We are setting up a podcast studio. Any advice?

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Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking

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Apr 9, 2018, 7:26:34 PM4/9/18
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I just had a coworking friend from Charlotte stop by and he mentioned how much their podcasting studio is adding energy to his space. So I talked around and I can feel some of the same excitment building in our community when I bring it up here.
So we are converting an interior office into a podcast studio. I want it to have professional equipment that is easy to use. This isn't going to be the highest end but good for business to make quality podcasts that sound great. We are doing this for a few reasons:

  1. The community wants one - granted not many but three members would use it
  2. Offices aren't exciting to me. 
  3. Competition is high in Denver for offices so this interior one sits up 2 to 3 months out of the year and doesn't pull in much money, $500, even when it is rented.
  4. It's new way to get people to create is fun and is a driver to building a community
  5. Anytime you give your community a tool to create it builds an opportunity to bond over.
  6. It should bring in revenue than the office. I'm hoping for 50% higher.
I'm coming at this from a fairly naive perspective right now so I would love some feedback. Here is what I'm thinking. The podcasting studio will cost me around $700 in new furniture, purchased from IKEA. I'm looking into this equipment which will cost me about $1500.

4 of these mic set ups, 

4 channel mixer

Does anyone have any experience with a podcasting studio, things to try, pitfalls to avoid, etc?

Hector Kolonas

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Apr 11, 2018, 3:41:18 PM4/11/18
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Ooo you'd want to speak to Bernie, Trevor, Cat or anyone from the OuiShareRadio.com crew. They all podcast, and most of them from coworking spaces. Will ping this over to them to dive in and reply. 

I can't even get the voice controls on my phone to work, so def not the right person to help :)

Trevor Twining

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Apr 12, 2018, 7:05:56 AM4/12/18
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Hey Craig,

There's no easy options here, just trade-offs. So you're going to need to understand your intended use more. 

Our first studio fit in a rubbermaid box and cost less than 500 Canadian dollars. We added things over time as people expressed interest. Now we have mobile kit and a studio kit. We just make the room available to our subscribers. No extra charge. First come, first served. Treating the room also made it better suited to hosting and participating in webinars, conferences, and video recording. So we also got a light kit, a green screen, and now we're getting into more video work as well. 

Add some versatility to your mic setup by going with the ATR 2100s. You'll get a great-sounding mic that works in rooms with some noise, but can also just plug into a computer using USB. This makes it easy for someone using the studio solo to just hook up direct. https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR2100-USB-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B004QJOZS4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523530223&sr=1-1&keywords=atr2100

A mixer will make it easy for people just getting started to use the audio, but you'll need an audio interface rather than a mixer if you want each mic to be on a separate track. A mixer will take each of those tracks and 'mix' it down to two stereo tracks, which then goes into the computer's typical sound card. An audio interface takes each input and brings it directly into the computer. This means you can enhance each track independently. The trade-off is that it's more complicated to edit the audio in some ways (more than we have time for here). The long and the short of it is that producers will all have different expectations, and you'll need to be ready to cater to them and explain how your setup works so that they can decide if it's suitable. We found that people with existing shows were already set in their ways about how they wanted their setup to operate. One way we moved past that at first was we targeted people who had no podcast experience and helped them get started. So our gear was the first gear they used.

Lastly, you're going to get more bang for your buck by spending some of that budget on sound treating the room. How's that set up? 


Happy to assist further if I'm able.

Alex Hillman

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Apr 12, 2018, 10:56:57 AM4/12/18
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Trevor's advice is rock solid. You can go CRAZY with recording equipment, but a lot of it comes down to your goals. I also have the weird perspective of having had a brief career in audio engineering when I was a lot younger, so I learned a lot about how to suss out the best on a budget. 

We don't have a dedicated studio but we do have all of the gear available in one of our meeting rooms, which we've also given some light (but essentially invisible) acoustic treatment. 

We decided to keep it simple and focus on people recording 1 or 2 people max (but the same setup would be easy to upgrade to 4x)

- This Tascam 2x2 Audio Interface is $150 USD. It takes approx 60 seconds for any mere mortal to learn even if they've never used a piece of audio gear. The quality is very good for the price, you can get slightly better for more but not that much better without spending way more. 
- We got a pair of these Shure 87A's and they are incredible. You want the super-cardioid style because they are VERY directional, basically only picking up the person directly in front of the microphone. This removes crosstalk of your people being picked up on each others' microphones, and even more importantly, makes it so you don't need an isolation booth to keep the outside world out of your audio. Good microphones make everything else easier. We've had ours for 3ish years now, there might be a newer option out there but I'm very very very happy with these microphones. 
- Basic XLR cables to go between the Tascam and the microphones are pretty cheap, you can get whatever Amazon recommends. 
- Since we use the room for things other than recording, we learned that the spring loaded boom stands are in the way the rest of the time....and frankly the cheaper ones fall apart quickly anyway. More recently we opted for tabletop microphone stands like these. 
- Get pop filters. Trust me. 
- This is a "nice to have" but a good idea: we got one of these headphone splitters so that at least the host could put on a pair of headphones on to listen in live and make sure the audio quality is good. Some guests like wearing studio headphones too. Many don't (it's weird AF to listen to yourself in real time as you talk and takes practice getting used to). I like having both options and for $7 yeah. 

I also really like the ATR2100's as a microphone to keep in my backpack for doing things like intros and ad reads, but for the studio I wanted something that would make editing easier and better mics will essentially always cut time/costs on the editing side.

That's about it for audio gear. With this setup people can record directly into their own computers using Garage Band (mac only) or Audacity (cross platform) both of which are pretty easy to learn the basics on Youtube, or through a quick informational session as a newbie on the recording rig.

For the room itself, our room happens to be a strange shape (one wall is at a 45 degree of the rest) which is good for keeping the sound from bouncing around at right angles. Our floors are carpeted with basic FLOR carpet tiles, and ceilings have basic acoustical tiles in the grid. The big thing is to avoid or hide unnecessary flat/glossy surfaces cuz they are echo machines. We hung a curtain rod over our whiteboard so a curtain could be pulled to cover it. We also mounted some foam tiles behind 3 pieces of art, basically tucked inside the recess of the canvas. The art looks awesome and the panels help soak up some sound. 

With the door closed on this room there's a little bit of sound leakage if someone is being loud on either side, but those super-cardioid microphones don't pick up anything unless you're within a few inches of the mic. 

The best part about the podcasting setup is how it's brought people together. 

We have members who know how to use the rigs, do basic editing, podcast promo/marketing, etc. This means newbies interested in creating a show can turn to each other for help. I know Trevor's crew has a whole podcast network in place, which is something we're definitely aspiring towards this year. 

The other really cool thing is how it's been a way to invite people who don't come to work during the day to come and hang out, and introduce their podcast guests to Indy Hall. 

We don't charge for recording time right now, you just need to be a member. In a few cases we've started asking people to mention us in the show, especially if we know that their audience overlaps with ours.

In more than one case, a podcast has become someone's "gateway drug" for getting more connected into our community. Plus it's hella fun. 

-Alex




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Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking

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Apr 13, 2018, 11:49:04 AM4/13/18
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Awesome information Trevor and Alex.

Through the members I got in contact with a sound engineer that is going to take me shopping next week. I'm going to print out this post so I have additional information.

I think one of the most exciting things about going down this venture is the creative spark that it's created in the community and the new outlet it's giving members to share their talents about audio equipment and storytelling. I hope the energy keeps up and soon we'll have a new original podcast that comes out from the Creative Density community.

Michael Gudger

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Apr 19, 2018, 1:24:15 PM4/19/18
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Hello, one of our clients at Peachtree Offices in Atlanta runs a podcast studio out of his office. It is a professional studio & they use the SM58 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone.  

Thanks,
Michael Gudger


On Monday, April 9, 2018 at 7:26:34 PM UTC-4, Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking wrote:

AK

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Oct 25, 2018, 3:38:21 PM10/25/18
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We'll be adding a Podcast / Vidcast studio  to our space and looking for ideas  We have a low basement ceiling  6.5 ft.  So we cant really do standing shots.   What size should our studio be?  We think we can mount cameras to the ceiling and/or on the table.  But I seek ideas from the experts hereo. will 9 x 15 work?

Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking

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Oct 26, 2018, 1:09:42 PM10/26/18
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6 months update:
The podcastings studio is just now starting to get traction.The studio only had one or two uses a month, charging $15 an hour, for the first three months. Now it's starting to pick up to about 5 to 7 reservations a month. Overall, it has been a poor investment from a P & L standpoint but has been a neat community builder and a differentiation when being compared to other coworking spaces. I find adding amenities that help people to create something is one that gets people excited and talking the most. People like it when you add a keg or a video game system or a picnic table BUT they love it when you give them tools that they usually don't have access to.

The podcasting studio is like most amenities that drive people to create. It inspires people to the point that they think they will use it but they don't use it in practice (this is still valuable). Other love it and are the few heavy users. Others just don't care.

Over time I believe the podcasting studio will make up enough money directly to match the revenue of it as an office space. It will drive indirect revenue by attracting new members or keeping them from leaving. Starting in November I'm adding a new $100 a month plan for podcasters in Denver that will give them 10 hours a month of time. I want to really drive non-coworking members to join our community by creating. I think it will encourage our once-every-two-weekers to think about upgrading. Plus it will simplify the pricing structure to encourage more heavy users to come.

Unexpected other benefit - people love taking their photo in the studio. It's our most popular spot for people to take photos and share on social media.

Scott Novotny

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Oct 26, 2018, 1:32:25 PM10/26/18
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Hey Craig, 

How big is your coworking community? Is it primarily members or non-members that are renting the space?

-Scott

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AK

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Jan 16, 2019, 9:41:24 AM1/16/19
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Hey there--- been wondering what audio interface is suggested?  We were using a mixer, but the idea of the different tracks is appealing. 
Thank you.

Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking

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Feb 22, 2019, 11:42:18 AM2/22/19
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The coworking community is only about a quarter of the users. It's mostly outsides that are taking advantage of it. The studio is available to members as an amenity with 3 to 5 hours available to each person for free. Out of a community of 80 people there are only 2 people using it on a regular basis from the community. Podcasting is a niche service so this is expected.

The heavy use of outsiders means it's a good marketing tool for the space as well. Gaining more visibility from outsiders was an objective of the podcasting studio and I think it's starting to serve it's purpose.

9 month update:
The studio is really starting to gain traction now. It's now bringing in more revenue than it did when it was an office. I want it to bring in 150% of revenue than it did when it was an office and it's on track to do that in a month. I'm now building a large window into the studio so people can see into it. This has three main purposes;

1) More easily tell if people are using it so people aren't interrupted if they are recording and people open up the door. 
2) It makes the space more visually appealing from outside the studio. 
3) It helps build on the story of Creative Density as we give tours of the space that reinforces we are a place for creators.  I found that creating a story of your space that goes beyond just saying amenities while giving tours is way more effective on building your brand but also getting people to share why they are touring your space in a more passionate way than 'I'm just looking to get out of the house.'

Fred Gallagher

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Mar 9, 2019, 2:57:40 PM3/9/19
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Thanks Alex, I am looking at Podcastiong being part of our set up here in Donegal. It will help market the space and be an asset to the community as well. Cheers, Fred
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Trevor Townsend

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Mar 10, 2019, 3:19:55 PM3/10/19
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Hi all - I'm keenly watching this thread, too.  I'm interested in a small (really small, ~9'x13' room) sound room for podcasts, interviews, etc.  The rest of the time when not used like this it would a small (did I mention small?) meeting room or huddle space.  I'll be doing some of my own podcasting, too, but not for about another 6 months or so.  My overall space is a ~1,000sqft coworking site in Aylmer, Quebec that will be opening within a month (Mar/Apr 2019).

Cheers,
Trevor

Alex Hillman

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Mar 10, 2019, 3:48:22 PM3/10/19
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9' x 13' is perfect for this - that's almost exactly the size of space we use that doubles as a meeting room when it's not being used to record. 

I'll update this thread in a few weeks as we have just launched an actual podcast community membership. Rather than turn our studio space into a commodity, we're making it part of a special sub-community. The most common thing I learned while talking to the folks who record shows is that almost none of them know or interact with other podcasters, but they wanted to. So for us, there won't be a way to "rent the studio" without first joining our podcast community. :)

More soon!

Brad Attig

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Mar 10, 2019, 3:50:02 PM3/10/19
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I don't think 9' x 13' is small, our huddle rooms are like 6' x 8' and they get all the use. 

Question on equipment....

Behringer Xenyx 1204USB Premium 12-Input 2/2-Bus Mixer $169

vs

Tascam US-2x2 USB Audio/MIDI Interface with Microphone Preamps and iOS Compatibility $149

Any difference in any "expert's" mind?

We also are thinking it would be good to have a 

Behringer Microamp HA400 Ultra-Compact 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amplifier $25

We've heard good things about these mics too.

Samson Q2U Handheld Dynamic USB Microphone $60.

We already have a blue Yeti hanging about and we have a couple of pairs of 

Sennheiser HD280PRO Headphones plus a Zoom H4N recorder.

Brad



Alex Hillman

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Mar 10, 2019, 3:59:50 PM3/10/19
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Gear talk!! I was a sound engineer in a past life, and learned a lot about doing high-quality stuff on a budget. 

Behringer Xenyx 1204USB Premium 12-Input 2/2-Bus Mixer $169

vs

Tascam US-2x2 USB Audio/MIDI Interface with Microphone Preamps and iOS Compatibility $149

Any difference in any "expert's" mind?

We own a Xenyx too. The more knobs and buttons do give you more "control" but they raise the bar for audio non-experts to have to learn a LOT of things just to sit down and record.

Behringer Microamp HA400 Ultra-Compact 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amplifier $25

Nice but not necessary. Studio veterans might want multiple studio headphones, but in my experience so far most beginner and intermediate podcasters don't use headphones themselves except to check levels before they hit record because they can't handle hearing their own voices live over the phones. I personally prefer to keep my monitors on, but it took a lot of time to get used to. 
 
We've heard good things about these mics too.

Samson Q2U Handheld Dynamic USB Microphone $60.

Unless you are in a PERFECTLY QUIET space, I highly recommend investing in Super-cardioid style microphones. Trust me. More expensive microphones perform like trash in our studio because it's not pure ISO, but our super-cardioid mics sound like a million bucks. 
 
We already have a blue Yeti hanging about

IMO the Yetis are fine for home recording/screencasting but they sound very cheap for any semi-pro or pro environment. Yeti's are well marketed, but at their price point they're among the worst you can buy. We have a couple, they are hidden away and for emergencies only. 
 
and we have a couple of pairs of 

Sennheiser HD280PRO Headphones plus a Zoom H4N recorder.

The Zoom recorders are awesome, I'm planning to pick up at least one as a backup for people who don't want to record into a computer. 




Trevor Townsend

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Mar 10, 2019, 5:20:27 PM3/10/19
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This is all great information!

For equipment, I have my own selection of mics that I can donate to the cause (Samson C01U USB studio mic, AudioTechnica AT303).  I have one that only I use because it was really expensive (Electovoice RE20).

I'm likely going to go with one of two simple setups - all leading to separate channels in a DAW (digital audio workstation).  I use Ableton Live, but will work really well for multitrack recording.

I'm likely going to get 4 of the Samson C01U mics (https://www.amazon.com/Samson-C01U-Studio-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00HXE4BYW) and various fuzzy heads, pop filters, booms, etc.

The USB mics can lead to a powered USB bus/switch then to a laptop where each can be tracked separately.

Alternately, I could get the balanced XLR version (https://www.amazon.com/Samson-Technologies-SAM-C01-Microphone/dp/B0002D080C) and a multi-channel audio interface, something like these:
A word to the wise - sound treatment is important.  Very important.  My room will be carpeted and will have some sound dampening panels on the walls to reduce resonance and reflection.  A filmmaker friend of mine told me "you can shoot terrible video and make something out of it, but if you have shitty sound you've failed".  Good advice, methinks...

Whether XLR or USB - the mics all lead to the DAW on a laptop where you can record everything nice and tidy.  After you record, you can apply effects (compression for nice leveling, de-essing to get rid of strong "S" sounds, etc.), then master your mix and voila - stardom!  ;-)

@Alex - I'm glad to hear that ~9'x13' is a good size; it's all I've got!  I plan on using it similarly to how you might and grow a sub-culture around podcasting, video voiceovers, interviews, etc.

Cheers for now,
Trevor

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Trevor Townsend

Aylmer, Quebec
CANADA

AK

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Mar 21, 2019, 11:10:45 AM3/21/19
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Can we talk furniture???  

20190311_145126.jpg

I also have a 9x13 room which we want to double as a podcast / conference / break room.  Our current table (see pic) can hold 4-6 easily, but it is more of a kitchen table.  I wish to change that table.

What ideas do you have?

Alex Hillman

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Mar 21, 2019, 11:15:51 AM3/21/19
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All of our meeting, kitchen, and breakout tables are variations on this: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30116264/

(We use the dark brown-black version for the meeting rooms, light colors for breakout tables & kitchen since they are easier to keep clean. 

You can't beat the price, the pieces are readily replaceable, and being able to adjust them between big, medium, and small is huge, and being able to swap them or cluster them in different ways is a big benefit too. They've held up VERY well to wear and tear over the years. Some of the ones we have, I bought 7+ years ago and they don't even have nicks or scratches or stains. 

We have the same table in the podcast studio, with a piece of fairly thick fabric to help reduce audio reflections from the tabletop itself. 

-Alex


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The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.
Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com

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