It’s June and we are in the thick of audio bloggers month. Record some audio and share it to the web using the hashtag #AudioMo. Or search the hashtag to find other likeminded audio lovers.
#AudioMo was started by Ernmander back in 2010 as a way to bring the podcasting and audio sharing community together. Originally in November, it clashed with some similar groups for video bloggers so it was moved to June. It’s informal, non judgemental and a great place to play and experiment with everything audio.
Why not use AudioMo as a place to hone your workflow? And after Audiomo is over sharing social audio with the hashtag #Audio365 has a similar effect.
For the last 16 years I’ve been playing with my mobile workflow. As a photographer in 2002-3 I would use my HP Ipaq 5450 to ‘wire’ photos into the news desk. Working remotely meant I could do more and keep moving. Very little would happen in the office. All the photos to be had were out and about. I still do my best to maintain a mobile first workflow. But calling it a playflow fits better inside the constant experimentation.
When sharing audio it might look like this… The Mikme wirelessly sending audio to my iPhone and edited in the app Ferrite. I then transfer the audio from Ferrite into VRP7 (Voice Recorder Pro) up into Soundcloud.
Here is a conversation I have just uploaded: https://soundcloud.com/documentally/zen-and-the-art-of-finishing-things
Here are a few social audio snippets converted to video with the app Wizibel and sent to Twitter. Link one, link two and link three. Remember to keep your video shorter than 140 secs (2mins 20secs) when posting into Twitter.
With over 2000 podcasts and sonic postcards on Audioboom I wish I could share more to there from a mobile. Unfortunately their app and API are riddled with bugs and at the moment it’s just not possible.
Most of my recordings on Audioboom were made with just a mic shield pulled over the bottom of the phone. But if you really want to up your audio quality you need to invest in a microphone.
My favourite mics in my kitbag will all work with the iPhone… (Some of these are amazon affiliate links)
The Mikme – My studio quality mic for voice overs and wireless audio into the phone.
The Sennheiser Ambeo Smart Headset – Binaural immersive sound on the move.
The Sure MV88 – A pocket sized stereo mic for quick interviews and field recording.
The Rode Smart Lav+ with Apple headphone adapter. Great little pocketable tie-clip mic.
The Sennheiser HandMic Digital – A rugged interview mic for all.
And always in my pocket, just in case, the simple windshield.
With our mobile devices capable of nothing short of magic today, there should be no need to go to a laptop in order to upload and share high resolution, edited, long form audio.
I enjoy my work much more when it feels like play, but my laptop feels like a workplace. Mobile workflows are not only liberating, they enable me to step out of that workplace and into the infinitely large play-space.
There are only two controls in recording sound. Where you are and when you hit record. With the right apps we can play, experiment and share our stories from anywhere.
I’d love to know if you have a similar audio workflows on iOS or Android. Or if you are partaking in Audiomo. You can find me on Twitter or leave a comment below.
I will share more of my audio thoughts in my newsletter. Please subscribe to that and/or my podcast.
Big thanks to @FishMedia for looking after my hosting. And if you would like to support any of my experiments feel free to buy me a coffee.
