The Ultimate Simple & Portable Podcast Setup

[@twolinesslotcars]

Tom, just finished your podcast… I so appreciate your moral compass. There are still good people in the world.

[@tombuck]

Thanks for that! It's been fun to do the podcast again, and I'm glad you enjoyed it 🙏

[@darrennicholl]

Read that as "There are still good people in the woods." Weird.

[@PaulFeinberg]

Great video as always

[@HoopNuke]

God that microphone sounds soo good on you guys, it does really help that you are outside so the omni pick up pattern doesn't grab too much of those nasty room reflections, but even still it suits your voices really well !! I think even as a huge audio nerd, I've been recently getting more into the portable and easy audio set ups, I got a little Rode NT USB Mini and for some reason just knowing that I can plug that thing into my phone with a USB cable and record anywhere is mindblowing, portable audio is finaly affordable and good !!!

[@tombuck]

It’s crazy how many good options there are! And yeah, I think these ones really do shine outdoors or in big spaces like convention halls and stuff.

[@AJTrucker]

The video I was waiting for!!! Thanks Tom you’re the best!

[@markexploringnewstuff]

Always informative, always inspiring, always entertaining. Thanks Tom.

[@tombuck]

Glad you enjoyed! And happy to have all 3 of those adjectives applied here! 🙏

[@lifeisgood4519]

Excellent content as always Tom. Thank you. It is NOT taken for granted - Great work!

[@tombuck]

Thank you! I won't take for granted that you don't take it for granted! 😁

[@InternetDoggo]

That's a sweet setup!

[@tombuck]

Glad you think so!

[@johnheiser2604]

Excellent video Tom and Heather.

[@JoshRazauskas]

It always makes me smile whenever I see both of you in the video! Perfect timing to do this kind of episode today since I just officially launched a new video podcast finally today. I would love to be able to hold one of these in my hand without having to commit to buying one just so I knew if I could physically lift it because Having something like this would be awesome if you ever like you said go somewhere where you know, there’s a chance you could talk to somebody cool.

[@HomesickMac]

Catching up, great episode and stylish sponsor shoutout! Off to the podcast now 🙂

[@77.Gamedin.77]

Great video as usual like it, great work Tom! ☕⭐⭐⭐

[@tombuck]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@theraymondsjolseth]

This is AWESOME

[@PrestonJensen]

Very cool! Looks more professional than the typical holding of the small wireless mics.

[@tombuck]

Even though the mics are bigger, I think they’re easier to hold than trying to pinch a lav mic for a long time.

[@GuilDormeus]

What a treat ❤ I shoot a lot of podcasts outdoors for clients and this will definitely help!

[@tombuck]

Yes! I actually prefer how these sound outdoors since it seems like it's easier for the omnidirectional pickup pattern to isolate sound compared to inside a small space where there can be reflections bouncing all over. Also thanks for donating to our Free Company house! 😁

[@GuilDormeus]

@ no worries!! I’m glad I can help!

[@YoungBlaze]

There's a plug-in that gets rid of Mike bleed or you can just use a gate

[@Irshaad88]

Yes, I love it. Curtis Judd has a video on it.

[@djrightonbeat]

It's a Bleed, but also called phasing or comb filtering. That's why in my consulting and studio builds, I recommend the Mackie DLZ. It has the proprietary AutoMix feature which attenuates the volume of mic sources based on activity of the signal. Works great, especially with a four person podcast with all in proximity of each other!

[@Shermanbay]

If you have good mic management, as you both are able to do, the perfect solution in editing is to make each mic on one stereo L-R channel. This is usually preferable to using a single mic in between both parties, and allows more options in edit. It also adds a small improvement in final quality.

[@tombuck]

Very true for sure. But I do like keeping beginners in mind when recommending setups like this, so I try to find tools that are as foolproof as possible.

[@mattwruff]

So you know how in FinalCut Pro you can create a MultiCam Clip, Does that work with just audio clips? Do you see where I going? Then you could just switch between the clips. In audio editor what we do is called RailRoading where we kill the one mic and we simple switch back and forth. You could do that (without any deletion) and then bring it into FinalCut to link it to the video. Clearly, it's a Plus/Minus way of recording a conversation. East to record more time editing...

[@tombuck]

I didn’t want to dig too deep into software since I wanted this to be a simple solution that can apply to both audio and video podcasts. But yeah, for a video podcast, multicam makes things waaaaayyyyyy easier!

[@professionalstreamingpr]

❤❤❤ Good job

[@AWAShowme]

This is amazing. It's affordable, too! Thanks for the content. I

[@tombuck]

Glad you liked it! They're not the cheapest mics around, but for what you get in the overall package I do think they're the best value.

[@Godfreyproof]

Just getting into podcasting and looking into what initial gear to invest in. A lot of our shows would need to be portable, would you say these mics do just as good as the Shure MV7+? If not what would be the benefit of having the MV7+ over a setup like this. One thing that’s mostly interesting about this setup in your video is we would be investing less into good quality mics that’s can also do everything we need, thus allocating more budget to go towards good camera and lighting gear while also trying to be portable.

[@bhgemini]

I like this idea but currently use the Zoom F6 and some SM58s for the mics. Cable free is nice (I'd love it) but I like the F6 for its auto-mix feature is such a small package. It's mostly for film making and mixing boom with lav mics but works well for field podcasting too. I like your idea of passing the mic back and forth for casual use. I was excited for the new wireless Comica Revo S interview mic, but it only records to USB C devices, no internal recording (so two phones needed, no 32 bit float, Cardioid polar pattern (could be good for some use cases), and the included foam cover doesn't block even lighter wind.

[@tombuck]

There are definitely a million ways to make it work (which I think it half the fun honestly) 😁

[@tube-master]

great explainer video. thanks for the tips

[@tombuck]

Glad it was helpful!

[@geoffrey-lund]

Interesting content. I (like many I guess) only have 1 Rode wireless interview pro, so the problems you spoke about with regard to editing do not apply. I have found there are lots of use cases for this mics. As you say on your intro - these mics can be used for pretty much anything. I use mine all the time, except when I am out hiking in the wild. Great video. Thanks for the video.

[@tombuck]

It's such a versatile mic! Glad you're enjoying yours.

[@stephenbrunton4891]

Hi Tom, Id be keen to know how'd they go as part of a podcast using the Rodecasterpro 2 (or Rodecaster video) eco system, ie when connected wirelessly to the RCP2 while other guests are connected with wired mics. And in particular whether or not the guest(s) on the wireless reporter pro can monitor without latency if they were given one of the 4 headphone outs from the RCP2 as they join in on the conversation. Any thoughts?

[@tombuck]

I've found that the recording works great, but there can be some added headphone latency with the wireless mics. It's not super noticeable unless you're the one talking AND listening, but it does seem to be there.

[@LouisLuzuka]

Definitely want to start my podcast this year 😮this is looking remarkable 😮❤

[@tombuck]

Good luck Louis!

[@LouisLuzuka]

@ thank you 😊 and thank you for the insights i learned a lot 🥰🫶🏼

[@onocoffee]

"The camera is actually super far away. I'm using a 70-200mm lens."

[@tombuck]

Yeah, I just used the camera’s mic for scratch audio 👍

[@DjMike-L]

Will this work with 4 of those mics

[@kylemckenna]

I've found myself putting my podcast on the back burner, but maybe with a fun gear switch I will be more inclined to record again!

[@stik_mane]

I was wondering what kind of labtop should I get for a beginner to edit on ?

[@tombuck]

I like Apple, so any of the M series computers are amazing. They just released some M4 models, but I'm still using an M1 MacBook Pro and it's fantastic. I've only used Macs for the past 20 years, so I'm sure there are awesome PC's out there, but I just don't know enough about them to recommend any.

[@stik_mane]

@tombuck alright I'll look into that thanks . Can't wait to finally get to use my rodecaster duo

[@uddhavmaharaj]

The sound quality is amazing. How do you get that? Was it straight out of the box or was there some editing steps that let such bass happen

[@tombuck]

Straight out of the box! One of the reasons I really love these mics.

[@ConstansPhotography]

@@tombuck Hard to believe. Sounds damn good)

[@WireHedd]

"park bench table an' two microphones" could be a jam.

[@TheSTOPlayer]

Do the mics somehow pair so that if one mic starts recording then the rest do as well ?

[@tombuck]

No, they're each independent.

[@EnricoColacillo]

Great video! Hey Tom: do you know any sort of automation to get rid of the “eco effect”? Maybe a noise gate that cuts everything below a certain level that means that is not spoken directly into that mic? I am a little worried about the little “mmm” “ahhh” etc. that it would be nice to have and not being cut off. And which mic do you think is the best for not picking up others voice? Thank you so much Tom 🙏

[@tombuck]

There must be some sort of plugin that can help, but I don't know of any off the top of my head unfortunately. That being said, in the example with Heather, if we had just been a bit further apart it wouldn't be an issue at all, so getting the setup right is definitely the easiest way to keep things simple!

[@EnricoColacillo]

@ thanks man 👍😉

[@AdrianMcIntyre]

It's a website not a plugin, but Auphonic Multitrack has a crossgate that handles this pretty well. Process your audio tracks first (with leveling, compression, noise reduction, and even auto VoiceEQ) then drop them into your video editor.

[@EnricoColacillo]

@ I will definitely go to have a look. Thank you so much Adrian! 🙏

[@robinsainiphotography]

I guess tom in studio you have stopped using Rode Caster Video as its a bummer to use 1080P and once you shoot 4k, we don't like 1080P quality in our videos.As in some video where u used Rode Caster video, the quality of video had dropped compared to 4k ones.

[@tombuck]

I use the RCV all the time when I don't need 4K! The funny thing about it is I noticed people only complained about the quality when I mentioned I was using it. The times I don't mention it, no one says anything 🤔

[@JonSchwark]

Can't you slip the audio in a sub-frame increment to match the time so the echo goes away? I know you can do that in Premiere.

[@tombuck]

Hmm, I actually don't know if FCP can do that but it sounds like a really good solution!

[@JonSchwark]

@@tombuck I just looked it up, and I think maybe option + period or option + comma will nudge an audio clip in increments of 1/80th of a frame

[@AdrianMcIntyre]

This isn't "echo" though. It's comb filtering.

[@BoReynolds]

Weird question but can we connect to the OG? The original Rode Wireless Go? As you said not practical but super curious. (Thx for checking my Lark M2 Vid Tom)

[@tombuck]

Hey Bo!! The original Wireless Go only pairs with itself. It’s everything from the Wireless Go II and up that can pair with other stuff like Rodecasters and mics.

[@andymcbain9706]

Great video as always. How do you make sure the audio and video are in sync when you have duel track inputs?

[@tombuck]

I usually just clap at the beginning of the recording and match the audio with the video in editing.

[@ItsBluebird]

It’s good for audio recording setup and for my daddy! 🐦 And my daddy seems to be a “little bit” stressed out from playing Minecraft today. 😅

[@tombuck]

As someone deep into Final Fantasy XIV, tell him I understand.

[@andresjoberg]

The lesser known not-so-hit record «Two Wireless Mics and a Picnik Table in the woods» :D

[@cward2986]

Oblique reference for the older viewers :-)

[@andresjoberg]

@@cward2986 Gotta have some of those ;)

[@keithbeckwith9253]

Tom, this is great, a large portion of my equipment comes from RODE to include this microphone. What are your thoughts on having this mounted on an RODE desk stand and then each individual at their particular place at a table or location would be far away from the other person then you wouldn’t have to worry about the bleed over, looking for a simplistic way to do this at a moments notice when someone says yes I’ll be interviewed in an event Thanks keep up the great content

[@tombuck]

That definitely works! I was going to include a bit about that here actually, but decided to keep it as simple as possible. I didn’t want people to think they HAVE to buy stands and extra stuff.

[@keithbeckwith9253]

Super thanks.

[@ronyedin]

Hey Tom. Could you review the Comica VM40 Wireless Shotgun mic with 32bit float? Would love your take compared to other shotguns

[@anishaandsunjay]

Love this Tom! Given the camera was so far away, how did you sync the audio? I'd imagine the scratch audio captured in camera would be useless. Was it a case of a good old fashioned sync clap or did you run the two mics into the Wireless Pro receiver?

[@ItsRyukin]

my day just “beep” up and you are here, thanks. 😢 anyways, i would’ve made a “podcast” setup out of my Comica X-D2! 😊

[@tombuck]

Anything that records audio will work!

[@sleepingcattv]

Love the setup, however i feel like people looking to do interviews on show floors should rather train proper mic technique and then use interview microphones with a more narrow pickup pattern. it can get really distracting hearing the whole ambiance especially when people are talking right besides you. i recently did an interview at a kinky party event and used the MD 46 from Sennheiser - it was impressive how well i could zero in on just the person talking to me, even in the queue where people talked all around me

[@zrnewf]

Hi Tom, Is there any way to contact you off of KZbin so I can ask you a few questions regarding some rode gear? We (my wife and I) are setting up two pod casts for us. We have a child with austism and we are setting up a weekly podcast to talk about autism etc. Also, (thanks for this video BTW it will make our travel podcast/vlog much easier now), I am wondering about an on the go setup for doing professional paid work for clients. This video probably nailed that for us. ha ha. THanks in advance. We are setting up our podcast production room as we speak. We are also going to rent it out to other who want to create content as well.

[@michaelocunningham]

Tom, I think you may have given yourself additional work in the edit😅 Had you used multicam you could easily switch the audio when needed even if you only had one angle. In fact you could’ve added multiple angles with the same shot by adding an additional angle and cropping in. But as far as audio, you can create a multicam and switch audio when necessary

[@tombuck]

Very true! Definitely a super smart way to do it! But for the sake of keeping the setup simple (and not knowing if someone would be creating an audio-only or a video podcast), I wanted to trim it down to stuff you can do in any app.

[@edificandolafe8176]

Genial.....

[@saskelee]

good day

[@markwiemels]

My favourite part of these videos, is when you say stuff like "70-200, 32bit float, internal recording" - I just watch Heather's reaction; she tries so hard to not let on how disinterested she is in these random numbers and terms.

[@tombuck]

She's just happy I'm happy 😁

[@cayman2010]

Looking for easy podcast setup with iPhones.

[@MichaelKrisa]

@ $359 CND each I'm surprised you even recommended that as an option, but then again the title was "Ultimate" so I guess that means cost is irrelevant. Good video review though!

[@tombuck]

That is why I explain you can do this setup with anything that records audio, you definitely don’t NEED these mics. But for me, the idea of simple + ultimate means you should be able to get good audio without having to worry too much about all the small things, especially if you’re working with people who aren’t used to using mics and stuff. The Interview Pros are probably the most foolproof mics I’ve found and getting similar results with a mixer/XLR mic would be quite a bit more expensive and complex.

[@MichaelKrisa]

@ didn’t mean offend - I’m trying to get back into podcasting but man so much has changed since I started back in 2004! The term didn’t even exist yet lol!

[@tombuck]

@ no offense at all! Everyone’s budget is different, but I do like to explain why I recommend/choose specific things 👍

[@dennisvondutch-dhb]

Do you have Audio? No better I have Haudio! 😉

[@malikmantras7238]

What a stupid thing I have purchased most of basic microphone you suggested but it's hard for me that i couldn't start podcast. I bought senheiser usb profile rode video mic go II and etc. Hope to start in 2025.😊

[@tombuck]

Getting started is the toughest part! Sometimes most recording bits and pieces or practice episodes that you don’t plan to share can help iron out a workflow and make you feel more comfortable.

[@sirjudge5055]

$249 each

[@svenlakemeier]

A podcast setup that gains a lot by manually muting the track of the not speaking person is pretty far from simple in my book. I get starting with a premise and finding out later it doesn't work that way and I appreciate showing this process. But maybe a less definitive title than "ultimate" would be better in that case?

[@tombuck]

It’s really the opposite- I could’ve used one mic in that situation which would’ve been simpler. If we were further away, there wouldn’t be mic bleed.

[@mightyliu]

This microphone is designed to be large and cumbersome. It's hard to imagine that this is a design from 2024.Rode can't keep up with the times now.

[@KempuraChicken]

It's a handheld wireless microphone, a pretty standard design. It actually looks to be a bit slimmer than most wireless handhelds I've used, so I'm not sure what you're on about.

[@tombuck]

Yep, it came really be much more compact as a handheld- especially with how great the built in shock rejection is. Lavalier mics aim to be as small as possible, but handhelds don’t need to be.

[@andreaustell9197]

Can you make a tutorial of how you sync the audio when you have two separate tracks in Final Cut? I seen tutorials for one track however when I tried it for two tracks the audio was really messed up.