How To Make Your Own Internet TV Show – Part 6 – Connecting Guests Via Skype

Skype_LogoPart 6 – Connecting Guests Via Skype

In this tutorial I show you how you can capture a video conversation from Skype and include it in your broadcast

Note to Pros – These articles are aimed at beginners, who wish to spend little or no money until they have a grasp on the topic, and are hoping to learn how to get started quickly and easily, using equipment they most likely already have.

httpvh://youtu.be/tVqZSYP1V_w

**UPDATE** – As of VidBlaster version 4.05, a new “Screen Capture” module has been added which replaces the old method. If your version of VidBlaster is 4.05 or above, see the following video.

httpvh://youtu.be/qK-Kobwcxfo

Voicemeeter can be downloaded FREE HERE at vb-audio.com. Don’t forget to make a donation – the programmer deserves a little something for a program this good!

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You can download a free unrestricted trial copy of Vidblaster from vidblaster.com

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Part 1 – Selecting Video Switcher Production Software – The Heart of Vidcasting – VIEW HERE
Part 2 – Installing Vidblaster, Connecting Your Webcam, Switching and Interface Basics – VIEW HERE Part 3 – Adding Additional Cameras – VIEW HERE
Part 4 – Mixing Audio, Mics, and Avoiding Looping in Software – VIEW HERE
Part 5 – Desktop and Browser Capture – VIEW HERE
Part 6 – Connecting Guests Via Skype – VIEW HERE
Part 7 – How To Make A Lower Third Overlay – VIEW HERE
Part 8 – Adding flair with Effects, Soundboards and Chat Streams – COMING SOON!
Part 9 – Green Screen/Chroma Keying and Virtual Sets with iClone – COMING SOON!
Part 10 – Recording and Streaming – COMING SOON!

How to run a USB Mic through an External Audio Mixer

USB Mic through an External Audio Mixer – How To

USB Mic through an External Audio MixerI have been reading on forums lately how some people would like to be able to run their USB Mic through their external hardware mixing desks, and it is relatively easy to do.

httpvh://youtu.be/K9vqNj0_CuU

Below is a diagram on how to run your wiring between the devices.

sound-flow-direction-diagram

Plug your USB Mic into a USB Slot, run an appropriate lead from the Line Out/Headphone Out of your computer into a stereo input channel on your mixer. If your mixer has only mono channels, use channel one for your left, and channel 2 for your right. Next, run wires from the Main Output of the mixer to your Line in/Mic In on your computer, and the physical part is done.

Next, open up Voicemeeter (If you don’t have Voicemeeter you can download it free at VB-Audio.com) and select your USB Mic as the device for channel 1. Make sure “A” is selected/highlighted and “B” is not selected.

step 1Then, select your Line Out/Headphone Out jack as the device for Voicemeeters Main Output, “A1”.

Step 2Now it is time to select your Line In/Mic in as the device for Channel 2. Make sure that “A” is not selected, and “B” is selected.

Step 3All that is left is to open up the app you want to use (eg – Skype, Vidblaster, or some other Web Cam program) and select Voicemeeter’s Virtual Device (Output “B” in Voicemeeter) as the input source audio device.

Skype InVoicemeeter can be downloaded FREE HERE at vb-audio.com. Don’t forget to make a donation – the programmer deserves a little something for a program this good!
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How to use a USB Mic AND Mixer together in Skype or Vidblaster

How to use a USB Mic AND Mixer together in Skype or Vidblaster

USB Mic AND MixerWeb cam software like Skype and Vidblaster only allow for one audio source, so if your mixer is coming into the computer via the line input, and your mic is coming in through USB, you are generally out of luck….until now.

httpvh://youtu.be/rtWqR_AWV4M

I recently stumbled upon a free piece of software called Voicemeeter which makes it incredibly easy to solve this problem. It is basically a software mixer that will allow you to take various inputs as well as your system sound and mix them with a great deal of control into one “Virtual” sound device, which you can then select as your audio input device in your web cam program.

Voicemeeter Connection DiagramTo get started, Download your free copy of Voicemeeter HERE.During installation, you will get some dialogue boxes telling you it wants to install some drivers, this is completely normal.

voicemeeter-driver-installOnce you have installed it, you will need to restart your computer so the virtual drivers can register in your system. Once you have rebooted, open up Voicemeeter and you will see the mixing console.

voicemeeter Mixing ConsoleLooks cool doesn’t it! In short, you have two hardware inputs and one virtual input. The virtual input seems to be your system sound, so anything that tries to output through your computers speakers, like Winamp or Windows Media Player, can be fed into your mix here if you want it, if not, just mute this track by pressing the “M” button at the bottom next to its slider. To mix your Mic and Line In (Mixer) click where it says “1 Hardware Input” and select your USB Mic from the drop down list.

Select USB MicThe next step is to select your line in/mixer device in “2 Hardware Input”

Select Line InNow its time to tell Voicemeeter where your speakers are. Select them from the drop down menu that says “Hardware OUT”

select-speakersThe last step to making this all work is to open your Windows menu and select control panel. When this opens select the sound icon to open your computers sound preferences window. In the “Playback” section select “Voicemeeter Input” and then set it as the default device.

select-voicemeeter-in-soundNow you are all configured, you just need to do a small adjustment in Voicemeeter to stop feedback loops. The output of Voicemeeter has two channels, “Main Out” which will go to your speakers, and “Virtual Out” which is what will go into web cam software (Skype, Vidblaster etc….)

main out  virtual out
 In the “1 Hardware Input” channel, it is wise to de-select “A” as this will stop your mic from being played out aloud through your speakers. This will prevent feedback, but still allows your USB Mic to feed into your web cam program through the Virtual Out.

Channel SelectNow, all that’s left is to open your web cam program, Skype or Vidblaster etc, and select Voicemeeters output as your input device, and you can now use your USB Mic AND your external hardware mixer.

Skype In
Voicemeeter can be downloaded FREE HERE at vb-audio.com. Don’t forget to make a donation – the programmer deserves a little something for a program this good!

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The Most Iconic Guitars Of All Time – In My Opinion – UPDATED 2023

Iconic Guitars – The Most Iconic Of All Time, In My Opinion

Iconic Guitars

I am NOT a guitar player…I wish I was. I would love to be able to play guitar, it fascinates me. I do have a small collection of guitars, and I love looking at them, and imagining all the possibilities they possess. I was in my late teens and early 20’s in the 80’s/90’s, and this era was magical to me.

I was VERY much a fan of HAIRBANDS!

Great songs, with larger than life personalities doing stuff on a piece of wood with six metal wires that I have never been able to comprehend. How the heck do they do it?

For example, the GREATEST guitar player to ever come out of Australia (And one of the best in the world) has to be Tommy Emmanuel. Tommy often plays on his own what usually needs two people to play. Check him out playing both the rhythm and melodies of The Beatles songs Day Tripper and then Lady Madonna.

I am always looking to expand my collection of iconic guitars. I have done some searches today for articles about the most iconic guitars, and I must say, most of these article miss quiet a few. The first article I read said the number one guitar of all time was Angus Young’s black Gibson, and Steve Vai’s Gem and Universe weren’t even mentioned.

This is when I began to realise this topic is subjective. Everybody will see it differently. We all have different opinions, and we are all entitled to our own opinions. This is my opinion, and I would really love to hear your opinions in the comments. Lets just do it with respect ok.

In my opinion, the most iconic guitar ever is easily, and with out doubt, Frankenstrat.

Frankenstart

I really love the EVH Steinberger. It is actually the most recent addition to my collection. As a Lolcats fan, and a EVH fan, imagine my delight when I came across this pic today whilst researching this article.

I Can Haz Steinberger

Once again, here are the most iconic guitars in my opinion. The EVH Trio.

EVH Guitars

From here on, guitars appear in no particular order. They are just the most iconic guitars to me.

Vai UniverseSteve Vai is Explosive. Brilliant. The Ibanez Gem and Universe are definitely on my wishlist. The 7 String Universe’s sound on the Passion and Warfare album (Particularly the song The Animal) was like nothing I had ever heard before.Steve Vai Ibanez UniverseWhilst on the topic of Vai, the Heart guitar he played with David Lee Roth was pretty Cool too!

Vai Heart GuitarSteve Vai Heart TripleneckNext, is my most FAV guitar player of all time. I first heard him doing Mozart in the Bill and Ted movie, and he has continued to stun me ever since. I especially loved his efforts at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. Nuno Bettencourt and the Washburn N4

Nuno N4Nuno Washburn N4The Girls were very well represented in the 80’s as well. Lita Ford’s B.C Rich was another classic for me.

Lita Ford B.C RichLita Ford B.C RichPreviously, on the other side of the world, Mark Knopfler’s National Acoustic was pretty iconic to me. I loved it on the cover of the Brothers In Arms album.

Mark Knopfler National AcousticNational Acoustic

Before I got my Steinberger, my favorite guitar in my collection was my Paul Reed Smith Tremonti Blackbird. Mark’s Charcoal Burst PRS “Dimebag” Tribute Blackbird is one of my all time favs.

Mark Tremonti Paul Reed Smith Dimebag BlackbirdTremonti Dimebag Charcoal Burst PRS

The “Funnest” guitar player I have ever seen live is The Clown Prince, Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick. Now this guy knows how to put on a show! Here is Ricks Hamer 5-neck. My guess is that the 5 necks are from top to bottom, a 12 string, a regular tuned fixed bridge, and regular tuned with tremolo, another fixed bridge with alternate tuning (maybe drop d) and a fretless.

Rick Nielson 5 neck

Rick Nielsen Hamer 5 NeckJason Becker is an incredible musician who I most remember being referred to as “Beyond Prodigy”. His playing on David Lee Roth’s album A Little Aint Enough was brilliant. Carvin have recently released Jason’s Numbers Guitar.

Jason Becker Carvin Number GuitarCarvin Jason Becker Numbers Tribute GuitarJimmy Hendrix and The Flying V – what more can I say

Jimmy Hendrix Flying VJimmy Hendrix Flying VOne of the loudest and most “In Your Face” guitar players would have to be Zakk Wylde. I absolutely LOVED his work on the movie Rockstar, and he is a perfect fit for Ozzy Osbourne as well. This is Zakk’s Gibson Bullseye.Zakk Wylde Gibson BullseyeZakk Wylde Gibson BullseyeIf you are reading this article, you will be familiar with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s SRV Fender Strat. A truly Iconic guitar in so many ways. I saw this guitar first hand in San Francisco a number of years ago, and the photos really don’t do it justice. The wear and tear on this axe is astonishing, Stevie must have notched up thousands and thousands of hours playing it.

Stevie Ray Vaughan SRV Fender StratStevie Ray Vaughan Fender SRV Strat

Defining cool, here is Bo Diddley with his Gretsch

Bo Diddley GretschBo Diddley GretschBrian Setzer has become one of my favs over the years. I love the 50’s Rockabilly sound and image. Gotta love those Gretsch guitars! If you haven’t already heard it, do your ears a favour and check out his Brian Setzer Orchestra Live In Montreal album. You won’t regret it!

Brian Setzer GretschBrian Setzer GretschBrian May’s Red Special is a interesting guitar. Brian built it himself in 1963. I read recently that when Brian travels by air, he also buys the first class seat next to him for this guitar.

Brian May Red SpecialBrian May Red SpecialBrian May Red SpecialNo list on iconic guitars is complete without Michael Anthony’s Jack Daniels BassMichael Anthony Jack Daniels Yamaha BassMichael Anthony Jack Daniels Yamaha Bass

Prince had some interesting looking guitars over the years. Here is his Cloud Guitar

Prince CloudPrince CloudPrince had another super interesting axe, the Symbol guitar

Prince Symbol GuitarPrince Symbol GuitarBon Jovi has had a few iconic guitars over the years. Here is Jon’s New Jersey Kramer

Jon Bon Jovi Kramer New JerseyJon Bon Jovi Kramer New JerseyAnd this is Richie Sambora’s Kramer Double Neck. I remember this one most from the beginning of the “Lay Your Hands On Me” video clip.
Richie Sambora Kramer Double Neck

Richie Sambora Kramer Double NeckAnd on the topic of Bon Jovi, James Hetfield from Metallica had the “Kill Bon Jovi” guitar, which I have been unable to find a picture of. If anybody has a pic, please sent it in and I will add it to the list. In its abscense, here is James’s  “Eet Fuk” Explorer.

James Hetfield Eet Fuk Explorer

James Hetfield Eet Fuk Explorer**UPDATE MARCH 2023** – 8 Years after writing this article, I was finally contacted by a reader who found a photo of James Hetfield’s “Kill Bon Jovi” guitar from the April 1989 edition of guitar player. Thanks so much Mike for sending this!

iconic guitars - kill Bon Joviiconic guitars

One of the most iconic pairings in guitar history would have to be Slash and Gibson.

Slash GibsonSlash GibsonB.B. King and Lucille are another iconic duo for Gibson.

BB King Lucille GibsonBB King Lucille GibsonVivian Campbell’s Kramer Nightswan was all the rage for a while in the 80’s. Still a cool looking guitar.

Vivien Campbell NightswanVivien Campbell Kramer NightswanJohn Lennon and Rickenbacker made a pretty iconic pairingJohn Lennon RickenbackerJohn Lennon RickenbackerAnd rounding out the list, is again, Tommy Emmanuel and his Maton Acoustic

Tommy Emmanuel Maton AcousticTommy Emmanuel Maton Acoustic

I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, looking at some of the great guitars the made music what it is today. Please let me know in the comments if there is anything you think should be added.

Stop FaceTime asking for a Password in OS X Mavericks

Facetime LogoAll of a sudden, when I turn on/log in on my Macs that are running OS X Mavericks, I am getting a window that asks me to input the password for FaceTime. This really started driving me crazy, as I don’t use FaceTime, and I don’t even have a camera connected to my Mac Pro.

Facetime Password RequestTo stop this from happening, I just turned FaceTime off. To do this, open a new finder window, and then open your Applications folder. Now click/open FaceTime. Click and drag down the “FaceTime” menu option and simply select “Turn FaceTime Off”.

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Native 3D Editing in Premiere Pro with Vision 3 QuickS3D Plug-In

QuickS3D Plug In Sceen ShotRecently I learned about Vision 3’s QuickS3D plug-in, which provides the ability to edit 3D Multiple Streams (Stereo Pairs) and Side By Side (Multiplexed) video natively in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.

After Watching several demonstration videos about the plug-in, and reading Vision 3’s site, I just had to have it. There are two different versions of the plug-in, A Lite version aimed at home users for $49, and a Pro version for $299. Most users will get the functionality they need in the Lite version.

There is no trial version of the software available, so I decided to jump in and purchase the Lite version for $49. Within minutes, I had a link to download the plug-in, as well as my activation key. I downloaded the software, and it installed easily. Upon opening Premiere Pro I was asked to supply my activation key, and upon submitting, I was presented with another window asking me for a password?

Quicks3d-activation-windowAt first I was confused as to the purpose of this secondary password request window, so I began to search through the documentation supplied with the plug-in, read the EULA, and found no reference to it. I searched the Vision 3 website, and the support forums, and again, no information was found. I did notice the forum had been spammed though.

QuickS3D Forum After spending some time contemplating the situation, I entered some passwords and it activated, and Premiere Pro opened up. I imported some Side By Side 3D video and started playing with it. As claimed, the QuickS3D does indeed provide the ability to edit 3D video natively. I especially liked the way I was able to add titles to my video, apply the plug-in, and create a really nice 3D effect between the text and the background video. It felt like the text was jumping out of the screen at me.

What I didn’t like on first glance, which became incredibly annoying after applying the plug-in a few times was seeing all of the “PRO” version options greyed out. Screen real estate is at a premium in Premiere Pro anyway, but seeing so much space taken up by information which is irrelevant to me became infuriating quickly, and started to feel like a “In App Advertisement” designed to frustrate me into spending another $250 upgrading to the “PRO” version.

Quicks3d-optionsThe basic functionality of the plug-in felt a bit buggy to me at first, as quite a few times my video seemed to automatically revert back to Side By Side, not long after switching to Anaglyph mode. Having said that, this behavior did settle down after a while. I guess I might have been dragging across the “Display” option drop down somehow and once I got used to the plug-in a little more I stopped doing it? Maybe…But probably not…

Of the few options available in the Lite version, the basic tasks most of us will want to use are available. Features as listed from the Vision 3 Website:

Display Features

  • Top/Bottom
  • Side – by – Side
  • Frame Offset to Sync
  • Work with Stereo Pairs or Multiplexed file
  • Onion Skin (50-50)
  • Anaglyph (Red/Cyan)
  • v3 Parallax

Image Adjustments

  • Auto Crop
  • Scale to Fit
  • Scale to Fill
  • Stretch to Fit

Alignment Tools

  • Percent Only
  • Horizontal/Vertical Only

A feature I really liked is the auto crop option. This comes in very handy when adjusting the horizontal and vertical placements of the left and right channels. Using “Scale To Fit” the plug-in will scale your video so both channels fit correctly in the frame.

At this point, I was quite happy with my purchase, and decided to grab my Macbook Pro to write a review. After pondering the implications of the “Passwords” dialogue box, I came to the conclusion that the developer must have been taking a sensible approach to licensing, by allowing us the opportunity to transfer our single machine license to another machine, giving us the option to “Choose” which single machine we use our license on, as Adobe does… WRONG!

After installing the plug-in on my second machine, I tried to input my passwords from my first machine to no avail, I tried to create new passwords to no avail, and after 3 attempts, the plug-in no longer worked on EITHER machine!

Quite concerned, I re-read the documentation that came with the software, double checked the website and forum, Googled my problem, and found nothing. Under the “Support” option on Vision 3’s website I selected “Email Us”, and sent in a request for support/clarification regarding the purpose of the “Passwords” dialogue box. A few minutes later I received an automated reply with a Ticket number saying I would receive support soon…..

After a few days I still had not heard back, and sent of another request for support. 3 WEEKS LATER I have still yet to hear back from Vision 3 regarding this issue! And not surprisingly, the spam has not been cleaned/removed from the support forum.

The Bottom Line – In My Humble Opinion: Vision 3’s buggy QuickS3D Plug-In, whilst bursting with potential, is yet another piece of potentially excellent software crippled with anti-piracy measures to the point where those that have purchased it are “Guilty until deemed Innocent”. Vision 3 has no interest in supporting it’s paying customers or keeping a secure spam free support forum, they are interested only in getting your money. VERY DISAPPOINTING!