MiNiSTUDIO US-42 Key for Colon Cancer Podcast

January 2017… From the time he was five years old, Lee Silverstein has battled one form of cancer or another, and he’s winning in more ways than one. Having survived stage 4 colon cancer, he knows what it takes, and he wanted to do something to help others facing similar challenges. His unique Colon Cancer Podcast offers hope and inspiration to others who are affected by the disease, provides an outlet for those who want to share their story, and delivers important information about colon cancer. Recently he upgraded his podcasting system in a big way, adopting the TASCAM MiNiSTUDIO Creator US-42 as the centerpiece of his rig.

The idea of doing a podcast didn’t occur to Silverstein until a happy coincidence provided fresh inspiration. “I had never done any sort of podcasting or audio production,” he admits, “but there’s a very active podcasting community in the Tampa area, and I knew some of the people. They were looking for a place to meet, and I offered space at my office. I sat in on the meeting, and it made me realize that podcasting might be a great way I could help other people who have been affected, directly or indirectly, by colon cancer. Of course the podcasters in the group encouraged me to go for it.”

Initially, Silverstein’s setup was very simple: a laptop computer, a USB microphone, and editing software. “It got the job done but it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t ideal,” he recalls. “Some friends who teach audio technology showed me the basics of using a DAW but I really wanted a tool that’s more intuitive and easier to use for capturing podcasts. I also needed to have two mics set up, and effects would help a lot. But I didn’t know of any products like that specifically for podcasting until the podcasting group started talking about the MiNiSTUDIO Creator US-42.”

One of the leaders in the Tampa podcast community is Niel Guilarte, the owner and Chief Creative Officer of Wildstyle Media Group and host of All Things Post, a podcast for people working in audio post-production. Guilarte uses the MiNiSTUDIO Creator US-42, and he and other podcasters convinced Silverstein to try it. “The US-42 is so much easier to use than my old system, and it sounds much better, too,” reports Silverstein. “I use the same type of mics the other podcasters here use, and TASCAM’s HDDA preamps make them sound very rich and clear. It’s a big improvement.”

The Colon Cancer Podcast is created off line, not podcast live, so Silverstein uses the US-42 in Creator mode, which is optimized for audio production. In this mode, the loopback feature used in Broadcast mode (for live podcasting) is turned off, and the mic inputs are routed separately to the computer. He uses the US-42’s PON pads to trigger transitions, initially using the prerecorded sounds.

“I’m starting to work on original sounds,” Silverstein avers, “and I’m experimenting with the sound quality presets for hard and soft spoken word and with the Voice Effects presets, which I like a lot. I’ve checked out Expert mode, which lets you get deeper into the EQ and compressor and reverb, but I’m not using it quite yet. TASCAM’s control software gives you access to a lot of parameters, and it’s easy to use, like everything in the US-42. I’m very happy I don’t have to wade through a big software manual just to get up and running!”

Although he started with no podcasting experience, Silverstein has worked hard, and his efforts have been extremely successful. The Colon Cancer Podcast is supported by the Colon Cancer Alliance and is the only podcast that deals specifically with colorectal cancer. Guests are happy to appear and share their stories and information, and the podcast has a loyal following. Silverstein is now able to travel to conferences, where he can record podcasts with an even wider group of guests.

“The MiNiSTUDIO Creator US-42 makes it a lot easier to do podcasts at conferences because it’s very compact and lightweight,” he reports. “It’s professional equipment, even though it’s not expensive, so I consistently get a great recording wherever I use it. This is the only product I know of that is designed specifically for podcasters, and TASCAM definitely got it right. And it’s so easy it is to learn and use; that made a big difference for me. I love using the US-42!”