Podcasting remotely with Samson 2QU Mics

[nightofjoy]

Hi.

Does anyone on here have a lot of experience of podcasting remotely over distance using the Samson 2QU mic at either end?

(Specifically, 2QU>PodtrakP4>iMac at the recording end, 2QU straight into laptop at the other end)

We're having trouble connecting. (Zoom, Teams) and I could do with a little help.

Thanks.

[MOF]

Why don’t you use it as a USB microphone, no need for the Zoom?
See the video here http://www.samsontech.com/samson/produc ... hones/q2u/

[Drew Stephenson]

First thing is to establish where exactly the problem is occurring.
So at the host end, we should have the signal flow something like this:
Mic > podtrak >iMac > Zoom > Zoom > Laptop > Mic.
And in reverse for the return signal.
Each of those > should be able to give some kind of visible indication as to whether the signal is reaching the next stage. E.g. the podtrak has level meters, your iMac will have some kind of input signal display, as does Zoom for both input and output.
Finding out where the chain is breaking will help us establish what the solution might be.

[nightofjoy]

Hi.

Ok, so I plug in my 2QU to channel 1 on the Podtrak P4 unit, then headphones in the bottom channel 1 P4 JACK.

Power for the P4 is mains with battery backup.

The other USB (C) point connects the P4 to my mac, and the 4th P4 channel dial has been switched from mic to USB mode.

I'm doing all the recording at my end.

My friend - a couple hours away - has the same 2QU mic and a Windows laptop.

I set up at my end, get the levels somewhere I like, all sounds good, mic is registering, I've changed both my audio (in & out) settings to the P4, sound is coming through the headphones perfectly.

I open say Teams, change the audio settings within to my P4, and the camera to my better quality external webcam. All seems well.

I call my friend through teams, and initially we can see and hear eachother, but then he plugs in his 2QU, and we immediately lose sound. He's set his audio settings to the 2QU mic and run the test, and it's registering at his end, but we lose the connection to eachother.

He can see me, just not hear me. Then he switches off the 2QU and two way audio kicks back in.

We're baffled!!

[nightofjoy]

Why don’t you use it as a USB microphone, no need for the Zoom?
See the video here http://www.samsontech.com/samson/produc ... hones/q2u/

I like the hard back-up of the P4 to SD card, and I'm trying to get used to the hardware I'll be using should we ever go mobile - right off the bat.

Plus, I know there's a way to get this working, we're just missing something...

[Drew Stephenson]

Hmm. That's really weird behaviour, I assume the same things happens with Zoom?
I have found that both Zoom and Teams can behave strangely with anything other than the simple built in audio devices.
If your friend goes into the windows settings and disables the built in sound card before plugging in the Samson what happens then?

[nightofjoy]

Oooh...

Dunno, but I'll be sure to ask him to try it.

It'll need to be an easy on-off though, because it's his wife's laptop and she uses it for meetings regularly (obvs with out the external mic).

How do you get to that soundcard option on Windows?

THANKS!!

[Drew Stephenson]

How do you get to that soundcard option on Windows?

Start bar search > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound
That will show a menu with 3 or 4 tabs. The first two will be playback and recording. In each of them will be the default options. If you right click on the item you'll get a sub-menu.
Firstly, and this is important, make sure that Show Disabled Devices has a tick next to it. If it doesn't, click that first.
Then click Disable on the same menu.

Unfortunately the process to re-enable it is the same so maybe not something easily remembered.
But it would still be worth testing.

[MOF]

I’m confused by some of your descriptions.
Why does your friend not have his 2QU plugged in before you link up?
Have you tried just the two 2QU mics in usb mode?
If I understand you correctly why have you got the microphone’s analogue and usb modes working simultaneously?

[nightofjoy]

Hi.

We tried it with his mic connected before we did the call and couldn't hear eachother.

My podtrak P4 is recording the audio.

They way I was told to do it was, set up the Zoom or Teams call, connect via a USB lead (and the other end into my mac), and switch the 4th channel switch from the mic icon to USB. This now records his part of the call on my computer as it's own audio track.

I'm on channel 1 on the Podtrak, which records separately & creates it's own track, so we each have our own...

[nightofjoy]

I’m confused by some of your descriptions.
Why does your friend not have his 2QU plugged in before you link up?
Have you tried just the two 2QU mics in usb mode?
If I understand you correctly why have you got the microphone’s analogue and usb modes working simultaneously?

Hi. Sorry, i don't think I understood the last part.

I don't have the USB and analogue parts working simultaneously.

At the top of the P4 box their are 4 mic-in XLR ports/channels.

First two are straightforward, second two do other stuff.

I'm mic'd into port 1 (via XLR).

Then, if you're recording a meeting, say on Zoom on your computer, you need to connect a cable from the USB port on the P4 (not the 2QU mic) to your computer, then on port/channel 4, you flip the switch from mic to the USB symbol.

Now the Podtrak P4 is recording my audio via my mic on channel 1, and it's recording my friend's Zoom vocal track through the USB lead.

This records two isolated vocal tracks onto the P4's SD card, as if he were sitting there with you in the room.

So the USB mode on the mic at my end isn't being used at all. I'm connecting via traditional XLR cable.

Because I'm doing all the recording at my end, my friend's 2QU mic IS using USB mode, to connect directly to his laptop.

Is that any clearer? Thanks.

[Mike Stranks]

If this was me - and I'm not saying it's the best solution but it'll work - I'd have the 'remote' person coming in via telephone and connecting to the TRRS input on the RH side of the computer.

The Podtrak is configured so that their return - via the phone link - won't send their own audio back to them and thus cause delay echo for them.

These days, most phones can accommodate connecting various types of external devices like mics/headphone/headsets without any great angst.

Keep It Simple!

[nightofjoy]

Hahaha... why does that not sound simple? I don't get how much simpler you should be able to get than a microphone... we just can't get the damned thing to work.

We mirrored the setup used by LOADS of remote podcasters, I did a lot of research on forums before buying anything, and we have kit that's really standard stuff.

There's just some setting on my remote friend's computer that we haven't figured out yet, and it will most likely be something stupid.

I know there are other workarounds - I mean, we could just do Samson mic at my end, Internal laptop mic his end, but why shouldn't we both be able to use the external mics we bought especially for this purpose?

Don't loads of people use external mics when podcasting remotely? (yes, yes they do