Does this exist? An audio device for clients with a red warning light to indicate you're speaking too low.
ASKED BY · Jeff Cohen · MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA · 16 SEP 2026 · ▶ 00:13:26
Clarified the use case is self-recording podcast clients who don't project properly; discussed why automated loudness detection is problematic and the practical challenges of implementation.
Without proper context, a simple loudness-measuring indicator is impractical; direction should come from a producer or director through IFB or prompter feeds in live settings, not an automated device.
Suggested DIY solutions like a Stream Deck with Bitfocus Companion, or ESP32 development boards (~$5) with LED lights and Wi-Fi for custom communication devices; could also include touchscreen displays.
Described developing teleprompter feeds with 2110 protocol and Blackmagic cameras to create a heads-up display showing running time, next topics, and replays to keep talent looking at the camera.
Summarised by AI from what the panel said. Watch the moment for the full answer.
From the transcript.
Machine-transcribed, so it may contain errors. Every timestamp opens the episode at that second.
13:11I have wrong answers. I'm wrong answers only. Now, the first thing that came to mind when I saw this question was actually just like a small stream deck that you can operate with Bitfocus Companion on a Raspberry Pi. So you could send an OSC message to this and you could use the buttons as indicators. And you could also potentially use those buttons for the talent to provide feedback to crew, right?
13:38Like, you know, skip me or like, oh, I have an answer for that. Like, raise your hand, that kind of thing. So, you know, that could be an I-O device. Another thing is ESP32s. Again, wrong answers only. I'm big on skills development. So this is about $5. It's essentially similar capabilities, actually more capabilities than an Arduino has. And one of the capabilities this has built in on, this is a development board, but it
14:06has Wi-Fi built in. So for $5 and a couple LED lights and a little bit of messing around with code, you probably consult with an AI system to help you with that. But you have your own proprietarily developed communication lighting system. In fact, besides LED lights, you could also have a touchscreen display that would be about that size as well. And again, with a battery, you just lay it on the table in front of them.
14:38And then again, you could have the talent could touch that touchscreen display and to somehow communicate back. So those are my wrong answers. I suspect Mickey has real answers for this question. And Nick, I'm going to say up front here, I won't be using the jingle anymore. So feel free to raise your hand for anything. You should not be embarrassed. Mickey, what do you have to say about this one?
15:01It's hard to give a recommendation without knowing the exact circumstance here. But in this situation, that would typically come from a producer. It's also hard to say, like, what exactly do you mean by speaking low? Are you basing this off of like a decibel or a loudness measurement? Or is this just a perception of like, you know, you're not giving enough energy as a presenter.
15:26Like if that, if these are like creative directions and that should come from a director or producer. This can be relayed again, depending on the circumstance. If it's like an onstage thing, a real like, you know, in-person event. this could be fed through a downstage monitor where you can ask for them to you know project a bit more if this is being on set like a corporate video that's being recorded you know
15:49call cut then have the director give direction to the the um the presenter uh if this is a a live thing like say remote contribution again your return video feeds could could relay this message if you have a prompter fee that's being sent as a return um it could be done through there um but i i don't think there's any use for or any real use for something that just measures loudness or
16:19electrical rms or whatever vu peak meters like measuring that um you know as level volume or loudness and just giving a signal light. Like, does that mean like when they stop and take a moment to think or, you know, catch their breath, does that mean it's suddenly going to light up because it reads, you know, a value of negative 60 dB? That's totally, totally useless.
16:48Have the signal come from a director or producer, either through IFB or a prompter message. If only we could talk to the person who is asking this question. Oh, Jeff Cohen. Do you want to clarify? Sorry about that. I thought I had actually raised my hand because absolutely it would have helped had I given some context. But hearing Mickey's answer, I am often reminded what drastically different worlds we live in.
17:16Because he's, of course, 100% right. If there were such people involved in some of these projects, they could be doing it. And this is for self-recording podcast clients and some in particular that, you know, every time you talk to them, just like a mic check, you're like, what are you talking about? I speak perfectly fine on the mic. And then they're talking amongst themselves and, you know, they feel comfortable, like
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