Welcome to Podcasting Tech, a podcast that equips busy entrepreneurs engaged in podcasting with proven and cost effective solutions for achieving a professional sound and appearance. I'm Mathew Passy, your host and a 15 year veteran in the podcasting space. We'll help you cut through the noise and offer guidance on software and hardware that can elevate the quality of your show. Tune in weekly for insightful interviews with tech creators, behind the scenes studio tours, and strategies for
podcasting success. Head to podcastingtech.com to subscribe to this show on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform and join us on this exciting journey to unlock the full potential of your podcast. Today in the show, we are gonna take you to not one but 2 studio setups. We are chatting with Brooke Robichaud and Nate Kelly, the host of Podcasting Tech for the Digital Entrepreneur, and they both host some other Podcasting beyond that, which we'll have links to all that
in the show notes. Nate and Brooke, thank you for joining us today. Thanks for having us. Yes. And and the way Nate says, hey. We've we've worked before. We've, been on each other's podcast more than once. So there's a little bit of a reunion going on. Way back. So way back. So, Nate, I know you started with, the sobriety diaries, but take us just a little bit quickly. Like, what has been the evolution of your podcast journey since then?
Yeah. So, you know, by God's grace and, I think, the universe working in my favor and a lot of hard work, I had some traction with the sobriety diaries right away and, you know, really started to realize my passion in the industry. And Brooke and I have very similar stories and sorry. Brooke and I have very similar stories, and we laugh about it now because both of us kind of played talk show in our bedrooms growing up and always, you know, wanted to be behind a microphone and interviewing
people. So when I look back at it that way, I think it was just part of my my destiny to, you know, be, sort of helping others to find their voice and tell their story. So when I had that success with the sobriety diaries, I I kinda started to develop a framework and develop outlines and resources to help others to to achieve that success with launching a podcast. Brooke and I were introduced to
one another through the sobriety diaries. She came on the show and shared her story and, you know, found ourselves really drawn to one another and have collaborated over the years, within our own businesses and on other shows. And finally just decided a few months ago to kind of put our heads together and help other and help other digital entrepreneurs, utilize podcasting as a, you know, a stream of revenue or a way to market their business, tech, kind of all of the above. And, you
know, we had success with this show as well. So, we we like to think that we're in the right spot and, are are very grateful to be sharing our our story today with you. Nice. And, Brooke, I I know you do more than just, Unplugged. Tell us a little bit more about your, like, expansive, you know, podcast career right now. Well, my podcast career really started, after nights of drinking with my friends. And, like Nick was saying, if it's something I've
always really loved doing. It's like being behind a camera, being behind a mic or, you know, creating things, making films, just trying to create worlds outside of myself and and find new ways to share. I don't know why I was given that passion, but it was given to me. And, yeah. So I started with my friends. We just, like, goof around. We'd make little mix clouds Podcasting, and my grandma would listen. And, I would, like, you know, give a shout out to my grandma every time we're
doing a podcast. She's like, how did you know I was listening? Can you see me? Like, no. But I just Samson. And, you know, that passion really exploded when I got sober. I just wanted to find a way to get a message out into the world. And, you know, I tried my hand in blogging and different, content creation tools, but podcasting became
a little bit more easier to get into. There were some new software that came out, Podbean being one of them, that was like, you just use that software and you can get your message out there. I didn't have any fancy equipment or anything to start, but I, had gotten a real big health and wellness journey. I had gotten sober and I lost £80, and everyone was asking me, like, how did you do this?
So I started sharing tips and tools and and stuff through that, and then that transformed into a podcast called Seek Purpose, which was about finding purpose after addiction and trauma. I met incredible people through that. And, unfortunately, after showing that pen the pandemic happened, everything shut down. Fortunately for us, because we ended up going online and meeting
people from all over the world and not just in our little area. But, during that time, my little brother passed away and, you know, it got really hard to share stories of overcoming trauma and addiction, all that kind of stuff when I just lost my brother to addiction. He was, like, 23. So I've I put that down and I started helping entrepreneurs in recovery start their own businesses. And I started the Sober Biz Collective and
the Sober Biz Collective podcast where I Tech to sober entrepreneurs. I Kelly Nate with his website and helping him, like, just, you know, feel really confident about his brand and what he's putting out there. And, through
that, I've just met so many incredible people. And now me and my girlfriends have gotten together, and we're starting a show that's all it's called the Nate Girls Club, and we're just talking about things that are, relevant today to our community around, like, self esteem and self worth and dating and relationships and marriage and just all that kind of stuff and sharing our friendships with the world and these deep conversations that we get to have as a community of women that, like,
heal together. We just wanna, like, share that openly. It's so funny how many people, once they have a single podcast and they find just a little bit of success, how quickly they are into their 2nd, 3rd, 4th. You know? They're doing That's true. 7 shows, every day. They're, you know, recording a different podcast, and they just get seriously into it. So, that is very, very cool. So take us through now your Tech stack. So what are you using? What's the microphone?
I know for this call, you're using your microphone a little bit differently, but what's your normal setup like, Brooke? Well, I just got the Rodecaster Pro 2 because our our warranty was actually up. I'm gonna give Rode a big shout out right now because our warranty was far beyond, what it was supposed to be by beyond the 2 years. And, our power button stopped working on our original Rodecaster, pro. So we sent it in, and they sent us a brand new Rodecaster
Pro 2. The reason why I'm not plugged into it right now is because we're still figuring out all the, maybe, great details on how to make sure it functions properly. But I absolutely love it so far. I've been actually taking it on the road with me when we're doing the nice girls club. I've gone to a couple of my friends' house, and we just plug microphones in there. I can record right onto the board. So it's been a really cool tool. And then I've got the Shure MV7. I absolutely love
this microphone. It has the XLR input, and it can go right into my computer, which just saved my butt today. So it's pretty phenomenal. And, yeah, I think they're just a g headphones. I I I've had these since I just started podcasting, and they've lasted forever. They're I love a good set of headphones. It just changes the experience. So Yeah. As someone who works in radio and have to wear headphones all the time, the right pair of headphones is
great. Although, more recently, I've decided to just go with, like, these, you know, in ear monitors. Just Yeah. I just felt less claustrophobic, than when I was wearing huge cans around my head. And I I believe earlier you said you're just using your laptop built in camera, but you have some lights helping you out there? I do. Yeah. So I'm I love Elgato. They my husband's a video game streamer, so he he, put me on to them. And now
I wanna buy all of their stuff. I have, like, the arm holding up my little fancy camera. I've got a Canon RP as well that I use for the nice girls club, and my husband uses for streaming. And so we've got one of their arms there, and then I've got 2. I've got a lights. I've got the ring light and the key light set up as well. They're phenomenal, and I I really just like sticking to one brand so I can just have one app to control them. You know? Tech. So smart. And and I know you said when you
first started, you didn't even have a microphone. What was the first mic you ever got? It was the first mic I ever bought. Yeah. Ah, that's a great question. We we Brooke the Rode Nate t 1 a microphone because yeah. I was doing a lot of, Kelly karaoke singer as well. Sings too, Mathew. No no bounds. They're endless. I have endless talents. I can make up, parodies of popular songs. I can it's pretty, magical. That is that is an expensive first mic, and and my experience with it is
that it sounded so good. The problem was it was too good, and it was just picking up noises from, you know, 3 blocks away in my little apartment at the time. So, yeah, I had I had to move on from it. But, yeah, that's a that's a quality first, Mike. And, Nate, what about you? What are you using today for, your podcasting purposes? We have the, the RODE PodMic USB. So they just upgraded I don't know if it's upgraded. They've enhanced, the first rendition of the PodMic was XLR only.
And, you know, it Brooke so cool. I always wanted it, but as I think Tech came out when I was very a very new podcaster and wasn't really sure about connections or, you know, the Cloudlifter and all that, so I never bought it. So when they came out with the USB version, I jumped on that. And to Brooke' point, I love the sort of compatibility of it, you know, to be able to kind of evolve with it if if you
do transition to the XLR side of things. It does have the headphone jack and, built in volume control on the back of the mic as well. Brooke and I, she mentioned Elgato. We both have the low profile boom arm that we're obsessed with for the mics. It it is, you know, as opposed to a boom arm that Tech comes down and kinda takes up your vertical real Nate. Really obsessed with the Elgato low profile. The camera, you know, we were talking a bit before we started
recording. I have not fully committed to a DSLR or mirrorless camera yet. So, the best webcam that I found that I'm on right now is the OBSPOT 4 k Meet, and it does have some AI capabilities as well, some facial tracking. And if you download the app, there are, some temperature controls and some autofocus and white balance options that you can control through the app on your desktop as well. So a little more advanced than your your typical, you know, Logitech or or a typical
webcam that you can find. So it's a little pricier, but I I really like the crispness and, kind of the personalization that you can do with the HubSpot. So big fan of of them. So that's my setup for today. Still have my Samsung q 2u very close by. I will never part of it. It's more of like a a comfort, that I have there for for always, forever and always. Well, when I was in broadcasting, we had an engineer. I I don't think he was in the armed forces, but he always kinda stole the thing that
2 is 1 and 1 is Nate. Meaning, you always have to have a backup. Because, you know, in Podcasting, if something goes wrong, you have a problem. And we, you know, we could not not be broadcasting. So I like the idea that both of you kinda have backup situations for yourself, you know, with the m b 7 being able to switch over to USB, you having your secondary mic there. I mean, if they're on camera, I can't tell what you know, I've got a few hanging up here that, I could plug in in a in a pinch
if I need to. And I love that low profile arm. If I wasn't so invested in this road one, that's really good, I would definitely try and get my hands on one of those. So, really nice Tech. And just the overall aesthetics of both of your studios are really nice. It seems like you kinda match the vibe a little bit with each other when you were doing that, or is it just coincidence? It was not a coincidence. No. We definitely don't. We
wanted it to feel Yeah. That was actually something we thought about. Thought about it a lot. We are an international podcast, Mathew. So we wanted it to feel though as if we are in a studio together or, you know, that we did put some thought into it and, it's cohesive as a Brooke. And, yeah, it there it was definitely not a coincidence. Very cool. So, we'll have some pictures of their studio setups. You can check
it out. We'll have links to all the equipment that they're using. You can obviously see and hear their setups, and, they are really, really great. So thank you for that. Before we let you go, just a couple of questions we're asking everybody on the show, and I'll kinda have each of you answer. But is there any tech that's on your wish list? In other words, is there a piece of equipment that you're like, oh, I cannot Nate, or I'm saving up to get this,
or I cannot wait till they produce that. Brooke, what anything you're looking looking forward to? Yeah. I'm really wanting to upgrade my videography situation. Love the medium of video podcasting of, of creating content and all that kind of stuff. I have a pretty good little mirrorless DSLR. It's full frame. It's the Samson RP, EOS RP. It's amazing, but it is like the entry level version, and I'd really like to get a step up, maybe get the r 6 or the r 5. It'd be a little bit more
pricey. It'd take up almost my entire budget if we end up getting a grant. But but the r Tech is really nice. So the Canon r six, I really wanna get. And, I would probably add to my microphone collection. I actually really love this this microphone, the f the m v 7. I would like to get a couple more of them. I have some other mics for my guests and stuff when we do in studio stuff, but just to have everything sound the same, I definitely like to
pick up a couple more of these. They've been amazing. Like, this mic is it's been phenomenal. So, yeah, liking it. Yeah. That m v 7, when they introduced that, that was a a real game changer, especially because everybody wanted that SM 7 b, that iconic look. And, you know, it's a great mic, but it often requires a little bit more tech and know how and knowledge to be able to use it correctly. And then they come out with that. That's just, you know, plug and play or
still excellent. I still love that, you know, classic Brooke. And, yeah, it's a it's a really nice product. What about you, Nate? Anything on your wish list? I mean, I know, you're mentioning camera as well, but is there anything else out there that you're, eager to get your hands on? Yeah. I think, you know, an all in one option, I think, with an XLR input and 4 k video that is user friendly. You know, I am not as video heavy of a geek as I
am on the audio side. So I have a little more research to do, I guess. But I think that all in one option would be a game changer for new podcasters and, you know, even some some veteran folks who want to, you know, dive into the side of of video Podcasting think it's, easier to develop something for that, I'll make sure to, see
what I'm doing. So if you need guinea pigs or Tech Is there any place in podcasting in general in the trends, the technology, just the space, right, of podcasting that you'd like to see improvement or, you know, other maybe software solutions that would that would help you in your journey? Nate, why don't you go first this time? Wow. That's a great question. Let me think. Brooke, do you have anything on the top of your head?
I think definitely with AI, I have a feeling editing is gonna become easier soon, and I would really love to see that be streamlined and simplified and just, like, plug and play, because that can be the most time consuming piece of trying to get content out there and stuff is, like, sitting and editing and creating content for
social media and stuff. So I know there's a couple of tools out there that are they're getting it, and I've I've used a couple of, trials for I wish I could think of the name on top of my head because I just see them pop up, and then I I do their, like, 7 day trial. There's some pretty cool stuff where they'll take your long form video off YouTube and make short form clips for social media and stuff. I love that, but I
can see that it needs to get better. The output of video quality needs to be better for those, for sure. And just right now, there's things like CapCut that help with with transcribing your video and stuff, and they have some cool I IT IT AI tools where it'll switch back and forth from the people who are talking, but it's just not there yet. Like, they it just is very glitchy, and it doesn't always
capture the right person who's talking. So I'd love to see the tools that are being developed just get so much easier and, better than they Nate, and I have no doubt by the end of the year, probably they will be. And I'm really excited just to see how AI can really simplify this for people that are finding the editing side being a challenge or trying to create content from their from their content a challenge. So, lastly, what podcast besides the ones that you guys produce are you listening to?
Like, what's that go to show every time that one, downloads or shows up, you're gonna listen to it right away. I have a couple. Yeah. Someone was embarrassed. The first podcast I fell in love with and still listen to every week is My Favorite Murder. If you're a podcast listener, I'm sure I'm sure you know Karen in Georgia. Still download and listen every week, and I'm a murderer now, I can say. I also listen to the Tech every day.
Totally not in my genre, but, I'm kind of a fangirl of both of those shows. What about you, Brooke? Well, every Sunday night before I go to bed, I'm listening to Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend, and I love that show. So just I just started the archive because I only started listening this year, and I went back all the way to the beginning. So good. It's so bad. Yeah. I love it. I love it. I don't know what it
is about Conan, but it helps you fall asleep at night. So he's been my go to, and then I'll, like, relisten to it during the day when I'm doing the dishes or something, because I'll fall asleep eventually. And I would appreciate you saying you fell asleep to him. Yeah. I hope so. Conan, if you're watching this, thank you for all the good nights of sleep. The other ones okay. I'm really there's been a lot of Podcasting popping up about TV shows I watched when I was in, like, my late
teens, early twenties, like, the early 2000. Like, there's one about, The OC, and then Nate Tree Hill just started a podcast where all the old cast are coming together, rewatching shows, and I am just obsessed. I've been, like, watching everything. I just rewatched all of 1 Tree Hill, which was 9 seasons and took me an entire month. I'm not proud of it, but it was, like, so good. And then to hear the cast talking about, like, the show and just it was
so nostalgic too because you're remembering watching this. So I I'm really enjoying that stuff right now. Very cool. Well, once again, we have been chatting with Brooke Robichaux and Nate Kelly. They are the hosts of Unplugged Podcasting Tech for the Digital Entrepreneur as well as several other podcast ventures. We'll have links to them and all the stuff that they're doing here in the show notes. Nate and Brooke, thank you so much for joining
today. Much, Mathew. Thanks, Mathew. This is awesome. Thanks for joining us today on Podcasting Tech. There are links to all the hardware and software that help power our guest content and podcasting tech available in the show notes and on our website at podcastingtech.com. You can also subscribe to the show on your favorite platform, connect with us on social media, and even leave a rating and review while you're there. Thanks, and we'll see you next time on Podcasting Tech.