Welcome to our in-depth blog series, where we catch up with Horse Browser's most passionate users to uncover how they're using Horse Browser to transform their online experiences.
This week, we’re chatting with podcaster, Max Roberts, to learn how he leverages Horse Browser to deep dive new episode ideas and organise his podcast research.
Starting Out in Podcasting
Elly: Hi Max, Thanks for chatting with us! First off, I’d love to hear a bit about your history with making podcasts. How did you get started?
Max: I've been working on podcasts one way or another for the last 16 years 🫠 It all started out of a desire to be like my favorite show at the time Show Me Your News, which covered news surrounding Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii.
What’s the story behind your two current shows, The Max Frequency Podcast and Chapter Select?
I started them both in 2021. I had shifted away from writing and podcasting for larger companies and refocused my efforts into my own blog. I wanted to write and produce things that resonated with me without being beholden to SEO trends and the like.
The Max Frequency Podcast (or as I have taken to calling it—MFP) is just me and a new guest each episode diving into topics I find interesting, usually around video games, tech, and podcasting itself. I’ve talked with folks about chasing down fake Miyamoto quotes, the power of auditory storytelling, and even celebrating the 15th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl with the host of Show Me Your News, who is and has been a friend of mine for years now.
Chapter Select is a seasonal podcast where my cohost Logan Moore and I pick a series/franchise and bounce back and forth between its entries to explore their evolution, design, and legacy. We've talked about the likes of Paper Mario, Resident Evil, and Pokémon. Logan and I sit down and pick a series of games or movies that we want to dive into and that becomes the next season we work on.
Hate Mail And Pokemon Fonts
How did you find out about Horse Browser?
I picked up Horse Browser thanks to a particularly rude email and a hilarious coupon code 😅 But I have had my eye on it since its inception, thanks to following Pascal on X because of his font design for Johto Mono, (which I looked into using for our Pokémon season of Chapter Select).
What does a typical day look like while you’re researching a podcast episode?
When using Horse to research for a show, it usually starts with going somewhere or looking for something specific, like a person's body of work. Then, before I know it I am down the proverbial trail in the weeds on a project I didn't know the person did or finding an old magazine interview that offers cool insight to a game's development. I'll clean up some unnecessary pages and then have this clear lineage of how I got to where I ended up.
Lifting The Mental Load
How has your research process changed since using Horse Browser?
It's changed from tab groups and windows slammed with tabs that I would try to manually organize into that flow of "how did I get here?" Now I just look to the left and and quickly and clearly see the answer to that question. It's lifted this mental load of organizing my research while I am researching.
What are you favourite features of Horse Browser?
My favorite feature is the innovation of trails. At first glance, you might think it is just folders or groups by a different name, but when using them you realize how the slight shift in approach makes a world of difference.
What future features are you most excited to see in Horse Browser?
I would love to see a similar hierarchical structure to the new Areas and Projects. Perhaps that is just folders by a different name, but I think being able to map out my research this way makes finding and following it much simpler [Editor’s note: We’ve already made some changes to Areas & Projects since our chat with Max. Plus, we introduced a new Folders feature… Stay tuned for more news on this!].
I do desperately want integration with third-party password managers, specifically 1Password. The Saddlepack is a great feature/idea, but when you have years of passwords in another manager, you don't want to leave them behind.
The Podcasting Tech Stack
What other tech / apps do you use when working on your podcast?
I keep a list of apps vital to my workflow on my blog. Right now they are;
- Obsidian, writing and publishing
- Audio Hijack, recording audio
- Logic, audio editing
- MacWhisper, for podcast transcriptions
- NetNewsWire, for RSS feeds and news
- Pastel, creating and organizing color palettes
- Pixelmator Pro, image editing
I also keep a page updated with all the gear I use too.
What are your hopes for Max Frequency and Chapter Select for the future?
I hope to keep making the shows and share impactful stories. They give me an avenue to explore and find answers to the questions that excite me. I am so thankful for friends and guests to take time out of their days and lives to chat with me. I hope sharing these stories inspires listeners and satisfies their curiosities alongside my own.
For more posts in our interview series, check out:
Meet Horse Browser’s Power Users: Digital Exploration and Personal Growth with Beth McClellandReady to browse better? Learn more about Horse Browser
