The one with the RodeCaster

Hey, It’s Diggy

I’m pretty excited today, because I’ve bought myself a brand new piece of kit.

The only way I can really describe it is this:

it’s called a RØDECaster Duo.

If you’re into podcasting or music, you probably already know what that is. If you’re not, don’t worry, I’m about to explain it in far more detail than you asked for.

What Is It?

At its core, the RØDECaster Duo is an all-in-one machine for recording, mixing, and exporting a podcast.

Physically, it looks like a mixer.

You know the type:

• Knobs

• Dials

• Sliders

• A big digital screen

But the clever bit is that it also records directly onto the device. I no longer need to hook it up to my computer just to capture audio.

Right now, all I have in front of me is the RØDECaster Duo. I’m recording the podcast straight into it. I can play the theme tune through it. I can adjust levels. I can do all sorts of audio wizardry.

It’s very cool.

Why I Bought It (Despite the Price)

I’ve wanted one of these for a long time. Unfortunately, they are not cheap.

This was just shy of £400, which is not an amount of money I casually spend on things, especially when my computer can already do most of what this does.

But the big selling point for me is not having to use my computer at all while recording. I can keep it free for notes, research, or accidentally opening tabs I don’t need.

I can also route audio from my computer into the RØDECaster. So if I play music, clips, or anything else, it all comes through the device and gets recorded cleanly.

I haven’t even fully set that up yet. That’s future Diggy’s problem.

Buttons. Glorious Buttons.

It also has sound effects.

Do you want to hear some sound effects?

Of course you do.

Imagine applause.

Yes, that’s right. Applause.

We’ve got:

• Applause

• An air horn

• A record scratch for when I need to dramatically rewind time

You know, like in films:

“You may be wondering how I got here…”

That joke landed better in my head.

We’ve also got chimes for when I tell a great joke.

Which I absolutely will.

Eventually.

And if I were to say a bad word, I could censor it with a button.

I didn’t actually say anything there.

Please don’t leave.

Stay with me.

There’s a megaphone effect.

There’s a voice disguise.

There’s a monster voice.

There’s… whatever that last one was.

I’m done now.

Definitely done.

No more buttons.

The Actual Important Bit

Joking aside, the main reason I bought it is the microphone processing. It acts as an interface, and the built-in processing is genuinely excellent

In my test recordings, it made me sound noticeably better. Which is the dream, really. Let’s see if that holds up.

The Delivery Saga (Because Of Course)

It wouldn’t be a Hey, It’s Diggy episode without me complaining about something.

With expensive items, I never have them delivered to my house. I always use a delivery point or locker.

Why?

Because:

• One neighbour and I do not get on. Absolute dragon.

• The neighbours on the other side are not very mobile and I’d rather not make them answer the door

So I ordered it to a nearby post office.

In theory: next-day delivery.

In reality: a four-day saga.

They kept sending it out for delivery at night, around 8pm.

Then I’d get a message saying:

“Delivery failed. Location closed.”

Yes.

Because it’s a post office.

This happened repeatedly until someone finally sent it out early and it arrived.

I waited far longer than I should have. I was annoyed.

But it could have been worse.

One More Story (Why Not)

This episode ended up being entirely about me and my equipment, which wasn’t really the plan. So I thought I’d throw in an extra story to pad things out.

Because content.

I once went on a blind date.

It actually went quite well. So well, in fact, that afterwards she suggested we should have dinner again.

Which was very nice.

I declined.

Not because I didn’t like her.

But because I was so full.

Bless her heart.