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Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: tedyun on March 31, 2020, 12:26:30 PM
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With most of the US self isolating and video conferencing into work meetings from home, I know that some of you have figured out ways to use real mics instead of the horrible mics on the webcams. Especially since there are no more live events and our poor, expensive mics are sitting there looking at us with sad puppy eyes.
My work is late to the game and we will be doing our first Zoom meeting today, so I have to confess I've been thinking about setting up a Zoom vid con station here.
I'm thinking about Schoeps MK5 (omni) > SD USBPre 2 > computer to keep it simple.
Anyone else thinking on the same lines? How did you set it up? Bonus points if you are using a real video cam instead of the shitty camera on laptops or phones.
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Talk of this is Zooming about, and not having seen it I still keep thinking "audio recorder".. then in talking with my elderly parents today they asked for assistance in getting their built-in cams working on Ipad and WinComp for the virtual Zoom to church next weekend. Apparently they got it to work and participated last Sunday, only without the self-reflective eye upon themselves.
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I am curious if Zoom is really secure, and if folks should be running business and govt' meetings on it. It IS HQ'd in China.
They admit it's not HIPAA compliant.
On topic, I have my Sound Devices MixPre6 set up on my Mac via USB and it's weird. When I wake the Mac from sleep, I have to take the SD out of USB AUDIO mode and set it briefly to USB POWER ONLY before switching it back in order to make the Mac see it as an audio device.
Then. I tried using the Y cable it came with, which enables it to run on full power from 2 USB-A plugs, but when it's left plugged in to the POWER one, it does not wake up at all from sleep.
I guess the Mixpre6 is ABLE to be used as a USB interface, but it's not designed for it.
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I think you're looking at the wrong Zoom! Zoom Video (NASDAQ: ZM) is based in Silicon Valley. The other Zoom is a company that used to make cheap modems and networking gear, and they are in China. It's funny, stock traders have been mixing up the ticker symbols, and those who want to invest in ZM accidentally invest in ZOOM. The latter is thinly traded and was a penny stock, but with this new interest, owners of ZOOM shares experienced a huge appreciation!
They are new and this pandemic basically accelerated their plans to scale, so these privacy concerns may be something real.
I am curious if Zoom is really secure, and if folks should be running business and govt' meetings on it. It IS HQ'd in China.
They admit it's not HIPAA compliant.
On topic, I have my Sound Devices MixPre6 set up on my Mac via USB and it's weird. When I wake the Mac from sleep, I have to take the SD out of USB AUDIO mode and set it briefly to USB POWER ONLY before switching it back in order to make the Mac see it as an audio device.
Then. I tried using the Y cable it came with, which enables it to run on full power from 2 USB-A plugs, but when it's left plugged in to the POWER one, it does not wake up at all from sleep.
I guess the Mixpre6 is ABLE to be used as a USB interface, but it's not designed for it.
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I am curious if Zoom is really secure, and if folks should be running business and govt' meetings on it. It IS HQ'd in China.
They admit it's not HIPAA compliant.
On topic, I have my Sound Devices MixPre6 set up on my Mac via USB and it's weird. When I wake the Mac from sleep, I have to take the SD out of USB AUDIO mode and set it briefly to USB POWER ONLY before switching it back in order to make the Mac see it as an audio device.
Then. I tried using the Y cable it came with, which enables it to run on full power from 2 USB-A plugs, but when it's left plugged in to the POWER one, it does not wake up at all from sleep.
I guess the Mixpre6 is ABLE to be used as a USB interface, but it's not designed for it.
That's strange. I've been running my MP6 as a desktop interface for a few weeks and it's been working perfectly with my Mac using USB-C to USB-C. I'm mostly using it as a headphone amp but have ran mics through it a few times.
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I don't do anything special. Just a pair of apple headphones (but I've been using zoom for work for years.) I have run a few streams through it using dante via straight out of a 24 fader soundcraft board. That was kinda fun
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The other Zoom is a company that used to make cheap modems and networking gear, and they are in China.
Thanks for reminding me of my old POS 14.4kbps modem I had from them. US Robotics for the win! :P
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That's strange. I've been running my MP6 as a desktop interface for a few weeks and it's been working perfectly with my Mac using USB-C to USB-C.
My Mac is old and doesn't have USB-C, in fact it's only got USB-2. I've been running the SD via USB-3.0 on a thunderbolt hub, perhaps it would behave differently if I plugged it into one of the original 2.0's and used a brick on the power side of the Y cable.
Oh good point about the two ZOOMs thing. I think I was confused too.
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The Zoom security issues are absolutely real:
https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/31/zoom-at-your-own-risk/ (https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/31/zoom-at-your-own-risk/)
Also check out the Zoom app wiki page.
Jeff
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Sennheiser e614 > Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 > USB > ThinkPad
I could care less about the security issues when I am having a smoother chat with Zoom than with Hangouts.
A few of my tech buddies suggest using a feature where anyone joining the room has to be approved for entry as a last step.
(I didn't read the thread much, just posted my setup after scanning down quickly)
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The Zoom security issues are absolutely real:
https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/31/zoom-at-your-own-risk/ (https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/31/zoom-at-your-own-risk/)
Thanks. I had read headlines and tweets but could not find documentation of what I had heard.
I could care less about the security issues when I am having a smoother chat with Zoom than with Hangouts.
That's a dangerous attitude to take for granted.
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The Zoom security issues are absolutely real:
https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/31/zoom-at-your-own-risk/ (https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/31/zoom-at-your-own-risk/)
Thanks. I had read headlines and tweets but could not find documentation of what I had heard.
I could care less about the security issues when I am having a smoother chat with Zoom than with Hangouts.
That's a dangerous attitude to take for granted.
Idk. I kinda just assume nothing on the internet is really secure.
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I record medical school lectures for a living, and we went to all-online in mid-March. We've been running lectures over Zoom, and I've been originating them from my family room:
(https://i.postimg.cc/T1bKtdJg/zoom.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/BPqZ6Gyn)
The aquarium I had in my office until they told us not to come in anymore.
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IN: Line Audio CM3 > Focusrite Saffire Pro 14 > Google Meet
OUT: Drop O2+SDAC > Sennheiser 6XX
As to more secure web conferencing, I have been reading great things from the infosec-minded crowd about Jitsi Meet. It's not like I'm going to convince my employer to use it, but I might try it out with friends. For one thing, the meeting controls are really good. It's also open-source, so you can roll your own version of it. You can also host your own instance on your own server for full control of where everyone's data is going.
https://jitsi.org/jitsi-meet/ (https://jitsi.org/jitsi-meet/)
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Bruce Schneier weighs in...
https://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram/archives/2020/0415.html#cg15
"In general, Zoom's problems fall into three broad buckets: (1) bad privacy practices, (2) bad security practices, and (3) bad user configurations."
"In the meantime, you should either lock Zoom down as best you can, or -- better yet -- abandon the platform altogether. Jitsi is a distributed, free, and open-source alternative."
"New York City has banned Zoom from its schools."
About Bruce Schneier
Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, called a "security guru" by The Economist. He is the author of over one dozen books--including his latest, Click Here to Kill Everybody
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There is a significant "fight for territory" going on right now in this business segment - the stakes are huge. Best not forming firm opinions unless one knows the alliances of the sources.
I got a Jabra headset from my employer. Zoom isn't capable of great sound in the first place, but this headset sounds as good as it gets.
However, I dislike it's bulkiness. It is not that big, but it quickly feels heavy, especially when doing many back to back meetings, And it it doesn't look pretty on video.
I have had success with a RØDE SmartLav+ into a RØDE SC6 adapter and a pair of discrete earbuds. Sounds as good, easier to wear and looks better.
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Finally broke out my rig today for a weekly taper group zoom chat. I don't know that I sounded any better, but it felt good to power up the mics and get my nerd on.
Gefell M21 (Nbob actives) > Tascam DR-40 > Line out > USB interface input > Computer
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I've been just using my laptop but just bought a cheap webcam for my desktop. Happy hour yesterday was my first time using it. I was told the audio sucked! So Rory inspired me to figure out how to use the mixpre as a USB interface. Easy as hell! m20s dina > mixpre 6 II....
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200525/0f340990672f990f21ad78e5f89970f8.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200525/cf28c288d454b0a58c6bbf15b8036e14.jpg)
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Nerds!
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Nerds!
nice to be able to use some gear!!
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nice to be able to use some gear!!
Did you set Channels 1-2 to LINKED, so that you have a single volume knob, and Ch2 is for Pan?
That's what I've been listening back to for the past several weeks, and I love it.
I set my Stereo Out Gain to -20 and turned my home integrated amp up to high noon on the volume knob!
Everything sounds better with the amp more open, and now I can control the volume in the middle of the Ch1 knob (not just the far left bits) since I am backed off -20dB at the output.
I don't usually need to boost versus the computer's USB output (which is my source) but I can certainly do so with a twist of the knob!
:guitarist:
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channels linked, never messed with pan....
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Nerds!
nice to be able to use some gear!!
Very true. I've been considering the same thing
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More Zoom issues, unless you are so uncompromisable that you don't mind being blatantly surveilled...
"Corporate clients will get access to Zoom’s end-to-end encryption service now being developed, but Yuan said free users won’t enjoy that level of privacy, which makes it impossible for third parties to decipher communications.
“Free users for sure we don’t want to give that because we also want to work together with FBI, with local law enforcement in case some people use Zoom for a bad purpose,” Yuan said on the call."
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-02/zoom-transforms-hype-into-huge-jump-in-sales-customers
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FTC announced a settlement with ZOOM today
https://twitter.com/FTC/status/1325825131458027520
FTC announces settlement with @zoom_us requiring the company to implement a robust information security program, settling allegations it engaged in deceptive and unfair practices that undermined the security of its users: https://go.usa.gov/x7NaE
Zoom agreed to establish and implement a comprehensive security program, is prohibited from making privacy and security misrepresentations, and must implement other detailed and specific relief.
Zoom’s user base has skyrocketed from 10 million in December 2019 to 300 million in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among other things, FTC alleges Zoom misled users by touting that it offered “end-to-end, 256-bit encryption” to secure users’ communications, when in fact it provided a lower level of security.
The FTC alleges Zoom compromised the security of some Mac users when it secretly installed software, called a ZoomOpener web server, as part of a manual update for its Mac desktop application.
FTC also alleges that Zoom misled some users who wanted to store recorded meetings on the company’s cloud storage by falsely claiming that those meetings were encrypted immediately after the meeting ended.
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Shure SM58 > Mackie Profx6v3 > PC via USB. I bought the Mackie used on Craigslist for $100 and two SM58's off Reverb for $105. Quick, easy setup and it sounds great.