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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.

 

 

Lav Me Alone

Consent

I have been using RF microphones for 15 years. For half of my life, I have been putting mics on other people for theatre, tv, and film. When I worked at a children’s theatre, I was the go-to for micing up dozens of kids. I got really, really good at the under-shirt swoop because kids are wiggly and I can’t ask them to hold still for long. I’ve had other women tell me that they were relieved to see a female working backstage, so they didn’t have to worry about someone behaving inappropriately. The likelihood of me sexually harassing someone is apparently far less than many of my male counterparts (sorry guys?) It’s an issue that celebrities are even coming forward about in recent times.

For years I have run workshops and taught labs detailing proper RF usage and lav placement. More importantly, I discuss etiquette and “how to not be creepy.” I look each person in their eyes and say “Do not be creepy. Ask before doing. Check for understanding before reaching down someone’s shirt.” Perhaps you should begin with introducing yourself and asking their experience level, would they feel more comfortable putting it on themselves, or having help? In my experience, people are a lot more comfortable with you being in their personal space when they know your intent. The key here is to be cordial and talk it through.

DIY

As an actor or artist, your body is the focus of the show. Empower yourself and reclaim some personal space by learning some basic skills. For a lapel style mic, make a small loop and wrap it around the clip, this helps keep your mic in place even if the wire gets pulled. Run the cable under whichever layer you won’t take off. The transmitter/belt pack can go inside a safe pocket or mic belt.

If you’re wearing the other style, you may need to employ some extra tricks. I use a variety of supplies that are easily found in a grocery store or pharmacy. Moleskin is excellent when you need to secure a mic to skin or fabric. It is sticky on one side and flannel soft on the other. Make a moleskin sandwich for your lav, place it wherever is out of sight. I also like to use medical tape to secure lavs; it’s hypoallergenic and readily available. You can also use straight pins to secure, but I avoid making holes in costumes. I’ve run moleskin through the wash, and it held up without even leaving a residue once removed.

Enlist

If you are a female artist who needs to wear a body mic and feel uncomfortable with a guy reaching down your costume, have a female dresser, or someone else places it for you. Asking gives you more control, and it isn’t rude. Everyone has a right to feel safe in their workspace. If you’re an A1 and your talent wants to do it themselves, relinquish the need to invade their space. Check their work, but leave their bodies to themselves.

 

Keeping Organized Digitally

Digital Clutter

How often do you go through your handbag, backpack, work bag, etc. and clear out the trash? Receipts, smushed snacks, melted lipstick tube, random hardware and batteries, 800 sharpies (but I never have one handy somehow? These are some things I pulled out of my bag last week. Imagine the car or trunk situation…So. Much. Trash.

How often do you clear out your downloads folder, desktop, or trash on your computer? If you do this more than once every couple of years, cheers to you! For the rest of us animals living in digital filth, we need to get our lives sorted. Digital clutter is just as troublesome as the water bottles next to your bed or in your car. They once served their purpose, but now they are taking up valuable space. Maybe it’s one of those nice Nalgene ones, and you want to wash it and keep it to use again. It’s not going to do any good for you buried under the other bottles that you haven’t touched in weeks/months/years.

Storage & File Management

Digital workflow is everyone’s unique language for how they keep their files organized. I use an assortment of applications to suit my coworker’s personal tastes. Some prefer Google Docs, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote. This makes personal digital asset management difficult because I have to keep items in different places to suit those people. Right?

I keep it simple and consistent. I use iCloud for nearly all of my personal and professional files. If my computer or phone were to get stolen, I could remotely wipe it and still have all of my files in the exact way I like them. I separate my files into very specific categories and file structures (see photo). If I need to share a file with someone, I can either email it to them or share a link (Dropbox). I don’t have backups of anything, really. They are stored in the cloud, and I access them remotely from that server. This means all of my files across my phone and computer are the same! This is possible without using Apple products, Google Drive works the same way (For the most part). Google Drive is incredibly slow, and I don’t like the way it stores video files. I’m not a fan of Dropbox, although I know many people prefer it. Exclusively I use Dropbox at work to share video files with people.

 

Templates

I do the same thing every month at work. Grading student projects, video processing, lectures, schedule, etc. I make folder structure templates, call sheets, rubrics, multitrack recording session templates, tech riders, inventory, invoices, etc. Bonus points for any apps that link directly between my laptop and my phone. I have a desk, but our campus is spread out so often I am walking or driving between buildings and I don’t always want to haul my office with me, so the phone apps are integral for me. iCloud and Evernote both make it easy to keep and load templates.

This might take a little more time if you are starting from scratch, however many of these applications have awesome looking templates built in that you can quickly adapt to your preferences. You can also take any document you already have created and save it as a template in most of Apple’s built-in software (keynote, pages, numbers, etc.).  Evernote allows for custom templates, but that’s going to be in the upgraded account.

Evernote is especially awesome. The free account gives you access on two devices. It functions as a word processor, PDF storage, document scanning, web clipper, voice or FaceTime memos, and a ton of other neat things. It’s also easy to collaborate with other people, I was introduced to it when we used it organized our rundowns, ideas, topic lists, links, etc .for our podcast.

Physical Media

Physical media, such as hard drives, flash drives, CDs, etc. are all still completely valid forms of storage. My files are stored in the cloud, and honestly, at this point, I trust it more than I trust myself not to break or lose a drive. I process video using a laptop at work, so I need hard drives to process and store those files. I upload the compressed version to Youtube or Dropbox. That’s my workflow, and obviously, you will have your own process. Files on a hard drive won’t be as up to date as working files you use daily or weekly. Drives also fail, so unless you’re spending money on RAID storage, you can lose all of your backups anyway (also assuming you are responsibly backing up daily). SSDs have a limited number of write cycles. There are tons of points in both columns of cloud vs. hard drive, but daily workflow wise I am going to use the cloud as much as possible to protect myself from myself.

 

Bitch Boss vs Boss Bitch

Bitch Boss

The first time I was responsible for a big project, I messed up. Big time. I was tired and working two full-time jobs. The crew were volunteers; it was film school. I was a graduate supporting the production as a producer, production manager, catering, transportation, landlord, and a million other things. There was a lot of pressure to make it work. I completely lost it with the cast & crew one day when the mother of a child actor found a fresh roach (not the bug common to Florida) on set. Things were very tense after that, and no one had a positive experience on that shoot. I learned the hard way how to handle situations on set, but the damage was done.

Being called a bitch is hard. I’ve been called that name many times by my mother, by crew members, by supervisors, students, boyfriends, etc. Notable versions include: “stupid white bitch” and “low key bitch,” the latter is still a joke at work. It’s a default (read: lazy) response when a woman behaves in a way that makes someone else uncomfortable.

Self-reflection has led me to better understand my reactions and behavior. Was I making the other person uncomfortable purposefully? Was that comment snarky or rude? Yes, that person might have been a raging dick, but does that mean I need to match that behavior to make a point? The answer is no. Sometimes we lose our cool, I have been there, I will probably be there again. I’m a redhead; I’m feisty, I’m not nice. Does that make me a good supervisor? Absolutely not. We all need to be held accountable for our behavior, especially on the job. We are all pieces of a puzzle; we work together to make a bigger picture. There is not a situation where it is acceptable to be demeaning, patronizing, or harmful to another person. That’s not who we are, and it’s not what we would allow others to behave toward us.

“All people should be treated equitably and respectfully, regardless of their various identities. No matter how acclaimed, revered, or supported one’s art or one’s level of authority is, no one is above being held accountable.” -We Have Voice Collective 

Boss Bitch

I look up to women who take no shit with grace. Confidence and respect are key. A Boss Bitch is confident, respectful, and assertive. This is the crucial difference between bitch boss and boss bitch: respecting others. We do not need to put others down to reach our ambitions. Remember there is a difference between being nice and being respectful. I’m not suggesting that we need to be nice to not be called names. Respect and positivity are the paths to success, empowering yourself and those around you. Easier said than done. This is my personal struggle every day, the choice to use my voice for positivity, to have a goal to be better. As an educator, I strive to be a role model for my students, to show them rather than just tell them what’s right or wrong.

Some people find confident, independent women intimidating. Good. Often women in male-dominated industries have to work harder to get to the same place as their counterparts. Many of my friends are Boss Bitches. They worked hard in their education and career, and they have confidence that I envy.  Their career satisfaction is based on their achievements, not the perception of others.

“Bitch is a derogatory term; we shouldn’t use it at all.” Of course, it is, of course, it is inappropriate. I’m not suggesting that it is acceptable to refer to anyone in such a way. Bullies who patronize and demean others are out there; we may be guilty of it ourselves at times. Feelings of positivity and community are not often part of our industry, as we always seem to be competing against each other. This is detrimental to us as workers, as teammates, and as humans. It’s our responsibility as role models, leaders, educators, to be the better person. To demonstrate how we expect others to behave on the job. We can be tough, knowledgeable, experienced, snarky, and still be great leaders.

“It appears that where #BitchBoss is clearly an indication of frustration #BossBitch is a term of endearment. Isn’t language fun?

It’s like racquetball! For your mouth!” – Chris Traeger, Parks and Recreation

 

Hello, I’m Susan. Educator. Microbudget Film Producer. Ginger.

As with most of us working in entertainment, I’ve had (and still have) many different jobs in my career. At this moment, I teach video & audio production at the university level, and I freelance at the Orlando Repertory Theatre as a sound technician for events. In the past, I have worked in film, television, theatre, corporate events, theme parks, and science centers. The plan for this blog is to share my experiences and research with a broad audience as we advance through 2019 with new technology, media, and ideas.

“As with anything in life, you get out what you put in.”

Many of my jobs in theatre included working with YA kids doing theatre, showing them how to run sound cues and basic mic settings. I helped run workshops in college for fellow film students to help get better audio. My teaching career officially began five years ago when I was fed up with the freelance struggle. The university where I work is year-round, which brings its own set of challenges for both the faculty and students. As an accelerated program, we teach one class each month and then rinse & repeat.

I’ve lived in central Florida for over a decade, so I’ve already heard it all about students who graduate from the program. Personally, I genuinely believe in my program and the content we teach. As with anything in life, you get out what you put into your experiences. Where you went to school doesn’t matter, what counts is what you were able to absorb and put into practice. A couple of times a year I will have a student question my background, how could I possibly know audio production/recording without having attended this school? My patience is tested, and I remind myself that many people do not research a damn thing before making a decision. There are many, many places that teach audio and most of us learn things on the job anyway.

SoundGirls EXPO 2018

My colleagues are a mix of FS and traditional college grads from all over the country. However, I am one of two women in our faculty of over 30 teachers. Both of us have backgrounds in theatre, and we are both named Susan. The female perspective is severely lacking in the department, so I do my best to represent and volunteer for as much as possible. At graduation, I am the only woman standing up on stage, and I make a point to be there. The university does attract some women, but most months are predominately male. There’s nothing wrong with this; it’s just an observation.

SoundGirls has allowed me to participate in more community events, the best one this year was with Girls Rock, an organization in St. Petersburg, FL that promotes teaching music to young girls. The Orlando SoundGirls went down to represent female involvement on the tech side, as many young people do not even know this career exists.

My hope for the future of women is more representation in general, not just in this industry but in life in general. We are your mothers and sisters, teachers, doctors, engineers, wives, and fellow humans. I joined SoundGirls to support women in my community and to be a mentor to those who need one. Here’s to the new year, SoundGirls.

 

 

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