Hey Pathfolk!

Rick here, back once again to talk to you about gear and recording!

There are a lot of different ways to make a podcast. Many will record straight into their computers DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) by plugging a USB mic in directly or through a USB mixer or other Audio Interface. To be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this! In fact if you are recording games played online this is really the best option. However all of my experience before recording for Find the Path was using a digital recorder, a separate device that removes computer problems from the recording equation.

Now, there are many different types of recorders, but I have always sworn by Zoom and we have been using the Zoom H4n (pictured on the left) from the very beginning of production. It is a wonderful piece of equipment, and I am certain will continue to see years of use in the FtP studio, but we have been wanting to upgrade to his big brother for some time now.

The Zoom H6n (pictured on the right) may not look like it, but it is a beast! This is basically a complete recording studio that fits in one hand. It can record six separate tracks simultaneously (up from the 4 the H4n could) through six XLR-1/4″ inputs. While we use a mixer in the studio, and so only need two inputs, this does mean we can take it with us to any conventions without needing to risk the mixer we purchased last month (see Pt 1). It also has a built in Low Cut Filter and optional Compressor/Limiter and even backs up our recording on a separate track. This helps to ensure the best audio possible before we even get to editing, and can save a lot of time for me when the editing begins.

Well I think that’s enough of me nerding out over a recorder…

Again this is a huge improvement to our audio set up, and we could not have done that without your support. This is another great step towards perfecting our studio and bringing you the best podcast we can possibly make. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little dive into audio gear, and if you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments below!

As always you are amazing, and we couldn’t do this without you.

Until next time,

Rick