What do you really need to make superb travel podcasts while on the road?
Matador Goods caught up with podcaster extraordinaire Craig Martin to find out.
Back in 2005, I bought my first computer ever. Everything before then had been cobbled together from friends’ cast-offs.
I had very tech-savvy friends so their cast-offs weren’t too bad!
My Apple 12″ Powerbook G4 still runs OSX 10.4 and is the backbone of our podcasting efforts.
We record most of our shows directly through Garageband, then export to iTunes before using the Levelator and MacMp3Gain to clean things up for publication.
The Zoom H2 is a versatile recorder with some great options. Four microphones located within the head allows for 90, 120 or 360 degree sound recording with the option for four-channel surround sound.
The Zoom H2 can take SD cards or plug straight into your computer via USB. We now use it for all Skype calls, field recordings and studio (in hostels!) shows.
The package we bought came with an SD card, wind filter and two stands.
One thing not included is a decent protective case. We remedied this with a hard sunglasses case from an airport store in London.
I almost deafened myself on our first long-haul flights during the iPod era.
We were going to be taking lots of flights again at the end of 2006 and it was around the same time we were starting up the Indie Travel Podcast, so it was time to invest in something suitable.
After trying several styles and brands, I settled on the Sennheiser CX 300 as the best balance between quality, price and the rigors of life on the road.
Recently updated as the W60, the Pentax Optio is our point and shoot camera of choice. We’re far from being professional photographers: we want something that works quickly, takes suitable shots and will survive the journey.
The thing that really got us into the Optio is that it’s waterproof straight out of the box.
We’ve been able to take cool underwater photos and videos in pools and seas around the world.
There’s nothing neater than coming across a big fish and being able to quickly snap a photo of it with your point-and-shoot camera.
Our biggest problem, human error aside, is storage space.
We want to keep archives of all our original and edited material. The LaCie Rugged hard drive has been serving us well so far.
Its lightweight metal build and rubber protection around the casing helps it bounce…and everyone who’s handed luggage to an airline representative knows it’s going to bounce at some stage.