This series is all about showcasing Libsyn podcasters. Its sole purpose is to introduce these awesome podcasts to the world as well as share their podcasting insight to empower the community!
Q & A with from James Thomas from Four Seas One Family
When did you start podcasting, why did you start podcasting and what’s your show about?
Hello, my name’s James Thomas, the host of the podcast Four Seas One Family the podcast where expats and future expats can share and learn about life experiences abroad.
I’m an American expat from the South Bronx (AKA Fort Apache) and partly educated in Beijing, China and now living and working in Taipei, Taiwan.
I started podcasting in 2009 and I have a background in television and film production so doing a podcast came naturally.
I created Four Seas One Family in 2014 to lower the walls that separate cultures via an expat experience.
By the podcast generally focusing on expat living and lifestyle, a door for the acceptance of different cultures can be opened and explored to see that we, as a people, have a lot more in common than we think.
What’s your podcasting set-up? Hardware, software, CMS, etc.
I have a very unique hardware setup which includes Blackmagic and Teradek gear.
In my studio, my host microphone is a Rode Procaster and the guests microphones are the Audio-Technica AT4040.
I use the AT4040 for guests in my quiet location because most of them do not know about proper mic technique and don’t stay up close to their microphones.
I use pop-filters and just tell my guests to project their voice into them.
The microphones go into a Behringer Xenyx X1622 USB mixer that sends audio through a Behringer MDX4600 4 channel compressor.
I then have the treated audio from the compressor sent to a Tascam DR–70D recorder to record each microphones audio to a separate audio channel.
At the same time, I record on one audio track the combined audio from all inputs in Logic Pro X.
I then import the audio from the DR–70D via it’s USB connection into Logic Pro X and place these files onto separate tracks.
I then mute the combined audio track. If needed, I will further treat the audio. After editing, I then send the mp3 file into the desktop version of Auphonic to level out at –16 LUFS and, in the end, add the needed metadata to the leveled audio file.
I also have a Mac mini to accept Skype calls and a connection that allows a cellphone to also accept Skype calls.
All in all, I am currently setup to connect to 8 live connections.
In the studio, headphone connections are adjusted through a Behringer AMP800 headphone amplifier.
A diagram of how my gear is connected can be found at right here.
How have you promoted your podcast?
My podcast is fixed in a very small niche and it doesn’t carry many keywords or buzz words that are popular in the podosphere.
The types of interactions I have while interviewing my expat guests from all over the world is a capsule of reflections of what needs to be done to lower and hopefully eliminate the fears and hate towards people from other nations.
I promote the podcast mainly on a Facebook page, Twitter, Google Plus and Youtube. Sometimes, I post to Pinterest and Instagram.
I also take part in many Facebook groups and handout my podcast’s name cards as well.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
Before I got into podcasting, I wish that I knew that it would be a little bit difficult to do the type of podcast I host from abroad.
Because of time differences, trying to setup interviews sometimes becomes a cat and mouse game.
Waking up at 4 o’clock in the morning to drive 45 minutes to the studio can run anyone down.
Above everything else, promoting podcasting locally has been an uphill battle as most people in this region see podcasting as mainly a “Western” thing.
I am currently creating two separate projects that I hope will make podcasting a common part of people’s vocabulary in this region.
If you want “a door for the acceptance of different cultures” that “can be opened and explored to see that we, as a people, have a lot more in common than we think.” then you know where to go. We need more of that. Subscribe to this podcast!
If you have something that you need to get out into the world, another way to create more understanding and/or a deeper conversation, why not start a podcast? We would love to support you on your journey! Host your media with us.
Wanna get started with podcasting? This is the best FREE how to podcast tutorial that you can find.
