Podcast Gear
Recorded, mixed, produced, and uploaded this week’s episode of KEENEVERSATIONS yesterday. The entire process takes about an hour, thanks to the rig I am currently using.
People occasionally inquire about what equipment and gear I’ve used for podcasting. It varies.
For THE HORROR SHOW WITH BRIAN KEENE, Dave Thomas was in charge of recording and production. I know his mixer was a Yamaha, but he had a lot of other stuff in the studio, as well, and Phoebe sold all of that after he passed, so I can’t go check the manufacturers and models. For our first two years, we used Yeti microphones. In our third year, when the podcast began making money thanks to sponsors and such, we upgraded to microphones that he purchased. And then lots of other gear. But I left him in charge of all that, so I never really paid attention. All I cared about was “did the show sound good” and “did we get the interview”. And since in the entirety of the show, there was only one recorded interview that got lost and never made it to the air (a 90 minute sit down with David Niall Wilson that still makes me anxious we lost, because there was some great stuff in it), Dave’s equipment had a pretty good track record.
For DEFENDERS DIALOGUE and HOW TO SURVIVE 2025, we used Streamyard. Personally, I don’t think Streamyard is the best choice for a professional sounding podcast, but then again, I don’t think anything recorded over Zoom or any of these other online streaming sources is ideal for audio broadcasts. Streamyard is great for livestreams. I use it any time I do one on YouTube. But I find it substandard for podcasting. Why use it for both of those shows then? Because, in the case of both of those podcasts, my cohosts and I lived far away from each other. There simply was no other alternative.
(I haven’t done much livestreaming this year, but I keep my monthly Streamyard account so that Mary, Somer, and Matt can use it to record their weekly podcast).
For KEENEVERSATIONS, I use the Nomono Sound Capsule. It was recommended to me by Scott Edelman, who uses it for Eating the Fantastic. It is an absolutely amazing device. It is expensive, but if you are serious about podcasting, or recording audio interviews of any kind, there really is nothing better on the market, in my opinion. Honestly one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. I use it for the podcast. I use it to try and capture EVP in graveyards. I use it when interviewing subjects for things I’m writing. Just a phenomenal piece of equipment. Easy to set up and use, and customer support is great. (And no, this is not a paid endorsement. I just really like the thing, and if you want to get into audio podcasting, this is my recommendation).
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Shaved my beard yesterday. It had gone past Mandy Patinkin and into full-on Santa Claus territory. I asked around for opinions before I took the clippers to it. A lot of people suggested I should go back to the standard Don Johnson/Bruce Willis stubble I’ve worn so much throughout the decades. My niece and the child of one of my best friends thought I should keep it as is. Mary wanted me to shave all of it but the goatee — a style I have also worn a lot over the years, in between bouts of he standard Don Johnson/Bruce Willis stubble. Ultimately, I went with what my wife wanted. Definitely the thickest goatee I’ve ever worn.
Not sure how I feel about it yet. I need a few days to test it out.
