Eeek! I’m Going Forward With It!

After weeks of deliberating on whether or not I should start a podcast, followed by weeks of debating on the equipment I should purchase, I finally make the leap and clicked the “Buy Now” button on Amazon.

Justin-Scott-Podcast-Studio

I made some major changes from my original plan for this studio. The most obvious one is that instead of having a four-person setup from the beginning I’ll be doing a three person show. If I get to the point that I find myself having four people on regularly, I can easily add another mic, stand and headphone for around $150. Not a big deal. I might even get a better setup for that fourth seat and use it for myself.

In keeping with the podcasting guides I’ll share my reasoning for each of the major items. Continue reading

2014 Professional Podcast Studio

Welcome to the fourth and final installment of my podcast equipment buying guide. This guide breaks down the buying decisions for someone who wants to go from zero to podcasting superhero. Everything in this setup is pro-level and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone with a better setup that wasn’t just trying to show off.

This package was put together based on what the leaders of the podcasting world use. From the mixers to the mics to the headphones, everything here has been tested and proven to be top quality.

When building a studio you can of course spend as much money as you want. I could have designed a $100,000 audio-only podcasting setup but that isn’t the point here. This is a professional setup at a price that is approachable by really anyone that is serious about podcasting. Yeah it’s a few thousand dollars but these days with Kickstarter and other crowd-funding options, getting the funds would be cake for someone with the drive. Continue reading

2014 Premium Podcast Studio

Welcome to part three of my podcast equipment buying guide. This guide breaks down the buying decisions for someone who wants to go from zero to podcasting hero. Everything in this setup meets or exceeds many of the best podcasts out there. Any corners cut were thoughtfully done so in order to splurge a bit in other places.

Earlier I wrote up a “Budget” podcasting studio equipment guide. For most people this is all they will ever need. But for those of us who want to have a system on day one that will be our work horse five years later, this is the one to go for.

Out of the box you’ll be ready to podcast with hi-fidelity audio across four microphones and even bring in audio from extra sources like a Skype call. And because this system ups the ante on just about everything, it also works out into a fantastic musical setup should you want to record singing or instrumentals. Rent out your podcasting studio to local artists wanting to get their demo out!

How I wasted $1,500...

How I wasted $1,500…

When all is said and done, this is probably the setup I will go with for my podcasts. It fulfills all my out-of-the-box needs and then some without breaking my personal budget of $1,500.

If anyone is wondering why I chose $1,500 here’s the deal. I bought Google Glass last year for $1,500 + tax and it was basically a total waste of money. Right now my friend Jorge is using them to take candid photos of his pugs. I kid you not. So I figured I would give myself a chance to redeem myself.

I better not mess it up this time around! Continue reading

2014 Budget Podcast Studio

Welcome to part two of my podcast equipment buying guide. This guide covers all the basics for a great sounding, mid-budget podcasting setup. I’m calling it the “Budget” podcasting studio but I promise it’s better than most podcasting setups out there. It’s probably better than a lot of the setups your favorite podcasts have. Seriously, you’d be amazed…

Earlier I wrote up a “Bare Bones” podcasting studio equipment guide. It skimped out on the mixer, had no dedicated digital audio recorder, used cheaper microphones and headphones. This system is a dramatic step up in quality and will allow your podcast to grow without making more immediate investments.

Funny Sound Effects FreeOut of the box you’ll be ready to podcast with hi-fidelity audio across four microphones and even bring in audio from extra sources like a Skype call or even one of those “morning zoo” sound machines.

There is a great iPhone app if you feel you need to go this route…  But I digress. Continue reading

2014 Bare Bones Podcast Studio

Welcome to part one of my podcast equipment buying guide. This guide covers all the basics for a great sounding, low-budget podcasting setup. I’m calling it the “Bare Bones” podcasting studio but I promise it’s a solid start.

truly bare bones setup would probably just be you, your iPhone and a voice recording app, but let’s not stoop that low. No, this setup will get you going with everything you need to do a show with a guest or co-host and sound great while doing it. Continue reading

2014 Podcast Equipment Guides

This idea of having my own podcast, or as I’m envisioning it, a podcast network, has me losing sleep at night. Seriously. I dream about this idea just about every night and find myself daydreaming ideas for shows and setups and when I move to including video and how I’ll setup my lights and green screen

It’s crazy. But, to your benefit, my craziness means I’ve researched the hell out of starting a podcast. In this post series I’ll break down four podcasting studio setups; Bare Bones, Budget, Premium and Professional. I won’t get into the room acoustics or types of tables and chairs but I’ve dug deep into the audio equipment side of things for this.

Click the images below to go to each podcasting setup.

Bare-BonesBudget PremiumProfessional

I’ll be sure to let you know what I ultimately sign up for between these. Whatever setup I get will probably be a mix of each of these, though I am aiming for the “Premium” option over everything else.

To me it is a fair balance of cost vs performance. It also plans for the future without getting too aspirational. I could go cheap or I could go crazy and mimic Leo Laporte and the TWiT network!

Why Do I Want to Podcast So Badly?

I’m not really sure what has come over me but for the last few weeks I’ve been obsessing with the idea of podcasting again. It’s doubtful that any of you remember my old days of podcasting back in 2006. It was a short-lived experiment in the burgeoning medium but a fun one.

The_JC_Show

Back then all I had was a Dell laptop and crappy RadioShack microphone and a quirky friend named Callie who laughed at everything I said and made the most ridiculous statements. Our show was called The Justin & Callie Show partly because we were so incredibly creative (snark) and because we thought it funny to have a “J C” show that wasn’t about Jesus.

I told you she laughed at everything. Oh dear Callie, you were too good to me. Continue reading