Dark Matter Network Content

Spinner · December 27, 2013, 10:43:47 PM

Quote from: Uncle Duke on December 27, 2013, 09:54:48 PM

Listened to another stinker of a show on the netwok today,
<snip>

Weird how you only get to listen to the stinkers . . .

Uncle Duke · December 27, 2013, 11:02:28 PM

Quote from: Spinner on December 27, 2013, 10:43:47 PM

Weird how you only get to listen to the stinkers . . .

I turn it on when I have the time, I listen.......

What's your point?

nooryisawesome · December 27, 2013, 11:38:36 PM

Quote from: Uncle Duke on December 27, 2013, 09:54:48 PM
I've had the same problem, ironic considering Art's issues with SXM.

Listened to another stinker of a show on the netwok today, apparently a rebroadcast from last week of a paranormal show from Mass. The two hosts spent the entire two hours begging for callers, got one call. The last forty minutes of the show the guys argued what were the worst Christmas songs of all time. Pretty pathetic.

I didn't listen to that show but I will say that Keith should start being more selective what gets put on.
I realize it's a start up etc. but some of the shows I think are unlistenable to. Due to bad audio, technical issues, and just flat out horrid.
There's also some really good shows. If anyone hasn't heard dark weekend check it out!

Juan · December 28, 2013, 07:40:29 AM

I agree. Some of the shows have good audio, good content, etc. But some are terrible. I heard one last night that was apparently recorded in 2012. It had four hosts all talking over each other, most on horrible cell phones, and one kept trying to be cute - something that fails miserably on radio.

If you're going to do one of these, at least get a good USB audio interface (not a sound card) and a decent microphone. A Shure SM57 is an all-purpose vocal mic that costs around $100. A Focusrite or M-Audio two-input interface is another $100.

mcclellanrobert · December 28, 2013, 08:03:00 AM

Quote from: Juan on December 28, 2013, 07:40:29 AM
I agree. Some of the shows have good audio, good content, etc. But some are terrible. I heard one last night that was apparently recorded in 2012. It had four hosts all talking over each other, most on horrible cell phones, and one kept trying to be cute - something that fails miserably on radio.

If you're going to do one of these, at least get a good USB audio interface (not a sound card) and a decent microphone. A Shure SM57 is an all-purpose vocal mic that costs around $100. A Focusrite or M-Audio two-input interface is another $100.

Good advice - A great all-around mic is a Shure SM57 or SM58 - put them in a shock mount on a boom stand. Put a windscreen on them. And a small audio mixer like a Behringer or Mackey gives a lot of control. Pair this with a software-based audio program, like GarageBand (Apple) or Audacity (Free), a few cables, and you can record a very high quality show. Most of this can be purchased on eBay or Amazon. Maybe $300 for the whole lot. But the main ingredient is interesting content. That can't be purchased...but is most valuable.

Spinner · December 28, 2013, 11:08:51 AM

Quote from: Juan on December 28, 2013, 07:40:29 AM
I agree. Some of the shows have good audio, good content, etc. But some are terrible. I heard one last night that was apparently recorded in 2012. It had four hosts all talking over each other, most on horrible cell phones, and one kept trying to be cute - something that fails miserably on radio.
<snip>

Agreed.
From the DMRN schedule page:

Quote
"Suggest new programs via email: darkmatter@rowlandnet.com"

Uncle Duke · December 29, 2013, 01:03:22 PM

Did get to hear the one hour of "Dark Weekend" last night, far and away the most professional of all the shows I've head on DMRN. Wouldn't expect anything else with WABC putting their stamp on the program. Not a huge Bill Birnes fan, thought Bateman did a good job trying to keep him on point. Guys like that are tough to interview, especially once they get a head of steam up. Birnes isn't as bad as motor mouths like Quayle and Jones, but he's not nearly as entertaining when it comes to sheer lunacy, either.

Would love to hear Bateman interview credible, intelligent guests like Nick Pope or Bruce Maccabee.

Mind Flayer Monk · December 29, 2013, 09:50:57 PM

Quote from: mcclellanrobert on December 27, 2013, 03:29:44 PM
Yes. In a few weeks Jill is going to do an audio expedition on strange finds inside caves - including human skulls! Mid-January...Thanks for listening.

This sounds very interesting, looking forward to it.

mcclellanrobert · December 30, 2013, 03:53:41 PM

Episode #3 Into The Planet radio is now up at: www.IntoThePlanetRadio.com
Please give it a listen! Thanks, Rob and Jill

MV/Liberace! · December 30, 2013, 04:38:13 PM

Quote from: mcclellanrobert on December 30, 2013, 03:53:41 PM
Episode #3 Into The Planet radio is now up at: www.IntoThePlanetRadio.com
Please give it a listen! Thanks, Rob and Jill

i keep meaning to take a listen, and life keeps getting in the way. so many podcasts, so little tiiiiiiiiime.

HaveAccess · December 30, 2013, 05:34:27 PM

To be honest, Ive given up on DMRN...

For me, the "best programs" seem to be slotted at say 11PM or early in the morning...

I cant for the life of me understand why Howard Hughes is slotted such obscure time slots, given his talent.

It also seems that consumer audience numbers are of no consequence...

When you give a program requiring true vision.. a controlling axial idea around which everything points too and rotates.... to a technician all you get is a random superficial collage of surface and color...otherwise known as DMRN.

Im the last guy in this forum that wants to say this. But I think its true.

mcclellanrobert · January 06, 2014, 01:48:08 PM

In case you missed it live - Episode #4 Into The Planet radio is posted at: www.intotheplanetradio.com

nbirnes · January 06, 2014, 04:00:08 PM

Quote from: Uncle Duke on December 29, 2013, 01:03:22 PM
Did get to hear the one hour of "Dark Weekend" last night, far and away the most professional of all the shows I've head on DMRN. Wouldn't expect anything else with WABC putting their stamp on the program. Not a huge Bill Birnes fan, thought Bateman did a good job trying to keep him on point. Guys like that are tough to interview, especially once they get a head of steam up. Birnes isn't as bad as motor mouths like Quayle and Jones, but he's not nearly as entertaining when it comes to sheer lunacy, either.

Would love to hear Bateman interview credible, intelligent guests like Nick Pope or Bruce Maccabee.

I hear this a lot. Bill speaks volumes, and some radio hosts select guests precisely because they can go on and on, unassisted, so the host can doze or play Tetris. A good host will crash right through the prepared stuff and ask good questions and just generally shape the program. See: Dark Weekend.

However, I really really take exception to your separating Bill from "credible, intelligent" guests like Pope or Maccabee -- two guys I adore. What does it take to be credible in this field, in your opinion, may I ask? I would really like to know. The only things Bill has ever sold are books -- not gold, not freeze-dried food, not fear. It's just lazy to lump him in with those guys and not the good guys.

And I also take exception to your dismissal of DMRN. It's too early. It is a much, much needed place for talk that doesn't have to sell its soul in order to broadcast. I am grateful for the chance to air our show on this network, and I will do whatever I can to help it succeed. Give it some time and listen to suggestions here for good shows.

saucerlike · January 06, 2014, 05:35:19 PM

Got a couple episodes of Into the Planet d/l'ed, just haven't listened yet. Just need to pry myself away from Richard Feynman stuff on youtube. I haven't been to artbell.com for awhile and prefer to download and listen later, so I appreciate all the new links.

Spinner · January 06, 2014, 10:16:41 PM

I just found out that Travis Walton is going to be on "Fade to Black" on Wednesday.
Love Travis' story, and haven't heard him interviewed in a long time, so I'll definitely be listening.

jerry · January 06, 2014, 11:28:17 PM

Quote from: nbirnes on January 06, 2014, 04:00:08 PM
I hear this a lot. Bill speaks volumes, and some radio hosts select guests precisely because they can go on and on, unassisted, so the host can doze or play Tetris. A good host will crash right through the prepared stuff and ask good questions and just generally shape the program. See: Dark Weekend.

However, I really really take exception to your separating Bill from "credible, intelligent" guests like Pope or Maccabee -- two guys I adore. What does it take to be credible in this field, in your opinion, may I ask? I would really like to know. The only things Bill has ever sold are books -- not gold, not freeze-dried food, not fear. It's just lazy to lump him in with those guys and not the good guys.

And I also take exception to your dismissal of DMRN. It's too early. It is a much, much needed place for talk that doesn't have to sell its soul in order to broadcast. I am grateful for the chance to air our show on this network, and I will do whatever I can to help it succeed. Give it some time and listen to suggestions here for good shows.

I like your show, and I like about everything I have seen/heard Bill on. The only suggestion for your show I would make is that sometime you speak over each other-- I love the interaction, but talking over each other is a little hard for me to decypher.

But I really enjoy your program. And I agree it's too early to be too critical of the network. It is evolving and growing....

Tarbaby · January 07, 2014, 09:31:08 AM

Just became aware of it. Putting it in rotation and will listen to the 4 episodes soon.

mcclellanrobert · January 07, 2014, 05:43:27 PM

Created a "Radio" page on co-host Jill Heinerth's webpage. Really good national and international shows there on which she was a guest. Check it out: http://www.intotheplanet.com/IntoThePlanet/Radio.html

cweb · January 07, 2014, 10:35:01 PM

Quote from: mcclellanrobert on December 28, 2013, 08:03:00 AM
Good advice - A great all-around mic is a Shure SM57 or SM58 - put them in a shock mount on a boom stand. Put a windscreen on them. And a small audio mixer like a Behringer or Mackey gives a lot of control. Pair this with a software-based audio program, like GarageBand (Apple) or Audacity (Free), a few cables, and you can record a very high quality show. Most of this can be purchased on eBay or Amazon. Maybe $300 for the whole lot. But the main ingredient is interesting content. That can't be purchased...but is most valuable.

Agreed on all counts. Not to sound like I'm hawking gear, but I've used the Audio-Technica AT2020 USB mic for some basic recording and it's pretty good. My preferred headphones are the Sony MDR-7506 ($100 and totally worth it), but I've also used Sennheiser HD202 cans that work very well. Plug the headphones and USB mic in, fire up Audacity, and go. Just gotta make sure the room's not too noisy. The AT2020 runs $100, Sennheiser HD202 about $30, and Audacity is free. So for $130 you can start making a pretty decent-sounding podcast.

That's not to say the M-Box, SM58, and shock mount route isn't bad-- it's just a bit more coin. Heck, back when I did voiceover production for work we used a Shure SM7B (plus "fixins") with a nice 10-channel Mackie mixer and it sounded superb. It's just that not everyone has $1000+ for a setup like that.

One bit of advice for all the aspiring podcasters who aren't audio folks is to find some time to mess with everything. Get it all hooked up and do test recordings. Mess with levels and filters. Read a little bit about how to get "cleaner" sound. Record multiple channels and mix them. Practice practice practice!

But, as Robert said, content is king. Ask yourself "so what?" Why is it interesting? If your reason is selfish or nonexistent, maybe that's why people are tuning out.

Juan · January 08, 2014, 08:40:03 AM

I agree that content is king, but you have to master the craft of technology, too. If listeners can't understand the content, the content is wasted. Into the Planet is excellent. Two hosts and telephone interviews, all very clear. Also, the playoff of the two hosts is very well done. Others are also excellent. And some that began poorly have improved.

An Audio-Techinca USB mic may work very well, but a $29.99 Radio Shack one probably will not. Using headphones for mixing is a good idea, but play the final mix through normal computer speakers, too, as that is what most folks will be listening through. Back in the 70s and 80s, recording engineers would master records with big speakers, but they would also check the sound through monaural small speakers to make sure the mix would sound good over car radios.

mcclellanrobert · January 08, 2014, 08:55:23 AM

Quote from: Juan on January 08, 2014, 08:40:03 AM
I agree that content is king, but you have to master the craft of technology, too. If listeners can't understand the content, the content is wasted. Into the Planet is excellent. Two hosts and telephone interviews, all very clear. Also, the playoff of the two hosts is very well done. Others are also excellent. And some that began poorly have improved.

An Audio-Techinca USB mic may work very well, but a $29.99 Radio Shack one probably will not. Using headphones for mixing is a good idea, but play the final mix through normal computer speakers, too, as that is what most folks will be listening through. Back in the 70s and 80s, recording engineers would master records with big speakers, but they would also check the sound through monaural small speakers to make sure the mix would sound good over car radios.

You are absolutely right. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson of MOTOWN records would have the engineers listen to recordings through car radio speakers - because that is how most of the audience heard the music. In this case, most of the DMRN audience is probably listening through computer speakers and/or ear buds. I do all the post production of Into The Planet on a mac laptop and listen to the final mix through the same.
Thanks for the kind words, we are glad you are listening - we are trying to keep our program fresh and interesting...and a bit different!
Chees, Robert

RoseGirl · January 08, 2014, 10:24:14 AM

Oh dear. For my podcast 'Outsider' I just record my voice with a headset microphone over my computer. No engineer, no post production, no mixer.

*sigh*

Always a bridesmaid.

ziznak · January 08, 2014, 12:07:05 PM

It's a mixed bag for me lately on DMRN. I've been throwing it on mostly late at night and since it's player doesn't time out it's on when I wake up to somebody's alarm. Haven't checked out "Into The Planet" yet and I've only heard Dark Weekend through it's soundcloud. "Fade to Black" I have liked and I've heard it a few times on the DM site.

Today though... I woke up to somebody talking extensively about angels... horrible.

Then I heard UFO stuff from some chick who I guess just started up? Think she mentioned it was her first show. The guest talked a lot about a UFO/Alien connection with musicians, mostly lead singers, and how THEY are inserting certain planet and peace friendly ideas into our consciousness. I found what the guest had to say very interesting albeit a bit eccentric. I can only say as a host she needed to pull on the reigns a bit more as her guest seemed to run a lil wild there. The audio was for the most part sounded fine.

cweb · January 08, 2014, 06:35:35 PM

Quote from: Juan on January 08, 2014, 08:40:03 AM
Using headphones for mixing is a good idea, but play the final mix through normal computer speakers, too, as that is what most folks will be listening through. Back in the 70s and 80s, recording engineers would master records with big speakers, but they would also check the sound through monaural small speakers to make sure the mix would sound good over car radios.

Good point. "Test the media as your audience will experience it" is a great rule of thumb, for audio or video even.

Quote from: ziznak on January 08, 2014, 12:07:05 PM
Then I heard UFO stuff from some chick who I guess just started up? Think she mentioned it was her first show. The guest talked a lot about a UFO/Alien connection with musicians, mostly lead singers, and how THEY are inserting certain planet and peace friendly ideas into our consciousness. I found what the guest had to say very interesting albeit a bit eccentric. I can only say as a host she needed to pull on the reigns a bit more as her guest seemed to run a lil wild there. The audio was for the most part sounded fine.

That's one thing that I've noticed from Noory and a few DMRN hosts-- they let the guest go, with no challenge. Like it's story time. If the guest says "aliens implanted my dog with a money brain, because he likes bananas, and that's proof of extraterrestrials" the host has to pump the breaks and go "whoa, how do you know the dog has a monkey brain in him?" A lot of these guests with the more far out ideas will string together a bunch of pseudo-facts to sell you their theory. What I always enjoyed was not only hearing these alternative ideas, but having a host who was willing to ask them to back it up at least a little. Some of these folks just need to know when to interject.

The other thing is that my schedule doesn't allow me to listen to DMRN all the time, so I have trouble getting to a lot of these shows. I've gotten into Dark Weekend and Future Theater a little bit, but it will take a little time to sample more of the offerings and figure out who I like and who I don't.

ziznak · January 09, 2014, 02:00:02 PM

"Fade to black's" interview w Travis Walton is replaying and im listening now. I tried to just let the network stream whatever last night but it seems like every time I do that they're playing all the steamers. I listened to some gay ass trancey music for a few minutes and then turned it off.

El Kragen · January 11, 2014, 08:43:45 PM

Quote from: El Kragen on December 26, 2013, 02:21:54 PM
can someone tell me the name of a show that was on this past week? It was NPR-ish for lack of a better term. Two hosts - guy & girl. Dealt with science stuff. The segment I heard was hosts and author discussing her book about the history of lighthouses. Pretty sure it was Monday or Tuesday night but maybe Sunday lol

Not a lot to go on but I'm not getting anywhere with the website. Thanks!!!

I managed to answer my own question. The name of the show is Big Picture Science with hosts Seth Shostak and Molly Bentley.

http://radio.seti.org/pages

.

mcclellanrobert · January 21, 2014, 01:28:13 PM

A few more Episodes archived at www.IntoThePlanetRadio.com Please give us a listen - we are actually getting better at this!

RoseGirl · January 22, 2014, 11:37:20 AM

Um....so like....just what is the difference between this network and lots of others? Wasn't Dark Matter supposed to be a 'first of its kind' thing? Sorry, folks...but it just isn't. And others do it much better.

dan7800 · January 22, 2014, 12:02:11 PM

Haven't listened to this network and have little desire to do so.

mcclellanrobert · January 22, 2014, 03:19:32 PM

Quote from: dan7800 on January 22, 2014, 12:02:11 PM
Haven't listened to this network and have little desire to do so.

Full disclosure - I host a show on Saturday nights called "Into The Planet." The content on DMRN is pretty much all over the board. From ghostly paranormal to science to culture and current events. The production values are also all over the place. That said, it is hard to judge the entire network based on only a few shows. I have found a few I really like, and a few that I couldn't get ten minutes into before my ears began to bleed. But, it is purely grass roots with many of us broadcasting from garages and basements. I speak for myself when I say that I hope Art Bell returns via the DMRN and the rising tide lifts all boats.