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Audio Technica BPHS-1 Mini Review

On my next mini-review I'll be covering one of the most important components for audio for a stream and that is headsets.

Headsets are key because it's the main way for casters to interact with their online audience and skimping out on quality here can really set you back unless you have the right set up. While there is some really good entry level headsets on the market which people can use, I'll go with probably the most common sets you'll ever see at events for their mix of quality and affordability.

Basic specs:

·         Cost: £150

·         Brand: Audio Technica

·         Ports Needed: XLR (For Microphone) & 1/4 Inch Jack (Headphone)

·         Detachable Cables if necessary

·         Microphone can be used on either the left or right side

 The Audio Technica BPHS-1 is the popular entry level broadcasting headsets for anyone streaming events. It has all of the major connections needed to have the audio running through a mixer while providing amazing sound quality both in the microphone as an input and in the headphones as an output. The microphone outputs are stereo so audio will come out both the left and right channels into the mixer. As long as the cable from the Mixer into the PC is stereo the sound will be too.

  The audio from the microphones can be quite loud, so when using it, make sure that you reduce the volume of the audio port the sound from the mixer is coming through. You should be able to adjust this accordingly through the mixer but sometimes the audio output from the mixer can be high enough that the volume that your PC port can recognise will make it sound super loud if it's anything higher than 10%(This can be tweaked through the Mixer as well).

The Microphone port is an XLR input so you'll need a Mixer than can take that. If your Mixer only has a Mini-XLR, you'll need to an adaptor to use it. The Microphone is also powered so Phantom Power is not necessary. The Microphone is a 1/4 Jack but most Mixers only supply one of these ports so you'll need either a 1/4 inch splitter or you'll need to run it into a headphone amplifier.

Overall these are the best bang for your buck if you want GOOD audio quality for your commentators at an event. Sure there are still good cheaper options if you are strapped for cash and on a budget but these are great if you have a bit of money to spend on it. Considering the next best option up is around £350 to £400 per headset this is the best start option for having a professional set up. An excellent bridge for Amateur to Semi-Professional.

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Magewell Quad HDMI Capture Pro Mini Review:

 The Magewell is an interesting bit of kit for anyone looking to increase their production from amateur level to semi pro while still looking for affordable solutions. This capture card is one of the best in the market for providing a clear but simple solution of HDMI camera inputs while only taking up a single PCI slot (albeit, an extended one). This is major because not only does it save PCI slot cards, it allows smaller PCs to turn into mini streaming rigs with much more functionality.

Compatibility:

The Magewell cards are fully compatible with any software you throw at them. Both OBS and XSplit recognise them instantly while separating both the visual and audio signals of the HDMI input for each channel. Making it super easy to manipulate them while choosing what one you want. This is also compatible with both VMix and Wirecast if you have access to both of those high end programs as well.

Capture Quality:

The quality is excellent with little latency even with multiple cameras plugged in. I normally have my Camcorders paired with my PS4 Pro during the broadcast and currently I've had no issues picking up any of them as long as the PS4's HDCP is off. The quality is always the same of what is going in. As far as I'm aware from the naked eye, there is no quality lost when the card is in usage. This card also handles the PS4 Pro while Super-sampling mode is on. The card supports Resolutions up to 2048x2160 pixels from a range of HDMI sources.

Usage In Practicality:

I've been using the Magewell for around 2 years now and it's been one of the most important aspects of the broadcasting PC for NGI. It has saved many events while still allowing the broadcast team flexibility for our broadcasts. We use it as a corner stone to our set up and allows us to plan camera angles and such accordingly.

The ability to use this in any program means that we can easily change what program our broadcasts are in regardless of what other external equipment we have. And since we've gotten this we don't really need to worry about having compatibility issues with any of our PC Hardware.

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GT Sport. Love It

Gran Turismo Sport is one of those games where if I play it, I'll be there for hours just in creating liveries and doing Time Trials with no need to race. I love the handling of the car and everything that goes with it.

Since I have a steering wheel it does take a bit of time to set up however. I think what I need to do, is actually put some time down for it in the week and get some racing done.

However just for a taste, here I am doing a quick Time Trial of Dragon's Tail in my GT-R LM. I love this car so much. I'm quite the Nissan fan boy.

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I’ve upgraded the Valkyrie A30 to the A30S and I’m actually impressed with the new animations and bullet firing sound. I think I’ll keep this.

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Finally at +20. The health regen is nice. I can’t wait til it hits +30.

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Should I sell this or make the MCH Weapon? Hmm...

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Video Analysis: Magisterial Onslaught (XH Te-Ra)

I'm always excited to see this Emergency Quest scheduled at a time I can do it. It's always in obnoxious times in the morning or late enough where I can't be bothered to stay up and do it. So because of that, I've missed so many of them and I would have loved to +35 a weapon from this collection file. The good thing is that I have weapons I want from it at least to make a simple +30 so I'm taking that away from it. Keep in mind the collection file for this Emergency Quest ends on the 29th November.

So about this mission, actually there really isn't that much about it. For the most part there is minimal work involved for any support class (That would be me) since nothing is that threatening outside of the laser cannon from the battleship. I normally 'Weak Bullet' any steam rollers due to their tankiness but the party was well optimised for that not to be a worry.  I 'Weak Bullet' the Captain in his first appearance just to make sure he goes down that little bit quicker so the party can move on. Outside that it's just careful management of support spells and picking off anything the party doesn't kill instantly.

Once we reach just outside the ship, the big Spirit Bomb like attack needs to be dealt with first or it will wipe the group. Getting that is priority and once I do I keep an eye out for the Lorry spawn so I can Weak Bullet it for a quick kill. That is one thing you don't want to get out of control. Once you mount the ship, a 'Code: Destruction' triggers and then you have to destroy 13 of the mounted weaponry to end the on foot phase of the quest.

Now for this section you are in AIS units and your objective is to hit various weak points on the ship for it to change phase. The main tip I can give is to avoid the bottom at time so the rotating blade under doesn't hit you when you spawn. It's easy to avoid if you see it coming but if you are dodging last minute it's quite hard to handle.

Keep hitting it until you get to the add phase, fire down the missiles he shoots out to stun him then finish him off with beam.

Overall I like this emergency quest but I think it needs to be scheduled more often. Actually getting it is hard and with the upgrades to the old weapons coming in, I'll be happy to do it more often.

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Do I play music games?

Yes actually I do. Something that surprises a lot of people is how much I do enjoy them. Whether it's on console like Hatsune Miku Project Diva and Superbeat Xonic, to arcade games like Pump it Up and DJ Max I'm there. I took a big break into music games when I was suffering a pretty rough break up at the time and they were a really good distraction from life. The community was welcome and I felt at ease to learn at my own pace. At that point I decided that it's a long term genre for me to tack and really explore.

Since then I feel that I'm quite well versed into music games a lot more than I was before due to how many is out there. While I'm currently learning about Sound Voltex and Pop n' Music currently I still go back to my games where I'm well versed in like DJ Max Technika, DDR and Superbeat Xonic.

Just an idea on how I play, I uploaded a rough run of me playing Louder for Superbeat Xonic. Interesting bit of trivia, it was also me playing in their PS4 trailer for the game. I wish I was better though.

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Woot, finally got this bad boy. I can’t wait to get it to +30.

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Video Anyalsis: Phantasy Star Online 2 (Advanced Survey Urban+30)

Video Anyalsis: Phantasy Star Online 2 (Advanced Survey Urban+30)

Only recently have I gone back to play this game. PSO2 was always the butt of my jokes for the past 4 years with its amazing gameplay and basically shitty everything else. But alas it's one of the MMOs I play say I should really give some time for it. I've only recently acquired my first 13* weapon for the class level cap extension to 80 and the rest of the requirements for the Expert Parties so I'm feeling pretty good about myself. The slog to get any of those is long and not something I really want to do again.

Anyway as for Urban I'm coming as my 12-man Party set up as Te/Ra, basically full on support. Really I was just kind of lazy. I stuck with my main weapon, the Avenger NT since it's the strongest weapon I have right now and it's all-class which helps. I couldn't even keep up the Shifta and Deband because I was so out of it. Never mind though, got it done, got nothing special and I'll move on.

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Relearning Machinist

 This has become a serious thing recently. It was the first job I got to level 70 and I was incredibly disappointed by how it played when I got there. To be honest with you, everything from 60 to 69 was a mess. The told were disjointed and it played awful in dungeons. To top it off it was an incredibly weak class once it hit 70 losing out to BRD in damage and utility. It was so busted that I didn't even bother play it anymore and ran RDM and AST as my main classes.

Now, considering its patch 4.11, I've decided to pick it back up since now it's in a good place. QoL changes has been sorted, now does decent damage, however I still don't like the slow heat build up, so it's a little boring in-between Wildfires. Anyway my biggest mental block has been getting the most of overheat to wildfire set up which is its main rotation now at an interval of 60 seconds. It's manic but satisfying when pulled off correctly, it's just the impact of a failed Wildfire hurts so much and the margin for error is so small it's easy to mess it up when learning it.

This was the first dungeon I felt I was getting the hang of things. Hopefully from here I can find this class easier to play. I don't think I'll get much chance to since people still prefer me to play AST. Well I did get my first Savage clear on it.

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Video Analysis: TC's The Division (Madison Field Hospital [Hard])

 I'm going to start it off with one of the most played games I've owned this year. Most people will assume its some anime game or some shit but alas you are wrong. It's actually Tom Clancy The Division published by Ubisoft. What people do not know about me is that I'm a massive fan of 3rd Person shooters and I'm an even bigger fan of games that allow me to make my own character and things like that. This game has both. And while it has MASSIVE flaws this game keeps me coming back with it's simple but complex game play and the diversity in builds.

 For the most part I'm an almost fully decked out character, the only thing I'm lacking is a fully complete Classified Set (I normally play Reclaimer but the week it had its global event was the week Revolution was on) and Massive have not kept their word on having monthly global events. That and I also refuse to hunt light mobs at a 3% drop rate. That is something I seriously do not have time for especially when I only need 2 pieces.

 Anyway this first upload is actually quite interesting because Madison Field Hospital is the first story mission of the game. It lightly introduces you to mane mechanics in the game you will get all too familiar with. The cover is large, the areas are quite open in place and the mobs can be easily controlled. It also has a protect section midway through the mission but for the most part but it's so easy it's not really worth mentioning.

 The main threats are the large open area before the lift section. This becomes a small problem because a large amount of grenadiers spawn in but also the area is big enough so you can be flanked if you are not careful. This is a problem when you push up a bit; some enemies are able to get back behind you so you'll have to watch your back.

 The last encounter can be a pain if Hatch decides to be an asshole and target you constantly. While he isn't a problem himself, his LMG does so much damage if you are not able to find cover. This becomes more of a factor when the rushers try to push you out of cover. There are always three mobs of extra spawns, with one of them being nothing but rushers. The others will be a mix grenadiers and normal enemies and since none of them are elite they are not even a threat.

 -Rayokarna

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A Typical Introduction

I'm writing this blog, to kick start my general interest about games again. One of the biggest issues about hosting a variety of events, you tend to lose yourself of the work and commitment each project brings. Eventually games you want to play are few and far between in time and you end up playing games you generally have no interest in. This happened to me, and from the work from Revolution to everything else has left me feeling a lot of resentment towards gaming in general. At that point I thought to myself, maybe I should have a bit of a restart. This blog is the first step of that, the second is the revival of my personal Youtube account. To be honest I feel it working already.

 You are probably reading this thinking 'Who the fuck are you?' and that is a legitimate question. My name is Rayokarna; I'm the person who is behind a majority of NGI's events and work. Usually the man behind the screens or behind the pile of equipment spending more time than what they should do getting people ready. I used to play Arcana Heart 3 but I've retired from that game feeling that I don't have the same commitment to be competitive anymore. I wanted to play Gundam Versus seriously but I haven't been able to keep up due to commitments at the time of release.

 I also play music games which is a very fun pastime of mine. I'm a long term player of DJ Max Technika and a fan of various dance games like Pump it Up and Dance Dance Revolution.

 Most people tend to label me as an Anime Fighting Game player when I only really play one semi-seriously. Really I play games ranging from Tom Clancey's The Division, Freedom Wars, God Eater, DJ Max and Gran Turismo. I have a wide variety of games and I'm willing to play almost anything (Other than Agerest).

 On this blog I'll be talking about the games I play, complaining about them, analysing videos, and showing there isn't much I give too much of a shit about on them. The games will vary; most of them will be on mu YouTube channel so I guess you could check them out.

 -Rayokarna