Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Title: The Pocket-Sized Podcasting Revolution: Gear Up and Go!
Host: Dave Jackson
Date: August 9, 2025
Duration: ~9 minutes

In this episode, Dave Jackson shares practical advice and his personal experiences with portable podcasting gear, focusing on efficient workflows for recording on the road—perfectly timed for those heading to Podcast Movement or similar events. The episode serves as a quick yet substantial guide for podcasters aiming to capture great interviews and content outside the studio, with an emphasis on preparation, simplicity, and professionalism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Selecting the Right Recording Gear (00:34–03:40)

Dave’s Gear Journey:
- Tried the Rode microphone with built-in recorder: Found it simple, but hated not being able to monitor audio (no headphone jack).
- Used a Tascam recorder attachment: Screen was too tiny and unreadable.
- Currently recommends the Hollyland Lark M2S Combo (lav mics).
  - Key Benefits:
    - Excellent sound for a lav mic
    - Two clip-on mics, receiver for phone/camera, can record to both at once
    - Plugs into phone easily (USB-C, fits with the case on)
    - Affordability: “Are you ready for this? It’s $149.” (03:13)
Quote:
- “Lavalier microphone is never going to sound as good as a dynamic. But I was amazed at how well this sounded. And of course, with a little post production you’ll be good to go.” — Dave (02:35)

2. Practical Tips for On-the-Road Podcasting (03:41–07:15)

Keeping Interviews Short and Focused:
- Don't request long interviews at conferences; attendees want to network, not be tied up.
- Prefers recording segments like “The Last Five in Five”—guests list and describe their last five podcasts in under five minutes.
Collecting Short, Useful Clips:
- Get quick IDs, e.g., “Hey it’s Joe Schmo and you’re listening to the School of Podcasting.”
Focus on Simplicity and Practice:
- Emphasizes readiness: “Clip, clip, record, go.”
- Practice with your gear before the event.
- “What you wanna do is practice, practice, practice. So when it comes time and you are in front of the person that you thought you could never interview... you’re good to go." (05:50)
Quote:
- “I want to be able to go, ‘Ooh, can we record a quick snippet?’ and be able to clip, clip, record, go. Not, ‘Oh, hold on, I gotta do this, wait, what’s the level?’” — Dave (05:04)

3. Location Considerations for Interviews (07:16–08:14)

Avoid Big, Empty Rooms:
- Empty rooms at events tend to have a lot of echo.
- Hotel rooms are not preferred, especially for solo interviews; can be awkward given privacy and safety perceptions.
Defer to Guest Preferences:
- Let interviewees suggest long interviews; don’t monopolize their time at conferences.
- Attendees pay a lot to attend—value their time and autonomy.
Quote:
- “Don’t try to monopolize their time… they want to network with as many people as they can.” — Dave (08:00)

Notable Quotes & Moments

On the Hollyland Lark M2S Combo:
“Two very small microphones that you can clip to your shirt… I take the receiver and I have a long USB C to USB C that goes right into the bottom of my phone. I don’t have to take the phone out of the case.” (02:55)
On Practicing with Your Gear:
“Practice like anything else. And that way when the moment comes up and you want to do a quick recording... you’re good to go.” (06:18)
On Interview Etiquette:
“Let them bring [a long interview] up. I would not say, ‘Hey, do you got a second to do a quick, you know, 90-minute interview?’ No, they’re not going to go for that.” (08:08)

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:34 — Dave’s gear purchases and disappointments
01:40 — Discovering and testing the Hollyland Lark M2S Combo
03:50 — Recording goals at Podcast Movement; short-form segments and IDs
05:04 — The importance of practicing with new gear
06:10 — Real-world tips for smooth, on-the-go recording
07:16 — Interview location challenges and etiquette

Tone and Closing

Dave’s language is warm, conversational, and pragmatic, with a touch of humor (“I’m either at booth 301 or 310, manning the pod page booth. And so stop by and say hi... I’m going very dyslexic here.”). He combines storytelling about gear with actionable tips, always rooted in real-world experience and respect for other podcasters’ time.

Actionable Takeaways

Choose simple, reliable gear—test before you need it.
Practice using your equipment until it’s second nature.
Prioritize short, value-packed interactions at conferences.
Be respectful of guests’ time and comfort—let them suggest longer interviews.

For more hands-on advice, back episodes, and access to Dave’s resources, visit podcastconsultant.com or join his newsletter at podcastingobservations.com.

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Transcript3 lines

[00:00]
A
I'm going to a big podcast conference next week, Podcast Movement. And I've got some tips if you want to record on the road.
[00:09]
B
Welcome to your podcast consultant. Small lessons with big value. With more than a decade of experience and millions of downloads, this hall of fame podcaster is a featured speaker, author and mentor to thousands. Now he wants to work with you. He's your podcast consultant, Dave Jackson.
[00:35]
A
So I'm going to Podcast Movement next week. If you are going to be there. I will be at either. I'm going very dyslexic here. I'm either at booth 301 or 310, manning the pod page booth. And so stop by and say hi. But I always. Over the years I've bought many things, thinking I can record quick snippets. So I bought the rode has a microphone that has a recorder built into it. Super simple, right? Pull it out, hit record, you're good to go. Well, and it's not a deal breaker. It just drove me nuts that I could not hear what I was recording. There's no headphones for that. Then I had a Tascam recorder that would plug into the bottom of whatever microphone you wanted to use. Except the screen was about the size of your pinky finger, it was really tiny and it was backlit and I could never really tell what was going on. So that was the end of this one. And I have found this one. It is the Hollyland Lark M2S combo. Yeah, say that three times fast. And the only reason I bought this is because they were at Podcast Movement Evolutions and they were giving these away and my friend got one. And so we were playing with it and recording and I was like, okay, lavalier microphone is never going to sound as good as a dynamic. But I was amazed at how well this sounded. And of course, with a little post production you'll be good to go. But the other thing I liked about it is you have two very small microphones that you can clip to your shirt and then you can either have it go directly into your phone, so you can buy one for Android or one for Apple. And then it also has this other receiver that could go into your camera, or you could have that same receiver go into your phone or. But wait, there's more. You could even have it go into both at the same time. And so I like the fact I take the receiver and I have a long USB C to USB C that goes right into the bottom of my phone. I don't have to take the phone out of the case. Or anything like that. And are you ready for this? It's $149. So the one thing that I'm doing, because I have basically a week until I'll be there. Couple quick tips. Number one, I don't want to do long interviews unless it's under a special circumstance. Why? Because people are at these events to network and you don't want to pull them away for an hour to do an interview. So any kind of recording I'm doing, I have one segment of my show called the Last five and Five, which was tell us about the last five podcasts you listened to and tell us a little bit about it, as well as, you know your elevator pitch for your show. Haven't had one of those in a while. So if you feel like doing one of those. It is exactly what I just said. Tell me about the last five podcasts you listened to. And the idea is you do it under five minutes. So I might do some of those. I might get some IDs where people just go, hey, it's Joe Schmo and you're listening to the school of podcasting, that kind of thing. Because the idea is, and that's what I'm doing right now is I'm starting to practice with this equipment because number one, it fits in your pocket. And so if something comes up and you're like, hey, can we record a quick two question interview? You just clip it on the person, fire up your phone, you hit record. In this case, they have a software for this that actually removes some sound from the back end, which could be cool if you're in a noisy hallway. I think in general, I would leave the noise in there and pull the noise out in post because I have tools on my PC to do that much better than probably what's built in. But the bottom line is I want to be able to go, ooh, can we record a quick snippet and be able to clip, clip, record, go. Not. Oh, hold on, I got to do this. Wait, what's the level? Oh, I think the button's over here. No, no, I have to practice. So I'm ready to go. So that's something. If you're gonna be recording on the road, what you wanna do is practice, practice, practice. So then when it comes time and you are in front of the person that you thought you could never interview, then they just said, yeah, I got five minutes, Clip, clip, record, go. And you're good to go. Cause I've been there, like, wait, I think it's this button Wait, no, wait. Oh, is, is the red light on? No, that's not a good first impression. And you look stupid and it creates a barrier. Right. Something that you have to go, I'm not really positive I know how to do this yet. Well, practice like anything else. And that way when the moment comes up and you want to do a quick recording or a long recording, like I said, you might have, somebody goes, yeah, we could do an interview right now the bad news is I've done this twice. You find an empty room and all the empty rooms if you're at an event are these big, giant rooms and there's nobody in it. So it's a giant echo chamber. And then you're like, oh, well, you could just go to your hotel room. I, as a middle aged man, am not going into my bedroom. My bedroom. Well, basically it's what it is with another human being, especially if it's female. Yeah. No, no, no, no, no. So unless I'm bringing somebody else, if I'm bringing a third person with me. Yeah, maybe. But even again, you're pulling them away from the networking. So, you know, there are instances where you don't care and they don't care and holy cow, I can't believe I can talk to this person. Then that's fine, but let them bring it up. I would not say, hey, do you got a second to do a quick, you know, 90 minute interview? No, they're not going to go for that. They spend a lot of money on a hotel and plane tickets. They want to network with as many people as they can. So don't try to monopolize their time. If you have any questions, as always, you can go out to the website for this show, podcastconsultant.com you can go out there and follow and get all the back episodes or there's a button out there where you can join the school of podcast and use the coupon code listnr when you sign up for either a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription. And of course, that comes with a 30 day money back guarantee and gets you access to the step by step courses, the amazing podcast community, and of course, unlimited. Yep, unlimited coaching with little old me. I'm Dave Jackson. I help podcasters. It's what I do. Been doing it for 20 years and I want to be your podcast consultant. Want more podcasting tips? Join the 1700 people who read my newsletter at podcastingobservations.com that's podcastingobservations.com.