The long-in-coming second episode of Flash411 has just aired on AdobeTV. I talk about what FMS is, how to get started, show you how you can broadcast live with Flash Media Live Encoder (in *about* a minute!) and walk you through a basic 2-way videoconference application.

Here are the source files for the show, so you can follow along with the example:

–> flash411_ep2_examples.zip <–

Enjoy!

[10/9/08**NOTE: AdobeTV keeps moving videos around (grrrrr), so if the link above does not work, try a search for "Flash 411" or Larson or FMS to find the show.]

As you may be aware if you’ve been reading my blog, I have recently begun to create video content for AdobeTV. This has forced me to delve into the vast world of video and audio capture and editing. And oh what a joy it’s been! (note that I haven’t had much spare time to post recently!)

In the quest for good quality audio, I tried out more than a few microphones. I decided that a USB mic would be a good route to go for my voiceovers, and began my search for the best one, at a reasonable price. This search lead me to Blue Microphone’s retro-cool model, the Snowball.

The package arrived, and I unpacked this piece of creatively-designed hardware. It was a bit larger than I expected, but its size actually gives it a more substantial, professional feel during recording. (I kind of felt like one of those old-time radio announcers!) I plugged it into my Mac G5 tower, and, just like that, I was ready to record… no driver installation needed.

Now, since I was working on my G5, not my Intel MacBook Pro, I couldn’t run Adobe Soundbooth to record my audio, so I used Audacity, which worked great. I was able to record my voiceovers, then move them over to my MacBook for some final editing in Soundbooth. (I used setting ‘1′ on the mic and found it gave me the best quality for voice recording.) One thing I should note: I did have some trouble with a hissing background noise when using the Snowball on my MacBook. After much research, I determined that the MacBook USB ports just don’t give the Snowball enough power to get the clean audio I was getting on my G5.

I definitely recommend the Snowball if you’re looking for high quality sound on a desktop Mac (or PC). With its adjustable pattern settings (cardioid, cardioid with -10dB pad and omni), its a good mic for a variety of uses.

I had the pleasure of presenting last week to the FlashFocused user group in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was a lucky coincidence that my family summertime visit happened to be on the week of their monthly meeting. Yay syncronicity!

I gave them the lowdown on Flash video, of course — a topic that happened to be quite relevant for many of the members who attended. For those of you who have been waiting patiently for me to post the code examples and presentation notes, here they are!

–> Presentation [PDF] <–

–> Source files [ZIP] <–

Thanks for your patience, and for having me present to your group. And thanks to Misty for grabbing a copy of my book for a giveaway, as well! You guys rock.