Professional Podcast Audio Studio Specs and Settings
My name is Adam Curry also known as The Podfather. Ever since Dave Winer and I invented podcasting in 2004, I have been on a personal quest to make the art of creating a podcast as compact and simple as it is to 'broadcast' your podcast to the world via RSS.
Unlike 'professional' broadcast studios that allow you to record in real-time to tape or broadcast, where you hear exactly what the audience hears, professional grade sound processing is impossible with software that runs on your laptop, because software has latency that will delay the sound to your monitor headphones. Building a real-time studio that is both cost effective and small enough to set up on a small desk or take on the road is complicated, as processing gear is to this day still targeted toward the home-musician. This is confusing, often laden with features that are overkill, expensive and space consuming (you need a lot of gear).
My setup is compact, produces in real-time with no latency and rivals the sound quality of any professional broadcast studio.
What You'll Be Able To Do
I am providing specs, Amazon links and most importantly, my personal settings for each of the components that comprise my current 2019 setup that I use to produce the award winning No Agenda podcast. This allows you to set up an identical studio system that can be used for real-time recording and/or streaming. No more post processing your work. Just tweak any minor edits you may want to perform, export, and your podcast is ready for publishing to the world.
It has taken 30 thousand hours of radio, television and sound engineering experience to create my personal settings that can be used in virtually any environment, thanks to fine tuned sound processing and noise gating. I have used this very set-up in hotels, airports, meeting rooms and even in a trailer world wide.
Value 4 Value
You may use my personal settings posted here for any purpose. I charge no set fee or price for providing this. All I ask you to consider is how much value you receive from my work. Only you can determine how much this work is worth to you and send me the monetary equivalent through paypal or my bitcoin wallet. Did it save you hours of searching, trial and error, frustration in configuring the perfect mix-minus return signal? What is your time worth? It can even take a seasoned professional hours, days or weeks to get it just right. I consider this time savings to be extremely valuable, I hope you return this value to me in monetary form.
The most important device in the entire setup is the MOTU Ultralite MK4. This video shows how I have it set up and how to import my settings.
My Main Production Screen is where I really produce my shows. This gives an overview of the applications I use.
The Cartwall Screen
The Hardware
Any PC running Windows 10 can be used for my setup, as long as you have sufficient USB3 ports built-in or through a hub. Your results may differ depending on individual specs, and some USB hubs may not process the external video signal and data throughput fast enough. The ElectroVoice microphone can be replaced with any other mic, but my personal settings are configured to work with the RE320 so additional tweaking may be required. Other than the MOTU USB audio interface processing unit, all other hardware is either optional or swappable with comparable items.
MOTU Ultralite MK4
ElectroVoice RE320 Microphone
Microsoft Surface Pro 6 + Cover Bundle
Microsoft Surface Dock
ICON i-kontrol MIDI Mixer
4 Port USB Hub-Optional. I use it for my wireless mouse and other non critical devices.
Sony MDR7506 Studio Headphones
Rolls Mute Pedal. I use this as a 'cough button' operated by my foot.
AOC USB3 Monitor with built-in stand.
The Software
Any of these applications can be substituted with your preference. The beauty of working with the MOTU USB Processor is that any program you use to playback sound (i.e. clips or jingles) can be used. Some provide for more sophisticated audio routing. You will find my personal settings on this page for any applications I use that require it.
mAirList playout system - This is the main package I use to produce our show in real-time. My settings split the interface across two screens, one for a 'cart wall' on the touch screen and one for up to eight clip players and file organization.
Hindenburg Journalist - I use this as my main recorder and editor. It has many high-end features that I find useful, but can easily be replaced by any recording software that can interface with a multi-channel USB device like the MOTU.
Everything - Search tool that is blazing fast, free and integrates well in my setup.
Skype - My personal settings are tweaked specifically to use with Skype. Any VOIP software that can be configured with separate input and output interface can be used.
Freedom Controller - Completely optional. I use this as my show prep and shownotes content management system. It's open source.
The PodFather's Personal Settings
You may need to right-click these links to download the settings files
MOTU Ultralite MK4 Settings - Includes all processing and routing. My personal Setup!
The PodfatherSettings should be all you need to load my set-up. Just in case, the individual settings are here for download as well.
Hindenburg Journalist - Set Recording input to MOTU-24 Channels 5 and 6 under the Tools->Options menu. Playback can be any output of your choice. I use the laptop speaker
Skype - Set the 'Microphone' to In 1-2 (MOTU Pro Audio) and the '/win 5Speakers' to Speakers (MOTU Pro Audio). This is critical for the mix-minus to work properly
While I have taken utmost care with the settings and explanations, mistakes happen. Please use the disqus comments below for feedback so I can respond and help when appropriate. All settings and advice to be used at your own risk.
