Update
So… there’s been a lot going on, and I haven’t even had time to update this page. First, there are several versions of the video from the Philippines to edit and get ready for presentation. The main ‘building’ video requested by Peace and Hope has been approved and is ready for delivery.
Another version, which I’m calling the 50/50 version (or editor’s version!), includes the building work and other events we managed to fit in while we were there. These include the jail visit and the PWD (Persons with Disabilities) conference. This version is virtually ready. It’ll be premiered at Gorsley Chapel Beehive on 30 September and shown again at Western Way Chapel on 8 October.
Another version, which I’m calling the 50/50 version (or editor’s version!), includes the building work and other events we managed to fit in while we were there. These include the jail visit and the PWD (Persons with Disabilities) conference. This version is virtually ready. It’ll be premiered at Gorsley Chapel Beehive on 30 September and shown again at Western Way Chapel on 8 October.
I’m also producing a six-minute version for churches or groups to use as a taster video, using Richard’s poem. The edits are done; we just need to add the voiceover.
I’ve occasionally used the free version of ElevenLabs for text-to-speech (TTS). During the Philippine edits, I needed to turn a transcript into spoken audio. While Resolve can do this, it has a character limit, so I looked for alternatives and came across Voicebox, a totally free TTS app. Its description reads:
“Clone voices, generate speech across seven TTS engines, dictate into any app, and talk to agents in voices you own. A free and local alternative to ElevenLabs and WisprFlow, running entirely on your machine.”
Early tests have produced some amazing results. I cloned my own voice, and the generated speech blended perfectly with spoken audio I’d recorded previously!
To get the video edits approved, I usually upload them to YouTube as ‘unlisted’ videos. In the past I used Vimeo, but when I retired, it became too expensive to keep the subscription. YouTube has worked well, but lately I’ve noticed more and more adverts, so I looked around for an alternative. I occasionally use AppSumo, which is described as:
“A deals marketplace for business software, aimed at entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small businesses. It offers discounted tools for things like marketing, productivity, and AI, often through one-time purchases for lifetime access.”
There, I found a new app called ‘Livid’, a video hosting service without ads. AppSumo had a lifetime deal offering 200GB of storage, 1920 × 1080 uploads and the ability to hide the ‘Livid’ branding, all for £28.94. That was a deal not to be missed!
DaVinci Resolve has had a major update to version 21.1 and now includes a native MCP server for interacting with AI assistants, so I’ve bought a ChatGPT subscription. I haven’t yet managed to have a play, though!
My editing setup doesn’t have a microphone, so I needed to add a USB microphone to use ChatGPT’s voice features. I didn’t need anything really expensive, so I looked on Amazon. There were plenty of options, from around £15 to well over £100, all with mixed reviews.
During one search, I came across Bargain Fox. I’d heard of them before but had thought they were a little too ‘suspect’ to use, almost too cheap. A bit more searching suggested they were legitimate and had many positive reviews. They were offering a Samson G-Track Pro USB microphone for £32.59, compared with Amazon’s price of £51.88, so I’ve ordered it. We’ll see if it was a smart decision!
The latest version of Worship Player is getting regular updates and seems to be working well with FreeShow at the Chapel, with no crashes or spinning beach balls!
I promised a review of RIOT DQ a while back. I’ll look at putting that up soon…
I think that covers the past few weeks. I’ll add the Philippine videos here once they’ve been premiered, along with a review of the Samson microphone once I’ve had a chance to use it.
(and yes, I've been playing with ChatGPT for images again 😏)
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