tutorial – Diaconate of Church Technologists

Earlier in the year, I wrote a column on Parish Websites and promised I would write some follow-up articles.

As discussed in the previous column, Websites are fundamentally a collection of documents on a server running a program to use a set of defined technology protocols to make the documents available for display on a remote, but network-connected computer. The motivation behind the original technology was to create an easier way to share academic research within the academic community and focused on text documents. Over time, the enabling technologies have been expanded and evolved so that now, website technologies are what drive everything from online banking and online shopping to social media to remote control of your house’s air-conditioning and lighting. Today, a “standard”, bread and butter website would use server-based software called a Content Management System (CMS) and build the site out of a collection of components that contain content and display that content in different ways.

When Tim Berners-Lee developed the Web in 1989, he envisaged a system where authoring content was very simple and could be done but virtually anyone with access to a computer and a text editor. The content was simply typed in and formatting was applied using Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). The result may not look particularly flashy by today’s standards; however, was quite adequate for the original purpose of sharing academic research. In principle, one can still produce websites in this way, but the Digital Natives who have grown up with the web will probably tell us the result is not worth the effort. This may be ok for some purposes, but if part of the reason for a website is engaging with and being attractive to the site’s audience, then it’s probably not a good idea. The reality is, to use modern display methods and techniques with text files is virtually impossible; and where it is possible requires the author to have a lot of technical knowledge. Thus, Content Management Systems were born.

CMS have a broader context than just websites but for this column, we will ignore that and are really only thinking about Web CMS. Web content includes text and embedded graphics, photos, video, audio, maps, other media and program code (e.g., for applications) that displays content or interacts with the user. The primary advantages CMS provide for websites are;

Reduced need to code from scratch
Easy to create a unified and consistent look and feel
Version control
Edit permission management (control of who can edit / delete what content)
Preloaded content can be automatically published and/or taken down to a schedule

It’s not all roses though. The key disadvantages of CMS are;

Limited or no ability to create functionality not envisioned in the CMS (e.g., layouts, web apps, etc.). Basically translated, this means that imagination is always better than computers.
Increased need for special expertise and training for content authors.

Choosing which CMS to use (or which web service to use) can make a huge difference to how easy your website becomes to maintain a website. Things to be considered include;

Features – does the system let you do the things that are important to your site. An important feature to look for is whether there is separation between how your website looks (style) and the content that delivers your message. Usually, you want content providers to just worry about content, and the looks get set by a template or specific
Flexibility – supports features like templates and add-ins that make it easy to change a whole website or add a new feature. Having said this, too much flexibility actually adds complexity and potentially makes things harder.
Support – how easy is it to get technical assistance, trained and experienced contractors and things like templates and add-ins?
Price – yes, money matters. However, there are a lot of free and/or cheap products available.

Choosing a CMS

In the real world, there are hundreds of CMS to choose from. Here is my take on a few important ones.

WordPress is the most popular web CMS in the world, usually reported as being used by about 30% of active websites worldwide. In the past, I hated WordPress with a passion – I thought it was too hard to use and it had an abysmal user interface. However, the releases over the last 10 or so years have made major improvements and I’m quite happy with it now. Being popular means that there is a wealth of resources available to support WordPress use, though this wealth adds some complexity. Try and minimise the number of add-ins you require.

Methodist.org.nz is powered by Acclipse. There are not a lot of good things to say about Acclipse. Another Methodist website, kiwiconnexion.nz is powered by Mahara. Mahara extends the concept of a CMS by adding specific features relevant to education providers and is actually a class of software known as Learning Management Systems (LMS).

At the end of the day, though, it is not usually the technical bits of a website that make it good or bad. What matters is the impact the site’s content has on the community it is intended for. But that is a column for another issue.

A lot of us never need to get behind the business end of a microphone. But for those who have to present regularly, it is important to have a basic understanding of how different microphones work. Then we are able to adapt our speaking technique to suit the microphone in front of us as we deliver our message. This is a quick guide to using microphones effectively for presenters of all ages!

Microphones are components in virtually all audio systems.

Thus, you’ll hear about studio microphones for recording and PA microphones for live sound. There are boom microphones for broadcast or film shoots. Or instrument microphones which attach directly to guitars or other musical instruments. Then there are boundary microphones or boundary effect microphones for theatre work or conference systems, lapel mics for seminars and business meetings, and headset microphones for telephone call centres. (And this is just to mention a few options). The different types of microphones optimise a range of different requirements in different environments.

That said, all microphones have one thing in common: “microphones convert a sound wave into an electrical signal in which the voltage and current are proportional to the original sound”. To perform this task microphones use a thin membrane, known as a diaphragm, which mimics the function of the human eardrum. Sound waves strike a microphone’s diaphragm and cause the diaphram to move. Harnessing this movement creates an electrical signal.

A sound is essentially a change in pressure that varies in specific ways over time to create specific sounds (sound waves). When sound waves strike a microphone’s diaphragm, they cause it to move, which movement, in turn, creates a variance in an electrical current (aka signal). The electrical signal is transmitted to output devices, which either process the electrical signal (store it, or make it louder, or make it sound like Darth Vader on a bad hair day), or use the signal to recreate sound waves (loudspeakers).

Microphone Types

Microphone engineers, over the course of “recorded” history, have developed 3 fundamental techniques for detecting sound waves and “transducing” sound to electrical signals.

Dynamic Microphones

A dynamic microphone uses the diaphragm to move a coil of wire within a magnetic field to create the electric signal. It’s advantages are it’s relative simplicity and good voice frequency characteristics. A dynamic microphone is quite sensitive to interference from external electromagnetic fields. If your venue has a hearing aid loop, you don’t want to try dynamic microphones.

Condensor Microphones

A condenser microphone uses the diaphragm to move one side of a capacitor plate thus causing the capacitance to vary. This creates an electric signal. The advantages are it has good resiliency, can cope with large variances in the sound loudness and tends to have a larger frequency response. Condensor microphones are often used for instrument microphones, however, are the basis for many vocal microphones as well. The disadvantage is that the capacitor requires a power source to keep it charged. Therefore, a condenser microphones require either batteries or a power supply delivered from the connected equipment.

Ribbon Microphones

Ribbon microphones consist of a thin strip of metallic foil suspended in front of a magnetic plate. Sound waves cause the foil to vibrate, producing fluctuations in the electrical current, creating the audio signal. This extremely sensitive configuration picks up a wide range of frequencies and produces an extraordinarily rich representation of the original sound. The trade-off for this sensitivity is the delicacy of the mechanism – ribbon microphones are very sensitive to physical impacts and power overdrive. (Oh, and very expensive).

System Engineering

The other factor that effects using microphones is the system engineering. A system engineered for voice reinforcement usually uses rather sensitive microphones and try to “hide” the microphones away so they don’t distract from the presenter. A vocal microphone for a rock band vocalist, by contrast, can have much lower sensitivity. In this case, however, the microphone is held within millimetres of the vocalist’s mouth. This means that the microphone “hears” only the voice and not the other instruments around it.

Principles for Presenters

So, as a speaker/presenter, how do you make sure you are heard and understood?

Learn to recognise – or at least be able to take a good guess – at what internal configuration and pick-up pattern the microphone has. If you have the opportunity to research beforehand, do so. Then adjust your speech style accordingly – speak “firmly” to dynamic microphones, but more relaxed and rounded to condenser microphones.
When you have a sound operator, work in cooperation with them. A good sound operator will usually have a better understanding of the capabilities of the microphones they can offer.
While standing normally, move the microphone so you are “looking down the barrel” of the microphone. If you can’t move the mic, move yourself. For guidance in using voice reinforcement systems, a hand-held microphone should be about a handspan from your mouth. Stand-mounted or Lectern mics should be about 15”/400mm away from your mouth. A microphone on a stand will typically be setup for voice reinforcement. Taking the microphone off its stand and useing it as a hand-held will result in excessively loud sound-levels. A good sound operator can help here. However, don’t assume they can read minds, so try to give them some warning what you intend to do.
Ensure your voice production is clear and controlled. The microphone doesn’t make the sound for you – it reinforces the sound you make. If the sound you make is muddy, mumbled and unclear, so will be the amplified sound.
Watch your dynamic control. By all means express yourself dramatically – just stay within the bounds of the system capability. If all your drama only bursts your audience’s ear drums, they won’t “hear” anything else. In either sense of the word.
Watch you don’t move off orientation to the microphone. It’s fine to walk around if you are comfortable with that – so long as the microphone walks with you and stays properly oriented to your mouth. (If you are able, use a wireless microphone such as a lavaliere clipon, developed specifically to address this issue. However, they still need care to setup and use.) Some microphones are more tolerant than others, but just turning your head can make a big difference.

You speak to deliver a message – don’t let the technology become a distraction to that message.

Tag: tutorial

Parish Websites: Content Management Systems