It all starts with an idea
Since I have finally decided to take my piping to the next level and started taking weekly lessons with a very qualified instructor, I have found myself with a new project of sorts. This project stems from the fact that there isn’t a qualified instructor with-in 100 miles or more of my current location, necessitating the use of modern technology, specifically Skype. Now when first considering this, I had put a little thought into what equipment I would need to make this as productive as possible but I wasn’t quite ready for as involved as it became. I think I spent about twice as much time researching things on-line as I did practicing the first few weeks but I believe I finally have a workable setup that seems to be meeting my and my instructor’s needs. This next lesson will confirm if the microphone is finally working as required, but in my initial testing, it seems to have fixed the problem I was having with my previous setups.
So, since it is currently fashionable to assume that someone else could possibly benefit from my undertaking, the following is a list of the equipment I’m currently using and some of the thought process for choosing each item.
Starting at the ground up
The first item needed when considering on-line lessons is obviously a computer with a Internet connection. As with all things computer and Internet related, the faster it is, the better it should work. With this in mind I was initially very concerned with what I was going to use for these two items. I have a Dell Mini 9 as my personal netbook but at the moment I don’t have a more robust machine available for personal use. Lets face it, the specs on the Mini 9 are not really impressive when it comes to memory and processing power so I was very worried that it wouldn’t work.
After conducting some test with the Mini 9, it appeared that it just barely made the grade for making Skype video calls. It required that the netbook be plugged into a wall outlet to give it the extra power it needed and no other programs beyond Skype and the recording software could be running or it wouldn’t pass Skype’s “Computer Speed” test. Once I figured out that it would work I happily moved on to the rest of the issues.
The Internet connection was a major problem for me since high-speed Internet connections are not available at my residence. After figuring out schedules and other issues involved in coordinating a lesson between a teacher in Scotland and a student in Montana, I figured out that I would need a place close to my workplace to have the lessons due to the time of day they would have to occur. Luckily, I was able to find a location that was available at the right time and which had a Bresnan cable Internet connection with plenty of bandwidth available.
So, having determined that the Mini 9 would work for the computer and locating a setting with a great Internet connection I was ready to move on to the rest of the issues.
Without software, a computer is just another rock
In my case, the software to be used, Skype, was chosen by the instructor but this may not always be the case. If another software is requested by the instructor, make sure to test it thoroughly using your full setup before your lessons start to ensure that you don’t waste any more of your valuable lesson time than will be required for setup and tuning between your two locations. With Skype, this process is very easy and the program allows you to test all of your settings and devices to ensure that they are working well for you needs. Other software should have similar features, just check the support page to find out how to conduct setup and testing.
A picture is worth a thousand words
Having taught a number of different subjects over the years, I appreciate the ability to “see” what a student is doing. Figuring that my new instructor would appreciate the same ability, I approached the web cam selection very seriously. Quality of picture was my main concern since the software would impose its own limitations on size and resolution. After spending about 10 minutes reading reviews of various web cams on Amazon, I knew which ones were the top contenders.
For those who may not have experience doing this type of research, start with a generic search using Google for “web cam” then look for the top result from a tech review site. Take note of the date of the review, if its with-in the last month (and it should be if its one of the top results on Google) read the conclusion of the review to note which models its compared to and how it fared. If there is an obvious favorite web cam of the reviewer note its model name or number otherwise just use the model name or number of the device reviewed. Take that info and go to Amazon, type in the name or model number of the web cam you found in the review and when it loads, select one sold by Amazon, not one of the other businesses doing business through Amazon’s site (look for the Eligible for Free Super-Saver Shipping to figure this out). Scroll to to bottom of the page and read the reviews posted. Note the overall numeric rating of the reviews. Are they mostly 4 and 5 or are they split evenly or even worse mostly 1 and 2s? What items are the reviewers comparing this web cam with and do they like this one or the other better? After spending a few minutes browsing through the available web cams, you should have a good feel for what is the current hot sellers out there then it just comes down to finding the best deal on what you want.
Having done this basic research, two web cams were obviously the “latest and greatest” with both having hundreds of positive reviews. After having narrowed it down, I then started looking at price and availability and settled on the Microsoft Lifecam Cinema which was locally available for a cheaper price than what I could find it for on-line. Its specs are readily available on-line for those interested but since these products are always being updated and improved, I would suggest following the above procedure or something similar when you are ready as things will most likely have changed and something newer and “better” will probably be available.
Once I actually had the web cam in hand, I tested it using another laptop and my Mini 9 to call each other. The video being captured and sent over Skype using the Lifecam was crystal clear and I was able to observe finger movements and other small details which I figured would be very helpful for catching those little things that we can slip into and which later become major problems that have to relearned.
Listen up
Obviously, with any type of instruction, you as a student need to listen to the instructor and then follow their directions. In this case, actually hearing the instructor was a major concern. After doing some research on Skype’s forums and other places on-line, I determined that for the best “hearing” experience a set of headphones was the best solution. I then had to figure out which ones to get!
There seem to be hundreds if not thousands of types of headphones out there with all sorts of bells and whistles to make them better then the competitor but I wanted to stay away from really costly models (If you can afford Bose, get them!). I also wanted something that would be comfortable to wear for up to an hour with out taking them off and which would do a reasonable job of cutting down the sound level of the pipes so that I would not need to put in ear plugs while playing. After looking a number of different models, I decided to purchase a set of the Sony noise cancelling headphones. These are “over the ear” headphones and have a very comfy, padded ear piece on each side. The noise cancelling sounded like a good idea at the time I purchased them to help with cutting down the sound of the pipes, but in reality, just wearing the headphones cuts the volume to a very pleasant level (The noise canceling will be handy on planes playing the Techno-pipes, so it wasn’t a total loss).
Again, after obtaining the headphones, I started testing them out. I quickly learned that their cord was not nearly long enough to allow to me move far enough away from the camera to get a good upper torso and pipes framing with the web cam. A quick trip to Walmart produced an extension cord which added almost 16 feet to the cord giving me plenty of room to move.
Sound, its all about the Sound
Although its the last item I am discussing here, it the speaker to be used was actually one of my first concerns and the item I spent the most time researching and changing. From my testing, I knew that the built-in speaker on the Lifecam Cinema was ok for voice and practice chanter, but it was a little overwhelmed by the pipes unless I stood across the room and even then it had occasional issues. I started looking around the web and found a number of suggestions for various mics others were using for these lessons on bobdunsire.com. I then started looking at these mics on Amazon and found that they were almost all at least $150 and that there seems to be a lack of agreement among speaker geeks about what is the best. There were constant major disagreements in the reviews concerning all aspects of the different models. I then decided that my normal method of research wasn’t going to work for this item without first developing a lot of knowledge about microphones and their various settings and adjustments, and I just didn’t have that amount of time or the interest. So I asked the professional musician in the family their opinion of what I would need, first telling them what my concerns and requirements were. I was then advised that I wanted a USB condenser mic and they suggest the Blue Snowball.
I then did my normal research on the Snowball and found that it did seem to be up to the task at hand and that it had received a lot of really positive reviews. I then ordered one from Amazon, got it in hand and began the testing.
In testing between the two computers I was using for all of my testing, the Snowball performed as advertised and its 10db reduction setting was able to easily handle the full pipes from about 5 feet with no distortion while the standard settings worked great for voice and practice chanter. I thought I was set and that I was ready for my next lesson, but I was wrong!
Let me state that I believe that the following problem actually occurred because of Skype’s auto-adjust setting for the microphone and not because the Snowball was having issues. When my next lesson came around, I happily setup the Snowball and informed my instructor of the “new and improved” mic. I then played the pipes and found that the sound on his end was just as distorted as it had been with the built-in mic on the Lifecam. We played around with the settings on the program and the only way to improve the sound was to take off the auto-adjust feature and manually set the volume level. Since the Snowball did not have a gain switch, just the 10db reduction setting, this adjustment had to b done within Skype which was a major pain when trying to juggle a full set of pipes, headphones and using the little touch pad on the Mini 9. We finally had to use multiple layers of a towel over the mic to get the sound level reduced enough on my instructor’s setup so that he could hear what I was playing with out distortion. Since this wasn’t an acceptable solution in my mind, it was back to the drawing board.
In my research of the Snowball, I had noted that Blue had come out with a new and improved model USB condenser microphone that had a number of features that the Snowball was lacking, it also had a $40 higher price tag which is why I initially ignored it. I now went back and the first item I noted was that it had a gain level knob on the body of the mic allowing for easy gain adjustment. It also had a headphone jack built into the mic allowing for zero latency listening to what the mic was receiving and had a whole bunch of other whiz-bang specs (THX certified?) that sounded cool and seemed to justify the extra cost. So I ordered it and made arrangements to return the Snowball (I have to say that Amazon is a great company when it comes to customer service, they were more than happy to help me with the return and made it a very simple process).
Once I had the Yeti sitting on my desk, I began the testing process again. The first thing I noted was that it was possible to take off the auto-adjust setting in Skype and use the gain knob to adjust the level as needed with it being a quick turn from a comfortable voice/practice chanter to a setting suitable for the full pipes. Having the headphones plugged into the mic and the built-in volume adjustment knob for them was an added bonus. So it now appears that I may have finally gotten a winner, but the final decision will have to be made at the next lesson when we find out if it works as well on my instructor’s end as it does on mine!
Updated: After my last lesson, I’m happy to say that the Yeti performed flawlessly! Its adjustable gain allowed for turning down the microphone to change from voice to pipe volume. I did take off the auto-adjust feature of the Skype audio which probably contributed to the solution, but my instructor finally noted the the audio quality was way better than any of the previous settings.
I do have to note one thing concern these two Blue microphones, they are big! In looking at the picture of the Snowball, I was envisioning a small sphere like an older Logitech web cams, I was wrong. The actual mic is the size of a softball, or possibly a little larger, and it is a presence sitting on a desk. Its very stylish and looks great (I really liked the brushed aluminum) but when people come into your office or area where you are using it, they will notice it and have questions about exactly what it is and why its “so big”. Having experienced the Snowball, I was more prepared for the Yeti but it still impressed me. It weighs close to 3.5 pounds and stands 12 inches tall. The stand has a base measuring 4.5 inches across and then the uprights come up 7 inches. The mic itself is 7.75 inches tall and about 2.5 inches wide. Its big, really big! The size and weight are going to make it a little difficult to haul around since it doesn’t fit into the water-proof box I had everything in, but I’m hoping I can find a little larger version that will let me store it with the rest of this equipment in my music bag.
In conclusion
So there you have it, a full setup for utilizing the Internet to take Bagpipe lessons from an instructor half way around the world.
If any additional changes or additions are made, I’ll be sure to update this post.