857: How to Look and Sound Good at $10, $100 and $1000 With Producer Randy

Wes and Scott talk with Syntax Producer Randy Rektor. From mastering mic technique to lighting hacks and choosing the right camera, they discuss the best ways to upgrade your audio and video setup on any budget. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 03:01 Brought to you by Sentry.io 04:14 Understanding signal-to-noise ratio 06:48 Using de-noise iZotope Voice De-noise 09:12 The importance of mic technique 10:28 Dealing with electrical noise 11:15 The proximity effect 13:01 Sound treatment vs sound proofing Sound Wavelength Calculator Syntax 516: Wes’ New Soundproof Office Studiobricks Randy’s Studiobricks video GIK Acoustics 23:33 Do egg crates work for sound treatment? 25:22 USB mics vs XLR mics Shure MV6 Syntax 845: Are Companies Hiring? State of the Dev Job Market With Taylor Desseyn 27:06 Video composition 30:18 How to improve your lighting 35:37 Choosing the right camera 36:58 The importance of codecs and bitrates 38:14 What to look for in a webcam 38:50 Randy’s packages for $50, $150 and $500-$1000 budgets 40:02 The $50 package/selecting your mic Feelworld PM1 Fifine K688 heyday Stone White Desktop Mic 43:53 The $150 package Neewer lights 45:32 The $500-$1000 package Shure MV6 Insta360 Link 2 Insta360 Link 2c Elgato Cam Link 4k Sonay a6000 51:07 Mic stand recommendations VIVO 56:50 Sick picks & Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Randy: etymologynerd on TikTok Shameless Plugs Randy: Randy’s YouTube Channel Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads