Author: Patrick Rhone

So, many may now know that I’m working on a Minimal Mac podcast. We will be recording the first episodes this week and will have the first one up “soonish” after that. With my doing more podcasts for others and working on one of my own, it has become quite obvious that the built in mic just wont do. While it is perfectly fine for a minimal solution, it is past the time to upgrade to something more appropriate.

I recently asked on Twitter for some suggestions for good podcasting mics. My only requirement was that it had to be USB as I will be plugging it directly into my Macbook Air. Here, in no particular order, are the suggestions I got:

• Blue Yeti
• Rode Podcaster USB Dynamic Microphone
• Audio-Technica AT2020 USB
• Blue Snowflake
• M-Audio MobilePre – This was suggested for use with a more traditional microphone for a more “pro” sound.

And here are two excellent resources that were suggested to learn more about microphones in general:

• The Mixdown – Episode #4: Mic Mechanics
• Microphones 101:A Beginner’s Guide to Macs and Mics

Now, the most “minimal” looked to be the Blue Snowflake and I was heavily tempted to just go with that for now then upgrade later if needed. It is small, portable, and gets high ratings as a “good enough” solution but…

The one that I went with was the Blue Yeti. The main reason being that it is the one that my friends at The Bro Show use and, since they are helping to produce the podcast with me, I felt it best to have the same kit on all sides. Plus, I thought with my desk setup the Snowflake would end up too far away from my mouth to get the audio quality I wish. I also liked the humanistic look of the mic and stand. But at 3.5 pounds and a foot tall, it’s about as minimal as a Hummer. 

That said, if money was not an issue, I likely would have gone with the Rode Podcaster because it got a really strong endorsement by Dan Benjamin in the episode of The Mixdown linked above.

Hope others in the market find all of this info useful.

It’s OK not to have anything to write about. But if you want to call yourself a writer, you kind of have to write. So, even if you have no idea what to put on that page, just sit down and write the first things that come to mind.
You could write about how busy things are. About how life keeps “getting in the way” of your writing. You could talk about all of the scribbles of ideas you would love to expand on but don’t quite have it together enough yet to do so. Because, for many of us, developing ideas takes quiet spaces and empty schedules and those are hard to come by right now.
You could write about how much more interested in reading you are than writing. About how that reading, even though brief, further keeps you from expressing your thoughts. Because you feel you just can’t measure up. But even this is an opportunity to explore those feelings with words. Just simply force yourself to sit down and start typing.
Because, ultimately, it is all of these things that you experience and observe, from the most exciting, to the most philosophical, to the most mundane, that are your potential subjects. Life, is your muse. Look around you.
Those wooden boxes. Made of bamboo. Chosen not just because they fit those impossible cubby holes in the hutch of your desk, but also because the soothing blond tones juxtapose nicely with the cherry wood desk. That desk that you knew you must have when you saw it but was gone at the original location by the time you actually decided to buy it. The one that caused you to then drive to seven other locations before finally finding the last two. Both of which you bought. On sale.
These little small coups that make you happy just by remembering them are perfect fodder for when you need to get the fingers warmed up to type.
See, there’s plenty to write about. Plenty you have to say. Even about nothing at all. Even if it’s writing about not writing.