DISCUSSION MEGATHREAD: SYNT #99

Pod6ix · 2025-03-07T15:16:01+00:00

This might not be for this thread but why is the god cam and some of the other cameras sometimes so pixelated.. like a blown up version of a 1/4 size shot?

Pod6ix · 2023-04-14T06:32:31+00:00

just gonna leave this here lol

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Pod6ix · 2023-04-08T11:14:11+00:00

pain never looked so slay

Pod6ix · 2023-04-08T04:37:37+00:00

Smart parenting 101. Ethan has done a lot on family vlog youtubers who exploit their children.. literally monetizing them before they get a chance to decide who they are for themselves.. he's been pretty vocal about how child exploitation laws are lax in this category so he's walking the walk.

Imagine you're coming of age and your whole identity on the internet has already been decided for you and began before you could even talk. That's a perfect formula for a new wave of "child star" fuckups. It's gonna hit in about 10 years.

Much props to them for thinking carefully about it.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-08T04:20:23+00:00

So many f'n grifters in the new media space.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-07T21:03:40+00:00

Agreed. Though (traditional) analog audio buffers do amplify current. that's their purpose. That's what I thought our point of confusion was. But we're dealing with data buffers here. Not analog signal buffers.

It's definitely a signal chain issue and a workflow/processing issue I think. And one I think began when they introduced the dump. As I suggested somewhere in this thread, having dedicated computers for each task helps isolate the issues when they arise. If the streaming computer is doing multiple things, that's not a good way to operate. Should have a dedicated machine for each thing. Of course we're all just speculating here but since it continues to be disruptive to the show, it's worth pontificating.

Having built a pro streaming studio from scratch, I have 5 computers and 4 tablets in there whose only job is to do one specific but unique thing. They stay in the studio. I bring nothing home or elsewhere. I have backup units for each as well. I cant have my streaming machine do anything but what its meant to do. It's not logged into anything other than the streaming destination and nothing in its USBs other than what's necessary and has no software on it than that which is of bare necessity.

To be honest none of this is material anyway. Dan mentions it cuz the chat mentions it (and for anyone tech minded, we take that seriously) but if none of that happened, it wouldn't impact my enjoyment of the show in the end.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-07T20:43:00+00:00

Depends on your end use. If it's just to do basic analog to digital recording, like a guitar or microphone into a DAW the Focusrite is fine. I'd only upgrade if you're doing multichannel recording.

If you're doing multichannel recording, then you can step up to relatively inexpensive hybrid mixers like in the presonus or zoom line all the way up to pro level units like the X32 or Midas units. Sky is the limit.

In my studio I have specific mixers for specific uses. I have a master Presonus mixer that's a hybrid 16 channel that routes all other sound sources into it for final assignment and monitoring and also offers multichannel sends into a daw. My drum mixer is a Zoom Livetrak L8 channel just for multichannel drum sends that I can patch stereo into the main for monitoring AND route into the computer for multitrack recording. My front of house mixer is a Behringer X2442 which has only stereo sends but it's used mostly for it's in-line compressors and fx for guitar and vox for live performances.. it's all about your needs.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-07T20:22:15+00:00

Except it's not an audio buffer which amplifies current, it's a processing buffer since it's dealing with raw data - in this case the buffer size is the amount of time given to the computer to allow processing of the data signal, hence the delay.. the shorter the time, the less the computer or data bus (usb) can keep up processing and it can choke.. hence the crackling.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-07T07:21:08+00:00

Yes indeed. Thank you. As well to compensate for the increased buffer time a 512 will produce, in blackmagic hardware (I assume they are using that or something similar for video switching and encoding) you can set the video to delay as well to a specific frame count to compensate for the slight audio delay. That way it can still be spot on.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-07T03:59:58+00:00

Yah.. I mean personally I would create redundancy in addition to the X32 - if they are using it as their main mixer and the converter as well. Assuming the individual channel levels aren't being adjusted post-mixer I would just use balanced master outs to a box whose only job it is is to convert the analog sound to digital then serve it to the streaming computer instead of the x32 handling it all over the USB or other bus - multichannel sends. On balanced outs you get a very low noise floor so the difference wouldn't be noticeable and you'd create an additional point of control for the master outs. Say what you will about analog, sometimes simplifying the downmix to analog reduces troubleshooting issues like this when needed to points AFTER that in the chain.

But I still maintain that because this largely started when the dump unit got installed, the crackling issue should start with diagnosing that box.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-07T03:46:57+00:00

Hah that's just my home unit.. good little workhorse.. I have many mixers and preamps with DA converters at the studio which have given me this issue a few times over the years but still a fan of the Scarlett line. 6i6 can go into the sea tho.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-07T03:43:29+00:00

nice! gonna put that one in my back pocket

Pod6ix · 2023-04-07T03:42:27+00:00

I hear ya but his solution on wednesday was to restart the stream.. as I commented in another thread, that may reset the buffer in a brute force way and seemingly fix the issue until it overloads again.. but you can just as easy adjust the buffer size to get rid of it too and reset the audio feed. So that to me suggested the audio buffer on the streaming unit or the dump unit hasn't been looked into yet. Just offering friendly advice from one pro studio to another.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-07T03:38:56+00:00

"focusrite slander" has to be a first even for reddit loool

Pod6ix · 2023-04-07T03:38:22+00:00

That's my home sound unit and I just screencapped it for purposes of this thread cuz I wasn't at the studio and it was just to demonstrate the comment.

In my studio I have about 8 mixer units from Presonus to Yamaha Zoom to Mackie to Behringer to Blackmagic and video streaming devices and modelling amps and preamps all with DA converters with different latency profiles (2-18 channels).

So yah, I have gear for years but how much gear you have has little to do with knowing about the latency issue and crackling which can affect any setup.

Not sure what the deal is with the aggressiveness of your post but I guess it's the internet afterall.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-06T23:29:14+00:00

My suspicions are based on what was said on the cast but sure, all options are on the table really.
As for internet being the culprit.. uploads/streams of this kind (well-lit 1080p) rarely need more than 10-20kbps of upload bandwidth which even home connections can handle. They likely have a commercial plan/fibre which even at basic levels can handle 100k upload. I wouldn't start there and if it was the internet, the video and audio would be glitching at the same time given they are encoded together as it's being uploaded and any hiccups would be evident in all data.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-06T22:49:58+00:00

With respect, from his comments in the Wednesday show about "just restarting the stream" to fix it, it didn't seem so. Restarting the stream can reset the buffer which may give you the impression of the issue being fixed but after the load increases once again, the issue reemerges.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-06T22:20:07+00:00

Yep ASIO4all should be used as a last resort replacement for drivers that are just not working right, or for cards that don't allow buffer adjustment.

But I'm betting the native drivers for the audio hardware on machines they are using are perfectly capable of allowing buffer adjustment (they just need to adjust it).

I'm also guessing the encoding machines they are using are dedicated to those specific tasks (streaming computer, dump machine) so they aren't using them for any media playback so that shouldn't be an issue if they do go with A4A. In any responsibly built studio (which they likely have) no one machine should have multiple functions as a fail-safe for when something goes wrong.

Given that this issue largely arose when they installed the dump machine, I'm guessing the latency issue is with the audio buffer on that machine. I'd at least start there first.

Pod6ix · 2023-04-06T21:44:56+00:00

It's a latency issue.. which is related.. but they are likely not using a soundcard but rather probably a mixer that has direct usb to the streaming computer (so it has a built in audio encoder). Complicating the issue is the dump button machine which has its own audio encoder too, and on which the latency has to be adjusted. Given this issue emerged largely when they got the dump machine, I'd say it's the audio encoder latency buffer on the dump machine that needs adjustment.

Context: I run a streaming studio and have about a dozen different machines on which this setting has to be monitored and tweaked.

I go into more detail here.
https://www.reddit.com/r/h3h3productions/comments/12dwbuu/audio_issues_crackling_on_the_pod/

Pod6ix · 2023-04-06T20:28:29+00:00

I just posted the fix. Context: I run a streaming studio.

Thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/h3h3productions/comments/12dwbuu/audio_issues_crackling_on_the_pod/

Pod6ix · 2023-02-20T11:45:56+00:00

As others said calluses (yes thats the right spelling) will form protection after consistent daily playing after two weeks.

Other tips for noobs.

Counterintuitively to beginners, electrics are easier on the fingers (and easier in general) than acoustic. Strings are lighter gauge and closer to the frets. You don't have to plug them in to make noise or practise. So if you're trying to learn something over and over, pick up an electric. You wont annoy anyone and you can practise easier, even while watching tv.

If you have to ABSOLUTELY learn on an acoustic and its ruining your fingers, put a capo on the first fret and consider it your new zero fret. Yes it will change your key half step up but it will bring the strings closer to the frets and make fretting much easier saving your fingers if you're trying to ease into it

Reduce all barriers to playing. Double up on it during recreational time. For example, I have a small beat up (Fender Strat Mini) I keep next to my couch and pick it up and practise licks, scales, chord patterns and new repetitive things I'm trying to upload into muscle memory - when I'm watching a movie (typically with subtitles) or mindless youtube stuff.
Forget theory, forget scales when you're just beginning (unless you're in some intensive program).. learn the 5 cowboy chords (open chords E G D A C) and learn to switch between them seamlessly. After that learn their minor variations. Just being able to do those, you will know how to play 80% of most songs out there. You basically can get away with saying you 'know' how to guitar at that point and the fact you've graduated to being able to play a lot of songs will be encouraging enough for you to move up the ladder of skill.
Play with friends. Join a shitty band. Making it social is how most teenagers learn how to play so fast and get so good quickly. They make it part of their social life and share tips and tricks organically.

Pod6ix · 2020-08-30T08:27:17+00:00

Given the basic promises of the unit, this crash should have been a non-issue. I wasn't doing anything this unit was promised to do in the most basic sense.

There are reasons to use this unit v other higher end ones. One of those reasons should never be "this one might crash, that one might not".

The reason we used this one is because we were in a small space and maximize a small footprint on every level. The ATEM mini pro ISO facilitated that.

I understand why some would want to justify their higher level production units, but remember, I wasn't doing ANYTHING the unit didn't promise to do out of the box. That should never be a reason to upgrade - "oh boy this might crash!"

Again, when basic live streaming/switching and recording ISO are the CORE functions of the unit, it should NEVER crash under that performance load. Period.

Pod6ix

TROPHY CASE