This page contains details of the software, tools, services and equipment that I use and recommend. The items included are those I use to support my online radio broadcasting and the hosting of this website. I will update this page over time as I add to or change what I use.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links on this page are what is known as affiliate links. This means that I may earn a commission if you choose to purchase a product or service after clicking on one of the links. Any commission comes out of the sellers profit and does not affect the price you pay for the item. I only list resources on this page that I am happy to recommend because I have found them to be useful and not because of any commission I might earn.
Social Media
- SproutSocial This is the service I use to manage my social media accounts. It acts as a focal point for my Twitter Accounts and Facebook Pages, as well as my LinkedIn and Instagram accounts. SproutSocial makes it easy to handle direct messages and mentions and provides tools to give insights on followers and reports on activity. It is key to my social media marketing efforts. I send most of my tweets from SproutSocial. The iPhone client is also very good.
- Gnow Gnow helps me find content to share online. Using keywords it finds content from news websites, Google Alerts, RSS feeds, and elsewhere.
Website
- Wordpress My website runs on Wordpress. Apparently around 19% of all websites use Wordpress which is pretty amazing! It’s really easy to setup and makes it very easy to change the site contents and design. Oh and of course… it’s free!
- WP Engine WP Engine are one of the top rated hosting platforms for Wordpress sites. My affiliate link gives you three months free if you sign-up for an annual plan.
- Genesis Genesis is a framework designed by Studiopress that sits on top of Wordpress. Genesis makes it even easier to configure a Wordpress site.
- Prose Theme Prose is the Wordpress Theme that I use on this website. It is simple to configure and very customizable.
Contact Management (CRM Software)
- Nimble Nimble is a web-based contact management system that integrates with social media sites, such as Twitter, pulling in all your contact data into a single view where you can manage your relationships. I use this together with SproutSocial to interact with my Twitter followers as well as those who I follow.
Software for DJs
- Serato DJ This is the software I use with my Novation Twitch and Reloop Terminal Mix 8 controllers.
- Mixed In Key Mixed In Key analyses the harmonies and melodies of music files. The software attempts to identify the music key of tracks. This can help with mixing by identifying songs that are likely to be harmonically compatible with each other.
Show Prep Services
- ShowPrep For UK-based radio presenters I recommend ShowPrep. A daily service, ShowPrep gives you the latest news headlines, stories, show business gossip, music news and much more. The content is professionally presented and is ready to use. This is the service I use myself whenever I am presenting a show and I really believe this is the best showprep services for UK radio presenters.
- Smashprep From the makers of Showprep, this is designed for music radio and contains information, news and facts on hundreds of artists and bands. You can search for an artist and then will always have something interesting to say about them!
Broadcasting Software
- Vmix This is a Software Video Mixer and Switcher that supports live video mixing and also functions as live streaming software so you can publish live productions directly to the Internet.
- Peak Level Meter This is one of my favourite pieces of software. It is very simple to use and does a great job (and it’s free!). Peak Level Meter from http://www.darkwooddesigns.co.uk/ is an audio level meter program that helps set the optimum level of input from my audio-interface and allows me to adjust the broadcast volume during my show to compensate for recordings that have different levels.
Productivity
- MyLifeOrganized MLO is a great tool for task management and for controlling small projects. It is available in Windows, iOS and Android versions
Podcasting
- Pat Flynn’s Podcasting Tutorial Renowned blogger and podcaster, Pat Flynn, has a great video-based step-by-Step podcasting tutorial that will help you start your own podcast. I used this tutorial to help me go from zero to launch within 24 hours for my own podcast
Books
Podcasts
- The Fizzle Show
- Coffee Break Blogging A course in the form of a podcast that is designed to help you build your own blog-based business from scratch
- Bootstrapped with Kids
- Late Night Internet Marketing
Presenter Coaching
- I have had great personal success with coaching from Nails Mahoney and Tracey Lee at ONAIRCOACH. They offer both 1 to 1 sessions and group masterclasses.
Photography
- I have been a photographer for around 20 years and have always been a Canon user. Because I started in sports photography I use the 1D series of cameras – the current one being the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III. While this is overkill in terms of performance (and weight!) for most other types of photography, I do use this camera when I’m shooting in other genres. This includes Portrait, Glamour and, most recently, Real Estate photography.
Video
- I use a Logitech C920 as my main webcam for live streaming and web conferencing
- For lighting I use a very simple 8 inch Diyife ring light kit that I find works well and is easy to travel with. It also comes with as phone holder so doubles up for recording Instagram stories.
- I have experimented with a couple of gimbals for use with my iPhone
- My current favourite is the SNOPPA ATOM Foldable Pocket-Sized 3 Axis Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizer. As the name suggests, this folds down to a small size but still has lots of functionality
- The Zhiyun Smooth 4 Phone Gimbal is also good but larger – good for more professional use but not so convenient for travelling
