Building Your Dream Studio in a Small Room

The episode explores how to effectively start a podcast studio without overwhelming expense or complex equipment. While I share my personal journey, emphasizing that beginning with what you have is the way to go, while detailing essential tools and tips for an aspiring podcaster.

• Starting with a quality microphone is critical for good audio
• Lighting is essential for low-light recording sessions
• Smartphones are capable alternatives to dedicated cameras
• A small, foldable desk can enhance comfort without consuming space
• Creating an inviting background enhances the visual appeal of your podcast
• Future upgrades are possible, allowing for gradual growth in production quality

Please see the amazon links for the equipment I tried, tested and proven to be reliable in my tiny post studio.

Link:  https://amzn.to/4gMYtrF              Samsung S23 Phone
Link:  https://amzn.to/41hVB1o            Tension Rod
Link:  https://amzn.to/41jUSMX           Light panel
Link:  https://amzn.to/4k0H6X0            Light Tripod
Link:  https://amzn.to/4b2GgVu            FiFine  Boom Arm Mic
Link:  https://amzn.to/3X1PJ9Z            FiFine Desktop Mic
Link:  https://amzn.to/3QnLB05           Curtains 
Link:  https://amzn.to/4gOhA4z           for the phone tripod

https://youtube.com/@sylvrtea?si=e-XJdxEobRS0fuZl
https://www.instagram.com/semereuwa/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557707021989

Chapters

• 0:13 Podcast Studio Equipment Essentials
• 15:47 Budget-Friendly Camera Upgrade Advice

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:13

Hi, my name is Sherry and welcome to my podcast, silver Tea, and this episode is about how to start your podcast studio and the equipment that I can say is tried and proven. So I'm a firm believer in starting where you stand. So I started where I stood. I didn't have a large studio or a big. I started in my little tiny room that tripled for three things. It tripled for a gym. It tripled One was a gym, the other one I sleep there, obvious right and my studio. So I'm going to give you the information on all the different equipment that I have in my studio. I am an Amazon associate, so I'm going to leave a link down below so you can click on all these equipment that you may want to use in your studio and be successful, because I know you will, because the first step is always the hardest step. That's what I think and that's what I believe to be true, because I really had a hard time when I first started. I had to push that button to hit public, so I did all my recordings and then they were all private because I was afraid to release them. I said, ok, you're going to have to do this. So I went ahead, I pushed the button and I ran away. I didn't wait, I wasn't trying to hang around to see the results, I just pushed the button, I did it. I'm done. Now I need to move on to my next podcast. I did monitor it. After like a day, I didn't look at it for maybe a day. My family was telling me oh Sherry, we see your podcast. I'm like, yay, so what did you think? What'd you think? Because that's the first thing you want to know. So how was it? Was it okay? But yeah, it is the hardest step. So I did take that step.

Speaker 1: 2:44

I want to talk about some of the equipment that I have in my podcast and I'm going to talk about them in the order that I think they are important, and to me they all important. Every single one of them are important. So I, so I I'm just going to start from a must have to. You can make up your mind if you want it or not. Ok, so here we go. First thing I want to talk about is the mic. So I started with the mic and, thanks to my sister, she gave me some recommendations of that would something that would fit my budget and she she just helped me set up my whole podcast studio. So she was there helping me with the sound, helping you get all the equipment that I would most definitely need, and I just kind of went on my own with the ones that I wanted.

Speaker 1: 3:46

Okay, so the microphone, the microphone is by fine feet, fine, fine, so fine, fine is it's. It's a nice mic. It it's a dynamic mic. I really like it because it was in my budget and the sound quality is good to me. I think it does a good job with the sound. So, as you can see I'm just turning this a little bit you can see that it does do a good job at sound. So it comes in.

Speaker 1: 4:22

I think it comes in like let me let me think about. I think it comes in. I think it comes in like let me let me think about. I think it comes in pink. I seen it in pink and I think it was in white, but I will leave the link below, so you can check it out, to the equipment. I'm going to leave the link below to all the equipment that I'm going to talk about here in this podcast. So the mic is by Fine, fine, so I really like it.

Speaker 1: 4:50

It's a dynamic mic and I got it in pink because I am a breast cancer survivor and I chose pink because pink is representing the survivors that survived that breast cancer, that battle. They got through it. So I picked pink. You don't have to go with pink, you can pick another color that works for you. So, mike, that was the Mike, and okay, so this one me is a must have.

Speaker 1: 5:26

And why I say it's a must have is because sometimes I do my podcast in the morning, early in the morning I wake up with all this stuff on my mind and it's like four o'clock in the morning. I know you're probably thinking what in the world is she doing up at 4 o'clock in the morning? But I am, I'm awake and I said you know what? I'm going to go ahead and do my podcast. So I need light because right now the natural light is not coming in. So because we're in a what is it? The season, the time change, where the light we have less daylight, saving time, savings time. So there's no light at four o'clock, or even five o'clock, barely six o'clock, and maybe seven o'clock.

Speaker 1: 6:26

So buy a panel and a tripod. So I have the panel and a tripod and I have a remote control, because I did not tell you that you are the whole crew for your podcast. You are the editor, you handle the camera, you handle the mic, you handle any technical problems they all you. So I like that a remote control comes with the light because I can turn the light down. I can turn, like, the lighting settings. If it's too bright, I'll turn it down. If it's too low or too dim, I can turn it up using a remote control, and definitely I love that. So I'll leave the link below for the light panel and the tripod. Okay, so that was, that was two, two so far. Now I want to talk about Hi. I hope you're enjoying my podcast so far. The way you can help my podcast is to hit that like button and that subscribe button and you'll be notified when I release new and exciting podcasts. Thank you and enjoy the rest of the podcast.

Speaker 1: 7:57

The most important part is you need a camera, okay, but I want to say this you do not need to go out and buy an expensive camera. I use my phone, I use my phone and I think my phone has great quality. The camera part of it has great quality. So you is the phone that I use and I also, along with the phone, I did purchase a tripod phone holder and that was, to me, was a necessity, because I was trying to find ways to make that phone stand up in the right position and it was just a mess. So I got the tripod phone holder and I really, really, really like it and I use it for more than just recording. And the reason why I like it so much is because you can use it again. You are the whole crew, so if you need to go outside and and get footage, you need somebody to hold the camera. There's your friend over there, the tripod phone holder. Okay, so I love my tripod phone holder, so I will leave the link below for that.

Speaker 1: 9:33

Um, so what I was going to say. Also, I was going to say that I don't just use it for recording. So sometimes if I want to catch up on some of my my YouTube subscriptions, because a lot of new stuff came or if I want to watch a TV show and I still got to do other things I want to get in the kitchen, I want to cook, I bring the tripod, the phone holder, in with me into the kitchen and I set it up and I watch it from there and I just move it all around, or if I bring it to the kitchen and I want to capture, if I bring it to the kitchen and I want to capture me making a tea or I'm telling you about a tea or how to make the tea. I use a tripod phone holder too. It has different angles that you can adjust it to and it also has different heights, so you can lower it as high as you want it. You can lower it as low as you want it and you can raise it as high as you want it. So I definitely consider that's a must-have for you. And that was that was the camera. So we talked about the camera and so I did talk about my.

Speaker 1: 10:44

My room is really small so I wanted a desk in my room. So, because I really wanted to sit somewhere, I I am a teleworker and I chose to make my dining room my office, so there's really nowhere for me to sit in my apartment. So I said, let me buy a little desk. So I did. I got a little desk. It's a foldable desk and I love it because when you're done with it, you just fold it up and you put it away and it. I really think it takes up very little space when it's not in use. So I think a desk is is recommended, but you don't have to If you have another means. I like to put my tea down, I like to, I like to look, I have my notes here and here I like to be able to read my notes, or so that, to me, is important.

Speaker 1: 11:42

Now, the chair I did say I am. I work from home and I already have a chair at home, so I use that chair that's in my office. It is a multi-purpose chair. I use it for the office and I use it for my podcast. So I use it for both. So I'll just take it in to my room and I'll use it when I'm doing podcasts or if I'm doing research, or if I'm doing anything podcast. I will use doing anything podcast. I will use that chair and that desk. So that that one that. So those two things, I think are something to consider, but not necessary.

Speaker 1: 12:25

I I found that it made life a little easier for me. So, um, I want to talk about your background. So I did say that I'm in my room and I did not want to see my closet doors. No, I was not interested in seeing my closet doors as my background when I'm doing a podcast. So what I did was I decided let me just buy some curtains. So I did purchase the curtains, but then I was trying to get these curtains to hang. I was using, you know, those picture hangers to put some little thread yarn through there and hang the hang the curtains. But it was looking so messy, even though you couldn't see it, but it was driving me crazy because I I would look at it, I pull it up, trying to make sure it's nice. And even so, what I did was I purchased a attention, attention rod. I purchased that and I had Donna come. Donna came over and she helped me put this tension rod up and I will leave the link below for the tension rod because, depending on the size of your room, you have to know what size you're going to get. And once we got that tension rod up and got those curtains on, there I was, I was set, it was good as gold. So I I will put all that the information in the links below again tried.

Speaker 1: 14:05

I'm hoping that this year I can upgrade to a camera and I already upgraded to a podcast room because my, my sister has started a studio and I'm now sitting in her podcast studio doing a podcast. But you still will see me. I'm going to say this. You will still see me in my tiny room because I will still have those moments where I want to record early in the morning. So, uh, right now I'm not using my phone, I'm using, um, a camera, but I will use the phone. I'm using a camera, but I will use the phone in my tiny podcast studio when I'm there until I upgrade to a camera. So I am in the upgrade status area, upgrading to a camera instead of a phone, and again, there's nothing wrong with the phone. If you look at some of my older videos, that's what I was using of a phone. And, again, there's nothing wrong with the phone. If you look at some of my older videos, that's what I was using a phone, and some of my newer episodes will have sometimes the phone, sometimes the camera. So I will have them both, but I'm definitely upgrading and so you'll notice I stop when I stop using the phone in my studios, because I will. It would just have a different look. So be looking out for that.

Speaker 1: 15:41

And those are the things that I think you can start with and you don't have to do them all.

Speaker 1: 15:47

You can do some of them, some now, some later.

Speaker 1: 15:54

It's up to you.

Speaker 1: 15:56

It's what's fitting in your budget.

Speaker 1: 15:59

So please remember that this might be. It was definitely a budget issue for me because I couldn't afford a $2,000 camera. It just wasn't going to happen so it just wasn't. I can't afford it. But and I'm not I can't afford it now. So I'm gonna get something a little cheaper than two thousand dollar camera. But one day I will upgrade, but for right now I am still in start, where you stand, and this is where I'm standing.

Speaker 1: 16:33

So if you like what you heard, hit the subscribe button, the like button and the bell notification button and you'll be notified when new and exciting episodes are released. So I always say this, and this is for my listeners and my viewers please remember that early detection is the best detection and please get your annual mammograms done and if you haven't gotten it done, what you waiting for and if you did't gotten it done, what you're waiting for and if you did get it done, schedule for next year just put it on your calendar. So until next time, my listeners and my viewers have a nice cup what you wanna do. Tell me what you like.