The great thing about podcasting is that anybody can do it. It’s a uncommon medium that’s practically 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 grew to become a type of default throughout the pandemic).
This week, Alex Goldman shares his setup. A former producer for WNYC’s On the Media, Goldman co-founded Reply All with Emmanuel Dzotsi in 2014. The wildly widespread Gimlet podcast explored how the web shapes us — and vice versa. A decade later, Goldman is again with Radiotopia’s Hyperfixed, a “help desk for life’s most intractable problems,” which he produces from the consolation of his podcasting basement. Right here’s Goldman in his personal phrases:
“For the reason that starting of the pandemic, a lot of podcasting is definitely carried out remotely, so it’s important to make slightly area in your own home the place it’s snug to do it. Mine is slightly 8×8 room within the basement of my condo, and it’s surprisingly cozy. So if you take heed to my new podcast Hyperfixed stuffed with hope, helpfulness, and journey, comprehend it’s coming from this torture closet.
“I mean, sure, it looks like the cabin in “Evil Dead,” however all of the gear being on in right here retains it good and toasty in comparison with the remainder of the basement, and I wish to suppose I’ve made it my very own to a sure diploma.
“Engineers act like prepping a room to report is troublesome, however actually it’s about ensuring there isn’t an excessive amount of open area or onerous floor for sound to mirror off of. The extra cluttered a room, the higher prepped it’s to report.
“That’s why I have this giant Black Sabbath Vol. 4 wall flag. Behind the flag is a wool blanket I’ve hung on some nails to keep the place sounding good, and I just wanted something I’d like looking at. Because that album is so good. “Changes”? “Snowblind”? Oh my god. To the left and proper of my desk are sound baffles that reduce echo, after which all the opposite crud I’ve crammed my workplace with helps to maintain echo down as nicely.
“I began in public radio, which implies that I discovered audio modifying on Professional Instruments, a program that continues to be the business customary regardless of being the most costly, overpowered, buggy program out there to audio editors. Luckily they’ve not too long ago began to supply a $10 a month license as an alternative of shopping for a license outright for $599 just like the outdated days.
“My mic is a Shure SM7B, which has been the public radio standard for 20 years, and a mic that, once you know its profile, you will see everywhere. I even saw Metallica’s James Hetfield barking into one recently during a rewatch of “Some Kind of Monster.” For audio interfaces, I’ve a Focusrite 2i2 and a Focusrite 18i8; the previous is principally the little brother of the latter. I just like the 18i8 as a result of it is extremely helpful for recording straight off your desktop, however the 2i2 doesn’t should be plugged into the wall, which simply makes it simpler to make use of.
“The music for the present is made by both The Mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder or myself. I’m a really, very beginner musician, but it surely’s fairly straightforward, and to do this I most frequently use the Sequential Circuits Prophet 6 Synthesizer. It’s based mostly on a synth from the early ’80s (named, consider it or not, the Prophet 5) that was utilized by people like Gary Numan, The Vehicles, and Smooth Cell, and it’s simply unattainable to make a nasty sound with it. If I want nice massive fats synth bass or tremendous thick synth leads, I exploit the Moog Matriarch, a extra temperamental however nonetheless actually great and versatile synth.
“For drum sounds, I principally have a tendency to make use of inventory drums from Ableton, however I even have a few samplers and drum machines (the Erica Synths LXR-02 and the SOMA Pulsar-23) that I like making little damaged beats with. I recorded an album a pair years again beneath the identify Gradual Fawns, and I’ve been recognized to cannibalize these accomplished songs for music cues on podcasts as nicely.
“Also I’d be remiss if I didn’t address the elephant in the room, or the rubber glove in the room, as it were. When I started renting this apartment, this room was full of a previous tenant’s junk, and I got it all out and set everything up before I noticed the rubber glove on the floor there, just to the right of my synthesizer. At this point it’s so much a part of the room decor, I barely even notice it.”
* We’ve beforehand requested others of our favourite podcast hosts and producers to spotlight their workflows — the tools and software program they use to get the job carried out. The listing up to now contains:
