MEWS Services

How can the Video Consultants help you?

Here's a short synopsis of some of the services we offer in the MEWS. Drop by for help during consulting hours.

This video was created by the MEWS video consultants using Adobe Premiere.

Why Isn’t My Computer Using My External Microphone!?

Whether you are using an external microphone for communicating through programs like Skype, G-Chat, or a video game, or you are wanting to record some audio into a program like Audacity or GarageBand, you probably want your external microphone and computer to get along. If they don’t, here are some basic troubleshooting techniques that might keep you sane.

1)    Make sure your computer has recognized your microphone

Mac                                                                

a)     Click on “system preference” located in the apple menu at the top-left corner of your screen

b)    Click on “sound” in the “hardware” menu

c)     Make sure that your external microphone appears in the “Input” list

d)    Make sure that your external microphone is selected in that list.

***If you do not see your external microphone, try unplugging and re-connecting all of the wires associated with your microphone****

            PC

a) Open the start menu, Select Devices and Printers

b) If you do not see your microphone in the Devices Menu or in the Unspecified Menu, try unplugging your external microphone from the computer, making sure that wire is plugged firmly into the external microphone and re-plugging it

2)    Make sure that the program you are using is accommodating your external microphone

This is done by going to the preferences for your specific program (this varies from program to program) and making sure that your external microphone is selected as the audio output option.

For example, in Skype: Open the Audio Settings of Skype by going to the Skype preferences menu under tools > options > audio settings

Most external microphones can be plugged directly into your USB port or headphone. Some require interface boxes (this is more common among higher-end studio recording microphones. If this were the case, your microphone would not plug anywhere into your computer. You would probably know if this were the case).

These steps work most of the time. If they do not, you can also try re-booting your computer or reflecting on whether your external microphone is functional and whether your computer is capable of recognizing external microphones.

As always, don't hesitate to come into the MEWS consultant help hours if you are still having difficulties and we can aid you in person!

Adobe Premiere CS6: Features to Get Excited About!

Daunted at the thought of learning a new video editing software? Never fear! 

Premiere CS6 looks just like Final Cut Pro. In fact, the core editing commands are almost completely the same! 

Here is a complete list of the Premiere key commands.

And here is a list of just a few cool features that are new in Premiere:

• You can bring projects from Final Cut or iMovie into Premiere, including transitions and layers!
• Premiere supports every footage format, and enables you to mix and match different types on your timeline!
• It even lets you export in any format!
• There is no limit to the amount of effects you can put on a clip! (in FCP there was - it's called auto-nesting) 
• J-K-L TRIMMING !!!
• Your footage bins are much more organized with thumbnails of each file. You can drag your mouse over these thumbnails to scrub through each clip! 
• You can even mark In & Out points on your thumbnails, allowing you to make rough cuts faster!
• The audio mixing feature allows you to have a great amount of control over your sound, in ways that FCP or iMovie never did. It shows you the peaks and valleys of your audio clips, and lets you isolate and edit different clips at once. 
• Premiere's appearance is completely customizable! (from Preferences, you can change the color of any part of the interface.)