Instapundit Glenn Reynolds has posted a photo of his podcast studio, here. Take a look; it’s a state-of-the-art beauty.
Like the Sanity Squad, Glenn and his wife Dr. Helen do a weekly podcast that’s available at PJ.
But that’s where the resemblance ends. Glenn is a techie of major proportions, with a studio sleeker than most people’s living rooms. It’s certainly a great deal more lovely than my—ahem—podcast studio, and no doubt a great deal more functional.
My studio has a certain rustic charm. It consists of my computer, a Skype headset, and Hot Recorder software loaded onto said computer (ah, but it’s the premium version). My fellow Sanity Squad podcasters Shrink, Dr. Sanity, and Siggy can attest to the fact that I’m not merely being humble when I allude to my lack of technical eptitude.
But here Glenn, eat your heart out. It’s a photo of my very own podcast studio (taken last summer, and substantially cleaned up for its portrait):
Previously a lifelong Democrat, born in New York and living in New England, surrounded by liberals on all sides, I've found myself slowly but surely 
March 7th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Hallo neoneocon, I frequently listen to your podcasts when I’m doing fitness or cooking … very nice discussions, thank you for that! My recent idea was to do the same in Germany, in German. My question: do the other three persons come to visit you at home every week or are you recording a remote session of you as 4 Skype users (like recording a telephone conference session)? Have a nice day – regards from ex-blond
March 7th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
Although we’d love to visit more often, we live in far-flung parts of the country, although all in the same time zone. We use Skype conferencing to make the call, and Hot Recorder to record it.
March 7th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
I like your windows, Neo. Vacuum planed?
March 7th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
My studio is in the closet.
Causes much confusion.
March 7th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Low-tech isn’t necessarily bad. Remember, the Ten Commandments were written on stone tablets on a mountain (okay, I admit the author was pretty high tech). I think the means of current media communication with all the latest high-tech pizazzy equipment in the long run are less important than the actual message(apologies to Marshall McLuhan). It’s less how you say it than what you say. I think your messages are very well thought out, well reasoned, and well written (or podcasted) and definitely transcend the relatively unsophisticated setup in your meager “studio.” Hopefully, your audience will grow exponentially over time. In the meantime, I wouldn’t change a thing.
March 7th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
I like your ‘working space.’
March 7th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
What a tidy place.
Sometimes I’ve to call my cat to find my tail-less mouse!
March 7th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
wfgn: It was tidy that day, anyway. Not always.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
I like those dual window fans Neo, I’ve almost bought one of those units on countless occasions.
But I could never stand the isolation of a single computer screen against a wall; I have the PC screen to my right, a TV to my left and another TV in front of me (and the radio behind me) with focus adjusted among each according to what’s most interesting at any given moment.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
There actually is a small TV to my left, Mark H. And a skylight in back of me. But it’s a small room.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
The old Poet’s Market as monitor stand is a nice touch. Are we ever going to get a glimpse of your verse here?
March 7th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Well, guy in pajamas, just my light verse.
Underneath the Poet’s Market, by the way, is The Western Tradition: From the Renaissance to the Atomic Age.
March 8th, 2007 at 8:01 am
Hi Neo,
I enjoy Glenn and Helen’s podcasts, quite a bit in fact. And I always look forward to Austin Bay’s week in review. But the low-tech Sanity Squad is the highest quality in podcast. The content is the key and the discussions never fail to enlighten and entertain. Keep it simple, and keep it going!
March 8th, 2007 at 9:28 am
Where is the microphone? Is it built into the computer?
March 8th, 2007 at 10:19 am
Hi Neo,
I love the books-cum-monitor stand!
I just bought a pair of 17″ Samsung LCD monitors – very cheap after rebate and very nice video, but with stands that have absolutely no adjustment.
I only wish I could say my books-as-monitor-adjustment were as elegant as yours. I used several “previous version” programming books.
March 8th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Do you stand up when you type? Everything’s elevated on books.
March 8th, 2007 at 11:46 am
I do a podcast using Skype and I have a really hard time keeping the volume levels constant. I see that Hot Recorder has two channels. Have you recorded with more than two people? Any suggestions for keeping the audio levels balanced?
March 8th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Greg Staples: I do have trouble with the quality of Hot Recorder–not just the volume levels, but lots of interference (clicks, metallic sounds, all sorts of things). Sometimes Hot Recorder has even failed to record on one track (mine) and yet has recorded just fine on the other track, leaving big gaping audio holes I have to fill in.
I record with three other people regularly, and I’ve been told the more people you add on Skype the more the signal can degrade. However, so far it’s still worked well enough to be pretty intelligible for the podcasts. As for their intelligence–well, that’s the Sanity Squad’s responsibility.
rivlax: you are a shrewd observer. I stand and sit, both. But I probably stand more than sit. Like Jefferson
.
Jim–the microphone is off-camera; it was feeling shy that day. It’s just a regular headset with a mic that you plug into the computer.
March 8th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
I was also wondering if your desk was unnaturally short. So I guess Jefferson never suffered from RSI or deep vein thrombosis.
March 10th, 2007 at 3:44 am
Wow, looked at the site that provided the panels to Reynolds- at $260 PER PANEL, I think your studio looks BEAUTIFUL, Neo.
March 14th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Podcast Studios: Taking The Middle Ground…
Eying the vacationing Glenn Reynolds’ slick Insta-studio, Neo-Neocon writes that she’s got “podcast studio envy”, and posts a photo of her more minimalist rig. My setup? Somewhere between the two, I’d say. Here is a triptych to give you an……