The purpose of this website was not only to serve as a companion to the podcast but also as a way to document the journey from the beginning to the present. To better understand what items are used in making this podcast, I wanted to provide a list of tools I am using or have used.
Please note that these links are not affiliate links; I get no compensation for sharing them with you. Also, every tool is only as good as the skills of its user. Using these same tools does not mean you will have the same results. You will likely spend a long time diving into YouTube to pick up things, and that is precisely what I did and do.
Recording
- Sony ZV1 Camera – My first high-end video camera. During the early aughts, I purchased a Sony Handycam to use on the little adventures my wife and I would take. This camera is the spiritual successor to that old camcorder. Yes, it serves as a digital camera as well but I use my phone for that.
- Yeti Blue Microphone – I could not do my podcast without this great microphone! I like it so much that I have two of them! The Yeti Blue is highly versatile and offers many different modes to change the sound quality depending on whether I am talking by myself or with a group of people. Other microphones may be of a higher quality with deeper equalizers, but I have not found that to be a problem.
- MacBook Pro 16 – Truly the powerhouse of my studio! I have a newer M2 MacBook Pro that I use to record raw videos and edit the files when they are done. I cannot say enough good things about Apple’s products. Yes, that may make me seem like a fanboy but I use Windows too!
- OBS Studio – The GOAT streaming platform, OBS (Open Broadcast Studio), is a core component of my recordings. Once the podcast episodes are released, you will see a black square surrounding the video feed and my IDK logo on the bottom. These are courtesy of OBS Studio with a very basic configuration. If you have watched any of my Twitch Streams for gaming, you will see a more detailed example of what you can do with OBS. It is highly extensible, and since so many people use it, you can find a tutorial for literally anything you need to know how to do with a simple web search.
Editing
- iMovie – I could not do anything on my podcast without iMovie! It’s one of those applications that seems pretty effective when you just want to do a few tasks, but the more you get into editing videos, the more you will realize how powerful it actually is. Truthfully, I am forever grateful that Apple offers this app for free with all Apple computers!
- PlaceIt.Net – I have already mentioned this in the Podcast Resources section of the site, but I love PlaceIt.Net! They offer a vast variety of icons, backgrounds, OBS frames, logos, and so much more! You can access a few of these items for free, but I opted to purchase a yearly membership and have never regretted that decision. They even have a killer video library where you can upload your own logos and text in drag-and-drop. I used this awesome feature to create the videos for the intro and outro. However, it was actually my EDM alias, DJ6i, that I used to create the audio you hear.
Check out the Podcast Resources page to see the tools I use to distribute my podcast.
Future Tools
I have a few other tools that I am not currently using in my podcast but intend to use in the future. Once these things make their debut on my podcast, I will move them to their respective places on this page.
- DJI RSC 3 Mini Gimbal – As mentioned in my blog post, I purchased this gimbal primarily to help me record my kids’ sporting events. However, if my podcast reaches a point where I need to be out in public or capture some event at an offsite (like a conference or something similar), you may see it make an appearance.
- Final Cut Pro – I purchased this app when it went on sale a few years ago and installed it on every Mac I own. However, after becoming so comfortable with iMovie, trying to start editing in Final Cut Pro is daunting. I have watched a few video tutorials designed to teach iMovie users how to make the leap, but I still don’t feel ready to dive in. I am sure it has a suite of features that will put iMovie to shame once you know how to use them properly. But currently, I do not have the time or desire to start from scratch and learn the new program. Maybe it will happen as the podcast progresses.