Podcastage

Hosted by Bandrew Scott

Technology Education

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300

Latest episode

Nov 2025

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EN-US

About the show

Podcastage is a podcast that provides Audio Gear Reviews & Tests to help you improve your podcast and youtube audio / video. Episodes are released every Tuesday, so make sure to check back to see what new gear I am testing out for you. Also, don't be shy to ask questions on the site podcastage.com, I do my best to respond and help in any way that I can, but please make sure to check to see if the question was previously answered.

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60 recent

November 25, 2025

sE Electronics 6160 Shotgun Mic Review / Test

RECORDING SETTINGS: Interface: Focsurite Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen Conversion: 24-bit / 48kHz Gain: 27dB Boosted in Post: +12dB SPECS: Polar Pattern: Supercardioid Freq Response : 20Hz - 20khz Sensitivity: -32dBV Max SPL: 157dB (with 20dB Pad) Self Noise: 13 dB(A) Impedance: 110 Ohms Buy the sE 6160 (Affiliate Link) Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/6160 Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/619575 Buy the Focusrite 18i20 4th Gen - (Affiliate Links) Amazon: https://geni.us/18i204th Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/18i204th Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/596531 NOTE (FULL DISCLOSURE): As an associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info check my FAQ page links below. 00:00 - Intro / Setup 00:22 - What’s in the Box 00:45 - Build Quality / Walkthrough 01:30 - Specifications 01:45 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation) 02:08 - Plosive Test 02:28 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test 02:53 - Background Noise Test 03:13 - Untreated Room Test 03:33 - Shock Rejection Test 03:57 - Mic Resonance Tap Test 04:12 - High Pass Filter Demo 05:04 - Pad Demo 05:25 - Foam Windscreen Demo 06:25 - Audio Technica AT875R Comparison 06:48 - Audio Technica AT8035 Comparison 07:14 - Deity Smic 2 Comparison 07:41 - Rode NTG5 Comparison 08:03 - Roge NTG3 Comparison 08:30 - Sennheiser MKH416 Comparison 08:59 - sE Electronics SE8 Comparison 09:32 - Shure SM81 Comparison 09:55 - Beyerdynamic MC930 Comparison 10:19 - Neumann KM184 Comparison 10:47 - Shure SM57 Comparison 11:20 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison 11:51 - Music Test 14:05 - Pros & Cons 15:37 - Overall Thoughts 17:27 - Recommendation

September 3, 2025

Beyerdynamic M130 Review / Test

Today i review the Beyerdyanmic M130, a passive figure-8 ribbon which gives you a very rich and robust low-end and a tamer treble and air frequency range. This gives you more of a classic ribbon sound if that's what you're looking for and it also works INCREDIBLY with the M160 in a mid-side pair. RECORDING SETTINGS: Interface: Focsurite Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen Conversion: 24-bit / 48kHz Gain: 53dB Boosted in Post: +13dB SPECS: Polar Pattern: Figure-8 (Bidirectional) Freq Response : 40Hz - 18khz Sensitivity: -57.5dBV Impedance: 200 Ohms Buy the Beyerdynamic M130 (Affiliate Link) Amazon: https://geni.us/m130 Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/m130 B&H Photo: https://bhpho.to/427adAx Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/573622 Buy the Focusrite 18i20 4th Gen - (Affiliate Links) Amazon: https://geni.us/18i204th Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/18i204th B&H Photo: https://bhpho.to/3DLyvHf Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/596531 NOTE (FULL DISCLOSURE): As an associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info check my FAQ page links below. 00:00 - Intro / Setup 00:30 - What’s in the Box 00:54 - Build Quality / Walkthrough 01:16 - Specifications 01:30 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation) 01:49 - (Not a) Plosive Test 02:16 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test 02:41 - Background Noise Test 02:57 - Untreated Room Test 03:17 - Shock Rejection Test 03:37 - Mic Resonance Tap Test 03:57 - Mid Side Setup with M130 & M160 05:34 - Mid Side ASMR With Ribbon Mics! 06:28 - Shure SM7b Comparison 06:54 - sE Electronics VR2 Comparison 07:26 - Royer R10 Comparison 07:58 - Rode NTR Comparison 08:33 - Beyerdynamic M160 Comparison 09:07 - Shure KSM313 N/E Comparison 09:39 - AEA KU5a Comparison 10:13 - Shure SM57 Comparison 10:47 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison 11:23 - Music Test 13:00 - Adding EQ 13:47 - Pros & Cons 15:51 - Overall Thoughts 18:53 - Recommendation 21:30 - Outro - Where I've Been

July 15, 2025

Neumann TLM193 Review / Test

Support the Channel: http://podcastage.com/support Today i review the Neumann TLM193, a fantastic sounding neutral condenser microphone. This has a cardioid pattern, a self noise of 10dBA and a max SPL of 140dB. The sound of this is overall very neutral, with a bit of a recession in the presence and treble which helps tame some harsher frequencies without sounding too dull or dead. I found that this worked extremely well on every application I tried it on. Buy Neumann TLM193 (Affiliate Links) Amazon: https://geni.us/tlm193 Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/tlm193 B&H: https://bhpho.to/46fujf3 NOTE (FULL DISCLOSURE) : As an associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info check my FAQ page links below. RECORDING SETTINGS: Interface: Universal Audio X8 Conversion: 24-bit / 48kHz Gain: 30dB Boosted in Post: +7dB SPECS: Polar Pattern: Cardioid Freq Response : 20Hz - 20khz Sensitivity: ~ -35dB Self Noise: 10dBA Max SPL: 140dB (with pad engaged) Impedance: 50-ohms TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro / Setup 00:34- What’s in the Box 00:53 - Build Quality / Walkthrough 01:19 - Specifications 01:29 - Polar Pattern Rotation Demo 01:48 - Plosive Test 02:06 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test 02:29 - Background Noise Test 02:52 - Untreated Room Test 03:02 - Shock Rejection Test 03:23 - Mic Resonance Tap Test 03:35 - Outboard Preamp Demo 04:33 - Focusrite 18i20 Demo 05:33 - Audio Technica AT2020 Comparison 05:52 - sE Electronics X1a Comparison 06:11 - Rode NT1 5th Gen Comparison 06:34 - Shure KSM32 Comparison 06:59 - Neumann TLM102 Comparison 07:27 - Telefunken TF11 Comparison 07:53 - Neumann TLM103 Comparison 08:24 - AKG C414 XLS Comparison 09:00 - Austrian Audio OC818 Comparison 09:33 - Lewitt Pure Tube Comparison 10:11 - Neumann TLM107 10:45 - Soyuz Bomblet Comparison 11:16 - Neumann TLM49 Comparison 11:49 - Lauten FC387 Atlantis Comparison 12:25 - Gefell UMT70s Comparison 12:54 - Shure SM57 Comparison 13:25 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison 14:07 - Neumann U67 Reissue Comparison 14:43 - Music Test 16:46 - Pros & Cons 18:38 - Overall Thoughts 20:41 - Recommendation

June 24, 2025

Elgato Wave Neo Review / Test

Today I review and demo the Elgato Wave Neo, a relatively affordable USB condenser microphone. This offers a warmer and slightly darker sound compared to many of the other USB condenser microphones, a capacitive mute function, EQ, Deesser, Compressor, and Noise Removal plugins, as well as a digital mixer. Buy the Elgato Wave Neo (Affiliate Link) Amazon: https://geni.us/waveneo NOTE (FULL DISCLOSURE): As an associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info check my FAQ page links below. RECORDING SETTINGS: Conversion: 24-bit / 48kHz Computer Input Level: 12% Boosted in Post: +9dB SPECS: Polar Pattern: Cardioid Freq Response: 20Hz - 20kHz Sensitivity: -23dB Max SPL: 120dB Dynamic Range: 94dB A/D & D/A: 24-bit / 48 or 96khz 00:00 - Intro / Price / Disclaimer 00:23 - What’s in the Box 00:44 - Build Quality / Walkthrough 01:22 - Specifications 01:32 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation) 01:48 - Plosive Test 02:04 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test 02:23 - Background Noise Test 02:38 - Untreated Room Test 02:58 - Mic Resonance Tap Test 03:12 - Shock Reiection Test 03:30 - Desktop Stand Demo 04:20 - Mute Button Test 05:01 - Samson Go Mic Comparison 05:25 - Razer Seiren V3 Mini Comparison 05:51 - HyperX Solocast Comparison 06:16 - Logitech Yeti Orb Comparison 06:51 - Rode NT USB Mini Comparison 07:26 - Neat Bumblebee II Comparison 07:55 - Logitech Yeti Nano Comparison 08:31 - Audio Technica AT2020 USB-X Comparison 09:07 - Sennheiser Profile USB Comparison 09:41 - Elgato Wave 3 Comparison 10:13 - Shure SM57 Comparison 10:52 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison 11:30 - Music Test 13:51 - Software Walkthrough 16:13 - Voice Focus Demo 18:20 - EQ Demo 20:27 - De-Esser Demo 21:42 - Compressor Demo 23:17 - Pros & Cons 24:38 - Overall Thoughts 26:00 - Recommendation

June 6, 2025

Neat Worker Bee II (vs. AT2020, P120, 990)

Today i review the Neat Worker Bee 2, a budget condenser microphone. This has no switches or filters, it simply offers a cardioid polar pattern and a slight V-shape sound profile. It has a powerful low end, slightly recessed mid section and a clear top end. It does a sub par job at plosive rejection and the shock rejection also leaves a little bit to be desired, so it would have been fantastic for this to come with a shockmount and pop filter, but at the price, I can't complain too much. RECORDING SETTINGS: Interface: Focsurite Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen Conversion: 24-bit / 48kHz Gain: +31dB Boosted in Post: +11dB SPECS: Polar Pattern: Cardioid Freq Response : 20Hz - 20khz Sensitivity: ~ -34.5dB Max SPL: 145dB Impedance: 50-ohms Buy the Neat Worker Bee 2 (Affiliate Link) Amazon: https://geni.us/workbee2 Buy the Focusrite 18i20 4th Gen - (Affiliate Links) Amazon: https://geni.us/18i204th Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/18i204th B&H Photo: https://bhpho.to/3DLyvHf Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/596531 NOTE (FULL DISCLOSURE): As an associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info check my FAQ page links below. 00:00 - Intro / Setup 00:28 - What’s in the Box 00:53 - Build Quality / Walkthrough 01:18 - Specifications 01:30 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation) 01:47 - Plosive Test 02:07 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test 02:33 - Background Noise Test 02:49 - Untreated Room Test 03:11 - Shock Rejection Test 03:31 - Mic Resonance Tap Test 03:44 - Mic Comparison Intro 04:19 - Neat Worker Bee 1 Comparison 04:39 - Neat King Bee 1 Comparison 05:02 - Neewer NW700 Comparison 05:28 - Mackie EM91c Comparison 05:55 - Tascam TM80 Comparison 06:17 - MXL 990 Comparison 06:43 - Audio Technica AT2020 Comparison 07:09 - sE Electronics X1a Comparison 07:36 - Lewitt LCT240 Comparison 08:02 - AKG P120 Comparison 08:27 - Shure PGA181 Comparison 08:49 - Neat King Bee v2 Comparison 09:16 - Rode NT1 5th Gen Comparison 09:42 - Shure SM57 Comparison 10:10 - Earthworks SR117 Comparison 10:34 - Neumann U87Ai Comparison 11:03 - Music Test 12:51 - Pros & Cons 14:17 - Overall Thoughts 15:42 - Recommendation

May 13, 2025

Aston Apex Review / Test

Voicing 1 Comparison: https://youtu.be/00Fl2m_J-q0 Today i review the Aston Apex, a handheld dynamic. This mic has two different voicings giving you different EQ curves, active electronics giving the mic a very healthy output level, and it offers a unique and robust feeling build quality. The sound is either V-shaped or upper mid focussed depending on the voicing you use. I found that it suffered in two primary areas: plosive rejection and handling noise rejection. RECORDING SETTINGS: Interface: Focsurite Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen Conversion: 24-bit / 48kHz Gain: 40dB (+48v Phantom Power On) Boosted in Post: +10dB SPECS: Polar Pattern: Cardioid Freq Response : 20Hz - 16khz Sensitivity: -62dB to -50dB (depending on active/passive & switch position) Max SPL: 115dB to 147dB (depending on active/passive & switch position) Equivalent Noise Level: 5dB Buy the Aston Apex(Affiliate Link) Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/apex Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/594390 Buy the Focusrite 18i20 4th Gen - (Affiliate Links) Amazon: https://geni.us/18i204th Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/18i204th B&H Photo: https://bhpho.to/3DLyvHf Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/596531 NOTE (FULL DISCLOSURE): As an associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info check my FAQ page links below. 00:00 - Intro 00:26 - What’s in the Box 00:44 - Build Quality / Walkthrough 01:16 - Specifications 01:28 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation) 01:43 - Plosive Test 02:03 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test 02:21 - Background Noise Test 02:34 - Untreated Room Test 02:54 - Shock Rejection Test 03:15 - Mic Resonance Tap Test 03:31 - Handling Noise Rejection Test 03:51 - Cup the Mic Test 04:10 - Voicing Switch Demo (Voice 1 vs. Voice 2) 05:33 - Shure SM58 Comparison 05:56 - Sennheiser E835 Comparison 06:21 - sE Electronics V7 Comparison 06:46 - Shure Beta 58a Comparison 07:13 - Audix OM3 Comparison 07:42 - Mojave MA-D Comparison 08:10 - Sennheiser E935 Comparison 08:38 - Beyerdynamic TG V70d Comparison 09:14 - Audio Technica AT2010 Comparison 09:43 - Lewitt MTP350Cm Comparison 10:09 - Earthworks SR117 Comparison 10:33 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison 11:03 - Music Test (voicing 2) 13:03 - Pros & Cons 14:41 - Overall Thoughts 16:48 - Recommendation

April 24, 2025

Audix PDX520 Dynamic Mic Review / Test

Today I review the new dynamic mic from Audix PDX520 which is a broadcast dynamic, podcast dynamic, streamer dynamic, or studio dynamic, whatever you want it to be. It has a standard dynamic sensitivity, a darker and smoother sound profile with a slight focus on the mids, and two eq switches to adjust the sound (presence boost & high pass filter). Buy the Audix PDX520 (Affiliate Link) Amazon: https://geni.us/pdx520 NOTE (FULL DISCLOSURE): As an associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info check my FAQ page links below. RECORDING SETTINGS: Interface: Focusrite 18i20 4th Gen Gain: 50dB Conversion: 24-bit / 48kHz Boosted in Post: +9dB SPECS: Polar Pattern: Cardioid Freq Response :40Hz - 16kHz Sensitivity: ~ -56dBV Max SPL: 144dB Impedance 280 ohms 00:00 - Intro / Price / Disclaimer 00:30 - What’s in the Box 00:45 - Build Quality / Walkthrough 01:21 - Specifications 01:32 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation) 01:53 - Plosive Test 02:07 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test 02:31 - Background Noise Test 02:44 - Untreated Room Test 03:03 - Mic Resonance Tap Test 03:17 - Shock Rejection Test 03:32 - EQ Switch Demo 04:45 - Intro to Comparison 05:06 - Shure SM58 Comparison 05:23 - sE Electronics V7 Comparison 05:42 - Rode Podmic Comparison 06:00 - Audio Technica AT2040 Comparison 06:21 - Rode Procaster Comparison 06:41 - sE Electronics Dynacaster Comparison 07:05 - Universal Audio SD-1 Comparison 07:33 - Aston Stealth Comparison 07:57 - Audio Technica BP40 Comparison 08:21 - Logitech Blue Sona C omparison 08:47 - Heil PR40 Comparison 09:07 - Shure SM7b Comparison 09:32 - Earthworks Ethos Comparison 09:57 - Electro Voice RE20 Comparsion 10:21 - Shure SM57 Comparison 10:47 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison 11:25 - Music Test 12:45 - Pros & Cons 14:05 - Overall Thoughts| 15:44 - Recommendation

April 4, 2025

Audix OM3 Review / Test

vs. 12 Mics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5L5ggn-qkE Today i review the Audix OM3, a handheld dynamic. This mic offers a bright upper mid and treble region with a tight hypercardioid polar pattern which does a good job at background noise rejection, but a less than stellar job at handling noise rejection. The microphone also has a powerful lowend which can be a little bit over powering in my opinion. RECORDING SETTINGS: Interface: Focsurite Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen Conversion: 24-bit / 48kHz Gain: ~45dB Boosted in Post: +10dB SPECS: Polar Pattern: Hypercardioid Freq Response : 50Hz - 17khz Sensitivity: -56dB Impedance: 290-ohms Max SPL: ≥144 dB Buy the Audix OM3 (Affiliate Link) Amazon: https://geni.us/aom3 Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/aom3 B&H Photo: https://bhpho.to/42b0YyA Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/160138 Buy the Focusrite 18i20 4th Gen - (Affiliate Links) Amazon: https://geni.us/18i204th Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/18i204th B&H Photo: https://bhpho.to/3DLyvHf Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/596531 NOTE (FULL DISCLOSURE): As an associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info check my FAQ page links below. 00:00 - Nonsense 00:27 - Intro 00:42 - What’s in the Box 01:10 - Build Quality / Walkthrough 01:35 - Specifications 01:47 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation) 02:06 - Plosive Test 02:30 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test 02:56 - Background Noise Test 03:10- Untreated Room Test 03:30 - Shock Rejection Test 03:48 - Mic Resonance Tap Test 03:59 - Handling Noise Rejection Test 04:19 - Cup the Mic Test 04:42 - Behringer XM8500 Comparison 05:03 - Shure SM58 Comparison 05:27 - Sennheiser E835 Comparison 05:50 - sE Electronics V7 Comparison 06:09 - Audix OM2 Comparison 06:33 - AKG D5 Comparison 06:56 - Shure Beta 58a Comparison 07:19 - Mojave MA-D Comparison 07:43 - Sennheiser E935 Comparison 08:11 - Earthworks SR117 Comparison 08:40 - Shure Beta 87A Comparison 09:04 - Neumann KMS105 Comparison 09:34 - Neumann U87 Ai Comparison 10:01 - Music Test 11:43 - Pros & Cons 12:48 - Overall Thoughts 14:19 - Recommendation

April 2, 2025

13 Handheld Mics Compared (Audix OM3)

00:00 - Intro 00:19 - Spoken Word Comparison 04:19 - Plosive Test (On Grill) 05:23 - Plosive Test (3" Distance) 06:26 - Handling Noise Test 1 07:23 - Handling Noise Test 2 08:12 - Outro

March 18, 2025

Lewitt Connect 2 Interface Review / Walkthrough

Today I walkthrough, explain, test and review the new Lewitt Connect 2 streaming audio interface. I compare it to the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 4th gen, test the preamps with the SM7b, demo the D.I. Instrument inputs, test the line level input capability, walk through the clipguard feature, eq settings, denoise capability, and compressor as well. This is an all around fantastic interface for someone who needs a single preamp and instrument input. Buy the Lewitt Connect 2 (Affiliate Links) Amazon: https://geni.us/connect2 Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/connect2 B&H Photo: https://bhpho.to/4kBgVGQ Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/590334 Buy the Shure SM7b (Affiliate Link) Amazon: https://geni.us/shuresm7b Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/sm7b B&H Photo: https://bhpho.to/3sRWmQb Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/129929 RECORDING SETTINGS: Mic: Neumann U87 Ai Conversion: 24-bit / 48kHz Gain: 29dB Boosted in Post: +8dB SPECS: USB: Bit Depth: 24-bit, Sampling Rate: 44.1, 48, or 96khz EIN: -129dBV (A-weighted) Gain Range: 0-72dB Dynamic Range: 118dB (A) 00:00 - Intro / Pricing / Disclosure 00:26 - What’s in the Box 00:48 - Build Quality 01:20 - Walkthrough of Interface 02:24 - Specifications 02:51 - Headphone Amp Discussion 04:02 - Shure SM7b Mic Test (No Cloudlifter or Fethead) 04:53 - Preamp Noise Test 05:30 - Connect 2 vs Scarlett 4th Gen 06:25 - Line In Test 07:30 - Auto Gain Demo 08:07 - Denoise Demo 09:01 - Compressor Demo 09:41 - Clipguard Demo 10:20 - Clean / Warm / Vivid Demo 11:42 - Mute Button Demo 12:11 - D.I. Instrument Input Test 14:04 - Pros & Cons 17:01 - Recommendation