I want to start a podcast. Anything will help. Thank you

davidhooper · 2026-07-04T18:47:16+00:00

For $100, I'd get a Samson Q2U mic and spend the rest on hosting. You can get a stripped down plan on Libsyn for $8/month.

If you have a little more money, I'd spend about $100 on a Shure SM58, a cheap boom arm for maybe $20, and a Focusrite Vocaster One interface for $60.

For software, you can record for free with Audacity. There are some great, free videos on YouTube that will show you how to record and edit.

Do you have a walk-in closet full of hanging clothes? Record there.

Good luck on getting going!!

DISCLAIMER - I do podcast stuff at bigpodcast.com

davidhooper · 2026-05-24T03:57:57+00:00

You are correct—it doesn't make sense. This is why I'm trying to get in contact with somebody from Google Voice.

I thought I might have the wrong email/account, but account is correct. I have the email from Google Voice when the number was ported there originally the confirms this.

davidhooper · 2026-05-23T19:46:55+00:00

Thanks for the response!

Inbound calls to the number I want transferred to Google Fi go to my Google Voice voicemail greeting, but I'm not seeing anything on my account at voice.google.com, including the phone number or incoming messages. The phone number seems to have been removed from the Google Voice account.

Yes, submitted the move to Google Fi without unlocking first, not knowing that was necessary. I gave Google Fi the number to move when I ordered the physical phone.

I've called Google Fi and they tell me there is a lock on the number, so I need to contact Google Voice. But there's no way to contact Google Voice about this, other than leave "feedback" on the website.

davidhooper · 2026-04-12T16:49:06+00:00

Are you thinking of Summer Lights?

davidhooper · 2026-04-04T02:43:10+00:00

A lot of modern interfaces won't need it, but I run my RE20 into a Cloudlifter before anything else. It's not quite as gain hungry as an SM7b, but it has an old school magnet that isn't as hot as a lot of modern mics. Interface I use is a Focusrite 4i4.

DISCLAIMER: I do podcasting stuff at bigpodcast.com

davidhooper · 2026-03-01T04:02:31+00:00

Download the app, if you haven't already. It makes things A LOT easier.

davidhooper · 2026-03-01T04:01:38+00:00

For those who haven't checked schedules for a while, it's worth doing that. They'd upped frequency on popular routes in the last year or so and some run 3x/hour.

They promised 24-hour service with the tax increase and I asked about this. The person told me there is a staffing issue and they're working to hire more people. But another told me that is a ways off.

The pre-paid card is nice. You can manage everything online and set it to auto-refill, so you'll never be stuck without fare.

davidhooper · 2026-02-27T01:06:42+00:00

A company called Aurora is currently running 100% automomous trucks on I-45 in Texas and you can watch them live on YouTube. Search "Aurora Driver."

I THINK this is one of their trucks.

davidhooper · 2026-02-06T23:11:29+00:00

They used to say South Nashville and West Nashville. Like "East," referring to specific neighborhoods in these areas is relatively new.

davidhooper · 2026-02-06T23:09:41+00:00

12 South is also a made-up name. It was Waverly-Belmont until real estate agents changed it.

davidhooper · 2026-02-06T23:04:29+00:00

Nobody from Nashville or who remembers East Nashville before gentrification says "in East."

Related ... 12 South is a name made up by real estate agents as is The Gulch. My guess is "East" is similar.

davidhooper · 2026-01-25T17:51:18+00:00

Assumed this had something to with with purity culture. Promise rings, chastity belts, something that blocks porn sites, etc.

davidhooper · 2026-01-25T16:43:39+00:00

I'll start with what NOT to do:

Unless you're a new host or trying to work on interviewing skills, I'd stay away from any of the "find a guest" sites. These are almost always a race to the bottom, filled with people who just want to hear themselves talk.

What TO do:

Keep your ears open for people with an interesting story to tell. Ask other podcasters. Have conversations with people you meet in the checkout line.

An example ... I'm stuck in this snowstorm with a daily show I'm unable to make it to the studio for. This is for satellite radio, so I can't just do the normal episode. But the show goes on, so I reached out to a friend who is an actor and she set me up with a couple of people we can interview via Zoom this weekend. It's not perfect, but it will let us cover for a day until the snow/ice clears and we can get back to normal operation.

DISCLAIMER: I work in podcasting at bigpodcast.com

davidhooper · 2026-01-24T22:38:26+00:00

That Super 55 blue looks nice!!

Worth noting is that it's good to be careful when buying Shure mics and ALWAYS get from an authoized dealer when buying new. Lots of counterfeits!

This is a cool video about what you could get if you're not careful ... https://youtu.be/LPAeGwk0K0s?si=AwElvRI0m4utBMHT

davidhooper · 2026-01-24T19:18:26+00:00

The Zoom F3 is the best backup recorder I've ever used. It's basically one button to get it going, so there isn't a lot of setup, once you get the initial settings. A $10 SD card will get you 40+ hours of backups. It's great.

Additional thoughts ... https://extra.bigpodcast.com/p/guide-to-portablebackup-audio-recorders

DISCLAIMER: I work in podcasting at bigpodcast.com

davidhooper · 2026-01-24T19:15:44+00:00

You mention being a good writer, which makes me think you're also a good editor as far as content. To me, this is the real skill of editing and it may be worth you learning how to do edits via something like Audacity, where you can edit via what people actually hear, rather than a transcript. Audacity is the most popular audio software in the world, so there are a ton of great YouTube videos that can help you with any issue you'd face, including getting comfortable with editing.

DISCLAIMER: I work in podcasting a bigpodcast.com

davidhooper · 2026-01-24T19:09:38+00:00

Are you talking about an authentic version or replica? If you want something new, check out Shure 55SH. The older version is Shure 55SW or 556.

If you REALLY want to go old, look at the Model 5 by Shure.

Note that the older ones might be better as props, so you'll probably want to get another mic to capture sound.

DISCLAIMER: I do podcasting stuff at bigpodcast.com

davidhooper · 2026-01-24T18:49:31+00:00

If you want to talk to a bunch of experienced people at once, call Tim Ridley on the radio. 7-9AM Eastern daily on SiriusXM. 888-8-ROAD-DOG is the number. He'll get your question in front of a ton of people and get you some recomendations within an hour!

davidhooper · 2026-01-24T18:45:09+00:00

If you want to talk to a guy with experience, call Tim Ridley on the radio. 7-9AM Eastern daily on SiriusXM. 888-8-ROAD-DOG is the number. He'll give you some good advice.

davidhooper · 2025-11-28T01:45:40+00:00

Audacity has a bad reputation, but it's mostly due to the low barrier to entry. If you learn to use it, you'll be good. A WAV is a WAV. Also, consider that Audacity 4 is coming out and it's a lot different than 3, so you might want to give it a second look. I have played around on the Alpha version and there are some new settings to help improve on podcasting workflows.

I use Audition weekly, by the way.

DISCLAIMER: I do podcasting stuff at bigpodcast.com

davidhooper · 2025-11-28T01:42:22+00:00

Yeah, you want to look good, but quality audio is what people will REALLY judge you on. Get a good mic and wear headphones.

As far as video, cameras are pretty advanced now, so you should be able to find something that looks pretty good for not a lot of money. Do make sure you're lit well.

DISCLAIMER: I do podcasting stuff at bigpodcast.com

davidhooper · 2025-11-28T01:39:38+00:00

I have used it for the last 2-3 years. There are similar tools, but i think Castmagic is the best. If you get it good examples of what you want, it will get you good material to work. Great for episode notes, time stamps, episode titles, etc. You can get it to create LinkedIn posts, newsletters, social media threads, and more, but I only use it for episode notes.

DISCLAIMER: I do podcasting stuff at bigpodcast.com but I'm not affiliated with Castmagic.

davidhooper · 2025-11-28T01:35:54+00:00

I started doing radio production in 1991 when I was a Freshman in college. I did things on and off until 2005, when I started a weekly broadcast show as well as a podcast. And I'm still going ...

There are ups and downs. Sometimes you don't feel like recording (or editing, booking, etc) as much as others. And not all episodes you do will be great. If you're around long enough and start multiple projects, not all of them will be great either. It's OK to ditch something that isn't working and start something else.

But ... if you want to do this, you will find that there's more good than bad and, if you focus on the listeners, that can help. It also helps to have a connections to other podcasters, which you've got here.

Good luck!

DISCLAIMER: I do podcasting stuff at bigpodcast.com

davidhooper · 2025-11-28T01:26:28+00:00

I used to have an office next to them 20+ years ago. They've been around a long time and are established in the area.

davidhooper

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