Last night, I discovered a problem with my headset microphone. It has a short or something, and it isn't working. It's emitting a loud hum, making it unusable. I do have a back-up microphone, the "Bob Barker" model I've used in the past. It's not hands-free, so I don't want to use it on a regular basis.
I have kind of a Rube Goldberg set-up. I use an inexpensive mic with a 3.5mm jack that I plug into my netbook. The netbook serves as an amplifier. I route the speaker output of the netbook to the sound card input of my desktop PC. The results aren't great, but it has been good enough for my purposes.
The problem is, not every cheap-o mic has worked, and it takes me awhile to find another workable one. I have specific needs, namely, I need to be able to hear what's going on in the household, plus I need to be able to hear the cast in real time. That means I need to have at least one ear open as I listen to the cast through external speakers. That limits the type of headset I can use. I don't want to just start buying replacements without a relatively high confidence they will work adequately. I tried a USB headset, and the results were unsatisfactory. The USB introduced a slight delay between the mic and the speaker, making it impossible for me to talk naturally.
I went through this exercise before when my previous headset went kaput. It took quite a bit of time to get set up again. This is absolutely the wrong time of year for a project of indefinite time-commitment to pop up. Yes, the simple solution would be to just buy another identical unit to the one I have now. Problem is, I don't remember what it is it or where I got it. The headset itself has no identifying information other than an unfamiliar and unhelpful logo that kind of looks like a "CA". I spent two hours searching for a replacement last night and got nowhere.
I can't afford to get bogged down with this problem right now. What I'd really like to do is come up with a less jury-rigged system that gives better sound quality. Right now, too much background noise comes through when I'm talking. But that will take even more time and for sure will cost more than another $5 or $10 headset.
Result: After tonight, I'm going to suspend casting until I can get myself set up again satisfactorily. At this point my guess is that I won't resume again until sometime in 2015. If anyone needs some unused themes, I have plenty I'd be willing to share.
As I've observed before, nothing is permanent on the internet. Changes often happen unexpectedly and suddenly. I'll still be around Vaughnlive some, just not casting. To you all who have stuck with me for months, or in many cases years, please know I really appreciate your support. These Monday nights wouldn't have been so much fun without your great participation and encouragement. A special nod to Martoon, Maxine, and Jen, who week after week perform the unglamorous duty of keeping the ne'er-do-wells out of chat, and who have been anchors of the webcast. You're the greatest.
I apologize for any disappointment this may cause. Personally, this has been a great experience that I hope to resume when things get straightened out.
Best wishes to everyone.