Our Live-Stream Podcasts/Video Adventure!

[Practical]

So, was looking at our setup because we set up everything on my desk and was adding up the costs recently. What started as a goofy little gimmick has spun out of control! We began with just a bargain basement audio setup that had really cool boom arms for the cheap microphones so it was exciting to pull the pics out and put them away, felt very professional. The 'kit' came with a free license to use Ableton Lite recording software which was a hoot because I had no idea how to use it! I'm going to start adding up the costs and let's see where we are at roughly!

Original audio kit with Focusrite audio inputs (this is not a USB board), $299 which was all inclusive.

10 hours or so learning how to actually use the recording software, I make 40 an hour working but we will cut that in half for the time wasted learning at rookie levels: $200

40 hours actually learning how to podcast. I figured you just talked and posted and people will listen to it...nay nay nay! Between scripting, style, editing ( we spend about 10 minutes editing, to say we are not professional would also be an understatement ) starts, stops, tears, arguments, we actually got a podcast out and posted! $800

Podcast hosting - This was actually the cheap part: $26 a month

New website - because folks don't like to go to a thepodocasts.buzzsprout.com, they would prefer a ThePodocasts.com, $180 annually

Then the real costs started kicking in. My 20 year old daughter informed me that Podcast is old people medium and that we need to live-stream on YouTube as we are doing them! Great idea I thought!

What began with a 26 dollar webcam has spun into...

OBS encoder software that took me maybe 5 hours to get configured and setup correctly: $100 for the time
Canon Rebel T7 using the canon beta webcam software because apparently we MUST have a bokeh effect! $499
Samyang 14MM prime lens with 2.8 aperture for the wide screen field of vision: $399
2 LED key lights: $99
1 photo quality fill light: $129
Green screen because our space is limited down in the basement: $24 for material
Mounting rail for green screen because I am not going to hide in a hole with the green screen up! $48
Second Monitor to use as our background which can be programmed in OBS: $240 (It has to be a touch screen dad!)
4K interface card for all of these damn inputs: $299 (it has to be 4K dad!)
New PC to run all this stuff: $1499 (It has to be water cooled dad!)
Logitech C920 webcam for picture in picture and transition scenes: $199 (that one is the best dad!)


There, we are done! Got everything right? Nope!

We need T-shirts for marketing dad! I want to give them to my friends! $370
We need hats dad! I want to give them to my friends! $137
We need can koozies because you are always drinking soda on the live-stream and we need to market! $117

So, after all of this! All of this money! All of this time which I didn't break out all the way because it will make me weep, our last live-stream had 3 viewers...apparently the T-Shirts aren't getting it done! Further, my daughter decided she didn't want to do the podcast anymore because only old people podcast, so I ended up taking it over and made it simply a fire and brimstone conservative podcast! Last episode, downloads, 6. At what point do I decide hell with it, I am going to make compilation videos of guys getting hit in the nuts and get my 100K views...lol.

But know what? I learned a LOT! I don't want to say you cannot put a price tag on that cause as I illustrated above, you damn sure can, but we are as close to professional quality as one can get without being professional. Ended up moving our live-stream to crowdcast ($240 annually) and hosting on our own site because YouTube gave us a community strike and pulled down one of our videos and let's be real here, you aren't going to win a fight against them, so we are just going around em =)

This has been a very brief introduction to the world of live-stream podcasting!

ThePodocasts.com

 

[Practical]

And for anyone curious about the content, its a conservative/philosophical podcast, lots of good stuff in there! I try to keep them 12-15 minutes. I would recommend the doublethink episode, Tytler Cycle, planks of communism, and the allegory of the cave!

 

[medic38572]

I will give it a whirl in my free time.

 

[Practical]

Would anyone on the board be interested in a once a month live-stream sort of thing? We are more then equipped for live-streams, we do an entertainment one, but I would love to do a topical live-stream for the folks on the board here. We can take call in's just like your standard radio program. Think this is something that would generate enough interest to make it worth it? The costs are all on me, would just need folks to register on the crowdcast I use to save their seat for the show. Is this being too bold?

 

[Cardinal]

Sounds interesting. You might end up with a new career.
Line up some folks to interview, talk about current events....

 

[Practical]

Lol, not really looking for a new career, just an interactive type of thing that you can find on any cable news program, but it would be ours!

 

[Practical]

We have several new Podcasts posted up on ThePodocasts.com, also available on pretty much every major player but apparently you have to search for ThePodocasts with the letters capitalized thusly...lol. If we ever get more listens I'm sure they will let it slide, but as of now, have to search it exactly. Give us a listen and see if we might be up your alley! Libertarians should enjoy them, others might get riled up a bit...

 

[Cardinal]

Dude! You are a natural! That is pretty cool to listen to. I mean, there are some who are just annoying to listen to, but this sounds really good.
And I'm not kidding about a second career. Sometimes, you don't choose them, they choose you.
Just want to add, a place for comments would be a good addition to your site if you can do it.
And LOVED the comment about the democrat penis under the republican skirt.

 

[Practical]

I cannot thank you enough Cardinal. I am still building the base layer on this, so most of these are of the philosophical variety. I want listeners to know exactly where I stand on these issues before I start hitting the topical stuff. If I did the base layer right, folks will know what I am about to say before I say it!

I will look into adding comments, lots of irons in the fires here. I really want to do it as a once or twice a month live-stream for the folks on TB2K, open phone lines, vigorous discussions, the whole thing! Tell you what, if anyone can help spread the word, I will make up a crowdcast event and see if we can get some folks to sign up and reserve their seat for it. If I can get 15 I will give away some hats and T-shirts too =)

Thoughts?