Podcasting with 3-4 people

tcjwtcjw
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014


Hey guys,


 


I am currently working on launching a new creative showcase website where I feature a new artist/designer/illustratory/creative every week, talk about their work and interview them for more in-depth thoughts into their processes.


 


I am planning on doing a monthly podcast, getting a few friends together and talking about the work covered each month, but I'm not sure what the best way about it would be.  I considered doing it over Skype (for convenience's sake) and I have a piece of software to record Skype conversations so that's fine, but I would rather get people in a room together, as I feel it's more natural to talk when you're face to face and people play off each other better in that environment.


 


Would it be better to 1) get an audio interface and just XLR mics that i already have into that, chuck it into garageband and record it that way? Or, 2) Buy 4 reasonably cheap USB mics (I was thinking about the Samson Meteor, which I could get for £60 a piece) and plug them all into my iMac separately (The iMac has 4 USB inputs)?


 


To get a good interface with 4 inputs, I can't find one for cheaper than buying the 4 mics, so what do you guys think? I'm pretty stuck.


 


Cheers guys!


 


Tom

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 1
    bendrixdotmebendrixdotme Posts: 5member


    OH audio is always a fun topic there are a handful of solutions out there, the expensive ones are ambitious and rarely needed. I started podcasting back in 2005 and  my 2nd or 3rd podcast was actually on audio solutions. Matter of fact I literally did my 2nd podcast in 3 or 4 years this week on audio solutions for the iPhone 4s... so its kind of funny this question is coming up now while all this is fresh in my mind.


     


    Anyway enough about me here is my advice when embarking on a new podcast or any new social media experiment you are dipping into for the first time.... Do not spend tons of money on equipment and solutions because you really don't know how things will turn out and its best to test and experiment on yourself first what sound you think works best. Keep in mind that YES you do want to sound professional and want to have pristine sound but Even radio hosts when they have phone guests have low quality audio, so do not feel bad if you start off with not the best quality... JUST DO IT!!! Not to sound like a Cliche or sound like you don't have things underway... i'm just saying do tests with things you already have.


     


    For example Forget audio interface and $60 microphones... You are all creative professionals which means you all probably have iPhones or iPads or iPods somewhere... and if you have those then you have a beautiful solution already.  First you should all purchase the same Audio recording application... then get in the room with your guests and when you guys are ready to record .... go 1.2.3.4.5 BEGIN!! and just start talking up a storm.... Once you guys are done then take the audio feed from your IOS devices and label each voice feed of the persons name and download the audio to your computer and edit... Its that simple the audio quality on the IOS devices is pretty damn good and if you maybe think about getting those in ear buds or headphones with the mic built in then its even better...


     


    Naturally there are more solutions but this one will work like a charm... hell and if your guest doesn't have an IOS device then you go out and buy like 1 or 2 iPhone Touches to use in your studio and let that be your solution. I know this sounds completely unorthodox and unprofessional sounding but trust me you will be pleasantly surprised with the results. And again its a great starting point for you to launch your podcast. And dont' forget you still have a computer that your NON IOS guest can use in case you don't personally want to go out and purchase one... Anyway I hope this is inspiring and helpful to you. I have another voice solution that uses Google Voice rather than Skype ... my solution is free and I've used it for remote guests but yeah the quality is not as pristine as an XLR mic solution but in a pinch its awesome ... remember your audience is there to hear the stories or the expertise of your guests ... audio quality is mos def important but if a phone convo is the best you can do then so be it. Anyway let me know if this helps and if you have any questions or thoughts on anything else I'll be more than glad to geek out with you. :)

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