My Podcast Equipment Setup
I’m often asked what equipment I use for my own personal podcast as I often get compliments about the sound and audio quality and overall production quality. So, I decided to create a simple blog post outlining everything I do.
Headphones
I chose to this mic for a couple reasons: (1) people by nature are animated and like to use their hand gyrations and that makes for a better interview. If they have to continue to focus on leaning into a mic because they’re worried about the sound quality, that distraction will take away from the authenticity and energy from the interview (2) the sound is excellent.
When starting a new podcast, people are going to be judging you heavily. In my opinion, don’t let sound quality be an issue. Let them pick you apart for other reasons. Take sound quality off the table when people listen to your podcast. Invest in a good mic like this one. I don’t think you can be cheap on this one. Actually, when I bought this mic, I bought a second one USED on Amazon for $50 off the retail price and it works amazing. So consider that if you’re trying to save money.
Recording Device
So, if you’re taking your show on the road and doing in-person interviews, you need a device to store and save your audio. I’ve done my research, and all the big dogs in podcasting use the H4N Zoom. It is bar none the industry standard. This is not a cheap device, but again, why take cut shorts on audio quality when it comes to your new podcast. This device is extremely simple to use and I’ve never had any issues when it comes to not recording. I did make the mistake of buying a 100 SD GB, which the H4N does not house. The max SD card it houses is 32 GB. And, honestly, that’s all you will need. You can record several, several podcasts before you will need to reformat the card and run out of space. A 32 GB will last you awhile, so don’t fret.
If your headset mics don’t work for some reason, the H4N is equipped with dual mics as you can see on top of the H4N and they actually record quite well and the audio quality is good if you’re in a pinch.
If you don’t want to use an H4N, you could always bring your laptop on the road and directly record into an audio recording software like Garageband.
AMP
In my first few podcast episodes, I didn’t have an amp. You need the amp to be able to hear the other person in your headphones. This is again only if you’re doing in-person interviews. If you’re doing interviews over Skype or what have you, this is not necessary.
This is not a very expensive amp, and it works great. I’ve seen other amps that are like $50, and honestly I have no idea what makes them so special. This one works just great.
Audio Editing Software
Remote Interview Software (Squadcast)
Royalty Free Music
If you have a nice mic like the broadcast mic I mentioned above or any nice mic, they have different connectors than some basic 3.5mm plug like Apple Earphones. If you have a high quality mic, you’re going to need a amp/connector like this to plug your microphone into and then the Focusrite will connect via USB into your computer.
If you do interviews via Skype or if you do interviews in person but bring your laptop, then this would be the perfect amp/connector. If you buy this, you wouldn’t need the AMP I mentioned above.
Don't over think this. We all know the top of the line software is Logic Pro. I use Garage Band, and it works just fine. If you want Logic, and money is not an issue, then by all means, get it.
If you’re going to do interviews remotely, then you’ll need some type of video conferencing software. Most people use Skype or Zoom, but I’ve found those programs to be somewhat lackluster. I stumbled across Squadcast, after being interviewed on someone else’s podcast, and fell in love with it. One, it’s just simple and easy to use. Secondly, the minute you “enter a room” to meet with your guest, Squadcast starts recording in the background and creates a backup file. This is important, just in case you forget to hit record prior to starting or if something crashes. For this insurance policy alone, I’m a huge proponent of this software. Also, the other person is not required to download Squadcast. You simply get a link from Squadcast to enter the room and then send that to your guest. The only downside right now currently regarding Squadcast, is you can’t record your video. It is strictly audio as of this time (June 2020), however, they are in the process of adding video recording to their software.
All major podcast have intro music or a jingle, so having access to royalty free music is crucial. Personally, I use ArtList for all my royalty free music.