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Starting a Podcast on a Budget

DIY from one novice to another!

Passion is something that needs to be shared. Well, at least in my experience. And two things I am passionate about, are mental health and music. I also love exploring ideas, having conversations, and getting curious about anything I can get my hands on. I felt so blessed when I got my audio engineering qualification – because it set the ball rolling for me to start my podcast around a topic that ties in with my primary work (mental health and eating disorder/addiction coaching).

Now, for those of you who are seasoned podcasters and engineers, you may read this or listen to my podcast and be able to quickly highlight all the errors I have made along the way, but I am totally okay with that, as I am happy to admit I am still learning!

The purpose of this blog post, however, is to inspire those who might feel as if they don’t have “all the necessary skills/tools” to follow their passion. I am here to say: Start where you are at, and only growth will follow!

So, I will take you through the way I approached starting my podcast called “Curious About Recovery – Diving into Eating Disorders” available on Spotify and Anchor.fm and hopefully it will help you wherever you’re at on your podcast journey.

Finding a theme

This was relatively easy for me as I am already a recovery coach with lived experience of having an eating disorder, so it’s pretty much the topic I know the most about. What I had to decide was how to structure the podcast. I decided to make it three-fold in format.

  1. Interviewing professionals in the mental health and eating disorder community. (Expert episodes)
  2. Sharing my lived experience/insights into my eating disorder recovery. (Solo episodes)
  3. Interviewing people who have their own lived experience in recovery from disordered eating (People episodes)

This way I can learn and expand my reach through others as well as share messages that I might never have thought to share, worldwide! The trick here is to be confident and ask whoever you can, even if you think they might say no – you have nothing to lose!

Recording equipment and software

Audio Interface: Behringer UMC404HD

This nifty little 4 channel audio interface is all I needed! Compatible with the M1 which was super important for me! You will want to work with an AI to get a better quality recording than what is available in your PC/laptop.

Mic: Shure SM58

Okay, condensers are the preferred type of microphone for podcast recording, but hey it does the trick! You want to try to use ANYTHING but your laptop mic or your headphone mic – unless you have a super fancy headset of course. I coupled this mic with a small mobile vocal booth and pop filter just to remove some of the room’s sound (I do everything in my bedroom).

Headphones: Sennheiser HD280 Pro

These are SUCH good closed-back cans for those who are wanting quality audio and are working on a budget. I got mine for around R2200 at the time (about $130). A good set of headphones is important so that you don’t get any sound coming in from your speakers and then back into your mic. It allows for a clean feed from each podcast guest and keeps your audio in check. It also picks up little nuances from the guest’s side so that you can ask them to make any changes before you record.

PC: Mac Mini M1

I just put this here because I got it as a birthday gift from my sister and it makes me tingly all over with joy. But any good laptop will do. (Thanks Louise!)

Where To Record: ZENCASTR

I use Zencastr for recordings. Why? Because of a few things:

  1. It records each user’s audio as a separate track.
  2. It records directly from the source (so it doesn’t matter if your WIFI acts sketchy, you will still get their clean feed.
  3. It’s super easy to use and you can host up to 10 guests for FREE!
  4. There are options to record video and to produce your episode on the site (some costs are involved) but that is if you don’t have any audio editing software.
  5. The audio quality is 10 x better than using something like Zoom.

Software: Rx Audio Editor Advanced, iZotope Elements, Da Vinci Resolve / Logic:

I am fortunate enough to have the incredible RX9 Advanced Audio Editor (previous versions are not compatible with M1 yet – I think). This does wonders in my ability to clean up my guest’s poorly recorded feed as well as help match EQ, remove reverb and noise, and all the fun things RX allows for. I am a HUGE fan of all my iZotope plugins as well which help me along this process. I use Da Vinci Fairlight (SUPER powerful and FREE) for basic audio and video editing and other times I’ll switch to logic for a more refined approach.

Getting it onto a streaming platform (without a budget):

Now, the first thing I realized when starting my podcast was that to stream it on any platform, you first must upload your show onto a host site (missions, right?). I searched all over for a host site that was affordable for me and was disappointed at every turn. Then I stumbled upon Anchor.fm and man was I impressed.

On this site, you can upload your episode for free (yes, free) and it acts as the host site for automatic streaming onto Spotify. With one or two clicks, your show is live! What a blessing! You also have the option of converting your episode into a blog post directly onto WordPress! The only thing here is that I am not profiting from these episodes YET, which doesn’t mean it’s not possible to do so on this site. I think once the show gains traction I might venture into that avenue, but for now, I am happy with my show simply being a way of spreading the message I am passionate about (again, purpose first, right!)

Here your show will be available on Spotify and Anchor.fm itself. It does not stream to other platforms, so if you are okay with this then no problem!

Challenges and how to overcome them:

Having to keep track of time zones with guests abroad. I use Timanddate.com to make sure all my bookings are accurate.

Setting deadlines is important. Make sure you know how many shows you want to release per month and work consistently over time to make it happen. Communicate with your guests as to when their interview will be, and prep them beforehand with a welcome letter, preparation questions, and a time and date of their episode release so that they can coordinate with their marketing team. Time management is key!

Legalities!!! Believe it or not, there are laws about podcasting. You will need to do some research here but the most important one I have found so far is to get your guests to sign a release form, telling them exactly how you intend to use their recording, what compensation plan you have (if any), and ownership rights. Very important!

Getting your podcast “out there”. If you are doing this solo, it means you will need to make the time and effort to get it out to your audience. Start by creating an Instagram page dedicated solely to the show – look at creating cover art, images, branding that aligns with your personal or professional brand, and your brand voice. Then post to other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or wherever you have people following you. Also, ask friends and family to go give your show a listen and a rating. The more the merrier!

Biggest takeaways:

Remember what the purpose of your podcast is. Are you wanting to make money or share your passion? Whichever it is, you will need to approach it differently. For me, right now it’s about sharing a message, so I have been happy to put in the time and not profit from it yet.

Be consistent. Plan ahead of time. Make sure you always have at least 5 episodes ready to edit/release at any given time, so that you never feel as if you are falling behind on those weeks you decide to take time off or are involved in a time-consuming project.

Have fun! Don’t get too serious about this. The more you strain yourself about getting things perfect, the less enjoyable this process will be. If you have something worth sharing, I promise you the process will feel fluid and free. Keep looking to others for additional support and advice should you need it.

So, there you have it! My novice experience with starting a podcast. I have had SUCH fun and am loving this phase of my life. If you feel like taking a listen, head on over to Spotify by following this link:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1TwaZ2ID4FRQthckqfjR0h

And my Instagram page: @curiousaboutrecovery

If you know anyone struggling with disordered eating or if anyone wants to pick my brain about my podcasting experience thus far (still in the infancy stage), then feel free to reach out to me!

Podcasting Gear on a Teacher’s Budget

Last year my colleagues and I had a super fun podcast and were hoping to expand to a live radio setup. Unfortunately for reasons beyond our control, the entire radio program was canceled! We invested in some equipment, which I do not regret purchasing as we have repurposed it for video blogging. The next adventure is learning live video broadcasting (with live switching??) on a teacher’s budget. For now, I am sharing our budget-but-still-nice setup. Altogether we’re looking at under $1000. I do not suggest buying a bunch of equipment if you’re just starting out, or have no idea on which preferences you have or what you will need. You can rent, borrow, record on your phone using your headset, etc. until you figure out what you want. My local library in Downtown Orlando has a fantastic set up with full recording studio & small vocal booths that are entirely free to use as a resident! Check your local library, seriously!

Equipment

We chose an interface with more inputs than we needed & one that had iPad compatibility (with adapter). It was more expensive than the Focusrite Scarlet, but worth the extra inputs. This interface has two built-in headphone outputs, perfect for a two-person setup. If we had more than two people, we used a headphone amplifier we already owned and borrowed an extra microphone. We purchased two hard cases (technically gun cases but whatever) with foam inserts for $20 each! Our kit also includes XLRs, which came with our mic kit plus some we already owned. You can make your own XLRs as well, which will almost definitely be nicer than the cheap ones you can purchase locally.

Ingesting/Edits

My personal preference is Adobe Audition, although my partner uses ProTools and Logic for ingesting as well. I have always preferred Audition, as I have been using it since it was called Cool Edit Pro. I did a lot of editing for our podcasts, as you can see in the screenshot. Use an automixer to avoid the need to do a lot of automation later in life.

One of the mistakes that I made early on was not having the preproduction solid enough before recording. This meant a lot of editing in post, and that was a significant undertaking. I was an editor in another part of life, but I knew there had to be a better way. Editing everything in post was an actual nightmare.

To quote Bill O’Reilly, “Fuck it, we’ll do it live!!”

Please don’t judge my automation, if we were to continue with multiple users, I would integrate an automixer or the newer “https://larryjordan.com/articles/adobe-audition-cc-2018-auto-ducking-is-magic/”Auto-Ducking feature in Audition CC 2018.’

 

i-Jingle Pro workspace for a podcast on an iPad

There are a lot of options for playback. You can use whatever DAW you feel comfortable with and set up all of your playback from there. Qlab has a free (2 channel) version. Soundcue ($14.99) is one that I’ve used for kids’ theatre production when I had to program an iPod for playback. If you have one of those DJ sound effects pads, that would be a cool choice. For our podcast, we used i-Jingle pro ($10.99) for the iPad. We made our own imaging using the garage band app on our phones (yes, seriously). We’re not musicians, and it turned out hilarious, and I still love it.

Have a solid rundown and play any pre-recorded interviews, imaging, sound effects, music, etc. LIVE. This will save you so much time, treat it like a live radio broadcast, and only clean up what you need to in postproduction. When we figure out the live video blogging (budget version, because teachers) I will share that as well, so stay tuned.

 

 

Creating a Podcast

I started listening to podcasts properly at the beginning of 2018 in my final year at the University of Exeter, to inform and/or entertain myself when walking to campus. I listened to some business podcasts such as ‘Ctrl Alt Delete,’ by author Emma Gannon and ‘The Diary Of A CEO’ by Steven Bartlett. I also enjoyed ‘Keeping it Candid,’ by Sophie Milner and Millie Cotton, who discuss the behind-the-scenes of the blogging and influencer industry. In terms of comedy podcasts, I was inspired by Jamie Laing and Francis Boulle’s ‘Private Parts’ where they read their diaries, and of course, the world-famous ‘My Dad Wrote A Porno,’ fabulously executed by Alice Levine, Jamie Morton, and James Cooper.

Podcasting is a very oversaturated market at the moment, providing copious amounts of content. The amount of listening you could do is endless, similar to YouTube videos. I found that podcasts offer inspiration, ideas and help to make business and life decisions. Perhaps the power of audio can be even more influential than video? You feel connected to a person through headphones, carrying out active listening such as nodding your head or verbally agreeing, to someone that is not even there. It is more productive than mindlessly watching TV whilst scrolling on your phone, as you are listening to a story.

As a member of student radio with an interest in all thing’s media, I knew I wanted to start a podcast for myself, to learn new skills and to document some of my own life. But, what on earth could I do a podcast about? What will make it different from my radio show? I was hugely inspired by the ‘My Dad Wrote A Porno’ podcast, as my own Dad has a literary creative streak. He writes comedic poetry. I thought I was the only one with a slightly odd, yet creative father, but it turns out there is a whole community of us. In his spare time, since at least 1996, my Dad has written poems, both hilarious and emotional about life, news events, and special occasions. Luckily my dad is not writing graphic novels, just poems. So, there I had it, ‘My Dad Wrote A Poem.’ (I did bump into Alice Levine at Edinburgh Festival last summer and told her I had ripped off their brand/title!)

I am always an advocate of creating something that will leave a more positive effect on people’s lives. I truly believe audio podcasting brings people closer than TV, film or YouTube ever has. It is an exciting time to be involved with a new wave of creative entrepreneurs that are using a simple medium to build global connections around the world. My Dad’s poetry covers a vast range of subjects from politics, to the weather, to house-moving drama. I believe that comedy brings people together. People can relate if they have a slightly odd family. Full of typos and grammatical errors, further comedic value is added to the poems. The quick and easy listening style leaves people wanting more. This content is personal to me because I am reading out loud the creative work of my Dad. I am reminded of family and life situations. For example, my brother losing his phone in the Alps and my Mum breaking her ACL. A few example titles include:

Seasons to be cheerful

The Homecoming

Pollution and Inclusion

Scandinavia

I created the short ident using my voice and the musician Dodie’s instrumental intro to her song ‘In The Middle.’ It is short, sharp and catches the attention of an audience. Everyone is looking for relatability and humour in a world full of negative news. My Dad sees the funny side and irony in everything, from Brexit to Trump. The poetic content also includes sentimental poems and readings from funerals. The poems capture emotional thoughts and make them palatable, sincere and easier to digest, to remember the good times. The editing I do is simple; I only edit out long pauses or background noise. I want the content to sound authentic and like a real conversation. I recorded multiple in a row and have since had to take a break as it is difficult to continue now I am no longer at university with all the audio equipment. I definitely wish to pick it up again at some point, as my Dad certainly hasn’t stopped writing poems!

WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME:

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