Podcasting 101: Set Up for Success with Bao & Bae LIVE!
It’s launch day for our brand-new podcast, Bao & Bae LIVE! 🎉 Together, Erica and I have decided to dive into this next segment of our magazine as a better way for you, our audience, to get to know us, hear our story more personally, and learn even more with different guests and topics each month.
With that in mind, I thought, why not dive into the inner workings of how a podcast works and what you’d need if you wanted to start one of your own. This guide will detail how I’ve set up my office space for a two-person, casual, couch environment indoors.
Computer & Software
PC or Mac: This is purely preference and makes no difference in performance or productivity. I personally use a PC and prefer them over Apple products, but to each their own.
DAW (Digital Audio Workstation): Just like videographers and photographers have specific programs to edit their work, the same goes for audio engineers and podcast studios. There are a plethora of options, but here are some of my favorites:
Reaper: My personal favorite and current use case in this scenario. I’ve been a fan since high school. It has a ton of customizability, provides the same features as the bigger name DAWs, runs very fast, and takes up the least amount of your computer's resources. Plus, it has one of the cheapest payment options around.
Audacity: If you’re just looking to get started and have no plans to do any real editing to your audio, this is your best bet. It’s free, easy to use, and has been around since the internet came out. The interface may look a bit outdated, but it works perfectly for a two-person podcast setup.
Pro Tools: The industry standard. Avid Pro Tools has been the go-to and most compatible DAW ever. While it is one of the most expensive, if you are planning to record your audio and outsource it for editing, this would be your best bet as most audio engineers are familiar with it.
Equipment
Audio Interface: This is a device that connects your microphones, instruments, and other audio equipment to your computer. This is vital to your podcast as it ensures high-quality sound recording without latency issues. Yes, it is possible to record with USB-powered microphones that have no need for an audio interface, but latency issues or the DAW not properly separating the tracks can occur. Here is the exact one that I have been using since college:
Mackie Onyx Producer 2x2: This has been running strong for just over a decade with me as my only audio interface, and it has never failed me. It has two inputs for mics and instruments, phantom power, Hi-Z, and separate faders for your inputs, mics, and DAW.
Microphones: An obvious and integral part of any podcast studio. I’ve gone back and forth on what type of microphones I wanted to use. My original plan was to use lapel mics connected to a receiver that plugged straight into my camera. While this is a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing option, the drawbacks for editing make it sort of a nightmare.
Next solution, or really the only other solution, would be to use one of two options:
Dynamic Microphones: Great for noisy environments such as live stage performance or run-and-gun podcasting. Also, very popular options for podcast studios.
Condenser Microphones: Perfect for studio recording sessions, quiet podcast studio environments. These mics pick up more nuance, which can be good or bad in each use case but I personally use: Mackie EM-91C Large Diaphragm Condenser.
Pop Filters and Mic Stands: As the names suggest, both of these are not necessary per se, but they do make life much easier and more professional-looking. Personally, I have a pop filter on each mic and two table-mounted mic stand boom arms. There are a variety of options to choose from, and I’d shy away from anything very expensive as they just aren’t worth the extra money.
More Equipment, Better Podcast?
This saying works for all fields of creative work, whether it be audio, photo, or video. While the quality of audio or the look of your video can, in most cases, increase its overall value, if your content isn’t good, people won't watch or listen to it. Let’s dive into what I do to set my wife and me up for success for these podcasts so we can keep you engaged and attentive to our topics at hand.
The Game Plan
Conceptualize your Podcast
Core Discussion: What vibe are you looking to portray with your topics and guests? In our case, we’re a couple covering a wide variety of topics, which is frankly a harder uphill battle to conquer. If I were you, I’d try to pick one or two niches and stick to them.
Audience: Who are you talking to? And who is caring to listen in the first place? While Erica and I have a variety of topics, we do have a narrow focus on who we want to listen, which we cater to within our topics of discussion. This is equally important, if not more, when creating and sharing content.
Script and Structure
Outline: This is huge for me as I really like to have my world as organized as possible. I don’t write out a word-for-word movie script, that would be too much. I do, however, put together what’s called a “run of show.” I outline the pace, the order of how I want our show to go, and really just create a beginning, middle, and end.
Questions: Preparing engaging questions is vital to an interesting podcast. Open-ended questions that flow or blend into the next questions or pacing of the show is how I personally take this into account so that it looks seamless on camera.
Pauses: I think this is a very important point to bring up with each guest on your podcast. Make very clear statements, not just with your guests but also with yourself, about being thoughtful and patient with each person speaking. Allow each person to finish their thought and sentence before trying to interject or respond. This saves precious time in the editing process and comes off more professional to the viewer.
And there you have it! I believe fully that with this short guide, you could be well on your way to creating a podcast that’s not only professional but also a blast to listen to.
Feel free to leave a comment or message us directly on any of the social platforms if you have any questions or want more specific guidance.