My First One on One Live Interview Has Been Published. A Big Thank You To The Electric Feast!

http://www.electricfeast.com/asmr-omg-a-conversation-with-heather-feather/

I was interviewed by Corrigan Vaughan---an awesome lady who so super patient with me (I get nervous in interviews...hence the giggling).  I am really glad I had this experience, and got to talk about ASMR to a different audience.  I hope I did you guys proud.  :)

ASMR Apocalypse. I Am Demolishing My Dining Room To Capture Your Tingles. Gotta Catch Em All.

Can you guess what role play is coming based on this mess?

My New Equipment: The Free Space Pro Binaural Microphone

If you have been with me from the beginning, you know I have gone through quite a bit of equipment to get here.  I started out recording on my point and shoot camera with a built in mic, on a stack of cat food cans.  It's a great camera (that I still use---just not for ASMR vids), but it created a substantial amount of white noise, and would begin to lag after 3-5 mins of taping---so I would have to stop every 4 mins or so, to right it.

Then Santa brought me a bunch of new mics:  The Yeti, some that I could clip to my shirt if I wanted, and a binaural one that I couldn't wait to try out.  Unfortunately when I tried to use it, it was plagued by a pervasive buzzing.  I was very lucky to have people helping me trouble shoot, but ultimately I ended up spending more money on another binaural mic, and additional equipment to make that mic work---and I still had to contend with the heinously evil lap top fan that loved to go on full blast when I wanted to record.  This made it impossible for me to not have to put my audio through Audacity's noise removal, which (IMHO) butchered the integrity of the sounds I was trying to create.  http://theninjagang.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/sherlock-couch.gif

I was never completely happy with the binaural audio I was putting out.  I would put so much time and effort into each video, and then still feel the need to apologize for it---and that was very frustrating for me.  Making effective ASMR videos is something I truly love and want to do, and I wanted to be proud of the work I was putting out.  I really hated saying "sorry about the laptop fan" or "sorry about the buzzing" or "sorry about the sound quality"---I wanted to put out something where I wasn't compelled to say "sorry."  http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8m4b1yeIH1r6r33so1_500.gif

My laptop eventually bit the dust (RIP) and I ended up borrowing even worse off laptops from others (which did nothing to help my binaural recordings).  I had mulled about getting new equipment for months.  I didn't know if I wanted to get a new lap top, or try recording with a tablet, or what---but the Free Space Pro solved that for me.

The mic can be found here:  http://3diosound.com/

The mic has ears.  Seriously.  The mics are inside the ears, not only helping to create more accurate 3D sound---but making it so much harder to create abrasive breathing noises by talking near it (something I try to do a lot, since ear to ear videos are so triggering for people).  I also no longer have to contend with mounting a dummy head on the tripod with tape and Velcro, and fighting against the wires from them that are connected to a lap top---the mic is powered by a single battery---no strings attached.  AND it mounts to a standard tripod!!!!!  I got mine with mounting hardware (specifically made for the mic), so that my camera is fastened in front of the mic, my recording device is at the back, and the whole thing is conveniently and (more importantly) SECURELY mounted to the tripod.  No more tape.  No more Velcro.  No more dummy head falling and taking my binaural mics with it.  No more trying to carve pits into dummy heads for the camera to sit in.  The Free Space Pro Binaural Microphone has simplified filming for me...I like simplification...I like it so much.   http://www.howaboutwe.com/date-report/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/18.gif

                         

It has made editing easier for me too.  Because of the sound quality of the mic, I don't have to edit any of my audio in Audacity anymore.  I keep the raw audio and do my normal video editing.  No more playing with levels, normalization, high pass filters---nada.  There's no buzzing to remove.  There's no laptop fan to fight with.  All the grounding issues and background noise troubles I had are now moot.  And I can listen to it with headphones whenever I want while recording---I don't have to go stop Audacity and do playbacks throughout filming.  I might propose to this mic...I might need to marry it.  :P  http://www.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Funny-gif-excited-kid-baby-happy.gif

You guys know I'm not tech savvy at all---so it doesn't hurt that all you have to do is turn on your recording device (I use the ZH4N), turn on the Free Space Pro, and press record.  However, if you did have questions about operations, the website has everything written out for you.  Many of you might remember that I couldn't get my original binaural mics working for two months (and I had some fantastic people helping me).  The 3DIO website has everything you could want to know written there for anyone to see.  I think that's pretty decent, considering my original mics came with no instructions, and I eventually needed to buy additional equipment for it.

Lastly, the mic is portable!  Now if I want to, I can take my tripod outside and record the night.  I can sit in my car during a shower, and record every drop hitting my roof.  I can record roasting marshmallows around a fire pit if I wanted, or even take it to the beach---because I am not tied to plugs, or laptop batteries that die in less than an hour (grrrrr).

I am writing all this for a reason.  When I first started looking for binaural mics to buy (in December of 2012), I was largely on my own.  People didn't really talk about what mics they were using.  It was only after I received help from ASMRByDesign that I was referred to a new mic I could use (though never fully to my satisfaction).  One of the most common questions I am asked is "What mic do you use?"  Having been in that position before, I know that shopping for equipment (especially if you have no prior knowledge about it at all *cough ME cough*) can be daunting.  So I wanted to give you my perspective on something that has made me happy, because it makes creating content easier, has opened up new possibilities and locations for filming, and it allows me to be more satisfied with the work I put out.  This mic has helped me, and maybe this information can help you (content creators or people thinking about creating content)---It is my hope that it will help my viewers relax, tingle, and fall asleep.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9bnn2J3yl1qb2xk1o1_500.gif

New ASMR Role Play Will Be Out Tonight. Here's A Little Sneak Peek.

Can you guess what's coming?

It's Been A While

Hello!  This week is the first one in a while that I have been feeling not only better, but happier.  I have my fingers crossed that by the end of next week, I will be myself again...and eating all the foods!  :)
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7j2oeBfwh1qd7kiv.gif

I have been making an effort to sleep less and finally not at all during the day.  I was sleeping a lot.  A lot a lot.  I was also getting very bored not being able to do anything aside from game or netflix---don't get me wrong, I love to do both, but not 24/7 for weeks.  I have to say that I don't regret making the update video.  I didn't want to do it, and I thought I was going to regret it for sure---but the comments, messages, and videos I have received, have been the sunshine on some cloudy days.

The pessimist in me was expecting some backlash for being truthful---yet out of thousands of responses, not even a handful were in poor taste, and nearly everyone was so supportive and kind.  It wasn't just viewers---there were content creators who wrote me, checked up on me, and even made other extremely kind gestures through video that I will hold very dearly for as long as I remember it---and I don't forget things, haha.  It's strange for me to have people know what's going on in my real life...I try not to be especially personal in my vids, but the few times I have been have reminded me how wonderful most of the people that inhabit this little corner of the internet are.

The responses to my update video have also alleviated this strong sense of guilt I was feeling about not being able to produce the usual amount of content for July, or write back to every comment I had received.  I know that many don't understand why I would feel this way.  I have always tried to have reciprocal relationships/interactions, and from where I stand, I owe a lot to you guys.  You either create content that helps me sleep, or you let me try to help you (which in turn makes me happy).  I always feel indebted.

I am itching to make videos again.  I have been jotting down ideas for new role play for weeks now, and have even purchased new props for some of the more elaborate ones I have been scheming about.  I can't wait to start putting it all together.  There are three in particular that I am especially excited about.

While I haven't been doing regular stuffs, I played "The Last of Us."  I finished it pretty fast, and I have to say I really wasn't feeling it in the beginning.  I thought it was going to be a shooter with a predictable story line.  When two new characters were introduced, things changed for me.  I became invested in the story line, and then I was hooked.  There were parts of the game where I had my hand over my mouth horrified, and others when I would thrust my fist in the air with vengeful triumph.  It's the best game I have played in a while.  I tend to love games that deliver with good story lines---this one delivered.

I have also watched a ton of horror films and shows on Netflix.  I rewatched my fave eps of "The XFiles" (and subsequently went on a "Walking in Memphis" binge for 48 hours) and "Buffy,"  and also discovered a found footage movie called "The Bay" that left me uncomfortable for a better part of a day, so there was that.

I am going to close this out by thanking everyone for being so understanding, kind, and encouraging these past few weeks.  I also want to give a special thank you to the content creators who knew I was going to have this surgery, but didn't tell anyone, and let me make that decision for myself---and to the content creators who reached out in a very special way that warmed my heart, and made me smile so much.  Finally, I need to thank the person who was with me nearly everyday before and after surgery, giving me a safe place to be scared, and making sure I wasn't jumping back into anything too quickly.  Thanks for taking care of me in a way only you could.  I have so much love for all of you.  <3

Update after "An Update"

Hello! Just popping on to say thank you SO MUCH for the incredible messages/comments.  I had my surgery a few days ago, and am resting/healing up.  I wanted to make sure you guys knew I am okay.  So far so good.  :)  I wanted to clarify that I will still be posting vids this month---I worked hard to make vids in June for July---I just can't be here as much interacting initially.  I am very tired much of the time, and thankfully I have people in real life & online who are taking care of me and making sure that I stay in bed (instead of on the computer for very long...cause I have tried that, hahaha).  I can't tell you how it felt to wake up and see how much support and well wishes were on my update video/reddit---it touched me more than is probably reasonable...especially because a huge part of me didn't even want to post that video.  Even though I don't feel super awesome (physically), I feel so damn lucky for you all (viewers and content creators), and the people in my life who have been watching out for me (even though I may grumble at them when they try to kick me off the computer, hahaha).   Thank you for being understanding, encouraging, loving, supportive, and wonderful as always.  For real.  <3