Improve your iPhone videos by improving your audio quality. The Fostex AR-4i helps you capture better audio while shooting video with your iPhone 4.

I like to shoot a lot of iPhone 4 video and I think it can be the perfect way to create to create small business videos. One thing lacking, and it’ll ruin your credibility, is the poor audio quality of your videos because you’re using the on-board mic of the iPhone. You can improve the quality and credibility of your videos simply by improving your audio quality. The new Fostex AR-4i helps you capture that better audio.

The AR-4i is a sled you slide your iPhone 4 into. It has 2, directional microphones attached to it. More importantly, it has a gain control so you can increase the sensitivity of the mics. An added touch are the level LED lights so you can visually monitor the audio strength. The sled makes your iPhone feel like a quality point-and-shoot camera. This heft actually helps you hold and keep your camera still.

In addition, the sled adds a cold shoe for a battery operated light, a headphone jack with volume control so you can monitor the audio, and screw holes compatible with tripod heads.

In the above video, you’ll definitely notice that the Fostex AR-4i improved the original audio quality. I think this setup would be great for doing interviews, customer testimonials, or quick self-videos. Remember though, as you place the mic further way from your subject, you’ll pick-up what’s called “white noise” or “room noise.” Like I show in the video, this light hiss can be quickly corrected while editing your video if your editor has a noise filter.

I find the Fostex AR-4i to be an interesting accessory and it’ll definitely improve your audio quality. The Fostex AR-4i is available from Amazon for $149. [aff]

Here’s a great video from Video Traffic Academy on some of the latest YouTube statistics. You can see incredible growth for online video. Now granted, not all of it is good, but these stats are profound nonetheless.

Small Business Consultants are often asked “What do you do?” To help spread my message, I created an introductory video about SkillCasting. I explain the four key areas where I focus: online video, screencasting, e-learning, and online webinars. The power of video is that your customers and prospects, get to see you and get a feel for the type of person you are.

Could video offend some people and make them NOT like me? Sure. But that’s okay. If they don’t like me from the video, odds are they wouldn’t like me after they spent time with me. And worse, I would have wasted my time too. I refer to this as “compressing the acceptance cycle time.” Besides, the best testimonial I receive is when people see my videos, call me, and tell me they just feel like they trust me. When you’re first starting a relationship, can you really ask for anything more?

That’s the power of video.

I added this video to the SkillCasting.com homepage as an introductory video. And to help spread it even further, I embedded this video on my LinkedIn profile. I’ll put together a tutorial on how to add a video to your LinkedIn profile. It’s pretty easy.

Use video to introduce yourself. Remember, it’s about building trust.

Note: This post originally appeared on MacScreencasting at http://www.macscreencasting.com/imovie-11-audio-enhancements-for-iphone-videos on 10.22.2010. Due to recent hacking activity, I’m consolidating my sites and moving the MacScreencasting posts into SkillCasting. I’ll then be shutting down MacScreencasting.

The new iLife ’11 just came out yesterday and I wanted to see the changes in iMovie. As you know, I use iMovie quite a bit for my video editing. I find it faster than Final Cut Express and well, good enough. One of the major improvements Steve Jobs touted was the improved audio. Did he deliver?

This video takes a quick iPhone 4 video, with the raw audio, and shows you 5 key enhancements iMovie brings to the table. They include:

• Turn on audio waveforms
• Adjust the volume
• Add audio effects
• Reduce background noise
• And, adjust the equalizer

[View iPhone version]

The new iMovie brings lots of improved audio control to your videos. If you’re shooting with the iPhone, I still recommend using a microphone with the kVConnection cable for the best possible audio. But if you need to make adjustments to your raw audio, the new iMovie ’11 definitely does the trick.

Note: This post originally appeared on MacScreencasting at http://www.macscreencasting.com/camtasia-table-of-contents on 10.20.2010. Due to recent hacking activity, I’m consolidating my sites and moving the MacScreencasting posts into SkillCasting. I’ll then be shutting down MacScreencasting.

TechSmith has introduced a great new feature to Camtasia:Mac version 1.2. It’s a table of contents feature that makes it super easy to navigate to various points in your video. If you create longer screencasts, this tool is invaluable.

[View iPhone version]

This feature is great for longer tutorials or e-learning. You could also record Skype or Google Talk interviews and add markers for each question. This way your listeners can jump right to the question. And I really like the way the table of contents appears when you mouse over the video and disappears when you mouse off of it. Oh, and did I mention the search feature?

The only downside I see to the tool is that the output has to be Flash. In other words, it won’t work with iPhone or iPad video playback. Now I know for some, that’s not a big deal, but for those of us who create content primarily for a mobile audience, it really doesn’t help us that much. I’m playing with a few different options for that though. Look for a new post on that soon.

In the meantime, Camtasia:Mac has upped it’s game with this release.

Note: This post originally appeared on MacScreencasting at http://www.macscreencasting.com/improve-iphone-4-audio-with-kvconnection-cable on 10.6.2010. Due to recent hacking activity, I’m consolidating my sites and moving the MacScreencasting posts into SkillCasting. I’ll then be shutting down MacScreencasting.

On my previous posts regarding an iPhone 4 microphone, I wasn’t able to test out the kVConnection audio cable because I didn’t have one. Well I ordered one and here are the results.

[View iPhone version]

This simple adapter plugs into the headphone jack of your iPhone 4. You can then add one of your microphones to the other end. For this test I used one of my favorites, the Audio Technica ATR-3350 [aff].

I’m very pleased with the results. It makes iPhone 4 video sound as good as it looks. I highly recommend it.

Note: This post originally appeared on MacScreencasting at http://www.macscreencasting.com/using-multiple-cameras-in-your-screencasts on 8.27.2010. Due to recent hacking activity, I’m consolidating my sites and moving the MacScreencasting posts into SkillCasting. I’ll then be shutting down MacScreencasting.

Earlier this week I did a video over at SkillCasting.com about using video for your job search. It was about creating videos to share your knowledge and to position yourself as an expert while you’re looking for a job. It was part video and part screencast. What’s key is that I used 2 cameras to shoot it and only ScreenFlow to edit it.

When I saw Lynn Elliot’s post over at the ScreenFlow blog, I thought this might make a good tutorial. And if nothing else, perhaps it’ll plant some ideas as we take screencasting to the next level.

[View iPhone version]

I think incorporating two (or more) cameras into a single screencast keeps it interesting. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Note: This post originally appeared at http://www.macscreencasting.com/iphone-4-video-microphone-comparison-update on 8.11.2010. Due to recent WordPress hacks, I’m consolidating my sites and I’ll be moving the MacScreencasting posts over to SkillCasting. Then I’ll shut down MacScreencasting.

Well, in the video I shot the other day, I made 2 mistakes. I wanted to correct them and give you a better opportunity to really hear the difference between the microphones.

Nick from VeriCorder let me know that the “fart” feedback was RF interference. If you place your iPhone in Airplane mode, you won’t have that problem. He also let me know that I’m lucky because the current VeriCorder Mini Mic isn’t compatible with the iPhone 4. Apple changed their electronics on the new device and VeriCorder is having to design a new one. So if you have an iPhone 4 and want the Mini Mic, hold off until their new one gets released.

I also forgot to bring my stereo adapter for my Audio Technica microphones. Both of these mics are mono mics. I couldn’t turn the audio track into stereo in ScreenFlow which I used to edit the video. (Using ScreenFlow to edit video is a future topic so watch for that one.) Back in this video, I have the stereo adapter plugged in so you can better hear the difference between the mics. It’s not fair to compare the Kodak video with a mono audio track to the iPhone 4 in stereo.

Anyway, watch and listen to the new video and let me know your audio preferences.

[View iPhone version]

Note: This post originally appeared at http://www.macscreencasting.com/iphone-video-microphone-comparison on 8.9.2010. Due to recent WordPress hacks, I’m consolidating my sites and I’ll be moving the MacScreencasting posts over to SkillCasting. Then I’ll shut down MacScreencasting.

In my previous post about iPhone 4 iMovie exports, a few people have asked about the audio from the iPhone videos. I originally said that I recommend keeping a pocket digital camcorder like the Kodak Zi8 because it has a mic-in jack.

But it made me think. What if I used an external mic on my iPhone. Would the audio significantly improve?

In this video, I compare 2 solutions I have at home. First is the Griffen SmartTalk Headphone Adapter. It’s really designed for conducting phone calls while using your headphones. The second is the VeriCorder Mini-mic which is a directional microphone.

They’re both pretty inexpensive at less than $20 each. So neither will break the bank. In the post, Peter suggested a kV Connection adapter that would allow you to plugin your existing 3.5mm microphones. I don’t have that so I can’t test it.

I also throw in the Kodak Zi8 with the Audio Technica lav mic (but it’s in mono) so you can sort of get a comparison.

As you watch the video, which audio do you prefer? Do you prefer the iPhone by itself, the SmartTalk lapel, or the VeriCorder? Have you discovered in better iPhone audio solutions? Would you use the Kodak Zi8 with mic-in jack over the iPhone? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear your opinions.

[View iPhone version]

Note: This post originally appeared at http://www.macscreencasting.com/skype-video-call-recording on 6.21.2010. Due to recent WordPress hacks, I’m consolidating my sites and I’ll be moving the MacScreencasting posts over to SkillCasting. Then I’ll shut down MacScreencasting.

Do you use Skype? Millions of people do. It’s a wonderful way to make free Skype-to-Skype calls all over the world. And you can really push the capabilities by using SkypeIn and SkypeOut to connect to regular phone lines too.

An often overlooked feature of Skype is the video chat (okay, so maybe it’s not overlooked, it is one of the most popular features.) It too is free and allows two callers to connect with one another and see each other. When done properly it’s a great way to conduct video interviews. You might be asking yourself, “Why video interviews?! ”

I’ve brought my friend Terry Brock over to help explain why we’d want to do this. He’s done dozens and can teach us all a few of his tricks. If you’re an entrepreneur, a consultant, or even a freelancer, you’ll want to see this.

You can see our Skype video interview below.

[View iPhone version]

To add an update, the newer versions of Skype allow group calls so you can see more people. This opens all sorts of doors for group interviews similar to news shows.

And if you want to learn more about Skype, check out my Skype Training!