Software
Wheelspin programs are produced using a combination of free & premium software. We use Skype for the actual discussion and communication between hosts & guests. Calls are done using audio-only conference calling. Post production is done in Adobe Audition 3 and exported into a 96k mono MP3 and published on the Wheelspin site & through the podcast feeds.
Hardware
Christiaan Conover operates out of a home production & broadcast studio. All recording is done on a Zoom H4n portable recorder to 44.1KHz, 24bit WAV format. The live stream is broadcast using a HP Pavilion DV6700. The hub of the studio is the mixing console, a Behringer Xenyx X2442USB mixer. Skype calls are handled by a custom-built desktop through a USB sound card. Christiaan uses a Rode NT1-A studio condenser microphone with shock mount & pop filter for his own audio input, mounted on a Rode PSA1 studio microphone boom. He uses Behringer HPS3000 studio headphones for monitoring the audio.
The Studio
Network & Internet
The shows are hosted & recorded using a Verizon FiOS 15mbps down/5mbps up fiber connection. The web site and podcast episode MP3 files are hosted from a Bluehost hosting plan. The RSS feeds for the podcasts are syndicated through Feedburner. Podcast listen & download statistics are tracked using Podtrac.
Wheelspin Network uses Google Apps Standard Edition for email, calendaring & document collaboration. We manage show notes & any scripts or transcripts through Google Docs shared documents, and Google Mail for all email service.
Live Stream
The live stream is broadcast using UStream, a free video broadcast & streaming service. As we currently broadcast audio-only, we transmit the audio to UStream, and the video window contains the show’s album art or other relevant graphics. We also operate a chat room, provided by Mibbit.