Indies

Podcasting on the go - how to record 32 great podcasts in 35 days

Meet Kate and Jack Lennie, the dynamic duo behind "We are Makers," armed with just a camera and the Nomono Sound Capsule, they're on a global quest to uncover the untold stories of makers and share them with the world.

The buzzing of tools, the tap of the hammer against the anvil, the brushing of the loom’s shuttle against the threads. And the echo of it all against utilitarian walls. Like the smell of sawdust or the glint of metal, the sounds of the workshop add essential richness to the maker's story, yet pose a big challenge when telling that story through the medium of a podcast.

Kate and Jack Lenny of We are Makers, a Scotland-based print magazine and podcast dedicated to makers and their craft, wanted to immerse listeners as much as possible in the experiences of the makers they profile. As a maker herself, Kate understands the connection between makers and the workshops where they practise their craft.

This is their sacred space. It's a space that they've built over many, many years. There's a respect that comes with that. They’re letting us into their space.
– Kate Lennie

Kate and Jack knew from early on that their mission to tell makers’ stories would require them to travel to the makers and to meet them where their stories unfold. Spending time together with the makers in their workshops allows Kate and Jack to establish relationships. The trust they build in the workshops allows the makers’ crafts to be showcased and their rich stories to be told with true authenticity.

This is their sacred space. It's a space that they've built over many, many years. There's a respect that comes with that. They’re letting us into their space.
– Jack Lennie

But getting there, and recording in workshops, posed some significant challenges. Since each location was unique, Kate and Jack had to prepare for every eventuality, which meant lugging around a lot of kit. We are Makers is just the two of them, and they quickly found it difficult, distracting, and exhausting to ensure quality recording on site.

It's just too much stuff! Travel restrictions, set-up restrictions, measurements, 100 meters worth of cabling, and power. We can't rely on all of these variables being studio quality. So we need to bring the studio quality to the podcast and to the location.
– Jack Lennie

Recently, We are Makers toured the US with their Sound Capsule, recording 32 podcasts in 35 days, all in workshops. Nomono’s groundbreaking, patented audio processing technology and the intuitive workflow software from Nomono Cloud give Kate and Jack the creative power to tell stories in each maker’s unique context. Nomono allows them to embrace the sounds of the workshop instead of worrying about them. Traditional gear would have slowed them down. Only Nomono provides the quality, speed, and flexibility they need, virtually anywhere.

You know, it's almost too easy, isn't it? There's one red button on the front of the Sound Capsule. You hit the red button and... conversation starts.
– Jack & Kate Lennie

With Nomono Sound Capsule and Cloud, Kate and Jack can focus less on tech and more on regularly producing great content. And listenership for We are Makers has grown in step. For Kate and Jack, the reward comes from the community they have built.

The more we can do, the more we can produce, and the better we can represent the makers of the world.
– Jack Lennie

Want to know more about We are Makers? Listen to some of their podcasts on Youtube or head over to their website to order their magazine.

Four steps to a better sounding podcast – without spending any money

Creating a podcast has come within reach for anyone who feels like they have a story to tell. It's relatively simple to get started, record, edit, find music and publish your podcast. But there's still a huge amount of knowledge and skill required to create a great-sounding podcast. It's easy to get lost in the forest of sound recorders, mics, headphones and editing software. But without proper usage, technology does little for you. Let's explore a few concepts that will help you get the most out of your gear without spending any money.