11. Podcast Equipment That Won’t Break the Bank

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This episode focuses on podcast equipment and how to get the best results

Laura: Welcome to podcasting for business owners. I’m your host, Laura McRae, a podcast consultant, educator, and self confessed podcast nerd. If you’re thinking of launching a podcast or want to grow the one you have, you’re in the right place. Hold on to your headphones and let’s go. Welcome back to podcasting for business owners, supporting you to share your story, lead your industry, and grow your network through podcasting. Today we’re talking about podcast equipment, a topic that often overwhelms many new podcasters. But the good news is you don’t need to spend a fortune to get great results. In this episode, you’ll learn how to choose the right microphone, recording software, and other essential gear, all while keeping things budget friendly. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your setup, this episode will help you make decisions without breaking the bank.

There are two main types of microphones: condenser mics and dynamic mics

Let’s start with the most important piece of equipment, microphones. There are two main types of microphones. You’ll come condenser mics and dynamic mics. Condenser marks are very sensitive to sound. They pick up everything around them, which is great for capturing a rich, full sound. I’m using a blue yeti condenser mic right now, which costs me less than 200 australian dollars. If my tumble dryer was on in the room next door, you’d probably hear it. That’s why it’s important to be in a really quiet room when using a condenser mic. Now, here’s a little tip that people often miss when using a blue yeti condenser mic. Make sure you’re talking into the front of the mic, not the top. I speak directly into the logo at the front. If I were to talk in the top, you’d hear a big difference in sound quality. Also, position the mic about one or two five away from your mouth for the best sound. I’ll show you the difference. Now, this is me talking to the front of the mic, and the blue yeti logo is facing me. And this is me talking into the top of the mic. And now I’m going to turn it around. And this is me talking into the back of the mic. So at the back of the mic, I’m now looking at the gain and the pattern dials. So do you hear the difference? This is the back of the mic. This is the top of the mic, and this is the front of the mic. So the front of the mic sounds so much better than the top and the back of the mic. Also, when using a blue yeti mic for solo episodes, make sure, the pattern dial is on the one that looks like a peach. Blue yeti marks are great, but you need to read the instruction manual before you start using them or watch some videos to make sure you’re using them to their full potential. This goes for any mic, really. Blue yeti mics are USB mics too, so they’re really easy to use. Just plug them into your computer and, uh, make sure to plug your headphones into the blue Yeti mic when you’re using them. Don’t plug your headphones into the computer, otherwise you won’t hear what you’re recording. Dynamic mics, on the other hand, are less sensitive, but they still provide excellent quality. With dynamic mics, you’re talking to the top of the mic, keeping it about one fist away from your mouth. These mics are great for environments that, um, aren’t perfectly quiet since they won’t pick up as many background noises. They’re also good if you’re recording a co hosted podcast and you’re sitting in the same room. If each of you has a dynamic mic, you’re not going to pick up as much of each other’s audio in dynamic mics as you would with condenser mics, so this makes editing easier.

Next up, let’s talk about recording software. When it comes to recording interviews, there are many options available

Next up, let’s talk about recording software. If you’re recording solo episodes, I’ve got two recommendations depending on whether you’re a PC or a Mac user. For PC users I recommend audacity and for Mac users, garagebandhenne. Both are free and allow you to record and edit your episodes in one place, which is really convenient. You can download the software straight onto your computer so you dont have to worry about Wi Fi connection issues glitching your audio. When it comes to recording interviews, there are many options out there, but im going to focus on Zoom and Riverside FM. Zoom is a tool that youre probably already familiar with. Its free for interviews up to 40 minutes, but if you want to record longer episodes, youll need the paid version. One important thing to note about Zoom is that it doesnt automatically save your audio into separate files for you and your guest. This can make editing a bit tricky, but ill show you how to adjust the settings in just a moment. On the other hand, Riverside FM is designed specifically for podcasters. It automatically saves your audio in separate files and even allows you to record video in different formats like Portrait

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for Instagram reels or landscape for YouTube. If you’re serious about podcasting and want a tool that’s made for it, Riverside FM is a great option.

You may or may not want to edit your podcast

Before we move on. Let’s talk about that Zoom setting I mentioned earlier. If you’re using Zoom for interviews, you’ll want to make sure that your audio is saved in two separate files, one for you and one for your guest. This will make editing much easier and more flexible. To do this, open the Zoom app on your desktop, click on the recordings icon, and then go to the recording tab. Make sure you’ve checked the box that says record a separate audio file for each participant. This simple step can save you a lot of headaches during editing. You may or may not want to edit your podcast. I highly recommend that you do though. I think editing a podcast makes a good podcast great. There are many different tools you can use. You can use Audacity and Garageband to edit. These are the same tools I mentioned earlier that you can use to record your audio. You can also edit with them. Both audacity and GarageBand are free to download and use. A popular tool is descript. This is an AI tool where it transcribes your episode and you can edit parts of your podcast out the same way you would a word document. So it’s unlike audacity and Garageband which uses a soundwave to edit. Descript is currently $12 a month for the basic plan, which is around 18 australian dollars.

If you’re planning to edit your own podcast, you need a decent set of headphones

Now let’s talk about headphones. If you’re planning to edit your own podcast, you’ll need a decent set of headphones. I recommend using wired headphones rather than Bluetooth ones to avoid any interference or battery issues. I personally use the Audio Technica UH ath M M 20 x which are reliable and comfortable for long editing sessions. These cost me dollar 89 Aud from JB hi Fi. Its important that both you and your guests wear headphones during interviews to prevent something called sound bleed. Sound bleed happens when the audio from your guests voice comes through your speakers and gets picked up by your mic. This creates an echo effect thats hard to edit out later. So always wear headphones and make sure your guest wears headphones too. If youre not planning to edit your episodes then you dont need expensive headphones, just a cheap pair of fine which you’ll need for recording interviews. And finally, the last thing you need to purchase is a monthly subscription to a podcast hosting platform. A podcast hosting platform is where you store all the information for your podcast. That could be your artwork, your episode, your episode description, basically everything relating to your podcast. Then the hosting platform creates an RSS feed which gets sent to all the podcast players like Apple, Spotify and YouTube. So everything for your podcast is in one spot and then it sends out new information to the players, like when you schedule a new episode or if you change your podcast cover art. There are so many podcast hosting platforms out there. Three that are popular are uh, captivate, Libsyn and Buzzsprout. But the one I found most user friendly at the moment is Buzzsprouthen. It creates a webpage for your podcast, which is pretty good. This is great. If you don’t have your own website, you can just use the buzzsprout. One other hosting platforms also have this feature, but they don’t look as good and don’t have as many links to the different podcast players. I also found that Buzzsprout is easiest for connecting your RSS feed to different podcast players and there’s clear instructions in there how to do it. Buzzsprout is currently twelve USD a month, which is about 18 australian dollars. Let’s touch on some optional extras you might want to consider. If you plan on recording videos for YouTube or social media, you’ll need a camera. This could be a webcam, your phone, or a dedicated camera. You might also want to invest in a windscreen or pop philtre for your mic. These prevent plosives. Plosives are those sharp sounds you get when saying words that start with the letter P or B. You could also get a mic arm to hold your microphone in place, or a shock mount to protect it from vibrations. But remember, these are all optional. The most important things you need are a good mic, a set of headphones and the right software.

The best place to record your podcast is in a recording studio

Now that we’ve spoken about equipment, I’m going to run through some tips on soundproof in your room as best you can. There’s only so much you can do when editing your podcast, so it’s best practise to get the best quality audio you can before you start editing. The best place to record your podcast is in a recording studio,

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but obviously not everyone has the funds or time to record in a studio. So I’m going to give you some tips on how to record the best quality sound possible from your own home. The best place to record your podcast in your home is in your closet or wardrobe and it needs to be full of clothes. This is because any echo is absorbed in the clothing and echo is hard to get rid of when you edit. But obviously if you have a small closet and you can’t sit in it, this isn’t a good idea as you’ll need to sit and have a place to put your laptop on mic you need to be comfortable. The next best place to record is in your bedroom. That’s because bedrooms generally have carpet and they all have a bed and cushions. Just like clothing, these absorb the echo. So if you can record in the smallest bedroom in your house, that would be a great place as there’s going to be the least echo. It’s not convenient for me to record in my bedroom, but my office is set up in our spare room which has a sofa bed in it. So every time I record a podcast episode, I get the sofa bed out and I scatter cushions around. I also close the curtains just to reduce the echo. The more blankets and soft furnishings you have around you, the better your audio will be. If it’s not possible for you to do any of this, you can purchase a microphone isolation shield. This is basically some isolation foam that wraps around your microphone stand. I’ve seen these online for around 45 australian dollars. Try to record in a room that has as little noise as possible. Remember to turn your air conditioner or heater off as a fan noise might get picked up on your mic. Also, if you have a noisy fan on your computer, this can also be an issue. I had this recently when the fan on my laptop was really loud and I needed to record a podcast episode, so I surrounded my mic with cushions around it to dampen the sound of the fan out. Like I mentioned earlier about the tumble dryer, make sure you can’t hear your tumble dryer, washing machine or dishwasher in the background. If you can hear it and you’re about to record an episode, maybe put them on pause and then turn them back on when you finish recording your episode. And also, if a plane flies overhead or a dog starts barking, just pause your recording and wait for the noise to pass. It’s much easier to edit out the noisy section later than to try and remove the sound of the dog or the plane from your audio. You can also try some voice wall maps before you start recording. If you listen to episode four with voice coach Sally Prosser, she’s got some great tips for warming up your vocal cords before you start recording your podcast episodes. And now to wrap things up, remember that the audio quality of your podcast is greatly influenced by both your equipment and your recording environment. Investing in a good microphone, creating a quiet space, reducing background noise, and warming up your voice are all steps you can take to ensure that your podcast sounds professional and engaging. If you’d like links to the software and equipment I mentioned today, it’s all in the show. Notes for this episode in the show notes, you’ll see a link to the podcast launch roadmap and everything is in there. That’s it for this week. Thanks for tuning into podcasting for business owners. I look forward to chatting with you next week. If you found value in this podcast, please leave. A five star rating and a review would be even better. Your support shows that this is a good show which will attract high profile guests and in turn deliver greater value to you. This podcast is produced and edited by me. Don’t waste your time on editing. Let me help you with your podcast. Cheque out the links in the show notes to get in touch.

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