Podcast equipment - 6 top tips that work
Posted on 29th September 2019 at 19:08
Made4U Podcasts brings along our own gear to record podcasts. Some clients though, are keen to buy it in themselves – especially those who opt to produce podcasts in-house.
Trying to equip your own studio from scratch is like disappearing down a rabbit hole for days on end! These recommendations are based on what we’ve seen work well with clients. So, what follows clearly isn’t a comprehensive run-down of everything out there nor is it packed with technical explanations.
These are all genuine recommendations and bring no financial benefit to Made4U Podcasts.
Go for solid, reliable, reasonably priced and relatively easy to operate equipment. You would be well-advised to have someone show you the ropes to begin with.
Choosing cheap options will make you sound cheap – and that really isn’t the point, is it?
Your shopping list should include:
A portable digital recorder
A mic (at least one)
A suspension boom to hold your mic
A pair of headphones (at least one pair)
A splitter so that multiple headphones can be used at one
Editing software (which you may have installed already anyway through Adobe)
Zoom digital recorders are great pieces of kit that are entirely portable and versatile.
They all sit comfortably in the palm of your hand, have inbuilt mics and the facility to plug in additional mics with the more expensive versions. This is useful if you want to host roundtable discussions.
Download the podcast recording onto your laptop and you’re ready to edit.
There’s a bit more to it than that but essentially, they can be used either in your recording space or out on location.
Admittedly, we’re fans of the H6 (the most expensive version, cough) which is currently retailing on Amazon for £275 and is pictured here...
The Rode NT1A mic produces superb sound quality and is much loved by voice-over artists. It comes in a package with a shock mount and a pop filter to reduce extraneous noises to the minimum. There’s also a cable to link it to the Zoom recorder.
The NT1A package retails for about £125 at the time of writing.
Please note: The image on the box shown here is misleading – the package does not also include the headphones worn by the model in the picture.
The Neweer NW35 is a robust suspension boom and comes with a table mounting clamp and is currently available on Amazon for £14.39.
It’s an absolute necessity to have headphones so that you can hear the quality of what you’re recording. You should also provide a pair to every guest.
The Beyerdynamic DT 770 are incredibly comfortable to wear for any length of time, provide excellent sound insulation and great sound quality. They are a bit pricey as a result, at £99 a pair.
To use multiple headphones at once, you’ll need a splitter that will plug into your portable recorder.
We recommend the Belkin Mixit Colour Range Rockstar Splitter which costs around £10.
Editing software may already be included in your Adobe package if you have one. Adobe Audition is our personal favourite. However, there are free audio editing packages available such as Garage Band for Mac or Audacity for use with your PC.
However, whichever software you choose, if you haven’t done any audio editing before you will need training or outside help.
...In summary, the choice of podcasting equipment out there is overwhelming. But if reading through this blog piques your interest in podcasting, and you still feel unsure about where to start – well, we run training courses which you can learn more about HERE.
Feel free to get in touch and we can talk about it more.
Tagged as: Podcast Editing Software, Podcast Equipment
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