How do you get audio from your phone (iPhone, Android, etc.) into your mixer? The simple answer is you plug it in. You can use a basic stereo cable (I prefer this “Y” cable*), plug one end into your phone’s headphone output 
and place the other end into an available channel on your mixer and now you can take audio from the phone into your recordings. But what if you want to also send all the audio from the mixer (your mic, your co-host, sound FX, etc.) back to the person on the phone without them hearing themselves? That’s called a mix-minus and you can use a couple different devices to achieve this setup. [Read more…] about TPS093: Get a Mix-minus into a Smartphone and overview of the Mackie 402VLZ4
podcasting
Mackie 402VLZ4 Mixer
The Mackie 402VLZ ultra-compact mixer* is an excellent audio mixer for first time podcasters. “Built like a tank” the 402 is encased in steel with quality feeling knobs, sealed to prevent dust from invading the insides of the mixer. The first thing you’ll notice when you pull this mixer from the box is how well it’s built and its small size. This thing feels like a road warrior, built to be taken with you when necessary.
TPS092: Social Sponsorships and the Behringer Q802USB Mixer
What’s the value of a new podcast subscriber? Would you trade 20, 50, 100 dollars an episode for a new subscriber? Two new subscribers?
A podcast sponsorship can be a hard deal to negotiate and for many smaller shows it’s not likely worth the tradeoff; having to put ads in your content for a small monetary return. But what if the exchange was not money but instead something likely more important to a podcast… new listeners.
Word of mouth is still the best form of marketing for any podcast. Trading ad space on your show for an introduction to a targeted, relevant, interested group of potential new subscribers may have bigger returns and is almost certainly a much easier form of sponsorship to obtain.
Social sponsorship is sponsorship deal for the rest of us. The average podcaster does not carry the number of subscribers that most ad buyers would want to see for CPM based deals. Yes you can cultivate a one on one sponsorship with someone who has a relevant business but when it comes to asking for money it’s often a much harder sale. [Read more…] about TPS092: Social Sponsorships and the Behringer Q802USB Mixer
Behringer Xenyx Q802USB Mixer Overview
The Behringer Q802USB mixer* is a great choice if you are looking for a mixer that can handle most podcasting applications for less than $100.
A good preamp is where a good mixer starts. The Q802USB has Behringer’s Xenyx preamps and they perform very well in this mixer. With plus 60DB of gain, the preamps in this mixer are enough to power most dynamic microphones including the Heil PR40 and the ATR2100, two of my microphones that require the most gain. Even at the top range of this preamp, I was able to get clean audio.
[Read more…] about Behringer Xenyx Q802USB Mixer Overview
How to Setup Any Mixer – Gain Staging without PFL or Solo Buttons
For many podcasters, mixers do not include Pre Fader Listen (PFL) or Solo buttons which are commonly used on more expensive mixers for properly setting audio levels.
Gain staging is the process of setting proper audio levels through your entire audio chain. On a mixer this starts with the gain knob (located at the top of each channel strip) which controls the sensitivity of your microphone or input and finishes at the output, your main mix. [Read more…] about How to Setup Any Mixer – Gain Staging without PFL or Solo Buttons
Webcam Lighting Setup
One of the best ways to make your webcam video look its best is to make sure you have good lighting. Really, any lighting that you put a little effort and budget into, will do wonders. The key is to get adequate amounts of light in front of your face so the audience can easily see you and the camera will look it’s best.
You can accomplish this with any lights you have in the house, office or wherever you are recording from. Often I just use a nice large window (see below) with plenty of daylight coming in. This looks wonderful but can be hard to control. When the clouds pass in front of the sun, your lighting will change dramatically and while I love the look of natural light, the best way to ensure you have consistent, great looking light is by using lights that you can control.
In the image below you’ll see a more advanced lighting setup that I recently used on my live-streamed podcast, Podcasters’ Roundtable. [Read more…] about Webcam Lighting Setup