Adobe Audition Podcast – Mike Murphy (transcribed by Sonix)
Mike Russell: Hi, I'm Mike Russell from Music Radio Creative. Welcome to the Adobe Audition Podcast were I'm interviewing power users of Adobe Audition. We'll reminisce back to Cool Edit Pro and take you right up to date with Adobe Audition CC. If you'd like to learn about audio production – everything from vocal effects to radio imaging, commercial production to music mixing – join my next audio production course at mrc dot fm slash learn. That's mrc dot fm slash l e a r n, learn.
Mike Russell: My guest on this show is Mike Murphy. He's an online tutorial maker who helps people to figure things out. Doesn't matter what you're using particularly if you are using the Adobe Creative Cloud. His channel on youtube is full of different Adobe Creative Cloud tutorials including after afaics edition in design Lightroom Photoshop After Effects premiere and more. He lives in Naples Florida and his business is Mike Murphy LLC. He's also got a podcast as well so he's a podcast. Mike Murphy unplugged started in September 2015. It's now up to around 140 episodes at the time of recording the show and it documents Mike's journey of building an online business and personal brand that teaches others how to podcast and create content. It's an absolute delight Mike to have you on the show.
Mike Murphy: It is an honor to be here Mike.
Mike Russell: Awesome so Mike let's get into the the audio specifics of this. Let's find out how you'll using Adobe Audition
Mike Murphy: My primary method is definitely for my weekly podcast which is Mike Murphy unplugged. It's a solo show so it's just me. Pretty basic but that is how I mostly use an audition the other way that I really use it. I make a lot of tutorials. I think you know that that route of using it. I'm really into teaching other people how to use it. Mostly beginners and then the third thing I use it for all the time is just doing music for videos. I do a lot of video creations so any time mix and audio for videos audition is the place I go. So
Mike Russell: Nice multiple different use cases they're so obvious that you've been you've been creating and producing online for a while. You have a particular interest in audiobook and I can see in here and tell that. So I'm curious over the time you've been making these tutorials and also listening to the advice of others. If you could single out some of the best audio advice you've had. What would that be.
Mike Murphy: Very simply the best advice I got was use your ears and that sounds pretty cliche in that but it literally when I first started podcasting I wanted to turn on every knob and I was you know thought that I had to do everything to make it sound good. You know how to use this how to use this and somebody who were really good and somebody I really respected said Trust your ears. And I kind of stuck to that. If you don't need to use a filter in effect don't use the filter effect and it just put a lot of it took a lot of pressure off me was like I don't have to do it if I don't have to do it. So that was that was real simple but it really really stuck with me.
Mike Russell: Exactly because you can feel pressurised at times. Yeah oh my goodness you know I've got to sound like a professional radio station. I'm going to you know roll more bass and I'm gonna put like two or three different compresses on and stuff but you just keep it simple. And I'm looking forward and trust your ears. I'm looking forward later on in the show to actually asking more about some of your favorite features and maybe you've got some some techniques or some processes that you'll be able to share with the slates room. But first of all I would really like to start by looking your past and a little bit into your future as well. Let's start with the past and the projects you've worked on so perhaps you can give us a really challenging project that you have worked on yourself. What was the challenge and the tough bit of that particular project
Mike Murphy: I could actually lumped together pretty much every freelance job I've ever had involving audio. I didn't set out to be a podcast producer. I would say my first podcasting project that I got I was handed a mess of clips and basically the audio is Tinti is really hollow. There was noises of all sorts throughout I mean it sounded terrible and of course they wanted MPR finish and I just had a piece all this together. You know it was a typical creative freelancer job. Anyone who does freelancing as a creative knows I charge for probably two hours worth of labor. I put in at least 20 hours. But you know I promised them that I would deliver something and you know it was a super big challenge. I've done a few freelance jobs and they were all sort of had that same Yeah I find it really challenging because I really I know they wanted to come back sounds good. And I know I can do it if I put in the time. So I've decided that that is not the route I wanted to take in the podcast world and other people but I just I find it really challenging I think to do other people's work. Most like you know I would say as a as a general thing
Mike Russell: What's the most challenging thing you find. To remove from rodeo. So it is like background noise when noise is it Heyse is it. The reversable echo in a room what would you say is the most challenging thing to actually get out of a piece of audiotape is given to you in a rough format.
Mike Murphy: I don't call myself like a restoration master by any means I really just kind of you know try different things. But I think the static you know like the little the digital noise. I haven't really found a way to get that like a clean workflow is really just a matter of trying to fine tune and you know just find the right frequency and pick stuff out. Oftentimes are certain noise like that static that you might get from like the interference whatever that ends up you just try to get a little bit better than what it sounds like. I never get a Superclean. I don't have any like heavy duty plugins. You know they really do the cleaning thing which I think would help a lot of cases but I'd say that static is the thing that gets me the most.
Mike Russell: Okay so we've looked at some of your challenging projects you've worked on particularly you know. Working with other. Podcasters embassy And helping them to get their sound right. Now let's look towards your future Mike. You are creating. And. Most of the creative class you're doing all kinds of creative work. But is the one cool thing maybe you can mention right now perhaps something you haven't even told anyone about yet. That you would look forward to or you would really like to work on in the future.
Mike Murphy: I'm really there's a weight on my shoulder of creating a lot of these little small almost like vlog style videos that document how I do things and how I create content and high podcast you know just sort of cool visual but with the little bit of a you know inspirational almost educational sort of vibe to them but just really short form but interesting almost like commercials but related to podcasts. And I think or just content creation in general using audio recording audio. I'm really obsessed with trying to get stuff like that out. They'd just my time just as up get up by other projects and then the other thing that I'm really obsessed about are trying to figure out a way to do it is I make a lot of daily tutorials and I want to take those and move those into more of an audio format where they're bundled podcasts or daily tips to use something like for an Alexa skill perhaps just creating a daily daily helpful tip for podcasters and creators that's something that I'm really trying to figure out a you know good workflow to to create. So.
Mike Russell: Yeah
Mike Murphy: So
Mike Russell: Definitely because the the proliferation of all the smart speakers now they're everywhere and they have you gotten a lecture in a Google home you'll place
Mike Murphy: Yeah. And I turned it off before this because it's one of my tips if you're listening. Turn off your Alexa before the interview because it goes off when you don't want it true. Yeah I didn't think I'd want it but I have to say that I have. I've taken to Alexa and I find her quite helpful.
Mike Russell: Yeah. It is scary like how easy it is now just to rely on talking to a there are like 0 0 0 Google home just to get the answers you need. And unlike you say that the tips you need the daily tips or your news content whatever that might be whether that might be related to audio or you want to keep up with current affairs or something else. Very cool indeed. So let's let's talk more about Audioboo in your childhood and growing up Mike. So I'm curious to know what it was for you. Obviously you play with a lot of creative things so you are working in video and you know Photoshop you working with graphic design as well. But Orio I can see in here that is is clearly a passion of yours. So I'm curious as to when that passion started in your childhood what was that moment in your childhood that maybe one memory you have in particular around all the crazy Auria before all of these da W's existed. No doubt that. What was that for you and how did it start your journey with Orio
Mike Murphy: I have been obsessed with music and audio since as long as I can remember. Just real popular music any kind of music I've just always had a sort of musical soul or you know something has always gravitated towards that I can remember conned into the radio stations like it was the biggest thrill of mine to call in like the All Request Hour to request the song and then hear your voice coming back on the radio. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. And then I can remember like my first concert who was really into the British invasion a few for you. And ever since I went to live concerts I mean I was totally hooked but I was fascinated by the big soundboards. I mean I couldn't get my eyes off that I never knew how they worked. And it was amazing. But I was always gravitated towards the sound. The center the stage or the center the person running the soundboard. You know I never went into that as a field I was kind of almost a regret of mine not to really pursue that because I was always fascinated by it. But yeah I can remember audio is you know just recording little tracks you know the first time I plugged in my guitar or a little 4 track. I was I thought I was the coolest thing ever you know. So it's never left me. That's kind of why I started the podcast was just this need to play with audio gear.
Mike Russell: That's really cool. So a musical soul. And I like your story. There are about calling into the radio request line and getting on the air. It's interesting how that moment when you call in and like you said there's either a delay or they're recorded onto a bit of tape and then play it back in between the songs. So was that ever an interest of yours to to work in radio. Have you ever worked in radio or did that. Did you follow that at all or has it just been exploring Oreo's real life and then eventually this podcasting thing came along and fantastic. Now I can get my message out there. How did that develop via.
Mike Murphy: Yeah I've never worked in radio. Definitely obsessed by it like I was really into the radio stations and kind of the whole thing. I really thought it was cool. And then I think audio recording like music became something that I was just kind of interested in but never pursued it. I traveled with the Grateful Dead. I saw the Grateful Dead shows and they had a recording section so I would always just kind of talk with the people and figure out like what microphones. I didn't know anything really but I was just really fascinated by it and you know I started listening to podcasts from the very beginning. I was like just a regular listener. And then when I kind of thought about it I was like It's like the perfect fit for me like i solo you know I kind of like the independent thing I was like What are you doing and just start a podcast. And so I did. Yeah that was really the basics of it that I had a lot to share. Tech stuff and I just said you know I'm just gonna start a podcast. It's a perfect fit.
Mike Russell: And it is so easy now to start a podcast low barriers to entry. You can get in there you can talk about something you're passionate about. And unlike radio where you have to prove it's going to have mass appeal to a wide audience. You can talk about anything so it's really interesting. I mean I'm interested to hear Mike what your some of your favorite punk Casar that you listen to on a regular basis. What have you got inside your podcast app. Back to the interview in a moment but if you want to in my perfect audio create up head over to MRC dot fm slash when.
Mike Murphy: My God. In the last two months I've been almost non-content consuming has sort of been weird. The more I podcast the more I create content the less I'm consuming anything I'm just I feel like I'm just you know I I listen to some of the big ones like I was listening to Radiolab for a while. I really like stuff like how to make it you know like the the NPR One the way they did it. I where they are right now. Put me on the spot. Like how we built this is one of those type things like how you build a business. Everything I've ever listen to podcasts is basically related to some sort of I need to educate myself. For the most part like I don't listen to the storytelling ones I listen to Serial and all that was great but I'm really always kind of maximizing my education consumer knowledge. Yeah Radiolab. I built this. I guess I listen the micro podcast. I find that interesting storytelling. I jump around a lot but right now there's not a lot on my MECs I would say I've been really kind of in grind mode of creating my own content. If you must know that you use
Mike Russell: That's good. Now that's a good thing definitely. And I liked what you mentioned there that it is a fantastic way of cramming knowledge into you while you're doing other things you're always learning on the go. So yeah Paul casting not only creating but also listening really brilliant thing. So let's dive. Now we've we've had a look at you some of the advice you've received over the years. Your challenges your future hopes will lead to your childhood memories around already through radio and into podcasting. Now I'm really keen to dive into Adobe edition as we are celebrating this year 25 years the 25th birthday of the debut edition. Can you believe that's
Mike Murphy: Relations awesome awesome
Mike Russell: That's really cool stuff. And I'm curious to hear this is this is an amazing thing because there are so many different features in the software but Mike yet to pick one favorite feature in Adobe Audition what would it be for you.
Mike Murphy: I think right now. I'm going to have to go with their remix feature. I just thought remix was just like I can't tell you how helpful it bend to me. I hope everybody uses that. If you make any type of video you need to learn about remix. I just find it so awesome to be able to basically make the audio exactly the length that I need it to. And I tend to use it know when ever I'm creating any type of video that has music or anything that I really want to sink in. I'm going to go with that as my my numero uno feature. Besides all the other great ness that it has to offer. So
Mike Russell: Very cool for someone listening now who's never heard of Adobe Audition remakes Can you explain in brief a few sentences what exactly it does.
Mike Murphy: What you basically do in the multitrack and you can really just you can tell it how long you want to clip so if you have a clip of music they are trying to maybe match to the video that you're working on. You know like maybe your videos a minute long and you have a clip that's you know 2 minutes but you want to synchronize whatever you can tell it. You can basically just set the time that you want to go for that song in Adobe additions going to cut it up. It makes little zigzags. It looks like it's cut it up but you cannot tell the difference. You can't tell where it makes the cuts in most cases nearly perfect. And then your clip will come out exactly the length that you want it to. You know sometimes there's a couple of seconds here and there so you have to play with that. But other than that it's just an amazing amazing way of getting the audio to match whatever you're trying to do.
Mike Russell: So Adobe Audition remix. Now obviously you teach online in your video tutorials some amazing workflows and Tiverton timesaving shortcuts inside the beautician. So I'm really curious if there are any that you could share with us now. Mike on the show
Mike Murphy: All right I'm going to go command backspace an underrated shortcut that just basically resets the panel or the timeline which is something that anyone who works in you know any type of timeline and linear and nonlinear editor kind of thing becomes a mess. Command backspace is something I use all the time and I don't really see or hear a lot of people talking about it. It just resets your timeline back to like the 100 percent view. I love that. Tapin 029 jumping back between waveform view and multitrack just a really simple shortcut. I use all the time and then the other big time saver. The essential sound panel. I mean I feel like I feel like this. I'm Peno like cheating. I. Absolutely love it. I I see that as replacing a phonic when I was lazy or didn't want to like take the time. I would often upload for phonic and I would use these areas for research purposes. I know how the tools work but I always felt a little bit guilty for not going through my process. Essential Saam panel. I have a preset called Mike. I touch it I add it to my parka at the end and I'm pretty much have all the processing I need. I love it so that is my timesaver. The essential Saam panel. If you're not using it I'd suggest checking it out.
Mike Russell: That's a really good one yeah. Definitely the essential sound panel which like you say does everything for you. It has. I believe saying that your loudness standards right you can add only cue. The kind of creative features the dynamics processing is all in there. And like you say you can set up one little preset that will do everything for you and make your audience sound good. So really really cool tips and like I'm on backspace that's no one I use a lot. But what a cool tip. So that's essentially yeah you say everything can be messed around you can be zoomed in and then you just get back to 100 percent you can just see you get that kind of bird's eye view again with Kim on backspace
Mike Murphy: Command backspace read above the enter return key that one that just super easy but I use it all the time.
Mike Russell: Brilliant. So some good features and workflows and timesaving tips for Adobe Audition but obviously you're creating order on a regular basis you got a great sounding Mike and you're obviously really into your audio resources and equipment. So let's talk headphones let's talk Mikes mixing boards. Anything that maybe you take with you on the go when you're recording audio and location. What are your go to resources and bits of audio gear that you use when creating audio.
Mike Murphy: Well my mixer is Alan and he said 10. I think it's a fine mixer. Right now I'm speaking to you do the focus right. 6 6 which is the first interface ever bought and it's actually still one of my favorites. I kind of use this when I just want a simple barebones I don't want to mess with anything that might interact or it might mess with something online. So I use the six I six which I still love my microphone. I'm a big Schoor guy. I'm using the Essem 7 B right now and I've owned Essem 58 since the 9th grade. So going on like thirty five years or something. So I still think it's one of the best microphones I and I got. Absolutely. I will argue with anyone that it's at least this one that sounds great. When I travel I typically bring that and I also bring my zoom 8 6 which I think is like my swiss army knife of audio. I feel like I can do anything with that thing and that sounds great it doesn't sound great necessarily listening to it. Monitoring the recording sound unbelievable. Yeah and I often find headphones just sony mdr 7 5 0 6 the kind of the ones you see in nearly every YouTube video. They're now down to somewhere between 50 and under 75 dollars. I think it's a really good bargain for comfort and they sound they sound good. And oh and my new favorite device for for iPhone use if you're making content with your iPhone iPad traveling is a little interface by sure. I think it's the M V one and something like that NBA wants a little interface. It is amazing. It's super small it's kind of heavy. And you know real durable but it is amazingly clean. It doesn't require any power and it powers this Essem 7 B and my Essem 58 would no cloud lifter. No Fed head is amazing. I watch my mixing board doesn't even do that. So yeah that's my new favorite little device. Hundred twenty nine dollars or something like that is you plug it right in your iPhone and your iPad. Amazing.
Mike Russell: What about I see you creating some great visual video pieces as well with yourself and I'm curious not only to talk about the video aspect but maybe audio for video as well. So are you using a diesel are all mirrorless camera what are you using to create the great looking videos.
Mike Murphy: I use my DSL are about just a canon T5 I and I use my phone a lot. I mean I have the iPhone 10 which takes amazing audio and then a video shows me and audio and then I would say for the majority I mean they're using my canon like what I'm really going out to make a video. I take my Dia's Solara like. If I travel that's my go to. You know I just find myself I'm in the stage now or I think a lot of content creators ours. You know I'm not obsessing over getting everything just just you know the way envision or want it. Like I'm really trying to create content that I'm actually going to come back and edit and you know do as opposed to creating this big project every time so I'm kind of about speed and swiftness right now. You know with taking time for quality in that but it's hard to do it all right now or what what you want to do I guess
Mike Russell: Nice. Do you have a gosu video Mike that you use on top of that. Hello
Mike Murphy: Yeah I have been using the little road. I have a couple road Micron's if I'm just shoes and a top my DSL or I'm using the road I want to say it's the micro. They have like three names that are nearly identical. The micro me the micro go and it's the little micro choosey what I would use for my iPhone. And then they have a bigger road video Mike prowar I guess that I would use mostly for my DSR
Mike Russell: Definitely. All this has been a really fun chat I've really enjoyed it. MIKE So for anyone who's listening now who's young and aspiring to get into this creative industry may be creating audio or really any kind of online content but particularly that aspiring audio content producer who wants to get into this industry. What advice would you have for them.
Mike Murphy: The first one easy go subscribe to Mike Russels YouTube channel and I'm not even joking. That's the that's the first thing I tell people basically if they're trying to they're in podcast and audio has to go to your channel. I mean it's where I think I learned the most. It's where a lot of people have that and Lynda.com I learned a ton. So
Mike Russell: Thank you.
Mike Murphy: That's one thing. The other thing I tell people all time is don't mess around get the Adobe Creative cloud subscription. Like I'm not just saying that because I'm on the audition one I personally think it's the best. Fifty dollars a month you can spend if you're creating content. If you're podcasting I think is the biggest bargain blows my mind still. Yes it is an investment but find a way. It is absolutely worth it. The video the photo everything you're doing you can do it in Adobe Creative Cloud and it just keeps getting better. So find a way to get that done. And then the last thing I I tell people you can't learn everything at once. Don't rush learning it. It is. When you first start you're racing to try to figure it all out. You don't have to. You just need to figure out something to do the next step and then just keep building on that. It takes time like you all the professionals. It took you a long time so don't don't rush that part just just do what you need to get down and get started.
Mike Russell: I like that three really solid pieces of advice there and yeah particularly on the Adobe Creative Cloud and I might add that actually if you are working in video and then going of audio or vice versa the cross pollination of everything the way you can go back and forth seamlessly and just you know get a clip from premiere and just edited an audition and then go back and the the clip is updated is pretty pretty stunning.
Mike Murphy: It's getting better. I mean it's like just Kiev all the things that are doing the mobile apps are getting unbelievably good. So yeah I I think it's an amazing bargain
Mike Russell: Beryllium well Mike thanks for joining me and inspiring others on this show. For anybody who's been listening and we'd like to find out more about you. What is the best place to go find you online.
Mike Murphy: My website. MIKE MURPHY That CEO that's my main site. You can find me at Mike unplugged on Twitter Instagram. And then you can go to my YouTube channel. Mike Murphy that SEO forged last YouTube is we'll it to my YouTube channel and I'd love to hear from you. And it was a total honor to be with you today. Mike appreciate it.
Mike Russell: All right Mike I appreciate you taking the time and and giving us some of your knowledge on the show. Thanks for joining me.
Mike Murphy: Thank you.
Mike Russell: That concludes this episode would you like an extra chance to win the awesome audio gear giveaway. Subscribe and review this podcast then e-mail the details to Paul costed MRC dot fm for an extra entry into the awesome audio gear giveaway. Good luck.
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