Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'microphone'

Coaches' Microphones Let Fans Listen In On Series

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:35:00 EDT

The World Series is letting fans get ever closer to the action. Both the Phillies and Rays' coaches are now wearing TV microphones. Bob Bowman, CEO of Major League Baseball Advanced Media, talks about how TV coverage of baseball's biggest series is changing.

Stephin Merritt: Musical Polymath

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:25:00 EDT

Calling Stephin Merritt a reluctant performer is putting it lightly. Nevertheless, the Magnetic Fields leader bellied up to a microphone by himself in a KEXP session. Here, he surveys his expansive catalog and answers questions in the deadpan style that makes his songs so great.

Chuck Prophet On Mountain Stage

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:15:00 EDT

Long a singer, songwriter, session guitarist and member of the band Green on Red, Prophet plays songs from his latest solo album, Soap & Water, with a Telecaster guitar, a deadpan delivery and a distorted bullhorn microphone.

How To Avoid A Hot Mic Disaster

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

It happens again and again; a politician, celebrity or TV anchor wearing a microphone says something embarrassing, followed shortly by, "Oh, is this thing on?" Our resident humorist takes on "hot mic" disasters.

Hillbilly Gypsies: Mountain Mama Music

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:55:00 EDT

Gathered around a large, vintage diaphragm microphone, the native West Virginians in Hillbilly Gypsies perform a mix of traditional and original Appalachian music before a crowd at the International Mother's Day Shrine.

We Were Pirates: 'Nervous'

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:48:00 EDT

These days, all it takes to make great music is a laptop and a mic. That said, it doesn't hurt if you also have a voice that channels Ben Gibbard, not to mention a keen sense for layering electronic blips and synths with real instruments. Mike Boggs, aka We Were Pirates, recorded his debut five-song EP, The Wolf, on his trusty iBook using the program GarageBand and two microphones. The homespun product is soft, beautifully textured electronic pop perfectly tailored for headphones listening.

Undersea Microphone Boosts Hurricane Research

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:00:00 EDT

In order for scientists to measure the strength of a hurricane, they typically must rely on the tricky maneuver of flying an airplane through the storm. But a discovery from the field of underwater acoustics means it's possible to measure a hurricane's strength just by listening to the sounds it makes — under the sea.

The Helio Sequence: A Two-Man Wall of Sound

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:48:00 EDT

When The Helio Sequence set up in KEXP's studio with just one guitar, one drum kit, and two microphones, few expected such a full sound to emerge. Many challenges faced the band as it made Keep Your Eyes Ahead, yet its end result on CD and in the studio reveal focus and power.

Travis Shawn Hill: 'Sing'

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:59:00 EDT

Travis Shawn Hill wanted to prove you don't need a major record label to put out an album... or a band, for that matter. Using a home computer and a couple of microphones, the singer-songwriter from Santa Cruz, Calif. wrote and recorded more than a dozen songs in February and posted them online for this year's RPM Challenge. The album he came up with is called A Bright Wind, featuring the infectiously upbeat song "Sing."

Couple's Custom Microphones Carry Colorful Past

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:14:00 EDT

In rural southwestern Virginia, Mary and John Peluso meticulously assemble microphones modeled after some of the world's legendary and infamous microphones, but at a price today's musicians can afford.

Weak Dollar Boosts Foreign Manufacturing in U.S.

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The dollar's slide against the euro means making goods in Europe for U.S. consumers is more expensive, so German automaker BMW is expanding its operations in America. Sennheiser, another Germany company which makes often-expensive microphones and headsets, has been manufacturing products in New Mexico for years and may expand U.S. operations further.

Reporter Talks About the Travails of Travel Story

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 11:35:00 EST

In a Reporter's Notebook, Robert Smith explains that he brought his young daughter to an airport to cover holiday air travel. The "real story," Smith says, is how he juggled a microphone and his young daughter.

Computer Program Is a Virtual Music Teacher

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:00:00 EDT

A new computer program promises to make music lessons more fun for kids. Students can play their flutes or clarinets into microphones attached to their computers, and the program -- called "smartmusic" -- can direct them, listen to their pitch and correct them as they go. Students say the real-time feedback on the screen makes practice much less boring -- and more like playing a computer game. But some people are skeptical that a virtual teacher can do for kids what a real teacher can.

The Del McCoury Band Performs Live in Studio 4A

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:57:00 EDT

Several years ago, influential bluegrass musician Del McCoury decided to do away with modern concert amplification and go back to the basics: three microphones. With his sons at his side, McCoury performs live and answers questions about his life in music.

Shaking Down Key Voters on the Streets of Philly

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:31:00 EDT

In a quest to discover this election's version of "Soccer Moms" and "NASCAR Dads," NPR contributor Mo Rocca takes his microphone to the streets of Philadelphia. Rocca talks with Michele Norris about what he found, and we hear from a number of people in potentially desirable demographics.

Microphone Fails to Detect Mine Survivors

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 06:34:00 EDT

Rescuers in Utah lower the microphone into an underground cavity where the six miners are thought trapped, but don't immediately hear evidence of survivors. They are encouraged, however, by good air-quality readings.

Artist Records Glacier's Sounds from the Deep

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 18:23:00 EDT

Before Vatnajokull Glacier disappeared into the ocean, artist Katie Paterson wanted to record its last gasps. The Glaswegian artist documented a week in the erosion of Europe's largest glacier using a microphone in the lagoon at the edge of the glacier.

Republicans Lash Back at Talk Radio's Criticism

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:53:00 EDT

Talk radio has been instrumental in the 12-year run of Republican control of Congress. But the folks behind the microphones have been restless lately, taking on President Bush and GOP lawmakers over their support for the immigration bill.

'Wizard of Menlo Park' Author on Edison's Legacy

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 13:59:00 EST

Thomas Edison helped develop, among other inventions, the electric light, the phonograph, the carbon microphone once used in many telephone handsets, the telegraph, and the motion picture camera. Randall Stross, author of a new biography of Edison, called the Wizard of Menlo Park talks about how the inventor changed modern life.

Bush and Blair Heard Planning Approach to Israel

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 16:27:00 EDT

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice intends to travel to the Middle East, amid continuing border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. President Bush's frustration with the conflict was revealed in remarks captured by an open microphone at a luncheon.

Sounds of the Border: Playing the Wall

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 16:00:00 EDT

Listener Glenn Weyant lets us listen to his performance of music on the wall that divides Mexico from the United States. Weyant put contact microphones on a section of the wall near Nogales, Ariz., then uses a cello bow against metal on the wall.

Manhattan Hosts the Country Music Awards

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 00:00:00 EST

Mike Pesca dons his Stetson cowboy hat and saddles up his microphone, headed to the Country Music Awards. The site of the awards show indicates just how far "country" music has gone mainstream -- it's being held for the first time in New York City.

21st Century Cylinders

Sat, 03 Sep 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Thomas Edison's music room went unused since the days when he was using it to record the famous at the turn of the century. Lately, some top names have been back there in West Orange, New Jersey, making modern-day wax cylinders, which use no microphone, no electricity.

Bride, Groom & Microphone

Thu, 30 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EDT

In celebration of the Spring marriage season, an audio album of weddings curated from the Quest for Sound project at Lost and Found Sound. The brides and grooms are wed in ceremonies reflecting their different times, lives, traditions and the recording mediums of the era.

Friday Comedy: Retha Jones

Fri, 22 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Coming to the microphone this week is comic Retha Jones, who pulls plenty of laughs out of her gag bag. Before she turned to comedy, Jones was an athlete and a model.