The sausage

For those interested in how we produce the show (and I know there’s at least one), here’s the gear and services we use to make The Bigfoot Show:

• Yeti Pro microphone by Blue
  Awesome mic. We were able to get them for all of us via the generosity of our listeners. This is the mic I use whenever I’m recording in the studio (rather than out in the field).
• Edirol R-09 by Roland
  This is my main go-to field recorder. Dead simple to use and accepts most external mics (though it has a built-in mic so externals ones aren’t totally necessary). Great little workhorse. I’ve bought more expensive and complicated units to replace it, but I always find my way back to the R-09.
• Headphones
  Don’t really have a particular favorite here. I currently use an in-ear set from Bose. The key thing is to have headphones that don’t leak sound.
• Skype
  I honestly hate Skype, but it’s ubiquitous and has reasonably good sound quality assuming everyone has a good internet connection (especially the person recording the show, usually me). It’s free to call other Skype users but, I think, costs to call phones.
• Audio Hijack Pro by Rogue Amoeba
  This software records all the sound coming out a specific app (like Skype). It doesn’t record other sounds being made by other apps (like the system or your web browser or whatever). I use this app to capture all the music and such I use for intros and outros.
• GarageBand by Apple
  This is the app I use to mix and edit the show. There are other options out there, but this is one I know. I can export directly from GarageBand to an MP3 file.

A note about recording and exporting: I tend to record the show as an MP3 using a higher bitrate. This makes a larger file, but it sounds better. Then, when I export, I use a lower bitrate. This makes a smaller file for downloading. If you use a low bitrate format to record, it will further degrade and sound less good when it’s exported for download. 

• Podcast Maker by Lemonz Dream
  This app is what I use to write the show notes and upload the shows to the server for the entire world to enjoy. It’s basically a fancy RSS feed editor and FTP client rolled into one. Of all the apps, this one’s not strictly necessary, but it makes publishing the show really easy.

That’s about it. As the show evolves and we move to different tech, I’ll come back and update this list.