Podcast Equipment: Here’s What You Need to Get Started!
If you have been following the Weik Fitness Podcast, you would know that I changed out my podcast equipment when I first started the podcast. You can get away with the bare minimum, but the overall quality of your podcast won’t necessarily be the best. I’m by no means saying I have a top-notch system in place, but I also have never had a complaint about the quality of my podcast — and I haven’t spent near the amount of money of top podcasters. Below is what I use, and are some items you might want to consider upgrading to for your own podcast.
Table of contents
Podcast Equipment
1. Mic
When I first got into it, I was using my computer microphone to record my podcasts. While it worked, the quality was terrible. I upgraded a piece my podcast equipment to the Blue Yeti and I couldn’t be happier. It has every possible setting and mode that I could use and I have yet to find a way that I couldn’t use the mic for what I needed. The mic comes in many different colors. I personally went with black, simply because everything else I got to upgrade is in black so it makes for a steam-line look in my office. The Blue Yeti is a USB mic and is a simple plug-and-play set up. When you want to record, plug it in, and you’re ready to go. Super simple — just how I like it.
2. Shock Mount
When I first got my Blue Yeti mic, it came with a table stand. It wasn’t bad, but I found that every time I would rest my arms on my desk or bump my desk, the vibration and noise would travel directly into the mic. Even if I would be writing notes on my desk or put my glass of water on my desk, the noise would travel through my desk, through the stand, and into the mic. To say it was annoying is an understatement. For that reason, I again upgraded my podcast equipment and purchased a Blue Radius Shock Mount. In order to use it to its full capability, I also got a swivel boom arm as well to get my mic off the desk (more on this below). The shock mount I purchased, does not allow vibration or noises caused by my desk to affect the audio quality and noise.
3. Swivel Boom Arm
As mentioned above, I needed to get my mic off of my desk. I found the Rode Swivel Mount Microphone Boom Arm. Honestly, I love this piece of podcast equipment. It allows me to move my mic anywhere I want at my desk and when I’m not using it, I simply push the arm to the back of my desk and out of the way. While the mount itself clamps to my desk, it really helps minimize the noises coming from my desk in addition to the shock mount. The boom arm also allows me to place my mic in front of my face rather than sitting on my desk, at about sternum level.
4. Pop Filter
While not 100% necessary, I found a pop filter improves audio quality and minimizes the noise coming from breaths and the “pop” you get from normal conversation. The one I purchased was an inexpensive Dragonpad Pop Filter. Ultimately, it’s a mesh screen that goes on your mic or mic stand that you put between you and the mic. Could you purchase a more expensive one? Sure, but I didn’t see a need to spend a ton on a pop filter.
5. Recording/Editing Software
An important piece of your podcast equipment is your recording and editing software. For this, I use Audacity. Not only is it great software and is user-friendly, but it’s FREE. You can edit, modify, and change every piece of audio you create. If you aren’t sure what you’re doing, YouTube is a great resource for “how-to” videos. You could purchase some hi-tech software, but unless podcasting is your only job and source of income, I wouldn’t bother purchasing software at this stage, Audacity should fit all of your needs. I would much rather spend money on upgrading my podcast equipment than dropping hundreds on software that you don’t necessarily need.
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