a flick of the switch (there are three settings – who knows why!). Also decided to purchase a cheap Mic Windshield to complete the set up.

So yes, cheap and clever little mic to get me started recording on the move… DONE!

Quick & Easy Camcorder

• Reasonable picture quality
• Second-hand – better camera for the money
• Ability to use ‘better’ 3rd party Microphones
• Ideally able to be used as a Webcam for live show recordings on Ustream
• Not necessarily HD, as Standard Definition will be the best quality for streaming in my location
• Ideally reasonably high Optical Zoom – instead of Digital

Phase 3 – Completing the Video Studio

To be confirmed.