Auto Focus
A podcast by the PodcastVideos.com team focused on gear reviews, studio equipment setups, and lessons and experiences from building an audio and video content creator business.
Auto Focus
Tools from Dan's Truck Keep Our Studio Going
Every podcaster knows about microphones and mixers, but what about the trusty measuring tape? In this refreshingly practical episode, Dan and Brooke pull back the curtain on the unheralded heroes of studio maintenance - the basic tools that keep everything functioning behind the scenes.
We dive into our literal toolbox, showcasing the essential items that have saved our studio countless times. From the measuring tape that helped us reconfigure our recording spaces to the utility knife that's become indispensable for everything from wire stripping to package opening, these humble tools prove their worth daily.
Dan shares how his truck has become the unofficial hardware supply for our studio operations, with the electric drill making more trips between vehicle and recording space than any other tool.
They also discuss lessons learned the hard way, like having the right drill bits to make the drill itself useful.
Beyond the technical aspects, we explore how these basic tools enable innovation and evolution in our studio setup, allowing us to constantly improve our production quality.
Whether you're setting up your first podcast space or running an established studio, this conversation will help you build your own "studio survival kit" - or as Brooke aptly puts it, a "life starter kit."
Listen now, and you'll never look at a simple level or pair of pliers the same way again. What unexpected tools have become essential in your creative space? Share your studio hacks with us!
welcome back everybody to another episode of autofocus from podcastvideoscom. I'm dan craft I'm rick galligan she still stumbles occasionally over that last name. We've changed it so much over the years, professionally speaking yeah, right yeah, so guess what I was for you brick ohick.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:What is that it doesn't want to roll to you.
Speaker 2:Is that the electrical tape?
Speaker 1:That's the electrical tape.
Speaker 2:It's one of my favorite things. I actually need this later.
Speaker 1:That's mine.
Speaker 2:No, I need it.
Speaker 1:That's not the only thing we're going to pull out, though, because today we're going to talk not necessarily about the technical tools of microphones and cameras, mixers. We're going to talk about just plain tools.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:The things you need to keep a studio like ours going.
Speaker 2:We've used a lot of tools. I don't have any.
Speaker 1:I didn't think I would need any, but luckily, the tools that live in my truck spend a lot of time in the studio.
Speaker 2:I do yeah, and stepstools.
Speaker 1:Well, stepstools for you, I need stepstools. Well, stepstools for you, I need stepstools. I heard a little city now, right now, but trust me, there's a difference. So, with apologies to my father, who spent 25 years designing for the competition, got it the cornerstone of all tools necessary in the studio.
Speaker 2:Yes, the measuring tape. I remember when I walked in here I was like how big are the rooms? And everyone was like I don't of all tools necessary in the studio. Yes, the measuring tape.
Speaker 1:I remember when I walked in here I was like how big are the rooms? Everyone's like I don't know.
Speaker 2:So I had to go to my truck. Yeah, I was like, well, but I want to flip these two rooms. That was when I wanted to flip. So we, we had, we had rooms and I wanted to switch them. But the the setups are so different. The room, one room looked bigger than the other, and so I wanted to see if it was, and it wasn't.
Speaker 1:How long are these tables? Will two of them fit in a corner?
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm Yep.
Speaker 1:How far off the ground are we mounting the camera? I'm looking at right now. Yep, the measuring tape is a thing.
Speaker 2:Yep All the time.
Speaker 1:But we need other things too.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:All Yep all the time. But we need other things too. Yes, all the things. Let's look in the goodie box. I hope we can get away with this on YouTube, because I'm going to pull a knife on you, the standard utility knife.
Speaker 2:I've needed that more than once.
Speaker 1:It's been here the whole time.
Speaker 2:I know, that is why I hate zip ties, because you can't just.
Speaker 1:We'll circle back to that in a minute and do them the standard utility knife. Whether you're trying to strip wires, whether you're cutting the insulation to the proper size, zip ties, the utility knife will pay for itself and they're like 12 bucks. Keep one handy. I don't know if that's even just like for a studio or just general good advice.
Speaker 2:It is yeah.
Speaker 1:But this is also a good idea.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it helps with all the boxes Since you're so adamant about the zip ties.
Speaker 1:We have that episode. If you haven't seen it yet, or if it's not out yet, make sure you catch the zip tie Velcro.
Speaker 2:I love Velcro yes.
Speaker 1:Dad, zip tie man here, velcro, velcro, because if you really have to cut the zip ties, just a simple pair of side cutters, nothing special. You can pick them up at a hardware store for a couple of bucks the zip tie.
Speaker 2:Look, it's just trash, because you have to do it all over again. We changed a lot of stuff. All we do is that's part of innovation is changing it.
Speaker 1:Another big part of innovation is the tools. Out to Dan's truck.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:What else we got down here? All this fun stuff Pliers, adjustable pliers, because something is always stuck.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Also, if you don't have a hammer, it works. She's needed these more than once too. In fact, a couple times I've even had to go for the big lace grips when this wasn't cutting it, but for a standard basic kit in your podcast studio, definitely. I really feel like this has got applications way beyond podcast studios.
Speaker 2:It's your tool.
Speaker 1:This is going to be a general life.
Speaker 2:Yes, when you go out on your own, this is the toolkit you need for survival.
Speaker 1:Screwdrivers.
Speaker 2:Both, both yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, both the two most popular. Anyway, philip said flathead Also yeah.
Speaker 2:Also. That's how we mark marks on the black walls.
Speaker 1:That's one of like six ways we can do it. But yeah, now probably the most popular yes Tool, and this time I don't have to apologize to dad because he gave it to me.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:The drill. I use a drill. Yeah, I put that next to the mic on purpose.
Speaker 2:Now, we use that a lot.
Speaker 1:This thing runs in and out of the truck more often than any of the rest of this. The. The rest of this lives with me, except when they want it. This one's pretty familiar with the office.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I love that one.
Speaker 1:She's not a fan of the charger it's too loud, it is very loud. But here's an important thing Get yourself a decent drill, but know that when you go to use it, the tip you have in the drill, much like the screwdriver you have available will never be the right one. So, in addition to the drill, go ahead and get yourself a decent set of tips. Yeah, torques, squares, phillips, all of them, all of them. You never know, because whichever one you need will be the one you don't have.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it'll be the last one you find.
Speaker 1:And it makes the drill pretty much worthless. Otherwise, yep Good deal.
Speaker 2:What else we got, one you don't have.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it'll be the last one you find, and it makes the drill pretty much worthless otherwise, yep Good deal.
Speaker 2:What else we got? I don't know. You're like Santa Claus.
Speaker 1:Really am. This won't pop because it's bright orange. It's just a tiny little level. Yeah, that's too small. Actually, it works pretty well for.
Speaker 2:No, it does.
Speaker 1:Yeah, several things. When we tried to level out the sound panels, the TV. More things need leveling in this office than you would imagine. I think I actually got this free with like a couch or something. Yeah, it came in the package. You can buy one at any hardware store for just a couple of bucks. Is this table level?
Speaker 2:Well, Isn't it yeah?
Speaker 1:It says it is. But you know what? Let's double check. This one happens to be bright orange too. I'm so proud of my color choices today.
Speaker 2:Yes, this was the one I like to use.
Speaker 1:Well, now we're on three different tables, so it's definitely not level. It's not so bright orange that it's led an easy life, but occasionally this doesn't cut it. This literally, is almost as wide as the bed of my truck, so it doesn't live here in the office.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:They don't request this one as much as I would have thought. This one actually has a twin that lives here in the office next to the tape measure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can see that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I like this one better though.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's not all the tools I've ever dragged in here. Oh no, no, as a matter of fact, I had to use my floor jack today, but that wasn't for the studio really, that was just to change Coco's tire.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we almost broke out the car hearts because it was really cold.
Speaker 1:Okay, we've used plenty more than this, even just in this studio, not counting the build, which we had a lot more in here, which we were actually building up, we were actually building up. This is just to keep it running and innovating.
Speaker 2:Innovating, changing everything, flipping the studios yeah.
Speaker 1:But that's a pretty good base for what we would use Now, occasionally, if I'm not here. Bob has a drill too, but he has to remember to bring it. We do keep a screwdriver or two around here. Nobody can ever find them. I don't know where they are. We need them, yes, but that is the basis of the very minimum. You would need to keep a podcast studio running.
Speaker 2:Just life running.
Speaker 1:Yes. Yeah, if you're going out on your own, this is your starter kit Life starter kit there's a smaller version of this if you really don't have the space for the four-footer. But there you go basic knife, cutter cables, lots of bits for the drill, screwdrivers galore, and you too can keep a podcast studio up and running. Yeah, you can keep innovating. Anyway. So since we've said basically nothing about podcasts, we should probably wrap this episode up and go back to some podcasting stuff for the next one, right?
Speaker 2:That sounds like a great idea.
Speaker 1:Okay, your basic tool set everybody Autofocus, two-speed drift. That's Brooke Galligan, I'm Dan Kraft. This has been Autofocus, see you later. Brooks.