How I Podcast: Anna Rubanova of Left Handed Radio

The Accessibility of Podcasting and Diverse Approaches

Podcasting stands out as a remarkably accessible medium. It’s uniquely simple to both create and enjoy content. Consequently, each podcaster develops a distinct approach to the process. The available tools, encompassing both hardware and software, are extensive, ranging from professional NPR studios to basic USB microphone setups – the latter of which gained prominence during recent global events.

We consulted a number of esteemed podcast hosts and producers to gain insight into their workflows. This included details on the equipment and software they utilize to achieve their objectives. The following individuals have contributed their perspectives:

• Science Vs’s Rose Rimler
• Election Profit Makers’ David Rees
• Welcome to Your Fantasy’s Eleanor Kagan
• Articles of Interest’s Avery Trufelman
• First Draft and Track Changes’ Sarah Enni
• RiYL remote podcasting edition
• Family Ghosts’ Sam Dingman
• I’m Listening’s Anita Flores
• Broken Record’s Justin Richmond
• Criminal/This Is Love’s Lauren Spohrer
• Jeffrey Cranor of Welcome to Night Vale
• Jesse Thorn of Bullseye
• Ben Lindbergh of Effectively Wild
• My own podcast, RiYL

This week’s discussion features Anna Rubanova. Initially a comedy writer, she transitioned into podcast production. Her work includes contributions to shows like “The Thrilling Adventure Hour” and “Election Profit Makers” (where David Rees, a previous interviewee, appeared). Rubanova currently holds an executive producer role at Forever Dog and has created content for WNYC Studios and Stitcher Premium. She also co-produces and hosts the narrative sketch comedy program “Left Handed Radio” alongside Adam Bozarth.

Rubanova emphasizes the frequent use of her smartphone for idea capture. Previously, she would jot down sketch ideas, often forgetting the nuances that made them effective. She now utilizes voice memos to preserve the initial feeling of a concept, which can then serve as a foundation for a fully developed sketch or a prompt for improvisation.

“Left Handed Radio” represents Rubanova’s primary creative outlet. It functions as a portfolio, a space for comedic exploration, and a justification for collaboration with her partner, Adam Bozarth. The show features sketches and stream-of-consciousness monologues, driven by whatever they find amusing or intriguing.

Over the past ten years, they have amassed a collection of recording equipment. This includes several Zoom recorders, two AudioTechnica 2020 USB microphones, and a Rhode shotgun microphone. Much of this equipment was originally intended for DIY filmmaking, stemming from a period of short-form comedy content creation following the decline of branded content websites.

Rubanova’s passion lies in narrative audio, and podcasting provides her livelihood. As a producer for up to twelve shows concurrently, investment in plugins and software became necessary. She identifies Audition as the most user-friendly DAW for dialogue editing, while Logic excels in soundscape and music creation. Remote calls are recorded directly into Audition, where edit points are marked similarly to a studio environment, facilitated by tools like Loopback.

A significant investment of $1,000 was made in restoration software two years ago, proving invaluable during the pandemic. With remote recording becoming commonplace, unforeseen audio issues frequently arose. One instance involved a podcaster broadcasting from a rooftop party, but the recording was successfully restored to a pristine quality using RX-7 (with aspirations for RX-8). These plugins are not only practical but can also offer creative possibilities, such as simulating audio emanating from a loudspeaker beneath a woolen blanket.