Audio Feedback

Not that it is terribly important, but my post should read:

The AMS1 creator must be having a laugh now. 

Are the raw audio files also missing?  I say this because I'm wondering if ChinesPod can use Audacity to remix the files?

Mankini is no sock puppet of ours. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, we have no need to use sock puppets.

@Paulinurus Despite what you think, I use the title not for your benefit, but for the benefit of the newcomers who may not know me, so they know that the communication is an official message from Middle Management.

Our tech team has fixed the bugs, we are now testing. I am currently personally re-recording the English audio for 'Funny Business 4' with Connie rerecording the Chinese. We will then regenerate the audio review in the Academic Management System. If we have succeeded in solving the problem, I will republish and re-upload the lesson - then proceed to fix the other faulty audio reviews.

Matt Coleman

ChinesePod Product Manager

So in other words, if the errors had been noticed by the 'quality control' department before they were even made available for download, none of these faulty files need have appeared. Just too much work to do that you see,太麻烦了。 Ah.

Hi quasifrog,

That's actually my clear speaking voice ;-) I know that I have a tendency to run my words together (and that's before a sip of the ole firewater) but I do try to enunciate clearly for the recordings.

And when I record the vocab/sentences in the sound booth, they sound good (volume-wise) to me. Something is getting lost on the way to the customers.

We're also frustrated about the audio system. All I can say is please be patient. We will get this sorted out as soon as possible.

Pete

Don't get insecure about your voice.  It projects bad-ass braniac-ness.

John

Thanks for your explanation. I gotta admit, I don't know what it takes to make a professional sounding recording, so I'll trust you.

I have no complaints about the voices here, or the diction, (all excellent). All along I'm talking about the sound mix (lack of).

Actually pete I'll put it in writing that I love your voice, so... American. There's a whole continent in your vowels. With lakes and stuff, and Hiawatha.

And 怎么说呢？connie's is a voice to die for。

tal

I think you know, but just to be sure, my comment wasn't aimed at you.

Of course I know, no sweat! ;)

John

With all due respect, this is a real business now and should be run like one. Time to grow up. I know some of these things come from above you in the chain of command, but:

1. software should be thoroughly tested before roll-out.

2. All lesson files should be checked by a QC third party before release and errors should be fixed (also before release). This is not the case, otherwise the roll-overs, lists, and sound files would not be riddled with errors. (separate from this sound issue).

3. Whatever needs to be done to provide an error-free product (such as manual re-works) should be done while you are working the real problem and until the real problem is fixed, regardless of addtional cost, overtime, and additional resources required. Its your job to put out the product the customers are paying for and expect. Its not their fault, its yours.

4. Dont patronize the customers.

This, plus the awesome content that you have,  would put you on a sure path to financial success. Maybe Im being too hard on you. After all this is just a website. If all you want to be is just a website, then never mind, but I kind of thought you wanted to be more. Many of your customers are working in the real business world and many of us would literally be fired for some of the things I see go on at Praxis. Forgive me if Im setting the bar too high. Its what Im paid to do, and old habits die hard. Good luck.

Tal_, RJ,

            QC is done before lessons are rolled out, however this problem wasn't able to be fixed in time for publication. I'm sure you'd prefer a lesson with slightly varying volumes in the audio review than us holding the lesson back due to quality issues.

The problem, as John said, is about tweaking the sound level normalization process.

Funnily enough, the audio sounds fine on my Macbook and headphones. Perhaps I should QC each lesson on a PC  as well just to make sure.

We made some progress today but I am still not satisfied that the file is up to the standards you expect.

Please bear with us on this. It WILL be fixed ASAP.

Regards,

Matt Coleman

xiaophil,

It may be hard to believe, but the problems we've had during the switchover to AMS2 are actually quite minor compared to problems with AMS1 in the past.

All the raw files are in the system; that's not the issue.

It would be possible to manually edit the files, but it's a lot of work for just one file, when the work really needs to go into the normalization/file generation process.  Once that's done, regenerating and re-uploading the offending audio review files is trivial.

Yes, I had my hat on as an irated customer and shouted with the CAPS ON after receiving yet another horrible sound quality lesson. Business is all about roles and responsibilities toward customer service..... didn't they teach you this in management training courses?

@Matt, after all the weeks of flap about the sound quality, it didn't occur to you that before releasing the Lao Wang lesson that you should have first put out a notice saying that the sound situation has not been resolved and that you're still releasing the lesson because "I'm sure you'd prefer a lesson with slightly varying volumes in the audio review than us holding the lesson back due to quality issues."?

@Pete, I do sympathize with your loss of the poems program but it seems to me you should really take this issue up with your boss rather than inject poetic twists in your other responsibilities at Cpod. When I am listening to the review lesson, I'm trying to learn Chinese and it'll be a real help if you don't mumble and slur words out as if you're a personaliity acting in a play.    

@John, as RJ indicated there are some poddies here with years of successful corporate business and management experience. I am just a customer and it is not my role to tell you how to manage Cpod, but I will say this as a comment from a poddie: if Cpod aspires as a company objective to attract corporations as customers, you need to put more money in the budget for management training and customer service skills of staff. A comment such as "It may be hard to believe, but the problems we've had during the switchover to AMS2 are actually quite minor compared to problems with AMS1 in the past" just won't fly well with the real money corporate clients. Just like RJ said, in the real world heads would have been chopped for  releasing the AMS program without first conducting and testing for bugs. It is just unbelievable that basic functions such as correcting a file had not been tested and for Matt to say "I put in the corrected HTML document for the Funny Business II lesson but the AMS system continued to produce the erroneous pdf file." 

p.s. and Matt, don't you know that frequently displaying your title as a Cpod Product Manager just don't fly well with people here in the West. Unlike China, we here don't care about job titles even if you're a CEO of a company. In fact, it is a mockery on yourself displaying your job title when the operations are not well managed for superb customer service.  

My god, so many angry people. Some people need to learn to chill. $400 for 2 years of premium membership, giving you access to about 300 hours of podcasts, and now Skritter, and personalised answers to your questions on the discussion boards. My mandarin course costs $330 for 25 hours, and I believe that is relatively cheap. You guys are acting as though you think you are paying top dollar. They say you get what you pay for, and I think you are getting MUCH more than you are paying for. Its one thing to ASK for an improvement, its another thing to act like spoilt brats.

mynash returns! Here's another opportunity to respond to an imposter!

Cpod's next venture should be sockpuppet.com!

Mankini

I can not speak for everyone but I for one am not angry, just a little disappointed at times and yes I agree with you, cpod is a great deal, and I like it very much. The minor glitches are not as bad as how they are handled. I could live with all of them. Its because we love Cpod that we strive to make it better and sometimes things that are not easy to say, need to be said. Once.

  All I ask is that cpod say what they mean and do what they say. And I dont think its too much to ask if we expect them to function using globally accepted practices based on common sense and good business strategies that offer some consistency. This is indeed a great product, and for that reason, some of us strive to make it better. It was never my intent to hurt anybody's feelings but rather to say something that needed to be said.

The question I have for you is who would have to create a new identity just to express their opinion here? Obviously you know the history and you have  strong feelings that you wanted to voice here but felt you could not do it as you, but instead needed to create a trial period "sock puppet" to hide behind. Who needs to do this and why?

RJ

RJ, your words were really on the harsh side and it's good to see you putting them back in relation now.

Seems, that sockpuppet mankini says some right words here, whoever (s)he is.

I mean, I'm missing the pinyin in the iPod lyrics as well, but I informed the staff and am sure that it will be resolved.

You all are right, that cpod could sometimes stick to an established channel rather than running around, jumping onto every virtual train they can catch (twitter, google talk, uservoice, blog, forum, conversation policies, ...), just to realize that the ressources are not there to keep them all up and running, but isn't exactly this also one of the features we love so much: Trying new stuff, playing around just to staying fresh ?!

Look what we gained within a few weeks - new exercises, qing wen pdfs, skritter support - for a few minor glitches.

I remember one of my remarks on uservoice. "Don't tell us that you are awesome. You are, and finds out why himself." Didn't get too many vote back than, but I clearly felt that the self-advertisement was seriously reduced later on.

We got here an honest excuse from Matt - something quite difficult to get in some cultures (enterprise or country). Let's appreciate it.

I would like to echo some comments here and say that that ChinesePod should give more concrete time frames for solving problems and adding new features.  After all, as some have expressed, one man's ASAP is one hour; another man's is ten days.  In my mind it is perfectly acceptable to create a tentative time frame to deliver results.  If you can't make the deadline, then update us.  Yes, that does create some more pressure because you can't always fail to reach your target, but it would be better than getting a collective gripe session thrust onto the staff.

I think that it is time for a ChinesePod staff run group that is dedicated to updating this kind of stuff.  It seems ChinesePod only places notices up when there is a fire to put out or there is some sort of big release.

And if I haven't mentioned it enough, I too love ChinesePod.

PS: I know many people like the new gadgets and toys around here.  I'm not against them by any means.  But to be honest, I have my system.  I just want my pdfs, mp3s and message board access.  I say that only to point out that some of us do exist and are frustrated (although try to be understanding) of the core services getting less attention because of the new bells and whistles.

RJ,

I hear you, and I don't disagree with what you've said.  The problems are getting fixed.

Matt,

I have said my piece. Its up to you now. I noticed that you hedged your bets with the well known double acronym, "ASAP," which can be used as:

"Always Stop and Pray" 

or, the in a pinch back-up: 

"After September, April Possibly." ;-)

Im sure all will be well.  (AWBW).

Cheers

RJ