Dead Daisies’ Doug Aldrich turns to ClearOne
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“Making music and being a successful self-promoter have always been a function of what technology is available, so keeping up with technology is fundamental to our business,” he explained. “The basic idea is that we should leverage all available tools to play better, sound better and look better, and today, video and audio quality for video calls can be a big part of that equation.”
Having recently completed a short UK tour and now on a 26-show European tour, Aldrich is keeping busy with virtual practices, meetings and promotional interviews that reinforce the vital role video collaboration plays for modern professional musicians. Even so, he hadn’t thought much about the quality of his audio and video during virtual sessions because it seemed to be ‘good enough’, and equivalent to the quality of everyone else’s appearances.
“I had heard about some better technology, but I didn’t feel it was necessary until I was on a call with someone else who already had it,” he said. “When I saw how sharp they looked, and how clear they sounded, a siren went off in my head that my built-in webcam and microphone could be hurting my appearances and essentially that the newest tools really could make a significant difference in my daily professional life.”
After speaking with a ClearOne rep to determine what products would best suit his needs, Aldrich outfitted his home studio with a Versa 50 package with a Unite 50 PTZ camera and Chat 150 USB speakerphone package and an additional Unite 200 PTZ camera to provide pro-level features including remote-controlled zoom and 60fps capability at 1080p resolution.
“Whether I’m promoting a tour, working on new songs, meeting with my manager or doing a live Q&A with fans, I’ve got to have confidence that the gear is going to work every time and give everyone on the other side the sense that they are sitting in the room with me,” Aldrich said. “And then if I want to pan the camera down to show my fingers, I can give viewers an experience they aren’t likely to get from other performers. It’s about putting on the best performance I can, regardless of venue.”
