Developer relations—DevRel for the cool kids—as I understand it is a position at software companies that acts as a middle-person between the developers at the company, and the developers that are users of the software the company distributes. One part marketing, one part developer.
Tangent: According to Wikipedia it was actually Apple that may have started the whole DevRel position back in the 80’s, but it didn’t really catch on everywhere else until the 2010’s?
And lucky you! You got a job at a software company in DevRel, and now you get to appear on podcasts and YouTube channels talking about the amazing APIs, edge functions, and FrontPage ’98 extensions that your new employer has that more developers need to be aware of.
Here’s My Ask:
As a podcast editor who may end up editing you as a guest on one of my client’s podcasts, please do us all a favor (but especially me if I’m being honest) and get yourself some better gear for recording audio using your new employer’s budget.
1) – Get a Microphone
No, your earbuds are not good enough. Nor is your $3,500 new MacBook Pro’s built in mic. There’s hundreds of options out there, but to keep it simple, get yourself the Shure MV7. Ideally get the bundle with the boom arm as well if your desk allows for it. It’s a great mic. It’ll plug in to your MacBook Pro’s USB-C port no problem. It sounds and looks great. You don’t need any other preamps, Fetheads, or compressors to power it. It just works.
Some alternatives if the MV7 is outside your budget include:
- ~$110 Audio Technica ATR2100x
- ~$200 Rode Podmic USB
- ~$200 Elgato Wave:3 (Elgato is a great brand for all sorts of audio and video recording gear.)
2) Get a Pair of Headphones
Technically you can use your AirPods or or whatever headset your employer gave you with your computer. Nothing really wrong with them as long as you use headphones. And make sure when you’re recording that you’re not using those as your input device!
One benefit to getting wired headphones, besides possible bluetooth latency, is the ability to plug them right into your microphone so you can monitor your audio input as it goes into the computer. Most of the mics listed above include a headphone plug so you can hear yourself.
It can take a bit of getting used to, but that way you can hear if the hard drive spinning up on your desk is making it’s way into your microphone before it’s too late.
If you want to keep it all really simple and on one line item on the receipt so accounting is happy, get the MV7 boom + headphone bundle.
Look at that fancy typography. You know they do their microphone gear right when they can afford typography like that.
Now You’re Ready to DevRel!
That’s it. That’s all you need to sound great while doing whatever it is someone in DevRel does. Or at least the part where you’re on a podcast or YouTube video with one of my clients.
You’ll sound better than at least 70% of the other DevRel people out there which will make you sound smarter. And your new employer will come off sounding like a very professional company with an amazing sounding DevRel team.
Share This Post So We Can All Heal Our Ears Together
A mic upgrade isn’t just for someone working in DevRel!
Maybe you heard a friend on a podcast and it sounded like they were using their 2011 iMac microphone. They don’t even have to work in DevRel to benefit from this post! Please send them this blog post, with love and kindness, so we can all collectively heal by having better audio on the internet and in our eardrums.
Other Posts About Improving Your Recordings
- 6 Tips for Better Podcast Recordings
- What Does it Take to Record a Podcast?
- Gift Guide for Someone Wanting to Get Into Podcasting
Got Questions?
Got any questions about guesting on a podcast or gear to buy I haven’t answered here? Drop a comment below, hit me up on Twitter, or contact me directly.
