RØDE SmartLav Lavalier Lapel iOS Mic Quick Review

So this is not a fitness related video or even a fitness related product review,  like me you make fitness YouTube videos that require recording gear? In this video I showcase a neat little Lavalier (Lapel) Microphone called the RØDE SmartLav I picked up the other day. Mainly to let you know that the audio in many of my videos will sound a lot better since I will be wearing the RØDE SmartLav during any videos where I get away from the camera.

Camera Microphones usually sound pretty decent when you are up nice and close to them, but as you get further away from the camera (and built in camera mic), you start to sound like you are far away or in a cave. The room tone starts to get mixed in with your voice making the recording sound echoey and thin.

So in order to keep my voice sounding rich and clear, I will be wearing this RØDE SmartLav when I shoot videos that require me to be out front of the camera.

So what makes the RØDE SmartLav so "Smart"? The Smart part is that it works with a "Smart" Phone. All you need to do is plug the RØDE SmartLav into your smartphone, use a recording App like the RØDE Rec and record your voice directly to your Smartphone. Once you are finished your video shoot, you simply match up the audio to the video in your editing software and bingo - you have professional sounding voice audio in your videos.

And because you are recording "hard wired" directly into your iPhone or smart phone, there is no wireless signal to worry about which can often have interference or even cut right out. With the RØDE SmartLav you could literally walk a mile away from the camera and sound exactly as if you where right beside it.

So I think you understand the purpose for one of theses handy little Lapel mics, enjoy the improved audio in my future vids and for those tech savvy people out there, here are the specifications for the RØDE SmartLav:

• Acoustic Principle: Pressure Gradient
• Active Electronics: JFET
• Capsule: 0.10"
• Polar Pattern: Omnidirectional - picks up all sides equally
• Address Type: End
• Frequency Range: 20Hz - 20kHz (selected HPF @ 0)
• Output Impedance: 0Ω
• Sensitivity: -32.0dB re 1 Volt/Pascal (25.50mV @ 94 dB SPL) +/- 2 dB @ 1kHz
• Weight: 6.00gm
• Dimensions: 1180.00mmH x 4.50mmW x 4.50mmD
• Output: TRRS Output
• Warranty: 1 year

Shoulder Press PR - 200 Pounds x 1 Rep - 45 Years Old @ 193 Pounds

Another PR this week and while I am slowly cutting weight. Just goes to show that if you keep pushing yourself and train hard like any other day, you will get stronger!

My goal has been to hit a 200 pounds Shoulder Press and today I got it, mind you when I originally came up with this goal is was a about 15-20 pounds lighter, that said, a lot of this new added muscle weight is in my legs which doesn't help with the strict shoulder press in any way ;)

Still super happy to hit 200 pounds which on this day was 7 pounds over my body weight.

You can see how this workout effected my heart rate and how many calories I burned by clicking on this link: 

Announcement - I will be Offering Online Personal Training

I am super excited to announce that I will be offering Online Personal Training! I start off by taking on between 10-20 clients to start with until I can decide what my optimal Trainer to Client ratio is.

What I will be offering:

• Accountability - I will keep you on track!
• Maximize the time you have available to get the best results possible!
• My main focus will be clients 40+ since I know what you are going through and that you have busy lives and require flexible fitness programs.
• We will start off with preliminary goal setting communication to figure out what your commitment level is and what we need to do to get you to where you want to be in terms of Health and Fitness and types of workouts best suited to you.
• There will be full interaction between my clients and myself via online web application that also supports iOS and Android devices.
• You will have access to interactive preset workout schedules with detailed workouts including animated 3D videos along with my own custom workout videos as required.
• The workout schedule can be adjusted by the client as required and I will also know when a workout is completed, along with how the client felt during that workout and if they have any workout notes they want to share with me.
• My program will offer full nutritional logging that is shared with the client and myself so I can track how your nutrition is going and make suggestions to help reach your goals.
• Full comprehensive communication via email and within the online application.

Pricing is yet to be determined but will be in line with other online personal trainer pricing.

Space is limited, so send me an email if you are interested and I will let you know the details as soon as everything is ready to go.

Deadlift PR of 453 Pounds x 3 Reps - 45 Years Old @ 194 Pounds

I am always a bit reluctant to go for any crazy PR's. My advice to us older folks is to stay healthy, an injury can really set you back so when doing PR's you have to know your bodies limitations.

I had done a single rep PR of 450 before this so I knew I had at least one rep at 453 pounds in me and the set before I did 403 for three reps and it was hard but went up smooth. So I though, why not go for it?

Everything went well, got my three reps and no rips or tears or snaps which is the main thing :) My long term goal is to hit 500 pounds at some point but I will be sticking at the 450 weight until I can rep them out for 5-7 reps first.

You can see how this workout effected my heart rate and how many calories I burned by clicking on this link.

Update on Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 7:57PM by Michael Kaye

UPDATE: Today a week later I did 5 reps at 453 pounds and this was after some pretty intensive Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday workouts!

IK Multimedia iLoud Studio-Quality Portable Speaker Hands On Review

I already made an Unboxing Video for the IK Multimedia iLoud Portable Bluetooth Speaker and now that I have had some time to really listen to it in a variety of environments I can give you my feedback using the iLoud "hands on".

First off, lets start with some basic information about what IK Multimedia has to say about the iLoud  Studio-Quality Portable Speaker:

The iLoud is the high-performance, battery-operated portable speaker for musicians and audiophiles. Rated at powerful 40W RMS, the iLoud provides up to five times the volume of comparably-sized speakers. Connect your smartphone, tablet, laptop or MP3 player, and get ready to be blown away. A speaker system needs to sound good at all volumes, and reproduce the music the way it was meant to sound.

IK Multimedia has leveraged its 16-year experience in creating tools for professional recording studios into developing iLoud's two-way, high-definition speaker system, with onboard DSP, digital Class-D amplifier and high-performance enclosure. For the first time, you can enjoy studio-class sound and performance, comparable to professional studio monitors, yet in a surprisingly small and light weight package. iLoud connects via Bluetooth or to the headphone output of your smartphone, tablet or laptop. iLoud is also equipped with an iRig 1/4 inch instrument input with pre-amp, so you can plug in a guitar, bass, keyboard or dynamic mic and jam along to your music using an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad for real-time effects processing.

 Specifications & Features:

• Dimensions: 2.36" h x 6.30" w x 9.84" l, 2.93 pounds
• 40W total power (2x16W low-frequency, 2x4W high frequency).
• Frequency response 50Hz to 20kHz.
• Four Class-D Amplifiers, bi-amped system.
• Two way 2x3” neodymium woofers & 2x3/4” neodymium tweeters.
• High performance bass-reflex port.
• 1/4” iRig® input for connecting guitars and dynamic microphones to iOS devices.
• Bluetooth compatible with A2DP protocol.
• 1/8” stereo analog line input.
• DSP controlled.
• Superior low-frequency extension and sound accuracy.
• Auto Standby.
• Integrated high-performance Li-Ion rechargeable battery.
• Battery duration at maximum volume: up to three hours. Normal usage: up to ten hours.

OK, so now that we got that out of the way, let's talk a bit about how the IK Multimedia iLoud really performs and does it truly live up to it's name...

Is the iLoud Loud? You bet it is, and compared to other similar sized speakers in its class, the iLoud has more than double the power with a 40 Watts of total power so it better be loud! Being loud is nice but how does the iLoud sound at high volume levels? The question should really be, how does it sound at low volume levels because in the case of the iLoud the two are kind of the same. There is no real difference except for the volume level. As long as you are listening to a song that was mixed fairly well you will not get any distortion from the iLoud even when turned up all the way! Now if the song is crazy heavy on the bass, you might just get a bit of bottom end rattle but it's kind of hard to tell it it's the iLoud speaker or other things around it rattling ;)

The iLoud is so loud (when need be) that it can be used in a variety of environments from small rooms, large rooms, patios and even as a portable PA system for smaller gigs.

Getting back to normal listening level volumes, what really makes the iLoud stand out from everyone else making these super popular portable bluetooth speakers, is the fact that IK Multimedia designed the iLoud specifically for musicians and audiophiles. The iLoud is not just made to be a speaker to listen to pre-recorded music but rather as a tool to play musical instruments through, which requires a lot more power, dynamic range and protection from overloading!

 

IK Multimedia also designed the iLoud to have studio quality sound. Meaning the iLoud can be used as a reference monitor for mixing your audio and video projects. I can attest that the iLoud is very flat in nature which means you hear everything as it was intended to sound. Everything can be heard and nothing stands out too much or gets lost in the mix. The iLoud is really a pleasure to listen to even while listening to standard pre-recorded songs. You may even feel like you are listening to a song for the first time since you will hear small details and parts in the music that you may never have heard before.

In terms of size, the IK Multimedia iLoud Portable Speaker is by far not the smallest unit available but if it was any smaller I'm sure it would not sound as full or loud. There are limitations as to how much you can squeek out of a speaker cabinet and its related size! With that said, the iLoud is portable enough to fit in a carry on or even personal item bag for airplane travel and makes other portable gigging speakers look like giants in comparison.

One last item I am not going to spend too much time covering because I personally don't plan to use this feature at least for now... I'm talking about the iRig input for connecting guitars and dynamic microphones to iOS devices. What this feature allows you to do as a musician is plug in an instrument to the 1/4 inch jack, that could be a guitar, a bass, a keyboard, or even a microphone. Once your musical instrument is pugged into the iLoud, it gets routed out of the iLoud using the supplied custom mini jack cable and into your iOS device where you can use a variety of iOS IK Multimedia iRig applications to process the signal and then send it back to the iLoud where everything plays seamlessly and in real time.

So there is one last thing that needs to be discussed and that's the price. The IK Multimedia iLoud is going to be on the high end in terms of price range but amazingly no more than other similar sized high end portable speakers that in my opinion are no match for the iLoud. Depending on where you are located and who you buy the iLoud through, the iLoud will cost you somewhere between $200-$300, but you get every dollars worth in this jaw dropping speaker.