Mike Murphy Unplugged

Episode Summary: What's in the studio toolkit, and what gear a new content creator actually needs — cameras and lenses, lighting, and audio, broken down by category with real recommendations.

What You'll Learn

• The full studio toolkit across microphones, cameras, lenses, and lighting
• The 3 gear categories every content creator's kit falls into
• Real pros/cons calls on dynamic vs. condenser mics and USB vs. XLR gear
• Budget-friendly lighting picks, including the $30 "china ball" favorite

3 Categories of Gear

Camera and lenses, lighting, audio and accessories.

Microphones & Audio

• Rode NTG3 shotgun mic — simply the best.
• Shure SM7B dynamic microphone — the best mic used to date.
• Triton FetHead — a must-have with the SM7B to boost gain (a Cloudlifter is an alternative).
• The Rode NT1-Kit condenser microphone — amazing sounding.
• Rode VideoMic Pro — a decent shotgun mic, since replaced by the NTG3.
• Shure SM58 vocal mic — the workhorse of dynamic mics.
• Blue Yeti USB microphone — a genuine favorite.
• Audio-Technica AT899 lavalier mic — a good lav option.
• Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 USB audio interface.
• DBX 286S microphone preamp — the secret weapon in audio; check out Caleb Wojcik's review.
• Zoom H6 six-track portable recorder — way better than the H4N.
• M-Audio BX5 D2 speakers — great studio monitors.
• Rode PSA1 swivel-mount boom arm — genuinely loved.
• Rode boom pole.
• Sony MDR-7506 headphones — great studio cans.

Cameras & Lenses

Canon T5i — the main camera for still photography and video, genuinely loved. Logitech C920 webcam — 1080p HD, amazing quality for the price. Canon G11 — an oldie but goodie. GoPro Hero 4 Black — can't say enough good things. Canon 24-105mm lens — the best lens by far. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens — cheap and great for shallow depth of field. Canon 18-55mm kit lens. Canon 10-18mm lens — wide-angle goodness. Canon 50mm lens — like the "nifty fifty," only better.

Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.

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Episode Summary: The very first episode — the story behind the one-man band, why this podcast started, and what to expect from every episode going forward: Learn, Create, Move Forward.

What You'll Learn

• The origin story behind Mike Murphy Unplugged and why it started
• The show's core mission: Learn, Create, Move Forward
• What topics and recurring features to expect going forward
• Why being a "jack of all trades" isn't a flaw, it's the whole premise

Episode 1: Intro

This is Episode 1 of Mike Murphy Unplugged. Learn. Create. Move Forward.

Your host: Mike Murphy — a one-man band and technology junkie who loves helping people figure things out. The goal of this podcast is simple: help you learn what you need to know in order to create online content, so you can move forward in business and in life.

Purpose of this episode: a behind-the-scenes look at the story so far, and what to expect from future episodes.

Are you a one-person operation where it feels like you have to learn and do everything yourself? Do you suffer from being a jack-of-all-trades with too many good ideas in your head at once — getting excited about something, then waking up with a brand new idea the next day? It's exciting and maddening at the same time. That's exactly the audience this show is built for.

This podcast documents the journey that led to blogging and eventually starting a podcast — sharing knowledge, skills, and insights to build a community of like-minded people who want to make a dent in the universe, no matter how big or small. The goal: pack as much value as possible into every episode, in under 15 minutes, to keep listeners motivated to make content and move forward.

Topics this show will cover:

• Gear & equipment
• Building a website and using WordPress
• How and why to launch a podcast
• Graphic design, entrepreneurship, and productivity
• Curated content and social media trends

Recurring features to expect:

• Ask Mike Anything (Q&A)
• My Favorite Things (podcasts, books, music, websites)
• What's in Your Podcast Toolkit? — asking fellow podcasters about their go-to tools
• Guest interviews, coming soon
• And more, as the show evolves

Music: "Life of Riley" & "Wallpaper" (incompetech.com).

Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.

Support the show

Subscribe To Weekly Newsletter:
AI Unplugged

Connect With Me
🌐 Website
📧 Newsletter
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🐦 X
💼 LinkedIn

Comments, Questions & Feedback: 
[email protected]