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October 4, 2024 8 mins

In this episode, we delve into microphone techniques inspired by Danny Brown's video, offering practical tips for achieving high-quality audio without a professional studio.

We also share key differences between condenser and dynamic microphones, as well as effective strategies to help you achieve a consistent mic technique to make every episode sound great!

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Be a Better Podcaster is a tips and growth podcast brought to you by Jamie and Jaayne. These are AI hosts - their voices are auto-generated, reading content created by Danny Brown, host of One Minute Podcast Tips and 5 Random Questions.

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jaayne: All right, so ready for this deep dive. You sent in this Danny Brown video, (00:01):
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Jaayne: the two quick tips for better mic technique. (00:05):
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Jaayne: And honestly, who doesn't want like super clear audio? Am I right? So let's jump right in. (00:08):
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Jamie: And you picked a great one. Honestly, Danny Brown, his channel is like mic technique 101. (00:13):
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Jaayne: Yeah. (00:18):
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Jamie: But, you know, actually fun to watch. (00:18):
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Jaayne: Totally. Yeah. And I love how he doesn't like assume you've got this crazy pro studio happening. (00:20):
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Jaayne: Like, yeah, he's got the cool acoustic panels and all that. Yeah. (00:25):
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Jamie: Yeah. Which, I mean, they do make a difference. (00:29):
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Jaayne: Oh, for sure, for sure. (00:31):
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Jamie: Don't get me wrong. (00:32):
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Jaayne: Oh, absolutely not. But he really emphasizes that, like, mic technique by itself. (00:33):
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Jaayne: Even if you're recording, like, in your closet right now, like, no judgment. (00:38):
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Jamie: None at all. You know, I once heard this recording, and it was made in a professionally, (00:43):
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Jamie: like, treated vocal booth, you know, the whole nine yards. (00:47):
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Jamie: And the mic technique was so bad, it sounded like they were speaking from inside a fishbowl. (00:50):
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Jaayne: No way. See, that's what I'm talking about. So you're telling me you even I (00:55):
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Jaayne: with my like very basic setup can improve things just by What was his things (00:59):
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Jaayne: speaking across the mic not into it? Have you tried that? (01:04):
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Jamie: Oh, yeah, absolutely Felt (01:08):
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Jaayne: Kind of it. (01:10):
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Jamie: Feels a little unnatural effort natural, but there's a method to the madness Yeah, (01:11):
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Jamie: especially when it comes to what we call plosives plosives, you know There's (01:16):
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Jamie: little bursts of air like when we say words with P or B They create this like (01:20):
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Jamie: popping sound and it can really mess with your audio. (01:24):
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Jamie: It's like imagine someone like shoving a mini air cannon at your mic every time (01:29):
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Jamie: they said Peter Piper picked. (01:35):
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Jaayne: Okay, now I'm both grossed out. And D, I understand what you mean. Right. Okay. (01:37):
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Jamie: So speaking across the mic is almost like creating a little sound barrier, right? (01:40):
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Jamie: So those plosives, those little air bursts, they're not hitting your microphone (01:45):
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Jamie: diaphragm directly. correctly, so you get a much smoother sound, (01:49):
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Jamie: right? Much more pleasant to listen to. (01:52):
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Jamie: It's the difference between like someone slamming a door versus gently closing it. (01:55):
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Jaayne: I'm going with gently closing for sure. Yes. (01:59):
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Jamie: Which one would you rather listen to? Exactly. Yeah. The one that doesn't make (02:02):
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Jamie: me jump out of my skin. So this works for any type of mic, right? (02:05):
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Jamie: Because he also talks about like condenser versus dynamic mics. (02:09):
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Jaayne: Right. And that's where things get even more interesting, especially for, (02:12):
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Jaayne: you know, if you're working with a condenser mic at home. (02:16):
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Jamie: They're great. They're amazing at capturing detail. They're like the high-definition (02:18):
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Jamie: cameras of the microphone world. (02:23):
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Jaayne: Ooh, tell me more. I'm suddenly very self-conscious about my pores. (02:25):
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Jaayne: But okay, so condenser mics, very sensitive. (02:30):
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Jamie: Very sensitive. (02:34):
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Jaayne: So they're like the super, super HD cameras of the microphone world, (02:35):
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Jaayne: which sounds amazing, but maybe a little high maintenance. (02:40):
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Jamie: A little bit, yeah. They can be. They're very sensitive. Okay. (02:42):
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Jamie: Which is great because it means you can capture all those subtle details, (02:45):
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Jamie: the nuances of your voice. Okay. (02:49):
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Jamie: But it also means that it picks up everything else. (02:51):
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Jaayne: Oh, okay. (02:54):
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Jamie: So that whole thing that Danny Brown does in the video. Yeah. With the hang loose. (02:55):
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Jaayne: Oh, when he's all like hang loose, like he's about to like catch a wave. (02:58):
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Jamie: Yeah, exactly. (03:02):
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Jaayne: I thought he was just like messing around. (03:03):
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Jamie: No, no, no. He's actually, he's really onto something there. What? (03:05):
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Jamie: Because that distance, like from your thumb to your pinky. Yeah. (03:09):
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Jamie: When you make that hang loose sign. Yeah. (03:12):
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Jamie: That's actually like a pretty solid rule of thumb. (03:14):
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Jaayne: I see what you did there. (03:17):
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Jamie: For how far you want to be from a condenser mic. (03:18):
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Jaayne: OK, so not like breathing down its neck. (03:20):
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Jamie: Less breathing down the neck and more like, you know, having a respectful conversation. (03:23):
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Jaayne: OK, OK. (03:28):
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Jamie: From a comfortable distance. (03:29):
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Jaayne: I like it. So it can like do its thing. (03:30):
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Jamie: Exactly. Let it breathe. Yeah. Capture the richness of your voice without being overwhelmed. (03:32):
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Jaayne: It can breathe. I love that. OK, so condenser mics, the sensitive friend that (03:37):
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Jaayne: you don't want to blast with an air horn. Got it. But what about dynamic mics? (03:41):
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Jaayne: Because those seem to be like all the rage, you know, for podcasts and like (03:46):
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Jaayne: live stuff and all that. Are those as high maintenance? (03:50):
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Jamie: So dynamic mics, they're a little bit more like think about your trusty old landline phone. (03:54):
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Jamie: Okay. You know, it can handle a little bit more volume. Yeah. (04:00):
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Jamie: They're not as sensitive to every little bump or breath. (04:03):
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Jaayne: So I could like whisper sweet nothings or like belt out a power ballad and it will be fine. (04:06):
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Jamie: Maybe not whisper. (04:12):
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Jaayne: Okay. (04:13):
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Jamie: But, you know, they are designed for those higher sound pressure levels. (04:14):
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Jaayne: Right, right. (04:17):
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Jamie: Think about it. They're used a lot on stage where things can get really loud. (04:18):
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Jaayne: Yeah, yeah. (04:22):
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Jamie: They're built to handle that. (04:23):
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Jaayne: Makes sense. Okay, so with a dynamic mic, I don't have to worry about the whole (04:24):
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Jaayne: hang loose thing. I can get all up in there. (04:28):
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Jamie: You want to be mindful of your distance. Okay. But you can definitely get a little bit closer. (04:31):
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Jaayne: Okay, okay. But I'm sensing a butt. (04:35):
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Jamie: Butt, butt. (04:37):
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Jamie: Speaking across the mic still matters. (04:39):
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Jaayne: Even if I can practically like kiss it. (04:41):
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Jamie: Even then. Yeah. Because remember, it's not just about volume. (04:44):
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Jamie: It's about directionality. Right. (04:47):
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Jamie: You're still aiming those plosives away from that diaphragm. (04:48):
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Jamie: Okay. And that's what's going to make your audio sound so much clearer and more professional. (04:51):
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Jaayne: So no matter what, speaking across the mic is where it's at? (04:56):
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Jamie: Always. (05:00):
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Jaayne: Okay. I'm picking up what you're putting down. Anything else I need to know (05:01):
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Jaayne: about that before I move on? Right. Okay. So speaking across, not into. (05:04):
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Jaayne: Got it. But then Danny Brown, he also talks about like being consistent with your mic technique. (05:07):
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Jaayne: It's like finding that perfect parking spot. You know, you don't want to just (05:13):
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Jaayne: like admire it from afar. You got to pull in and hold it. (05:16):
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Jamie: That's a great analogy because, yeah, it's one thing to find that sweet spot (05:19):
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Jamie: where your voice sounds amazing. Right. (05:23):
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Jamie: But the real magic happens when you can actually stay there. (05:24):
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Jaayne: Yeah. Easier said than done, though, right? I will fully admit I've been guilty (05:27):
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Jaayne: of like leaning in when I'm like super fired up about something where i back (05:31):
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Jaayne: away when i'm thinking it's like my voice has its own gravitational pull to (05:36):
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Jaayne: and from the microphone how do i stop that. (05:39):
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Jamie: Well and even those tiny little movements you might (05:42):
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Jamie: not even realize you're doing them yeah but they (05:45):
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Jamie: can really really impact how your audio is perceived you know yeah think about (05:48):
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Jamie: it how many times you've been listening to someone speak and you just you kind (05:53):
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Jamie: of zone out oh all the time and it might not even be like the content itself (05:57):
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Jamie: right it's those subtle There are subtle variations in the volume, the tone. (06:01):
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Jamie: Our brains, they just pick up on that stuff. (06:06):
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Jaayne: It's so true. Like when you're watching something, like a movie or whatever, (06:08):
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Jaayne: and the audio is just all over the place, and you're so busy like messing with (06:11):
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Jaayne: the volume, that you completely miss what's going on. (06:15):
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Jamie: Exactly. Wow. (06:19):
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Jaayne: Okay, so consistency is key. How do we get better at that? (06:20):
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Jamie: Well, I mean, honestly, practice, you know, just start by recording yourself speaking. (06:24):
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Jamie: Okay. And then really listen back and listen for those little things. (06:31):
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Jamie: Do you lean in when you get excited? Do you back away when you pause? (06:34):
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Jamie: And once you identify what your kind of like bad habits are, (06:38):
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Jamie: you can start to break them. (06:42):
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Jaayne: It's like becoming aware of your like nervous six. You know, (06:44):
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Jaayne: once you see it, you can't unsee it. So you just got to work with it. (06:47):
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Jamie: I love that. Exactly. The more you practice, the more it'll become second nature. (06:50):
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Jaayne: Yeah. You know what I love about all this is that it's not about like having (06:54):
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Jaayne: the most expensive microphone or this like fancy studio setup. (06:58):
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Jaayne: It's really just about like understanding how to use what you've got to the best of its ability. (07:03):
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Jaayne: Totally. It's like Danny Brown is giving us all the cheat codes. (07:09):
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Jamie: Exactly. And you can use those cheat codes, whether you're recording a podcast, (07:12):
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Jamie: giving up a presentation, even just leaving a voicemail message. (07:16):
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Jaayne: It's true so good it's like a superpower but like for your voice yeah makes (07:19):
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Jaayne: you wonder if something as simple as how we use our microphones can have that (07:24):
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Jaayne: much of an impact what other areas of our lives could use a little optimization you know it's. (07:28):
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Jamie: Something to think about right (07:33):
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Jaayne: It really is well that is it for this deep dive huge thanks to danny brown for (07:34):
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Jaayne: the amazing advice and remember speak across the mic not into it find that sweet (07:38):
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Jaayne: spot and hold it until next time. (07:43):
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Music: Music (07:45):
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