The fantastic thing about podcasting is that anybody can do it. It’s a uncommon medium that’s almost as straightforward to make as it’s to devour. And as such, no two folks do it precisely the identical approach. There are a wealth of {hardware} and software program options open to potential podcasters, so setups run the gamut from NPR studios to USB Skype rigs (the latter of which has change into a sort of default through the present pandemic).
We’ve requested a few of our favourite podcast hosts and producers to focus on their workflows — the gear and software program they use to get the job achieved. The listing thus far consists of:
Election Profit Makers’ David Rees
Welcome to Your Fantasy’s Eleanor Kagan
Articles of Interest’s Avery Trufelman
First Draft and Track Changes’ Sarah Enni
RiYL remote podcasting edition
Family Ghosts’ Sam Dingman
I’m Listening’s Anita Flores
Broken Record’s Justin Richmond
Criminal/This Is Love’s Lauren Spohrer
Jeffrey Cranor of Welcome to Night Vale
Jesse Thorn of Bullseye
Ben Lindbergh of Effectively Wild
My own podcast, RiYL
Science! It’s a factor it is best to belief! Not less than that’s what folks maintain telling me on Twitter. However how are you aware which science to belief? Fortunately, Science Vs. from Spotify/Gimlet exists to reply the tough questions. The present wades into scientific fads and conspiracies, starting from 5G to vaping with a purpose to sift out the science fiction from science truth. This week, producer Rose Rimler joins us to element how the present has developed through the pandemic.
Picture Credit: Rose Rimler
Earlier than COVID, we labored out of an workplace in Brooklyn that had 10+ recording studios and plenty of small, glass-walled assembly rooms arrange for the desk reads we name “edits.” We spent a lot of the day wandering across the workplace searching for each other in these workplaces and studios, which I suppose is how I racked up a mean of 6,700 steps a day in 2019 with out actually making an attempt. Anyway, through the pandemic, we switched to recording ourselves and our interviews at dwelling on transportable recorders, which Gimlet offered.
All of us use Zoom recorders and directional/shotgun mics. My recorder is a Zoom H6 and my mic is a Sennheiser MKE600. I feel this can be a excellent high quality mic as a result of I don’t discover a want to enter a closet or underneath a blanket to report myself. I simply sit in my room, maintain the mic to my chin and hit report. It appears to prove effective, though perhaps the audio engineers are secretly livid with me for this. The one method to know for certain is to repeatedly tweet @petaplaysbass demanding solutions.
Picture Credit: Rose Rimler
It’s a distinct story on the subject of the audio we get from our friends. Probably the most primary method to simply seize audio from somebody is to report their cellphone name, or Zoom/Skype/Google Hangout session. I do that with a twine that plugs in from the Zoom recorder into my laptop computer, or (by way of adaptor) into my cellphone. The issue with this technique is that the “cellphone tape” audio is sort of arduous to listen to. I do know this from private expertise as a result of after I hearken to podcasts that use cellphone tape off my iPhone, with out headphones, I can barely hear what the individual is saying. So, I feel getting higher audio high quality from friends actually does matter for the viewers. How to do this? The easiest way we’ve give you is to ask them to conduct the interview over a pc app whereas utilizing their smartphone as a recording gadget.
The iPhone comes with an app referred to as “voice memo” that most individuals can use, and the cellphone’s mic is surprisingly good high quality. They report their finish of the dialog and ship the file to us. If I’m feeling notably assured in my capability to direct folks, I may additionally ask them to select a quiet, well-furnished room, put their cellphone into airplane mode, and maintain it in entrance of them as they discuss so the mic isn’t too distant (or place it on a stack of books close to them).
Picture Credit: Rose Rimler
We’ve at all times been a very collaborative present, which hasn’t modified for the reason that pandemic. Whereas the lead producer writes the primary few drafts of the script, they collaborate with the host and editor to do re-writes the final week or so earlier than we publish. That’s why we have been at all times huddled in varied workplaces earlier than the pandemic, writing by way of the script collectively. The distinction now could be we huddle over Google Hangout.
Additionally, I get many, many fewer steps.
