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In our current golden age of podcasts, it can be hard to sit on the sidelines when it feels like everyone you know is now the host of at least one. From true crime and political commentary to dating horror stories and restaurant reviews, there’s likely a huge assortment of podcasts for just about any subject you can think of. Heck, last week I listened to a strangely compelling podcast about cheese!
If you’ve been thinking about starting your own podcast as of late, you already know it’s a competitive arena at the moment, but with some ample research and the right podcast equipment for beginners, you’ll be getting it off the ground in no time. At the end of the day, all it takes is a great idea and the right tools to make it happen and, hopefully, make it a viral success.
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Now, I can’t help you with your idea—that’s all you, but I can help you with building an assortment of budget and beginner-friendly podcast equipment to help you get started and get your genius idea out into the world. Scroll through below for the best podcast equipment for beginners that won’t take ages to figure out how to use and won’t and won’t break the bank.
On the road to building your podcast, it’s important to first consider where you’re going to store it. Podcasts work in a simple way; you make an MP3 file, upload it to a website, and share a feed to the various podcast outputs. The easiest software for hosting your podcast is Anchor from Spotify. Anchor is an all-in-one podcast-producing super-app. You can record, edit, and plug ads into your show all on Anchor. Then distribute it to your audience all from one place.
It’s likely you’ll need headphones (not earbuds) if you don’t have them already. You’re going to want some old-fashioned, over-the-ear headphones for real-deal audio editing/mixing and a better playback quality. There are a lot of options, but the pair that meets all the needs and provides a durable product you can use every day is the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless headphones. You’ll never get wrapped up in wires while crescendo-ing your climactic weekly rant with a pair of super-quality wireless headphones. Cut out every sniffle and beard scratch with HD noise-canceling playback quality.
This microphone takes the amateur to the studio level. Having studio-quality sound recording in your hands is a big step up and requires the addition of an audio interface (we’re not working with USB microphones anymore, baby). This mic captures focused sound while including filters to assist with background noise and spiking audio levels.
Podcasts can exist on two levels. There’s the “USB microphone podcast edited in the software that came with your laptop” level and then there’s professional-grade audio recording. For next-level audio recording and versatility, the Scarlett 2i2 audio interface is the top-of-the-line product you need on your podcast utility belt. Sporting high-performance converters, two inputs, and two scarlett mic preamps, when the need for an audio interface comes, you’ll want to bookmark this page.
For recording and editing, you need software that will hold up. Now you could boot up Garage Band on your computer and get started there, but over time you’ll outgrow the simplistic features it offers. My go-to is Adobe Audition; not too complicated, works with pretty much any device, and gives you the tools you need to advance your podcast’s production.
Now let’s talk luxury upgrades. You’re gonna be sitting for hours at a time, so it’s gonna be worth it to put some money into a nice new chair. Your chair is your foundation; the rock you build your podcast empire from; your throne. Don’t underestimate the value of lumbar support. My pick? The SOHO Soft Pad Management Chair from the chair experts at Laura. You’ll feel like you’re on the set of Mad Men in this retro-style rolly chair. Don’t get caught podcasting on a medicine ball. Get the chair that matches the professional quality of all your other equipment.
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