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Apple Airpod Pro Review

Apple Airpod Pro Review

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Apple Earbuds Pro

 

Years ago I purchased wireless bluetooth Apple headsets and they seemed to work fine until March 2021.  Then, the batteries within the earbuds failed.  I went out and purchased the new Apple Airpod Pro paying close to $200 before tax.  I have been disappointed with this purchase for the following reasons:

  • My main complaint is that the audio level has diminished.  They provide a much lower volume than the older version of Apple bluetooth headsets.  I use an Android LG-V30 cell phone and have tried to increase volume settings but nothing works.  I did discover that if I tap on the left earpiece the volume seems to go up a tiny bit.  I walk outside along roadways and the traffic noise easily drowns out the audio I am listening to.   I find that I have to plug in corded headsets to properly listen to my cell phone applications.  With the cord headsets my cell phone allows me to increase volume.  This option fails to show when I am using the Apple Airpod Pro.
  • A constant problem is that the audio frequently fails to arrive at both ear pieces at the same time.  I get sort of an echo type of effect.  My solution is to switch out of one audio playback application and enter another different application which frequently results in synchronized audio.  I then switch back to the audio application I wish to listen to and for a while it plays properly.  The best solution is to, again, use wired headsets.
  • I tried to make a phone call using the Apple Earpod Pro but the party that I called immediately complained that he could not properly hear me.  I think he said that my audio was distorted.  I told him that I would call him back.  I removed the Earpods and used the phone microphone and speaker to make a second call to the party I wanted to reach and the person at the other end said the audio was now perfect.
  • The changeable ear piece fittings, of which there are three, is a possible improvement maybe for some people.   They are a bit difficult to unplug and attach, in my opinion.  I have yet to find one of the three ear gaskets that keeps the device in my ear without falling out.

The Good: 

  • The connectivity between this unit and my cell phone has really improved over the prior Apple wireless model.
  • Audio quality is very good.
  • Pairing between the headsets and the audio source is good.

The Bad:

  • Low apparent maximum audio level.
  • Audio fails to reach both headsets at the same time, occurs frequently.
  • Possible distortion in my microphone audio when using with a cell phone to make a call.

 

Summary:  I do NOT recommend this product.  I have resorted to wearing my very old corded headset, which NEVER provides echo problems, never falls out of my ears, gives good audio output level, but the cord is a bit of a pain.  I really do think I wasted my money.

________________

My Solution:

Years ago I purchased a very expensive handheld ham radio.  It is a Kenwood TH-D74 costing over $800.  I discovered that one of its many features is that the user can connect a bluetooth headset to it so the user can listen and talk on the radio.  But, for years I could not find any bluetooth headset that showed to work with the radio until 2021.  One ham radio operator stated that he found three bluetooth headsets would work. I rushed out and purchased two of them and they do work.  My surprise was that the Plantronics Voyager 5200 was so good that it not only connected to my handheld ham radio but also to my Android cell phone. It could connect to BOTH!   This headset is perfect for me for the following reasons:

  • Perfect audio.  The audio level can be turned up.  When I walk along any highway the passing car noise is loud so I turn the volume up or down to my liking.  I also found out that if I hear a vehicle approaches from behind me on the road, I can take my hand and press the headset into my ear and the volume really goes up.
  • Quick charge.
  • Very nice controls.
  • Perfect voice commands.  This headset notifies you of any incoming call and asks you if you accept or deny the connection.
  • There is a very small switch that you need to flip when you use the headset or not.  When you turn the headset off and plug in the USB charge cable there is a very small blue light that shows you that the headset is charging.

 

Summary:  I am so happy that I purchased this headset.   It costs about half what Apple Airpod Pro costs.  The one slight deficiency is that you only get audio into one ear.  I find this slightly annoying.

 

 

Posted May 21, 2021
Revised:  July 1, 2021

Learning Adobe Premier Pro CC

Learning Adobe Premier Pro CC

I would like to share with you my problems trying to learn Adobe Premier Pro CC.  This software has a lot of features and  a lot of apparent hidden tools.  In other words, it is a rather difficult software to fly.  I had just video taped a wedding and due to the complexity of the production assets, I could no longer use iMovie.  I had the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of software loaded on my laptop and just knew that Premier was going to work. Problem for me is that I had to learn the program fast.   Let me jump to the solution so you do not have to wade through this ratter long explanation.  Just go to https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/tutorials.html

If you are interested in reading my rather long quest for knowledge as to how to edit with Adobe Premier Pro CC, read on.

BOOKS

My son told me not to buy any books and just use the Internet to learn Premier.  I love books and can easily say that I am older than you.  My daughter would call me retro.

I wasted a day trying to buy a book at a local book store.  I even went to Fry’s because they no longer allowed you to call in and take to a person to check availability and price.  Their book section had practically vanished.  I predict that store will also vanish.

I spent hours trying to figure out what was the best book to buy on the Internet.  I had Premier Pro CC version 2015.  I did not want a book that was too old.  I was really intrigued with Premiere Pro CC: Visual QuickStart Guide by Jan Ozer. It showed being published Jun 27, 2013, seemingly a bit out of date.  I just love that format of book, quick outline and visual.

I settled upon Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book 2015 release.  It seemed the best deal was to buy this book at Adobe Press.  Problem was that the release date for the book was the same day I was ordering it, September 16, 2015.  It would take a week to get the book.  I spotted a nifty deal where I could also buy the eBook too for a discounted price.  I got a hefty discount because the books had just been released or were about to be released.  Here is where my assumption that the eBook would arrive earlier was wrong.

Order Details
This order contains:
1 . Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book 2015 release , 9780134309989 , Quantity: 1
2 . Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book 2015 release , 9780134310176 , Quantity: 1
3 . Total Discount , ($49.19)
Grand Total  $63.93

The paper book was shipped the very next day, September 17, 2015.  By the way, the publisher customer service did not know the book was ready to ship.  I kept going to the publishers web site to download my e-book but nothing.  I could not figure out what was wrong.

I sent customer service an e-mail asking why I could not download the eBook.

I get this response:

“Thank you for placing your order with Adobe Press. We regret to inform you
that the following item(s) from your order #WEB325633094370
placed on 9/16/2015 5:32:05 PM EDT have been cancelled:
Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book 2015 release, 9780134310176, Quantity: 1
We apologize that we were unable to fulfill your order within the time frame we originally indicated.
Your credit card has not been charged.
We encourage you to visit our website for further updates regarding the availability of this product.”

I looked at my bank account and indeed they lowered the charges to:
09/19/2015     AWL*Pearson Education ADOBE.PRESS NJ ONE L (-$45.35)

They did gave me a discount probably because I participated in an online survey.

But, I find this cancellation rather odd.  The publisher canceled part of my order.  I thought that should be my prerogative.  If an item can never be shipped then the publisher should cancel.  If the order is delayed, it would be nice to ask me, the customer, if I  still want delivery.

The evening of September 22, 2015, just for kicks, I check Adobe Press web site and they announce that the book is ready the very next day, the very same day the print edition is due to arrive at my home.

“Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book (2015 release), Web Edition
By Maxim Jago
Published Sep 23, 2015 by Adobe Press”
Pricing as of September 22, 2015: available as a
Book $47.99
eBook $38.39
Web Edition $47.99

My point in all this is that you might think the electronic version might arrive before the print.  Don’t assume that if the publication is hot off the press or hot off the hard drive.  I actually finished the wedding portion of the movie project and have not yet received the book.

ON LINE TUTORIALS

YouTube
In desperation, I tried YouTube videos but they were all over the map for providing results.  Some were good but the curriculum, the step by step learning process that a classroom teacher should put together for the class was obviously missing.  I found I was bouncing around from one video that seemed to build to another video that failed.

lynda.com
I have access to lynda.com video tutorials and tried their Adobe Premier Pro lessons. It sort of failed for me.  The first lessons were an over view.  I want to jump in and start the process and not be shown a bunch of video overviews.  I wanted to know right away how to start.  Once I got into the meat, about lesson four, I began to become confused with all the prior lesson files and the new files the person was talking about.  I finally took notes as to the keyboard shortcuts that one needs to use and made notes.  This really helped.  The J, K, L, I and O keys are extremely important.  It took me a whole day to discover that on a Mac CMD and the left or right arrow will move your clip one frame.  I needed to line up an unlocked separate audio track to video with audio and the CMD and arrow keys allowed me to gain perfect synchronization.  If I had had a book, learning this would have not taken as much time.

The beginning of the main lynda.com lessons seemed to be clouded, not clear as to the beginning step by step process.  I got the impression that steps explained in the introduction, I should integrate into the whole.  Show me how to create a project and import my media from the beginning.  Instead I was jumping around.  I thus felt I was watching video’s that were less clear to me.  I did pick up vital bread crumb information which did helped me.

adobe.com tutorials
The best solution for me was actually free.  The  embarrassing part is that it was right in front of me.  Adobe offers terrific tutorials, better than lynda.com, in my opinion.  This was my primary learning method.  I guess my son was correct; don’t buy a book; use the Internet.

https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/tutorials.html

Good luck to you.  Adobe Premier Pro CC is a professional product and being so it may be a challenge to learn.  Do not give up.  I found that this program has a solution for every problem you will face. Finding that solution can be a challenge.

Yamaha DM 1000 version 2 Lost Input Patch Settings When a Scene Recall Was Initiated.

Yamaha DM 1000 version 2 Lost Input Patch Settings When a Scene Recall Was Initiated.

One of my customers complained that after making input changes to their Yamaha DM 1000 model audio board they would be lost when they initiated a scene recall.   This audio board has two different save methods and each method parcels out different portions of the audio board to be saved.  The main one is “scene” which includes mainly production type of changes the board operator might want to configure for each production.  The second save method is “library”.  It includes deeper factors like input and output patching.  The trick is to configure both scene and library and link the two.  The board is set up so when you conduct a scene recall from memory, it also makes changes specified in the library save.  The customer just needs to remember that when you do a patch change, also conduct a “library” save and lock it to the “scene” that you will be using.