#audio-engineering
81 episodes
#5847: Why One EQ Curve Can't Fix Two Voices
One static EQ curve can't serve two different voices — here's why, and what actually works instead.
#5825: Why Voices Sound Good in Some Rooms and Not Others
Same words, opposite effect. What the research actually says about why some voices hold you and others make you reach for skip.
#5722: What Balanced Audio Actually Does in a DAC
Balanced isn't about the connector — it's impedance symmetry. Here's when it matters and when it's overkill.
#5721: What's the Red and Black Speaker Cable Actually Called?
It's called zip cord — and the gauge you need depends entirely on current, not the 300V printed on the jacket.
#5720: Active, Passive, and the Speaker That Lied to Daniel
A rented PA speaker turns out to be mislabeled, and untangling why reveals the real difference between active and passive — plus what mic and line ...
#5718: How Far Can You Run RCA, XLR, and 3.5mm Cables?
Published cable-length advice ranges from 3 meters to 200 feet. The physics explains why — and why the cable isn't the variable that matters.
#5681: Why Your Volume Knob Can't Find the Right Spot
Your phone has 15 volume steps. More steps won't fix the real problem — and the math explains why.
#5678: Why Voices Are Harder to Design For Than Music
Every word arrives clearly on a phone speaker — so why is it exhausting? The science of listening effort, and how to design audio that isn't.
#5573: Audio Post-Processing for AI Podcast Pipelines
Silence trimming, loudness normalization, EQ, and tempo fixes — the CLI tools that turn raw TTS output into a finished episode.
#5378: SIP Speakers, Multicast, and the One-Way Page
How SIP one-way paging actually works — and why multicast turns 500 speakers into a single call.
#5128: The 120 Hz Problem: Why Your Window Can't Stop That Jackhammer
A bedroom-shattering 120 Hz tone reveals why low-frequency noise ignores windows, mocks active noise cancellation, and demands real physics.
#5106: Why a Jackhammer Still Wins Against Acoustic Windows
A quiet room isn't quiet when the noise travels through the building itself. We break down why acoustic windows fail against low-frequency percussion.
#4925: ESP32 Mics for Remote Home Monitoring
Why an $8 ESP32 with a MEMS mic beats expensive cameras for remote audio monitoring in a vacation home.
#4800: The CLI That Powers Half the Internet's Video
How a French programmer's side project became the invisible engine behind YouTube, VLC, and OBS.
#4799: How to Build Your Own TTS Audiobooks
From M4B containers to chapter timing drift — the technical pipeline for creating audiobooks with synthetic voice.
#4726: Why a 2026 Foot Pedal Uses a 1990s Connector
Why does a brand-new foot pedal ship with an 8-pin DIN connector? The surprising engineering logic behind "obsolete" design.
#4596: How to Record Calls and Conversations for Evidence
The unglamorous craft of capturing audio that actually proves something — gear, technique, and steering the conversation.
#4532: Bugle Basics: Mastering Military Calls at Home
No valves, no keys—just five notes. Here's how to buy, learn, and deploy a bugle for domestic order.
#4513: 5 Bizarre Instruments to Short-Circuit Your Next Dinner Party
Five bizarre instruments that turn you from a guest into an event — no flute required.
#4456: Inside the Podcast Pipeline: How 15 Weekly Episodes Get Made
From prompt to published episode — a full walkthrough of the automated production system running 15 shows weekly.
#4389: The $120 Noise Sensor That Could Change Cities
One Jerusalem resident wants to track construction noise from his balcony. Here’s why that’s harder than it should be.
#4386: How to Become a Medieval Flute Wizard for Three Weeks
Build a three-week persona around medieval flute, striped tunics, and the elusive fourth mode.
#4376: Which Mic Actually Lowers Word Error Rate?
Laptop mics hit 18% WER. A $70 mic drops it to 4%. Here's what actually works for voice-first dictation.
#4322: Storrs Secrets: Turbines, Duckpin, and Puppets
A working 1860s turbine, duckpin bowling’s impossible perfect game, and a world-class puppet museum in one small town.