As soon as a podcast regarding Nijgadh International Airport was uploaded onto YouTube two weeks ago, its popularity soared immediately, prompting conversation within its audience. Audio Bites by Shutter Corp Films, a popular Nepali podcast, has just seven podcasts so far with about 180 thousand views on YouTube alone.

This week, the Post reached out to the producer of Audio Bites, Kailash Gurung, and its host Neha Hirachan, to ask them what makes the show different from other podcasts.

Gurung entered the YouTube scene in his late teens, with a different account. “I was interested in music and used to rap on that channel,” he said laughing, not wanting to reveal the name of the channel.

Now too the Shutter Corp Films pursues acoustic projects and mostly caters to music lovers. “The podcast wasn’t really planned. I just got a call from Kailash one day, asking if I wanted to host a podcast since Lex was in town and I said yes,” said Hirachan.

One year down the road, they have released podcasts with influencers containing interviews with Diipa Gurung, YouTubers like Sandeep Gurung, and celebrities like Malvika Subba and Shrinkhala Khatiwada.

They discuss issues of mental wellness, beauty standards, sexual harassment and more. In their last episode, they brought members of People’s Alliance for Nature Nepal to talk about the ongoing Nijgadh International Airport Project.

The episode garnered a great response from their audience. “We want to discuss issues that are important, but in a casual way so that the audience can understand the situation and take away something from it,” said Hirachan.

While it appears Audio Bites has an army working behind the scenes on their podcasts, it is all produced, recorded and edited by Gurung and Hirachan. As of now, they do not have a studio, which is why they have to carry their equipment on a bike and take it to the set, where it takes them two to three hours to set up. “We shot two episodes at Neha’s place and a couple of episodes at our friend’s office. Getting a studio is on the top of our list right now,” Gurung shared.

Gurung and Hirachan both believe their content is what makes them different from other podcasts, rather than the gadgets they use. “Yes, gadgets do make a difference. The quality of the podcast is very important, but the content needs to be relatable,” said Hirachan.

The Audio Bites duo admits that the equipment they use aren’t meant for recording podcasts, but that allows them to experiment

with what they do. Here are the few gadgets used in the making of Audio Bites podcast. 

Audio Technica AT2020

The Audio Technica AT2020 Cardioid Condenser is the microphone that Audio Bites uses. The podcast series mostly borrows its equipment from its acoustic session series, which is why they ended up using microphones used to record music. “A lot of people now have switched to this microphone just because we use it and it’s funny,” said Hirachan. “This microphone isn’t meant for podcasts but we use it because that’s all we have.” Gurung shared that even though the microphone is meant for music, with the right editing the results are great.

JBL T450 headphones

Headphones, according to Gurung, are one of the most important pieces of equipment for recording a podcast. He has been using these headphones for a long time now and doesn’t plan to change anytime soon. These headphones are lightweight, comfortable and compact, making it the first choice. “On top of it all, it was affordable,” said Hirachan.

Adobe Premiere Pro

For editing, Gurung uses the basic Adobe Premiere Pro. Because most equipment they use is meant to record music, the editing process can take more than two weeks. “It took us one month to edit the podcast we did with Shrinkhala Khatiwada because it was long and there was a lot of reverb in the room,” he told the Post. However, because he has been using the software for a long time now, he feels most comfortable using it and prefers it over other software.

Sony Alpha 65

Shutter Corp Films use Sony Alpha 65 to film most of its videos. Hirajan told the Post that they tried using a Panasonic camera alongside a GoPro to film a few episodes, however, they weren’t entirely happy with the result, so they stuck with Alpha 65. Because the camera has all basic functions and qualities, and selling for a reasonable price, they recommend using it.

AKG K52 headphones

Besides the duo’s JBL headphones, Audio Bites uses AKG K52, which they bought alongside Gurung’s favourite. The sound quality, comfort, durability and affordability of these headphones make them a good substitute for the podcast. Despite not being the most practical choice in terms of portability, as they have a 2.5 metre cable, they work just fine for podcasts.