Radio Podcast Equipment
Hey there!
I've been doing a Podcast for a while now but recently I've decided to step up my game a bit and start a daily show, but I need more serious equipment and I don't really no much about these hardwares.
I've been foolish enough to buy the RODE Podcaster, which as far as I know is a dead end due to it's inability to work with audio interfaces.
What I need is two Mics, the ability to fade in music, play audio clips while recording, take phone calls, and an overall close to radio experience.
I'm about to get two Shure SM7B or Electro-Voice RE20 mics, but I can't really figure out what else I need.
Are there better/cheaper mics I overlooked? My budget is $1400-1500 tops, but for that I need the mics, cables, boomarms and whatever elae I need to connect to my computer.
Thank you!
Comments
Bos, I'm thinking he needs something like the new 8 channel Stud
http://recording.org/resources/presonus-releases-studiolive-ar-usb-hybrid-mixers.385/
This looks perfect for this.
Yes, the ARx USB is one of the ranges I was going to suggest, de
If I read the specs correctly, the StudioLive preamps are giving
Like Bos said, it'll be important to know exactly what the end product aim at.
At 1500$, I'd choose a ISA one preamp with the converter option + any presonus or focusrite interface that has the compatible digital input and then go in a store with the rest of the money and buy the best mic that fits my voice.
Add another 600$ and I'd get a compressor like the Warm audio WA76.
I know, I know pcrecord is talking about the ISAs again, but there isn't a lot of option with a digital converter on board ;)
Don't forget to check used gear. you could get decent mics at a fraction of the price.. but you need to try them first.
You may want to look at the Heil PR 30 or PR 40, available throu
A good boom arm, as Boswell suggests, is the professional approach and depending on your set-up a shock mount may be needed.
So basically just to recap. There would be me and my guest in th
There is about one meter between me and the guest, that's why I was thinking of the SM7B, but there might be something that would work for me as well. (Rode Broadcaster maybe) There is nobody to help me, I would have to control all the levels, fade ins and such. I messed up in my first post, my budget is about £1400-1500 tops. All I have now is my computer and one rode psa1 studio arm, since as far as I know, the podcaster is not fit for this.
I hope I didn't leave out anything, I really appreciate your help guys.
Thanks
The SM7b would work as long as you have a pre with sufficient ga
One option is to look at an inline gain booster, something like the Cloudlifter C1 or the Cathedral Pipes Durham. These inline devices take volts from the phantom power on your preamp and convert it to additional gain ( up to 20db) and are commonly used for low output mics. Personally, for the situation as you described, I'd opt to stay away from condensers, (because in your untreated environment, they would probably pickup too much of the room), and I would look at using a good dynamic instead.
FWIW
d.
I prefer dynamic mics over condensers, so I'm going to stick to
So basically I need the StudioLive AR12, (I do want the linear faders, and also there is room to grow) and a gain booster like the Cloudlifter (one for each mic)? Do I need the Cloudlifter for a different dynamic mic? RE20 for example.
The Shure SM-7B is a notoriously low output mic, and either requ
The Shure SM-7B is a notoriously low output mic, and either requires a quality preamp capable of +60dB of gain, or something like a Cloudlifter to boost it's output level by up to 25dB. The PreSonus AR-12, like many modern devices, max'ed out is only going to provide 50dB of gain from the preamp, and running anything wide-open is usually asking for residual noise.
The RE-20 is not a real high output mic either, but they've been used for years (decades actually) without any kind of booster for everything from broadcast vocal to inside a kick drum. The Heil mics provide more output level than an standard SM58, but having said that, all microphones will generally benefit from using the best preamp(s) you can fit into your budget.
Specifications can be hard to decipher and/or just plain misleading, but these are the manufacturers specs for some of the mics being discussed. (some of which needed to be converted so they'd all have the same unit of measure for reference)
In descending order of output level:
PR30 -51.00 dB (2.82mV)
PR40 -53.90 dB (2.02mV)
SM58 -54.50 dB (1.85mV)
RE20 -56.48 dB (1.50mV)
SM7B -59.00 dB (1.12mV)
*All at 1kHz
So if it's an AR-12, budget for Cloudlifters to go with your SM7B, or pick mics with stronger output.
FWIW: I own 4 out of the 5, and have hands-on experience with all but the PR40. A situation I will rectify in the near future.
With small radio stations all going digital and layout based, th
The secret with radio is ergonomics so your sound remains consistent - no going off mic to reach a button or to turn to talk to your contributor. A sensible sized room, rather than a cupboard, and something sensible for a desk. Doesn't need to be even very clever - an older radio desk will work really well - and almost certainly already capable of handling the popular US mics.
The SM7B and the RE20 are both respected studio announcement mic
If you wanted not to spend so much on microphones, Shure SM58s can work well for studio use, but you may need a longer-than-normal pop filter to cut down excessive bass proximity effect.
Where you have to be careful is in choosing the type of interface to use. If you are the single announcer/mixer/operator of this show and plan to be doing interviews (both live in the studio and over the internet or phone), you will need a manual mixer with faders that you can operate quickly. A small 6 or 8-channel mixer that has XLR inputs plus stereo line jack and phono (RCA) inputs and a stereo USB output may well be the way to go rather than getting a conventional audio interface that would necessitate mixing in the computer.
Tell us a bit more about your proposed way of working, and we can make further suggestions.