“The podcast studio looks bigger than it is”

name Elger van der Wel

Age 31

Reside in Utrecht

East: freelance in the media world

“Around 2005, the podcasting hype came from the United States, and I was immediately interested. At the time, as a student, I was very involved in Internet radio. In my dorm room I had a mixer with microphones. Then the podcast came in, and I was like, oh, that’s good, so I can record it and upload it. This is how I started. A year later, the hype was over. Podcasting has been back for a few years. My love for her never completely disappeared. When I saw him again, I immediately knew: it’s good to do something again.

“I started over with a pair of microphones and a recorder. It quickly became more serious. Companies have asked me to create their podcast series on order, and I have had a number of podcast series myself. It was then that I decided that I really wanted my own studio. It’s practical, and of course very cool. I gave up my shared workspace for my own office, to build a studio.

“It looks bigger than it is, such a studio. They are mostly microphones with a nice standard on some sort of kitchen table. The space is adjacent to three thick exterior walls and is almost completely insulated. There is healthy material in the inner wall. There is a sort of airlock between the office and the studio to avoid noise. If a fighter plane is flying over or a helicopter is flying over, you can hear it. This can be avoided, but then you must room in a room will build. Complete soundproofing is almost impossible.

“An empty space sounds terrible, acoustically, to record, so I placed insulating and damping materials in all kinds of ways. It’s at the back of the closet, against the wall, under the table, so you can’t see it. There is also a sofa with cushion material that absorbs sound. I bought upholstered seats. All of these things isolate sound. What I didn’t want was a studio that looks like a studio.

“Space has two functions. On the one hand, I host a number of podcasts, which are recorded here. I do the presentation, but also the editing and the technology. But I also rent the space to companies. Sometimes they rent the space and do everything themselves, on request I also take care of the content of their podcasts and I also present them. Everything is possible. There was only demand. “Hey, can you do a podcast? “I can’t make a living from it yet, but it’s a good way to make some money.”

Quay Rutger