Perfect Media Productions, LLC is a media production and digital marketing service. We produce audio for radio, podcasts, and voice-overs. We also record and/or edit video for websites and social media.
This is the production home of the Billy Dees Podcast and other great podcasts.
Our blog section features a variety of topics including media, business, and pop culture.
We had a great visit with Sam from Erie St. Vinyl in Massillon, Ohio.
Selfie time with Sam and Billy Dees on location at Erie St. Vinyl.
Do you remember the feel of old record stores back in the 1970s? In addition to vinyl record bins around the store, Erie St Vinyl is decorated with vintage audio gear and décor. They even burn incense so that the aroma of the store has a classic record store vibe.
During this interview we discuss how people’s listening habits to music has changed, and how a new generation of music fans are discovering vinyl. We also chat about the business aspect of opening a brick-and-mortar shop to cater to the vintage audio and vinyl music fan.
Regarding the production, this episode was recorded on location at Erie St. Vinyl. Since Covid, it has been difficult to do location recordings. Although online production tools have improved over the past several years, it is still a great experience to record guests in their own environment with a mobile system.
This can bring a set of technical challenges. Very often location settings are noisy, don’t have have treated environments, and will often have loud air conditioning or appliances running in the background. However, we have found it is worth it to enter someone else’s world. The audience certainly appreciates this aspect of the interview over any minor imperfection of sound or lighting.
The environment of Erie St. Vinyl itself was worth capturing. The space is absolutely loaded with charm and atmosphere. Sam deserves much credit for following her goal of creating this great place.
You can find the interview on your favorite podcasting platform including the Spotify player below. We also recorded a videocast which is also posted below. The video version contains footage of the shop.
We are very pleased to announce that Kristy Mickelsen has agreed to have Perfect Media Productions, LLC, help produce and facilitate the distribution of her podcast, “W.W.A.A. Podcast.”
We first had Kristy as a guest on the Billy Dees Podcast about a year ago. Kristy is an author and an advocate for such issues as cancer, autism, lupus, and mental health. She is also a 43-year-old wife and mother, whose passions include her two autistic children, reading, and writing. After her appearance on the podcast, Kristy started becoming an active member of the social audio community, especially on Twitter Spaces. As her audience widened, Kristy decided to enter the field of podcasting.
Kristy is very active on Twitter, and you can find her at @KristyBooks. Want to know more about Kristy’s podcast? You can listen to her and her podcast trailer below on Spotify. More episodes are on their way soon.
I would like to personally thank everyone who has been listening to the Billy Dees Podcast. We don’t feature every episode here on the production website, but we did want to update followers of the blog about some updates and recent episodes.
We have had a wonderful uptick in listens over the past 90 days.
July 2022
Apple Podcasts (then iTunes Podcasts) is where the podcast debuted and remains where a sizable percentage of the listens come from. More recently, Pandora has grabbed a huge percentage of listens. Also, Goodpods, which is what Good Reads is for books except for podcasts, is also coming on strong for listens and has been very active with us on Twitter. Their goal is to have a place where independent podcasts can thrive. We also want to welcome listers on the JioSaavn platform which is based in India.
Some great guests have contributed to our growth. Here is a sample of some of our recent episodes you may have missed. All of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast platform under the Billy Dees Podcast.
“Twitter and Twitter Spaces for Authors with Ruth L. Snyder”
You can find Ruth on Twitter at @RuthLSnyder During this episode we are talking about using Twitter and Twitter Spaces for authors. Many of the topics we cover are applicable to any social media or content marketing strategy in general.
Our guest is Ruth L. Snyder who is the author of “Learn Twitter” which is geared toward writers. Ruth is also a speaker and a book coach.
“Community Building and Marketing with Twitter Spaces with Guest, Keith Keller”
Whether you want to improve your content marketing strategy or simply want to build your brand, social media is almost always a major tool in your toolbox. In this episode we are talking with Keith Keller who has been a Twitter strategist since the early days of the platform.
Keith discusses how to Amplify Your Message, Build Your Brand, and Create a Community via Twitter and Twitter Spaces. We also ask him about Social Audio, what it is, and how Twitter Spaces approaches the medium of social audio.
Graciela Moore is ICF certified, a transcendental hope coach, and author. Graciela also helps HSIP thrive into soul-alignment and is a public speaker.
On this episode Graciela talks about hope, the different ways we consider hope, and how important it is in our daily lives. Please listen in for some great insights into personal growth, happiness, and hope!
Rachel Thompson Talks About Her Book, “Broken People” and Marketing
Rachel Thompson is an author of seven books. She is a champion for survivors and is the originator of the hashtag #SexAbuseChat on Twitter.
She also promotes other writers and is also known for the much-used blogging #MondayBlogs hashtag.
You can find her on Twitter @RachelintheOC, and at @BadRedHeadMedia which is all about creating effective social media and book marketing campaigns for authors.
On this episode we are talking with Rachel about her advocacy for survivors, being an author, and her presence on the new medium Twitter Spaces.
This year 2022, “Broken People” was released and won ‘Best in Category’ for Nonfiction with the Book Excellence Awards
Maria Humphreys from Strong Body Strong Soul, Discusses Meditation, Spirituality, and Social Audio
On this episode we are talking with Maria Humphreys from the Strong Body Strong Soul Podcast. Maria is passionate about inspiring stories and is very enthusiastic about all topics related to audio, including the emergence of social audio. Maria has been able to combine her meditation practices with the nuances of spoken word communication.
Twitter Spaces is an audio medium allowing for a configuration of hosts, speakers, and listeners. This Space was hosted Thursday January 6, 2022, at 2:00pm EST.
If you are familiar with the app “Clubhouse,” you are likely to recognize Twitter Spaces which is very similar. Spotify, LinkedIn, and any number of other social media platforms are also exploring what is being termed as “social audio.”
Currently, the only way to take part in a Twitter Space is via the Twitter smartphone app. If you already have Twitter on your phone you can utilize Twitter Spaces.
Spaces is an audio only platform.
In my opinion, for podcasts and as a production tool, the guests sound a bit “phoned-in” on Spaces but otherwise is acceptable. I am not sure how much I will be using Spaces for podcast episodes, but it has potential as a break-through medium. Real-time and trending topics are built into the fabric of Twitter which gives the platform a head-start in the social audio spectrum.
Our guest for this episode was Lenora Colarusso, who has been on the podcast numerous times. The first part of the episode covers Lenora and her journey of recovery and well-being. It is followed by snippets from a Question-and-Answer period that followed on the Space. Guests take part from all over the world, which is one of the great things about the Twitter Spaces format.
This is a subject we have covered before. However, since the successful landing of the NASA Mars rover, Perseverance, we decided to revisit it in podcast form.
This episode is a commentary by Billy Dees about why space matters to society, the economy, and the humanity of the United States and the world.
You can find the Billy Dees Podcast on nearly all of the major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.
For your convenience the episode is right here, just hit play.
This installment of our Twitter interviews is with Jeanné Giddens, otherwise known as @TuneTalks to her Twitter followers. Jeanné is a talented song writer, voiceover artist, and host.
As an old school radio and audio recording guy, I have always felt the best way to record an interview is with the guest in the recording studio. The benefits of this are obvious. You can interact with your guest one on one and have complete control of the recording. However, there are times when this is just not practical. For example, in this case Jeanné is based in Florida and I am in Ohio.
Recording options in these types of cases vary and a lot depends on the guest. Many interview subjects do not have any audio gear. Others have busy schedules promoting their work and do not have the patience to be walked through a technical process of some kind. In these cases phone signals may be the most expedient choice and other times maybe a VOIP service will work just fine at getting the job done.
With Jeanné, however, there were better options available. She is in the audio production business and has good tools at her disposal. So, we decided to use Zencastr for this interview. In simple terms this type of technology does not record “over” the internet per say. Both subjects are recorded locally and then those two audio tracks are combined in post.
The results are terrific but there are also other important steps to take.
For one, use the most dependable connections with your gear. I would avoid using WiFi with your computer or using any type of wireless microphone or headset. Also, close all of the programs on your computer.
Let me throw in some information about microphones. There is a lot of confusion about USB microphones in particular.
There are basically four types of microphones in terms of how they capture sound; dynamic, condenser, ribbon, and contact. There are variations of each but those are the basic groups.
Many of the widely popular USB microphones are condenser microphones. I have heard them referred to as “digital” microphones and that term is as overused as “pro” is in the audio and video equipment industry. The key difference between a USB condenser microphone and a standalone XLR condenser is that the USB microphone has a USB interface built into it. Combination units in general are designed to hit a price point and as plug and play devices for their ease of use.
I have used USB microphones to have my clients record audio into their PowerPoint presentations. They are also good for gaming, YouTube, and for basic podcasting. I would stop short, however, of considering any USB microphone truly a professional’s first choice.
I have been in many radio stations, media production studios in advertising agencies, and music recording studios. I have never run across a USB microphone being used as a primary recording tool in any of these applications. An entry level pro audio interface alone costs more than the average USB microphone. Many voiceover agencies will ask what microphone that you are using and if the answer is a USB microphone that might be a missing check mark on your credentials list.
The sky is the limit in terms of what you can pay for pro audio gear but there are cost effective options. Yes, separates do cost more but come with some practical benefits in addition to better quality, namely interchangeability. That professional XLR microphone that you bought for your podcast will plug into a USB interface, a digital recorder, a mixing board and so on. You can also upgrade your interface or microphone without replacing both or purchase more microphones to use with the same interface.
For the interview with Jeanné I used a (XLR) Golden Age D2 dynamic microphone. I happen to like dynamic microphones for voiceovers but that is largely my preference. My favorite is probably the (XLR) Shure SM7B and my runner up would be the (XLR) Electro-Voice RE20. Jeanné used her (XLR) RODE NT1 which is a condenser microphone. Both the Golden Age D2 and the RODE NT1 are not “cheap” when compared to most USB microphones, however, in the professional ranks these microphones are extremely cost effective and for anyone considering getting started doing voice work these are good choices. For this particular interview we both also used Focusrite interfaces.
To sample the sound quality captured with these microphones and Zencastr here is an excerpt. Notice how it sounds almost as if both of us were in the same studio.
For your convenience the entire interview is available at the bottom of this post. The Billy Dees Podcast is also available on your favorite podcasting service including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.
Perfect Media Productions, LLC 