Since me and Graham started the podcast the issue that has been plaguing us is sound quality so this week I have been determined to tackle that.

Up until now I have been recording the headphones output of my mixer, but the results have been pretty poor, so I spent much of Saturday in the studio working with the mixer and various YouTube tutorials to try and figure out the best way to sort it out.

I have been unable to simply record the master mix off the mixer as it only picks up my voice, despite me gearing Graham through the headphones, and the volume from Skype has been coming in very hot. 

The first solution offered was to set my microphone to be listened to in the properties, and whilst this worked, it left me hearing an echo, which just really put me off, so I abandoned that rather quickly, as it also still had volume issues, quietening me down and pushing the Skype input up.

So I turned to recording software for Skype, but that was giving me a very weird echo on the incoming call, so that didn’t work.

Anyway I eventually discovered that the easiest way to make this work, was to do all the work on the mixer but having a separate machine just for the Skype calls, meaning everything is integrated into the master mix. To do this I need to create a mix minus, which has meant I needed more cables! So I ordered them and I hope they arrive tomorrow, so far Amazon Prime hasn’t let me down and here is hoping it won’t start now.

Thankfully Lindsay had an old PC that we had been playing around with Ubuntu on, but this wasn’t working out, so I was able to take that and move it into the studio, I then reinstalled Windows 7 Starter on it, which has got it running much better. Now that has Skype running on it, I just need to cables to connecting it to the mixer and get it working.

Basically what’s going to happen is that I plug a cable from the headphone jack into a microphone input of the mixer to feed the Skype call into the mixer properly, I then put everything in the mixer except that microphone feed, into an aux channel which then feeds back into the microphone socket of the Skype machine, so that mix has everything “minus” the output of Skype so it doesn’t create feedback on the call.

It all sounds quite complicated but hopefully by this time tomorrow I should know if this is going to work or not and if it does then we will have a much better show going forward.

What I am Modelling

My Triumvirate of the Primarch arrived and I couldn’t resist opening it up and building the models. I recently got rid of the old Cypher model in anticipation of getting this one, and I currently don’t have any Grey Knights, but I plan to put together a small one as a little allied force.

I also built up my Troll and Ogre for Blood Bowl, the Troll was a really detailed build with lots of small parts but when its come together it’s really nice, a lot less horrid than the GW photos made it appear to be

On the painting side, I started and finished up Griff Oberwald and the Ogre for my Bloodbowl team and finished up a Word Bearers Contemptor Mortis Dreadnought I started painting the other week.

What I am Reading

I listened to the Binary Succession this week, and I have to say it blew me away. It was a really good book with an interesting and strong female lead, it wasn’t an action book, but that’s what I liked about it, it was full of intrigue and infighting and gave a great insight into the founding of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and even introduced Electropriests to 30k.

I will be reviewing the book in a bit more detail on the next episode of Edge of Empire so listen out for that.

What I am Playing

On Tuesday at the Raiders I played a game against John and Stuart, they teamed up with 1000pts each to take on my 2000pt list for Betrayal at the Bunker. 

Stuart brought along good old Perturabo, and a squad of Tyrant Siege Terminators and a Tactical Squad, and John had some Terminators, couple of Tactical Squads a Mor Deythan squad and interestingly a Librarian. I had a Siege Breaker, Primus Medicae, two Tactical Squads in Rhinos, Terminator Squad in a Spartan, three Medusas and three Quad Mortar Rapiers with Phosphex Cannister Shots.

We played War of Lies with Ambush and guess who got to defend, that’s right I did! So I put my Spartan, Medusas and Rapiers in a circular formation and left my Tactical Squads with their Rhinos in reserve. I started off by killing three Tyrant Siege Terminators with my Medusas and taking a couple of wounds off Perturabo whilst using my Phosphex shots from the Rapiers to bog down Johns Terminator squad, which also killed two of them.

Perturabos orbital bombardment then destroyed two of my Medusas and shook the other one, so I sent my Spartan round to try and do some damage to him, it did take off another two wounds, but he regained one with his ITWND roll. He then tried to charge the Spartan but managed to fail to r a huge it, so my Terminators, Siege Breaker and Primus Medicae got out and charged him instead after shooting him which took off another wound with the Siege Breakers Combi-Volkite.

The resultant combat saw me lose a Terminator and the squad be blinded but at the same initiative step I was able to take off Perturabos last two wounds and kill him. Then my Terminators found themselves subject to Fury of the Legion from two different Tactical squads, losing me all but one of the squad, so he was left there with the two centurions.

Meanwhile on the other side of the battle, my Rapiers continued to bombard the Terminator squad, with no more deaths, but it continued to keep them stuck in dangerous terrain and from actually doing anything major in the game. They did really well and them being T7 was really their saving grace and John threw everything at them, by the games end all he had done was remove four of the crew and one Rapier.

I ended up winning the game 5-4, we each ended up with two objectives and both rolled a 2 and a 5, but I got Slay the Warlord from killing Perturabo.

What I am Backing

The second printing of Gloomhaven hit Kickstarter and I couldn’t help myself, so I will make myself poor for another month.

This innovative euro style game just appeals to me on so many levels, it’s a cooperative game, so Megan will want to play it and the choose your own adventure style game really draws me in. 

It’s got excellent reviews from people who have the first printing and this one is meant to address the issues that one had, and also there is a book of solo adventures.

I will also most certainly be getting the removable sticker set as well to extend its lifespan.

What I am Spending

The past few weeks has seen me do quite a bit of wheeler dealing, mostly sending stuff I am not going to use out the door, but on the plus side it has brought a few things in the door as well.

I ended up with two built, but unpainted Medusas, which will join my Word Bearers, and enough money that I have been able to place another Forgeworld order, netting me a few things for my eventual Space Wolves for Heresy, a Xiphon for my Ultramarines, a pair of Moritats one each for my Ultramarines and Word Bearers and most excitingly a Legion Glaive!

The Glaive is probably going to my Ultramarines, they already have a Fellblade, but I was thinking that my Word Bearers would get a Typhon as their shooty superheavy as they are already getting the Mastodon.

I also paid for a ticket to the Dropfleet Commander Summer Invasion at the UK Games Expo on the Saturday. That should be interesting as I have only been able to play one game of it up until now and this will be throwing me in at the deep end really, now to prepare my 1250pt list! 

And in an unexpected move I bought a shock mount for my shotgun microphone with a hot shoe adapter so that I can try and film stuff in a better way, so will try and get some test footage done next week.