Podcast Studio Overview

Overview

The Podcast Studio is fully equipped to record a 4-person audio podcast. 

• Has a height adjustable podcast table. 
• Is set up with 4 microphones on booms arms. 
• Can make multitrack recordings directly to an SD card or to a computer. 
• Has one computer station. 
• They are available for students to use for academic use. 
• The labs require the proficiency badge and also the quarterly access badge. 
• Students in approved programs or contracts will be added to the access badge each quarter.  

Location

• First floor of Evans Hall in 1504. 

Access

• The labs require the proficiency badge and also the quarterly access badge. 
• Read the Media Labs Proficiency Process page for proficiency information.
• Read the Media Labs Access Policy for lab polices.
• Read the Scheduling General Access Media Labs article for scheduling procedures.
• Schedule time at Media Loan, the Multimedia Lab or via Self Service in Schedule Evergreen.
• Get keys from Media Loan for your scheduled time.

General Policies

• No food or drinks of any kind are allowed in the labs.
• Alcohol, drugs, vaping and smoking are not allowed anywhere in the buildings.
• Take care of yourself and remember to take a break once in a while.
• Clean up after yourself.  
• Do not delete other students' files.
• Do not unplug or remove anything from the spaces.
• Make sure the door is closed and locked when you leave the lab.
  • Do not leave doors propped open if the room will be temporarily unoccupied, even if you are only running to the restroom.
• Only use your scheduled time.
• Return keys and equipment promptly to Media Loan or to the Library Circulation Desk.
• Reports any lab problems by following the Report a problem in a media lab procedure.
• Be courteous and respectful to the other users of the labs and all student employees.
• Follow the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities and the Social Contract
• Files on computers may be deleted at the end of each quarter or as-needed.
  • Always keep a backup of your work in another location.

Help

• Always enter your name and time into the logbook, along with any problems you encounter during your time in the lab
• If you need help, go to the Multimedia Lab 1404.
• In the dock there is a folder with an orange M called Manuals that contain PDF’s of some of the manuals
• The Evergreen Help Wiki – has helpful Mixing Bench articles as well as various audio editing software cheat sheets
  • Podcast Studio

Applications

• Ableton Live: Music Production
• Pro Tools: Multi-track audio recording and mixing.
• REAPER: Multi-track audio recording and mixing.
• Audacity: Open source audio editor.

Equipment

Podcast Table

• Height adjustable table with padded surface.
• 4 mic boom arms mounted to the table
• 4 RE-20 microphones secured to the boom arms.
• 4 Stereo Headphones

Tascam Mixcast 4 Interface/Mixer

1. Can make multitrack recordings directly to an SD card or to a computer.
2. 4 mic inputs.
3. Stereo line input.
4. Bluetooth input.
5. USB feed from the computer.
6. Dedicated stereo Monitor Output feeds active nearfield speakers by computer.
7. 4 Headphone Outputs for monitoring.

Computer

• Mac Studio and 64 GB of Ram
• 27" Dell monitor with built in webcam

Lab Procedures

Powering On Procedure

1. Turn down the volume on the Mackie Big Knob Passive monitor controller. It’s the black box with a large volume knob by the computer.
2. Turn on the power strip located on the right corner of the computer desk.
3. Wait 10 seconds for the sound card to fully start up, sound card should read 48k.
4. Power on the computer by pressing the button on the lower left corner of the computer.
5. Log in to the computer and wait for the user template to fully start up.
6. Power on the Tascam Mixcast 4

Monitoring

• Both the Monitor Output of the Tascam Mixcast 4 and the Mackie Big Knob Passive monitor controller are used to set the monitoring volume through the speakers.  
• On the Big Knob set the Input Selection button to A (Stereo) to listen to the Monitor Outputs of the Tascam Mixcast 4. 
  • The computer is set up to send its main output signals through the Mixcast 4; the fader for the stereo channel labeled with the USB symbol needs to be turned up on the Mixcast in order to monitor audio coming from the computer. 
• On the Big Knob, Input Selection 2 is not being used.
• On the Big Knob, there are two pairs of speaker outputs available. Output Selection A is connected to the nearfield speakers. Output B is not connected to anything.
• The four sets of headphones connected to the Mixcast 4 can also be used to monitor.
• Be careful! If the Monitor Output of the Mixcast 4 is turned up too much, loud feedback from the microphones could occur. A "best practice" would be to only use the Monitor Output to listen to playback from the computer; when recording microphones, monitoring should be done on headphones, and the Monitor Output knob should be turned all the way down.

File Management

All file storage on the computers is local to that computer.  You need to back up your files in order to use them in another lab.

• Make a folder on the desktop to store your files.  
• When working save often
• When you are done save and quit any applications you are using.
• Back up your files to:
  • OneDrive
  • External hard drive
  • Thumb drive
• If you have a fast USB three hard drive you can work directly of your drive.  
• We erase all the student files off the computers on Thursday of every eval week.
• Always back up your files