Unveiling Innovative Setups for Podcast and Video Production, with Stephen Robles' Podcast Studio

If you're thinking of upgrading your podcasting audio or recording equipment, then Stephen Robles' studio tour is an essential listen!
Stephen Robles is a video and podcast creator, as well as the video and podcast producer at Riverside.fm. He's also the host and creator of the Primary Technology podcast. With his expertise in tech videos and discussions covering Apple devices, mobile technology, and smart home devices, he offers valuable insights for aspiring podcasters and content creators.
In this episode, Stephen takes us on a tour of his podcasting studio setup, sharing insights about his journey as a podcast and video creator while discussing the latest tech gadgets and equipment that he uses. Stephen reveals his advanced podcasting tech stack, covering various microphones, audio interfaces, and cameras, alongside useful tips for aspiring podcasters. He also explains why you shouldn’t spend thousands of dollars on microphones and cameras, and what might be a better investment if you’re just starting.
During this studio tour, Stephen discusses the impact of new tech gadgets such as the Apple Vision Pro on podcasting. He offers a glimpse into the latest podcasting technology and equipment along with helpful advice for anyone looking to enhance their podcasting setup.
If you're an aspiring podcaster looking to optimize your equipment, you will surely benefit from Stephen’s meticulously curated microphone selection, audio interface preferences, and camera setup.
IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER:
- (03:21) Stephen’s advanced podcasting tech stack: He shares insights into his meticulously curated microphone selection, audio interface preferences, and camera setup, providing valuable guidance for aspiring podcasters looking to optimize their equipment
- (10:29) What you should prioritize if you’re just starting: Mathew and Stephen explain that starting a podcast doesn't require a large investment. In fact, a budget of around $60-$70 can suffice. However, you should prioritize essential accessories over splurging on an expensive microphone initially.
- (13:26) The advantages and challenges of using an iPhone (or any other smartphone) as a camera for podcasting: Stephen reveals that modern smartphones like iPhones and recent Android models offer superior video quality compared to many webcams, even high-end ones, and with features like Continuity Camera, they provide excellent performance in various lighting conditions and can simplify the recording process without the need for expensive camera equipment.
- (19:45) Two important factors that can make podcasting a better experience for both creators and listeners - monetization and listener engagement: Stephen talks about the difficulties that smaller podcasts face when it comes to getting advertising, and how it is important to have a simple and efficient system for acquiring ads, as well as features that can help build stronger community engagement within podcast platforms.
LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Visit the Riverside.fm website and start creating your podcast.
- Follow Stephen on socials:
- https://www.threads.net/@stephenrobles
- https://www.instagram.com/stephenrobles/
- https://twitter.com/stephenrobles
- https://mastodon.social/@stephenrobles
- https://primarytech.fm/
- https://www.youtube.com/@beardfm
- Recommended Hardware:
- Mac Studio Display
- Rodecaster Pro 2
- Earthworks Ethos Microphone
- Sennheiser MKH 416 Shotgun microphone used for video content production
- Sony a74 with Sigma 35mm F1.4 lens
- Sony a6400 with Sigma 24-70 lens
- Blackmagic ATEM Mini Pro
- Stream Deck
- MixPre 3
- Shure Beta 87 A Microphone
- Recommended Software:
- Riverside.fm
- Supercast
- Continuity Camera
- Final Cut Pro
- Circle
- Patreon
- Stephen’s podcast recommendations:
- Omnibus podcast
- Creator Science podcast
- Smartless podcast
- Decoder podcast
**As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases of podcasting gear from Amazon.com. We also participate in affiliate programs with many of the software services mentioned on our website. If you purchase something through the links we provide, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The team at Podcasting Tech only recommends products and services that we would use ourselves and that we believe will provide value to our viewers and readers.**
For additional resources and insights visit podcastingtech.com or follow us on social media:
- Instagram: @podcasting_tech, @mathewpassy
- LinkedIn - /mathewpassy
- Threads: @mathewpassy
- Twitter/X: @mathewpassy
- Facebook - /podcastingtech, /mathewpassy
PODCASTING TECH IS POWERED BY:
- Podpage - Build a beautiful podcast website in 5 minutes
- Podgagement - Engage your audience and grow your podcast!
- Captivate - Easy, professional podcast hosting to create, grow and make money from your podcasts.
- Riverside.fm - Record Podcasts And Videos From Anywhere
- Castmagic - 10x Audio Content With AI
EQUIPMENT IN USE:
- Rodecaster Pro 1st Gen (No longer available). Consider the Rodecaster Duo or Rodecaster Pro II
- EV RE20 with 309a Shockmount
- Rode PSA1+
- iPhone continuity camera but previously the Logitech Brio 4k
- DCMEKA In-Ear Monitors
- BusyBox Smart Sign
And on this episode, we are doing a studio tour of some really cool
Speaker:
podcasting setups. And joining us today is Steven Robles, he is a video and
Speaker:
podcast creator. He is the video producer and podcast producer
Speaker:
at Riverside.fm, which, coincidentally, we are using to record
Speaker:
this podcast. He's also the host and creator of the primary technology
Speaker:
podcast. He does a bunch of tech videos, you know, talking about
Speaker:
Apple devices, mobile technology, smart home devices, and then some.
Speaker:
So definitely encourage you to go check out his content on social media and on
Speaker:
YouTube. Steven, thank you so much for joining us today. Thanks for having me. It's
Speaker:
fun to be here. So, Steven, how did you get into creating
Speaker:
the primary technology podcast? What was kind of the impetus to start that?
Speaker:
Know, I've been podcasting for 13 plus years, back when you had to
Speaker:
hand roll your own XML feed in like a text file, and I've
Speaker:
always Done some kind of technology podcast. I'm just kind of a nerd at heart,
Speaker:
you know, I love doing those kinds of shows, and so I was the host
Speaker:
of the Apple Insider Podcasting for about 4 years. I
Speaker:
got to start it actually in 2015 and then returned in
Speaker:
2020, did that for a number of years, and recently just left there and
Speaker:
wanted to kind of do my own thing, really make push on the video podcasting
Speaker:
front, and so we launched primary technology at the beginning of this year,
Speaker:
January 2024. We hit the Top 18 shows in
Speaker:
Apple Podcasts for the tech category in our 2nd week of launch, then
Speaker:
we just talk about, you know, all technology. There's a little bit of an Apple
Speaker:
slant because we're both kind of Apple guys, but, we try to cover the whole
Speaker:
technology landscape. And, yeah, it's a lot of fun. And I
Speaker:
noticed as I was looking over your stuff, you've been, talking a lot about the
Speaker:
VisionPRO, which at the time of this recording is gonna be hitting people's
Speaker:
doorsteps, and I think yours, this week. Right? I'll be, should be getting it
Speaker:
Friday, February 2nd, on launch day, and I have some videos
Speaker:
planned for it, of course. And then on the Riverside channel, I wanna, You know,
Speaker:
see what implications it has for podcasting. Obviously, right
Speaker:
away, not much because, you know, there's not really a lot of
Speaker:
apps stuff, but you can listen to Podcasting Vision Pro, and who knows with
Speaker:
spatial video and other ways to capture that media, how it might affect
Speaker:
podcasting in the future, especially as Podcasting really leaning into video
Speaker:
nowadays, especially on YouTube and such. So, yeah, we'll see. Yeah.
Speaker:
I I agree with you. I mean, I can't imagine how it's gonna impact just
Speaker:
the audio only podcasting universe other than being able to consume that
Speaker:
content while Doing a bunch of other things that you can do on those glasses,
Speaker:
but I'm sure there are some really interesting and creative ideas coming down the pipe
Speaker:
for people who do video podcasts and other video content. So We'll be
Speaker:
excited to check that out. So let's talk a little bit about
Speaker:
your tech stack. What do you typically use when you are recording your well,
Speaker:
we'll call it Podcasting. We're talking about video and audio in this case. For sure.
Speaker:
Well, I'm sorry I must share my screen. I could show a photo, kind of
Speaker:
a wide shot of my editing area.
Speaker:
And this is my desk. This is where I record all
Speaker:
my content, Podcast, video content. And at the heart
Speaker:
of it, of course, is the Mac Studio that runs everything. And when it comes
Speaker:
to audio, I have a Rodecaster Pro Two of to the
Speaker:
side is my main audio interface. Going into that, I have, this
Speaker:
microphone that I'm talking into now, which is the Earthworks Ethos. It's just
Speaker:
my favorite mic for for podcasting. Also into that, I have
Speaker:
a shotgun microphone, the Sennheiser MKH 416,
Speaker:
which I use for all of my video content. So both of that going into
Speaker:
the Rodecaster Pro 2, into the Mac Studio. And then video
Speaker:
wise, I use a Sony a74 with a
Speaker:
Sigma 35 millimeter F1.4 lens, and that's what I'm
Speaker:
using right now to record this video podcast, and then also
Speaker:
All my video content, I record on that as well. And I also have a
Speaker:
Sony a6400. It was one of my, kind of, first mirrorless
Speaker:
cameras And I use it as a B roll camera, so it's kinda top down.
Speaker:
And I have a Sigma 24 to 70 lens on that, which just makes it
Speaker:
easy to do those top down shots. Sony autofocus is rock solid, and so
Speaker:
I never have to worry about that kind of stuff. Eye tracking on this main
Speaker:
camera and, you know, center focus on the, B roll camera, and it it works
Speaker:
out really well. And I see you're running all that through the, ?
Speaker:
Blackmagic, Mini there? Yes. The ATEM, Blackmagic ATEM
Speaker:
Mini Pro is the switcher. You know, it has 4 HDMI HDMI
Speaker:
input. So I have the 2 cameras, input there. I also have an Apple
Speaker:
TV, sometimes just to either screen record an Apple
Speaker:
if there's a software update, I have that. And I also have my Mac Studio
Speaker:
Tech display going to that, which I really use when I'm recording a video
Speaker:
podcast. Sometimes I want to, like, Switch over if I'm doing a live stream,
Speaker:
like, I'll be doing a live stream unboxing of the Apple Vision Pro, and I
Speaker:
actually use The, top down camera and the screen share, all
Speaker:
of it, while I live stream through the the switcher. And you'll also
Speaker:
see on the desk on the far left side, There's a Stream
Speaker:
Deck and so I use that strictly to control the ATEM
Speaker:
because the ATEM is kind of far away from where I'm sitting to record. So
Speaker:
I have this Stream Deck to adjust the switcher, but I also have the
Speaker:
Stream Deck Pedal, which is really useful for switching because I
Speaker:
can switch between my camera 1 and my camera 2, my top down
Speaker:
shot, and I can use a 3rd button on the Stream Deck pedal with
Speaker:
my foot to enable picture in picture. So I can quickly
Speaker:
switch between my camera angles and put myself in picture picture, all
Speaker:
with my foot. So I can do all the unboxing, do the live
Speaker:
stream, and really then it looks like a finished edit,
Speaker:
just with my foot pedal and all the the switchers. So,
Speaker:
Wow. Like, fantastic setup, and and this picture looks very clean,
Speaker:
very nice. One question I one, I had never even heard of
Speaker:
the stream deck Foot pedal, that has gotta be valuable for video,
Speaker:
producers, especially who are doing lots of different things and, you know, might be holding
Speaker:
a product while they're talking about and doing a live stream or something like that.
Speaker:
Right. Exactly. Yes. I noticed the 2nd mic, though, in your setup
Speaker:
there off, right behind the one that you're using right now looks like a Shure
Speaker:
7 b. I have a Shure SM7B,
Speaker:
mostly to tell people not to buy it, for the most Tech. No, I'm just
Speaker:
kidding. I did have a video on the Riverside channel that said overhyped. I have
Speaker:
a few microphones as you'll see in this, photo, and, you know,
Speaker:
the Shure MV 7, is a great microphone. That's actually what I use
Speaker:
when I travel. I have to record. I'll throw that in my backpack. It's a
Speaker:
great mic for that. The Shure SM seven b, obviously, it's iconic. You know,
Speaker:
every major podcast that you see with celebrities, they're using the SM7B, usually.
Speaker:
I just find that for most people, even
Speaker:
intermediate podcasters, as they're trying to get into podcasting,
Speaker:
It it's so finicky of a microphone and takes so
Speaker:
much other equipment. You know, most people might have a Scarlett 2I2 audio interface.
Speaker:
They try to plug in the Shure Samson b, and they wonder why
Speaker:
they can't hear themselves or why the volume is so low, and people just are
Speaker:
not aware of the gain needs for the SM7B. And you
Speaker:
really need a cloud lifter or a Fed head or you need a powerful enough
Speaker:
audio interface like a Rodecaster Pro 2 or something like that. Or that MixPre
Speaker:
3 I see in the bottom left corner of this picture. Yeah. I have a
Speaker:
MixPre 3 as well, which was my audio interface before the The Rodecaster Pro
Speaker:
2. And both of those can run the SM7B no problem. But
Speaker:
then I also find, like, the dip switches are finicky on the back of that
Speaker:
and a lot of people's voices, including my own, if they're a little lower and
Speaker:
timbre, that you don't get a lot of clarity or enough clarity for
Speaker:
me, and you have to do a lot of EQ ing and post processing with
Speaker:
it, and so I actually steer people to other microphones more more
Speaker:
of the time. I am the exact same way. When I was working with clients
Speaker:
all the time. A lot of them wanted that s m seven b because they
Speaker:
saw, you know, the Joe Rogans of the world using it and, right, every podcaster
Speaker:
who had a video channel was a big deal had it. And, yeah, we just
Speaker:
found that It was it it became so
Speaker:
much, one, more expensive than what they expected
Speaker:
and Cause a lot of problems, because once you add that Cloudlifter, once you add
Speaker:
that Fed head, now it's becoming a super sensitive mic. It's picking up all sorts
Speaker:
of background noise, whereas As a dynamic mic, it really should be
Speaker:
a little bit tighter. Right? It shouldn't be picking up as much. I I I
Speaker:
try to get people to avoid that as well. I agree that m v 7,
Speaker:
though, is a is a Great, great, entry level Shure
Speaker:
mic not even entry level. I mean, it's a it's a high quality microphone, but
Speaker:
it's good for entry level as well. For sure. For sure. I also highly
Speaker:
recommend the, Audio Technica ATR 21 100X as a
Speaker:
USB mic. It's usually 60 or $70 on Samson,
Speaker:
And for a lot of people, I mean, it could take you years into podcasting.
Speaker:
Like, it really does sound great, and it has USB C connection as
Speaker:
opposed to the Samsung Q2 U, which still has the mini USB. And
Speaker:
I'm like, just give me USB c everywhere. I got all under that. You know
Speaker:
what? That's a really because I I Typically recommend the Samson as well, because
Speaker:
I like the q nine u, which I'm not even
Speaker:
sure if they're still selling anymore. Every time I go to look for it, it
Speaker:
looks like they're they're out of stock. But good to know that 2100 x has
Speaker:
the USB C, so I'll I'll update my recommendations as well because I I was
Speaker:
a fan of that 2100 originally too. You know, I
Speaker:
have a podcast host. I do a movie Podcasting, and he's been using that
Speaker:
microphone for, like, the last 6 years, and he sounds great and it's, you know,
Speaker:
really forgive me. He's recorded in hotel rooms. He travels a lot, and it does
Speaker:
great at a lot of room noise rejection. And now there's just so many tools,
Speaker:
like AI tools to to make audio better. You can
Speaker:
almost use those if you don't have the great setup yet, and it's a lot
Speaker:
cheaper. There's some even free tools out there. So Yeah. 100%. In fact,
Speaker:
when I was traveling a little bit more for work, I always kept the
Speaker:
2100 in my laptop bag because, right, you just plug it in, Throw on some
Speaker:
headphones, hold it up, and you're ready to go. I've done a few Podcasting hotel
Speaker:
rooms and, you know, non ideal locations, and it
Speaker:
came out sounding great. So I agree. If you're just getting started and you
Speaker:
don't wanna I mean, everybody wants to invest $1,000 or so into their
Speaker:
setup. But for 60, $70, you know, Maybe a
Speaker:
couple more dollars for a good stand and and a, you know, cheap pair of
Speaker:
earbuds to put in it. You can't go wrong with those 2100 or or the
Speaker:
Samson. Depending on how much your setup is. For sure, and you know,
Speaker:
a lot of times, something like a mic arm is going to be a better
Speaker:
investment at first than buying, like, rather than buying a $250 microphone, Buy
Speaker:
the $70 mic and get a mic arm, buy yourself
Speaker:
a light if you're gonna do a video podcast, and that's probably gonna give
Speaker:
you a better Product upfront because, you know, for a long
Speaker:
time, like, holding a USB microphone, not only is it tiring if you do a
Speaker:
long podcast, but you're getting little clicks and pops, like in the USB cable. Like,
Speaker:
it is you're gonna have all those things, and they're hard to edit out, and
Speaker:
that's something the AI tools to give a bunch of pops and clicks, like, it's
Speaker:
just not gonna do well. So, you know, get invest in a cheap microphone. Get,
Speaker:
not a cheap, but get the ATR 2100 x. It's a good
Speaker:
microphone. Get it in its expensive mic arm, then it'll limit, like, Shocks
Speaker:
and taps on your desk, and you can get a have a much better setup
Speaker:
right away. I couldn't agree with you more. You're you're giving me a little
Speaker:
PTSD from clients that I used to edit who would try handheld or, you know,
Speaker:
all sorts of crazy setups without without a good mic armor or even, truthfully, even
Speaker:
just a good mic stand. Right? That ATR comes with its own little tripod stand.
Speaker:
But, truthfully, you put that on your desk mic's pointing at your belly button, which
Speaker:
doesn't really do you much good. Right? You need to get it nice up and
Speaker:
close and personal for it to, for it to work well. I wonder, do you
Speaker:
remember the 1st mic you ever used in podcasting since you've been
Speaker:
doing this for a while? Oh, goodness. The 1st
Speaker:
microphone, It was probably
Speaker:
I had a Shure Beta 87 A as one of my earliest
Speaker:
microphones. I got it because Marco Arment, he's a host on the,
Speaker:
ATP.fm Podcasting know, he also, runs Overcast, right? He
Speaker:
built the app, Overcast. He's the sole developer there. Great podcast app.
Speaker:
But he recommended that as, like, his number one pick for the
Speaker:
Balance of cost versus quality, and there's still a lot of
Speaker:
professional podcasters that use that microphone, like Jon Gruber, who does the talk show, another
Speaker:
big Apple Podcasting uses the Shure Beta 878, and so
Speaker:
I invested in that, and I think I used that for many years. And
Speaker:
from there, I actually went to the ATR 2100X just for ease
Speaker:
of a USB mic, and then I don't even I have so many mics
Speaker:
after that. I'm not sure what the progress was, but that short beta 87 a,
Speaker:
I would still recommend for a lot of people. Solid mic, but XLR only.
Speaker:
So you need an audio interface, and then you get into that whole world too.
Speaker:
Yeah. I remember when I first got started, the audio interface game was, Tech
Speaker:
quite as generous. It could Tech quite as easy as it is today with all
Speaker:
the various RODE products or just the mics with their own built in,
Speaker:
interface, essentially. So, yeah, that's a fantastic
Speaker:
setup. When it comes to video, right,
Speaker:
you have very nice expensive cameras there.
Speaker:
You know, we had great recommendations for that 1st time mic usage. What would you
Speaker:
say to folks who were thinking about jumping into video who cannot invest
Speaker:
the kind of money that, You know, folks like yourself can into those, you know,
Speaker:
high-tech Sony cameras. I mean, nowadays, like if
Speaker:
you have an iPhone And most modern Android phones, like,
Speaker:
that's the best video quality you're gonna get before you
Speaker:
jump to a mirrorless camera. I've tried many, many webcams,
Speaker:
including the nice webcams that are several $100, that
Speaker:
are 4 ks, and none of them perform as
Speaker:
good as an iPhone. And with Continuity Camera, you
Speaker:
can use your iPhone as a webcam with no third party app required
Speaker:
and it looks great and you can do it with Riverside. So honestly,
Speaker:
I tell most people, like, when you think about your budget
Speaker:
and what you're gonna invest in, If you have a modern iPhone, like iPhone 11
Speaker:
or newer, that's your camera until you're ready to spend
Speaker:
about $1,000. Now after the iPhone, I think
Speaker:
the Sony ZVE 10. Which that's
Speaker:
a you know, the camera's around 800, $900. Buy refurbished.
Speaker:
You know, that's another thing too. If you're starting out with equipment, don't shy
Speaker:
away from buying, like, good refurbished, you know, from trusted brands. Amazon
Speaker:
sells refurbished products, B and H photo. Buy refurbished.
Speaker:
Like, it's okay. And the Sony ZV E10 is sub $1,000,
Speaker:
But what's key is it has that Sony autofocus, which
Speaker:
is on point, and it has an interchangeable lens. So
Speaker:
you can upgrade your lens later if you want kind of that Blurry
Speaker:
background or bokeh Tech, you can buy a nicer lens. I would
Speaker:
recommend the Sigma 16 millimeter f1.4, which is about 3
Speaker:
or $400 with that camera. And you can have video that
Speaker:
looks very similar to what I have right now for about $1100.
Speaker:
And so I would do iPhone until you're ready to invest about that in the
Speaker:
Sony ZV E Tech. You know, I I know iPhone does the continuity
Speaker:
camera, and I just I've had my Logitech BRIO just
Speaker:
Set up. It's so easy. It's it's right here.
Speaker:
And I know it doesn't always work optimally
Speaker:
with Riverside and some other platforms. Right? It claims 4
Speaker:
k, but it it never really produces that when you're using some of these online
Speaker:
platforms. So I might actually give that a try. I might go continuity camera and
Speaker:
see, how easy it is and and what the difference is.
Speaker:
Those Sony, by the way, CV e tens, we were doing a Studio build. And
Speaker:
we
Speaker:
were messing around with a bunch of cameras. We went up settling on those, and,
Speaker:
yeah, could not be happier with the quality you get for the Price, the
Speaker:
flexibility, the versatility. I would also recommend getting, one
Speaker:
of those battery like, plug in battery pass so
Speaker:
you don't have to worry about Running out of power with that, that'll make all
Speaker:
the difference. And a few setting tweaks there, and it really is just the perfect
Speaker:
camera for podcasting, especially when you're 1st getting started out
Speaker:
now. Don't take it on the road with you. Don't move around with it. It
Speaker:
does not handle movement very well. But as a stationary streaming camera,
Speaker:
Chef's kiss right there. And and I
Speaker:
would say, you know, to the continuity camera iPhone thing, continuity camera
Speaker:
maxes out at 1080p. It's not 4 k, But your listeners and
Speaker:
viewers have to realize, like, 4 ks is not everything. You can have 4
Speaker:
k resolution, but not good white balance, not good low
Speaker:
light performance, You know, unable to focus on your face
Speaker:
quickly and 4 k, but having all of those problems, like,
Speaker:
I've tested a lot of 4 k webcams and they have those issues, It's not
Speaker:
gonna have a good end product. And the reason why I suggest things like
Speaker:
continuity cameras, the iPhone is great in in an unideal
Speaker:
lighting conditions. It's great at focus and it's great at white balance,
Speaker:
and then you just don't even have to think about it. And if you want
Speaker:
to add that little blur portrait effect, It's not perfect, also depending on
Speaker:
your hair and background and all kind of stuff, but it does really well.
Speaker:
So yeah. Nice. Yeah. That's That's, all solid points of the
Speaker:
iPhone does, well, and even the, the Android cameras too. They all do a really
Speaker:
nice job of just making it Easy. Right? Just
Speaker:
user friendly. Don't have to think too much about it.
Speaker:
Well, this is great. I I mean, you have a fantastic Set up some great
Speaker:
equipment there, some fantastic suggestions for folks who are trying to
Speaker:
move into a more professional level, but also those just getting started. So really appreciate
Speaker:
that. Before we let you go, let me fire a few quick questions
Speaker:
at you that we're gonna be asking everybody. So one is, is
Speaker:
there any tech On your wish list right now,
Speaker:
like, is there a microphone? Is there a camera? Is there something out there
Speaker:
that you just you wanna get? You're like, Maybe it's out of
Speaker:
budget. Maybe it's not available or or whatnot. Just but it's
Speaker:
something that you definitely wanna get your hands on.
Speaker:
There's, there's 3 things, that I'd really like.
Speaker:
1 doesn't exist, but I want it, which is a Blackmagic ATEM
Speaker:
pro video switcher like I have, but 4 k. So Okay. Probably just
Speaker:
at about 10 Tech p versus 4 k. I would love a 4 k version
Speaker:
of that video switcher. I don't know why it's taking them Yeah, I don't know
Speaker:
why it's taking them so long, but I'm hoping for that. That's 1.
Number 2 00:17:53
Elgato just came out with a teleprompter That looks
Number 2 00:17:56
amazing. It's basically a tiny screen with a little teleprompter,
Number 2 00:18:00
but you can use it as a secondary display And, basically,
Number 2 00:18:04
like, drag your Riverside window over onto that teleprompter and look
Number 2 00:18:08
directly at your guest, but also be seeing, but looking
Number 2 00:18:11
into the camera, and so you're not looking off to the side when you look
Number 2 00:18:14
at your guest. And I don't have a great teleprompter set up right now, and
Number 2 00:18:18
so I would love that, that that Elgato teleprompter. You know, I
Number 2 00:18:22
actually have 1 sitting in a box I gotta open up. Maybe I'll do that,
Number 2 00:18:24
do a little review, and, and and show everyone what it looks like, in a
Number 2 00:18:27
future video. See, that's wonderful. Yeah. I gotta get 1. I gotta get one of
Number 2 00:18:30
those. And and thirdly, I would like to add a 3rd camera to
Number 2 00:18:34
my setup for things like live streaming, And even when I just record
Number 2 00:18:37
videos, I record all the cameras simultaneously and then
Number 2 00:18:41
use multi cam clips in Final Cut because it really cuts down on editing if
Number 2 00:18:44
I can just switch, you know, between the different angles. And I would love a
Number 2 00:18:48
3rd angle that's, kind of, like, desk level at my hands for talking
Number 2 00:18:52
about a product or whatever. So I would have the overshot, which is great most
Number 2 00:18:55
times, but having that kind of like desk height shot of a
Number 2 00:18:59
product, that's really close-up, and to do that I would need another camera. And
Number 2 00:19:02
so, would like another camera. It's it's too much of a luxury right now to
Number 2 00:19:06
say, like, yeah, I'm gonna get it. I got the Vision Pro, so, you know,
Number 2 00:19:09
that's my budget for a while. And, we'll see, maybe in the near
Number 2 00:19:12
future. On the on the podcasting front itself,
Number 2 00:19:16
are there is there any place that you would like to see improvement
Number 2 00:19:20
in just Podcasting general. Not equipment necessarily, but just
Number 2 00:19:24
how it impacts creators or even how it impacts users.
Number 2 00:19:29
For sure. Two two big things there. Number 1, I would love
Number 2 00:19:32
to see a community aspect
Number 2 00:19:37
where you can interact with your listeners that's closer to the
Number 2 00:19:41
listening experience. And what I mean by that is, as a podcast creator,
Number 2 00:19:45
You can have, like, membership programs or or have Discord communities where you
Number 2 00:19:48
invite people to a Discord channel. So I'm just not crazy about Discord. You can
Number 2 00:19:52
try to set up a Slack. You can try to set up, you know, an
Number 2 00:19:55
actual community through something like Circle, but there's just not
Number 2 00:19:58
a great way for your listeners to directly interact with you.
Number 2 00:20:02
Again, they can go to social media, you know, if you're there, but Spotify has
Number 2 00:20:06
come the closest where they actually have, like, a Q and A feature, where if
Number 2 00:20:09
you listen in the Spotify app, as a listener, you can actually shoot a
Number 2 00:20:12
question and the podcast creators can see it and answer
Number 2 00:20:16
it via text in the Spotify creator dashboard. But I would love
Number 2 00:20:20
to see some kind of engagement, like and YouTube is gonna be
Number 2 00:20:24
ahead of the game, because as podcasts are more coming to YouTube, YouTube has
Number 2 00:20:28
the comments and the likes and the engagement and interaction already locked
Number 2 00:20:31
down, because of the video platform. So I would love to
Number 2 00:20:35
see Apple Podcasts and Spotify Figure out how to engage
Number 2 00:20:39
more with your listeners more closely on it.
Number 2 00:20:43
And secondly, Monetization for mid to
Number 2 00:20:46
smaller podcasters, and there's a lot of platforms that are working on this. Spotify
Number 2 00:20:50
for Podcasting, you can have, you know, ads dynamically inserted. Buzzsprout
Number 2 00:20:54
does a great thing where you can have ads inserted just through your podcast
Number 2 00:20:57
host, but I would love, you know, when you get to a certain size, like
Number 2 00:21:01
10,000 downloads an episode and higher, you You can work with an ad agency and
Number 2 00:21:05
they'll book ads for you. But until you're that size, most
Number 2 00:21:08
ad agencies don't wanna talk to you. And it's really the only
Number 2 00:21:12
way to have, like, consistent advertising, and it's a lot of work to reach
Number 2 00:21:16
out to sponsors directly as a podcast host and have those regular sponsorships. So
Number 2 00:21:20
I would love for podcast, in general, to figure out how
Number 2 00:21:23
can those mid to smaller podcasts monetize that's not
Number 2 00:21:28
a ton of work, that's repeatable, it can be ongoing, and
Number 2 00:21:31
that brands would be more open to it and so
Number 2 00:21:35
that brands would start supporting And I'm not sure how it can be done
Number 2 00:21:38
aside from, like, you know, an ad agency type organization. I don't know the answer,
Number 2 00:21:42
but I would love for there to be advancement in that area.
Number 2 00:21:46
Yeah. I mean, I think it would have to be somewhat similar to, like, the
Number 2 00:21:49
megaphone model, which is you get a company that says, I wanna buy, you know,
Number 2 00:21:52
a 1000000 impressions, and then they just disperse them out a bunch Across a bunch
Number 2 00:21:56
of different podcasts, but now brands have to be comfortable with
Number 2 00:22:00
any podcast, right, being where their content shows up. And
Number 2 00:22:04
then, Similarly, I think the content creators have to be okay with any ad
Number 2 00:22:07
showing up and having a little bit less control over it for that for that
Number 2 00:22:11
model to work. But that's that's a really That's a really good thought. And, you
Number 2 00:22:14
know, going back to the other thing you were talking about, that social aspect of
Number 2 00:22:17
podcast consumption, I really thought Facebook or
Number 2 00:22:21
then Twitter, was really gonna grab that one and
Number 2 00:22:25
and take it for a ride, but neither one of them can really sink their
Number 2 00:22:28
teeth into it and figure it out. Now in, you know, Apple Podcasts, you can
Number 2 00:22:32
leave reviews, you know, 5 star reviews, and I actually do this thing on my
Number 2 00:22:35
shows where I give shout outs To anyone who left a 5 star
Number 2 00:22:39
review on the Podcasting Apple Podcasts, we do it at the top of the show
Number 2 00:22:42
for Primary Technology, and it's kinda great because I tell people, leave your
Number 2 00:22:46
name and where you listen from, because a lot of times the Apple Podcasts reviews
Number 2 00:22:49
just has their username, and a lot of times it's not even, like, a real
Number 2 00:22:52
name, it's just a random string or something they made up, and so that's almost
Number 2 00:22:56
a way to my listeners, they've they've really enjoyed hearing their
Number 2 00:23:00
name said, like, hey. Thanks, Chris, listening from Germany
Number 2 00:23:03
or whatever. And just that little bit of interaction goes
Number 2 00:23:07
a long way, but to take it even further to maybe there's comments,
Number 2 00:23:10
and I understand there's a whole moderation thing there. Apple probably avoids
Number 2 00:23:14
things like comments being able to be left on content on its
Number 2 00:23:18
platforms. I totally understand there's a bunch of moderation questions there, but some
Number 2 00:23:22
mechanism, would be nice for more engagement. Yeah.
Number 2 00:23:26
Some sort of direct communication tool. And then, I mean, there third party ones, but,
Number 2 00:23:29
yeah, it would be nice for it to be a little bit more centralized. I
Number 2 00:23:32
think that's drove a lot of the the podcasting space.
Number 2 00:23:36
Fantastic. And even from Members too, you know, I do Apple
Number 2 00:23:39
Podcasts subscriptions for my 2 shows, Primer
Number 2 00:23:43
Technology and Movies on the Side, I have people like supporting the shows directly, paying
Number 2 00:23:47
monthly or even annually, but I get no data on who that
Number 2 00:23:50
is. And I understand that's a privacy and security thing that Apple
Number 2 00:23:54
promises, but when you do get members on things like
Number 2 00:23:57
Patreon or Memberful, you can ask for names and Addresses,
Number 2 00:24:01
and then you can support your your supporters, people who are paying to listen to
Number 2 00:24:05
your content, by sending free merch, stickers, anything.
Number 2 00:24:09
And that's the, like, I don't get that data from Apple
Number 2 00:24:12
Podcasts. There's no way for me to send a free t shirt to
Number 2 00:24:16
someone who supports me on Apple Podcasts, And so, again, it would be nice
Number 2 00:24:20
if there was some way, even for that level of communication, where
Number 2 00:24:24
I can send a message To everyone who supports the show, even if they you
Number 2 00:24:27
know, I don't get their email addresses, like, I totally get the Apple, but it
Number 2 00:24:31
would be nice to, like, have that open ability to
Number 2 00:24:34
reward the people that are literally paying to listen to the show. Yeah. And
Number 2 00:24:38
and Supercast is another one that does really good job with, private podcast
Number 2 00:24:41
feeds and, you know, supplying that information. So I agree with
Number 2 00:24:45
you there. It would be nice to have a a nice direct connection to those
Number 2 00:24:48
listeners, especially ones who have who are so invested in the show they're willing to
Number 2 00:24:51
pay for access to it. They're not just tripping over a
Number 2 00:24:55
podcast one day and being like, oh, no. Leave me alone, Stephen. I didn't ask
Number 2 00:24:58
for this. You know, that's Very, very different story. Last
Number 2 00:25:02
thing we always wanna ask everybody is what is currently your favorite podcast that you
Number 2 00:25:05
were listening to besides your own? Oh my goodness. I mean, I listen to so
Number 2 00:25:09
many Techy podcasts, and so that would be, my initial reaction. I actually have
Number 2 00:25:13
enjoyed Smartless, which, you know, it's a celebrity Podcast actors,
Number 2 00:25:16
and and typically, I shy away from celebrity driven
Number 2 00:25:20
shows, but I actually really enjoy Smartless. I think it's it's enjoyable.
Number 2 00:25:24
It's fun to listen to. I enjoy a lot of
Number 2 00:25:27
Decoder episodes with Nilay Patel, and, I'll do
Number 2 00:25:31
2 more real quick, and then I'll I'll say, my favorite recent one. But
Number 2 00:25:35
Omnibus is a fun podcast. It's kind of like obscure history.
Number 2 00:25:39
They go in-depth on, like, random historical events. That's with Ken Jennings,
Number 2 00:25:42
who, Jeopardy! Famed. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's a co host there,
Number 2 00:25:46
and John Roderick, and they talk about interesting stuff, and if you're a
Number 2 00:25:50
creator, podcast or video, YouTube, whatever,
Number 2 00:25:54
Creator Science by Jay Clouse. It is an incredible
Number 2 00:25:58
resource. He has amazing guests on that show. I've been listening to
Number 2 00:26:01
every episode recently, and if you're trying to grow as a creator
Number 2 00:26:05
or video, podcast, whatever, just listen to his show. I mean, it's
Number 2 00:26:09
just Incredible advice for free, and
Number 2 00:26:13
he has these huge names on there that talks about success in in their
Number 2 00:26:16
fields, including podcasting. So, Yeah. Highly recommend. Excellent. Well,
Number 2 00:26:20
we'll make sure to provide links to, those shows as well as,
Number 2 00:26:24
again, links to everything that Steven does. He is A video
Number 2 00:26:28
and podcast producer at Riverside FM, the platform that we are
Number 2 00:26:31
using to host this conversation to record it. And he's also the
Number 2 00:26:35
host Of the Primary Technology podcast, you can find
Number 2 00:26:39
it at PrimaryTech.fm. We'll include a link there so you can find it very easily.
Number 2 00:26:42
Stephen, thanks for, taking us into your studio and for joining us.
Number 2 00:26:47
Thanks so much, Mathew. It's been a pleasure.

Stephen Robles
Video Producer and Podcast Producer at Riverside
Stephen Robles is an influential tech video and podcast creator covering Apple devices, mobile technology, smart home devices, mobile technology, and cloud services. On YouTube and across social media he reaches millions every month.