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You Are A Most Important Tool

You Are A Most Important Tool

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 Let’s be honest: most creative podcasts want to sell you the idea that if you just buy the right thing, you’ll magically become a creative genius. Which, to be clear, is absolute nonsense—because if that were true, this entire episode would have been recorded by a $700 Remarkable tablet and a foam ball named Chaotica, not four humans with questionable impulse control and deeply specific opinions about keyboards. But instead, it’s us: Misty, Kyle, Ryan, and Pete—offering an unfiltered digital show-and-tell of the actual tools we use to write novels and plays, make podcasts, and summon demons via cursed potatoes. Some of us love long walks, others rely on mechanical keyboards, and one of us edits audio like a gremlin in the night using software that no longer legally exists.We kick things off with Kyle’s philosophical rant about the tyranny of software subscriptions and his never-ending quest for open-source purity. Misty shares her evolution from USB mic amateur to Rodecaster Pro sorceress, while Ryan maps out how a good chair, a great playlist, and noise-canceling headphones can turn a coffee shop into a cathedral of inspiration (as long as there’s no beer involved). Pete, naturally, has turned his studio into a voice-activated spaceship, powered by Hue lights, Obsidian, and a potato that literally shocks people. Also, somewhere in here, someone gets electrocuted and someone else quotes Clarissa Pinkola Estés, which pretty much sums us up.We wrap with our “Worst Then Best Advice” roundtable, where each of us confesses the terrible guidance we’ve received (hello, “rewrite your script from memory”) and the wisdom we’ve clung to when the work gets hard. The truth is, no matter what tools you use—expensive or scrappy, analog or pixelated—the most powerful tool is you. Which, yes, sounds like a motivational poster from a dentist’s office, but in this context, it’s also deeply true.Some of the Tools, Services & Shiny Things Mentioned:Hardware:Rodecaster Pro IIShure SM7B MicrophoneKeychron Q1 Pro Mechanical KeyboardInsta360 Link CameraHue Smart LightsCommand StripsDJI Osmo Mobile GimbalSoftware & Services:ObsidianPlottrPagesReaper Audio EditorAuphonicAudacityDaVinci ResolveCodaTrelby Screenwriting SoftwareFade InScrivener (not recommended by most of us)Honorable Mentions:Kaotica Eyeball (no, seriously)Remarkable TabletKindle ScribeHighland 2 (formerly loved, now subscription)Celtx (ditto) (00:00) - Welcome to Craft and Chaos(01:14) - A Heartwarming Story of Disappointment(12:36) - "Sponsor:" That Song(14:13) - The Craft of Craft(55:30) - "Sponsor:" Wall(56:52) - Worst... then best advice
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