What Podcasting Equipment Do I Need?
September 8, 2021 No Comments
Wondering what podcasting equipment you need to get started with podcasting? Check out this helpful guide for all the basics.
Micme University
What Podcasting Equipment Do I Need?
Friday, September 10, 2021 | By Micme University
Table of Contents
Starting a podcast is difficult enough, but finding the correct podcast equipment for your podcast production studio is even more difficult, especially if you aren’t familiar with audio equipment or electronics in general. People will advise you to acquire a lot of items, and you’ll quickly find yourself asking questions like, “Which type of microphone do I need?” “Do I really need a mixer?” you might wonder. “Are these headphones up to the task?” In this article, we’ll go over the audio recording equipment you’ll need, as well as a few extra items you might want to include in your podcast studio.
Acoustic Treatments
The most important thing you need to do to ensure a clean, quiet, high quality recording is acoustically treat your room and environment, also known as acoustic treatment. Below you’ll find a video by Cinecom that outlines a cheap and easy way to treat a room to control echo and noise. If you don’t have a dedicated room for recording your podcast, you can find ways to control these problems by using heavy blankets, soft cushions, or pillows. What you want to avoid is recording in a room with a lot of hard, reflective surfaces, like a bathroom, kitchen or garage.
This is the best way to get a great recording. You can buy the best, most expensive recording equipment available. But if your room isn’t acoustically treated, your podcast still won’t sound its best.
If you are not already aware, it’s worth noting that background noises will always bounce off any object or surface that it hits. This means that if you have a hard surface like a wall, it will bounce the sound around for a long time before dying out. And if there is another hard surface nearby, this process can happen over and over again for what seems like an eternity!
Video by: Cinecom.net | Mar 7, 2017 | DIY SOUND ABSORPTION PANELS for Home Recording Studio | Cinecom.net | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqVFKS7WN6w
Removing things that make noise from the room you’re recording in will help the quality of your podcasts also:
- Use long cabling and relocate your computer to another room.
- Turn off the refrigerator while you’re recording.
- Turn off the air conditioner and furnace during the recording period.
- Take notes during quiet times outside your home or apartment.
- Purchase an AC line conditioner to ensure that the electricity used to power your audio equipment is clean and quiet.(lights and appliances contaminate electricity from the wall with audible noise)
- To avoid RF buildup, make sure all of your audio cables are parallel to one another.
- Take off any jewelry.
- Make sure everyone’s phones are on silent (even if your guest is calling from a distance).
Before looking at equipment, it is best practise to decide where you’ll be recording and then take the appropriate measures to make sure your equipment will perform at its best and avoid recording unwanted sounds.
Audio Interfaces
An audio interface is a piece of equipment that expands and improves the audio quality and capabilities of your audio setup by allowing you to connect to your digital audio workstation (DAW). Audio audio interfaces give you the ability to connect your professional podcast microphone, instruments and other kinds of signals to a computer, and output a variety of signals as well. The audio interface will connect to your computer via a USB cable. You’ll then have to open your audio editing software, like Garage Band, and set it up to work with the interface. (More on audio editing software later). You need 1 channel and 1 mic per person.
The best interface for you depends on your needs and your budget. For example, if you’re looking for something for home use, then something like the Behringer U-Phoria UMC404HD Audiophile might be perfect.
Links to tutorials on how to set up any interface with the most popular software (Skip to software):
- Set up an audio interface with Garage Band
- Set up and audio interface with Reaper
- Set up and audio interface with Adobe Audition
- Set up and audio interface with Audacity
If you need the ability to record an episode while you’re on the road and travelling, look at the Zoom H series handheld digital audio recorder (field recorder). They come with their own built-in microphone but they can also double as your audio interface because they also come with microphone inputs and connect to your computer. you’ll be able to carry it with you wherever you go, record wherever you are independent of recording studios and setups as well as connect it to your digital audio workstation so you can get great sound quality where ever you are.
Links to how to use Zoom handheld recorders:
If you have a Zoom handheld recorder, you won’t need the U-Phoria interface suggested above as it will double as an audio interface as well.
XLR Microphones vs. USB Microphone
Audio Technica ATR2005usb: Of the many types of microphones available, the dynamic microphone will be the best bang for your buck. The AT ATR2005usb is a classic, high-quality quality, rugged mic.
You’ll need to make sure you have 1 microphone per host, and each mic will be plugged into its own input on the audio interface or computer so make sure your interface or computer has enough mic inputs or USB ports. This model comes with the option of connecting it to your computer via USB, bypassing the need for an interface or mixer.
Pop Filter: You will also need a pop filter for your microphone to avoid loud bass frequencies caused by wind from when you say words with “P” and “B”. The AT The ATR2005usb dynamic microphone comes with a cheap pop filter, cables, shock mount and a tripod stand.
It’s in your best interest to stay away from using a condenser microphone unless you know what you’re doing and have a solid acoustic treatment game for your room. This type of external microphone is very sensitive and it’s very hard to get a clean and quiet recording if you’re not in a podcast production studio environment.
If you choose to go with an XLR microphone, you’ll also need an audio interface to plug it into. Since there are no XLR inputs on your computer, the audio interface allows the XLR microphone to record the sound into the computer. If you’ve chosen to go with a USB microphone, you can plug the USB cable that comes with you’re microphone right into a USB port, bypassing the need for an audio interface.
Links to tutorials on how to set up any USB microphone with the most popular software (Skip to software):
Audio Editing Software
Audio editing software allows you to set up your mics to get them ready to record the audio. The software also allows you to control the audio after it’s been recorded improving the audio quality.
Prices for software can be in the thousands, but there are affordable options that are perfect for recording raw audio.
- Garage Band: If you own an Apple computer, you will have Garage Band as well. This is a free option that allows you to record multiple channels of audio at the same time.
- Reaper is a low-cost, high-performance audio editing program. You can purchase this software for under US$100.00.
- Adobe Audition: A full-featured professional audio editor. You can purchase Adobe Audition for a monthly subscription.
- Audacity: Audacity is a free and easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. (*PC ONLY)
Links to how to record with your software:
Podcast Equipment: Remote Interviews
Having a remote guest on your podcast can be stressful if your guest is in another country. Luckily, there are easy-to-use internet-based solutions that are perfect for this type of situation. You can conduct a virtual phone call with your guest, so you can still talk to them the same way you would with a local guest.
- Cleanfeed: Cleanfeed is a browser-based multitrack, multi-party live audio and recording service.
- Zoom.us: The original software-based conference room solution, which is used all over the world.
- Squadcast: Record studio-quality audio with your guests from anywhere in the world with confidence.
Links to how to record with your software:
What Pair of Headphones Should I Buy?
Closed-back Headphones – Audio-Technica m20x: Headphones are one of the most useful pieces of gear you can have. Always make sure to listen to your levels to make sure they are properly set before recording. If you don’t, you risk recording poor quality audio. Today, headphones offer modern design and high-quality materials to deliver a comfortable listening experience, with enhanced audio and effective isolation at a reasonable price.
Alternately, you can use in ear headphones like the earbuds that come with smartphone. If you’re on a budget, these will do. Just make sure you have some way to hear what you’re recording
Computer
The computer you already have could be the greatest PC for podcasting and audio creation. After all, audio isn’t particularly taxing.
Start by boosting your RAM and adding a solid state drive if you feel the need to enhance your computer. Both will significantly improve your system’s performance while also saving you money on a new audio production computer.
Conclusion
Podcast equipment doesn’t have to be complicated. With a little research, you’ll be able to choose the right space to record in, sound proof it, and select the right gear to capture high-quality audio. That way you and your expert guests can be heard loud and clear when they’re talking.
More Useful Podcasting Resources
How Much Does It Cost to Start a Podcast?
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Podcasting is a great way to engage your customers. If you’re thinking about launching a podcast, here’s what it will cost for you to get started.
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Podcasting is a great way to get your brand (and your message) in front of as many people as possible. Make money with podcasting with ads or getting sponsors.
Podcast Planning to Start a Successful Podcast
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How do I start a podcast? Where do I start? What do I need? We’ll answer all these questions. Here, Find everything you need to get started! Planning is the key to podcast success. Here are some things you must know before you start podcasting. You can’t just turn on your computer and start recording. You need an action plan.
Micme University
Podcasting gives everyone the ability to share with the world their thoughts, opinions and knowledge. There is no organization or entity regulating who can and can not create a podcast nor are there barriers to who can and can not consume the content podcasters create. Because of this, highly valuable content that is useful to a lot of people is being made available for free. Content that is entertaining when we need to escape from our stressful lives or that educates when we want or need to learn something new.
