Getting Equipment to Record Your Podcast

 Getting Equipment to Record Your Podcast

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Step 1: 

Start with what you have

Don’t lose sight of the most important thing about your podcast, its content! Never forget that content is king! Your audience will be willing to accept mediocre-quality audio but they will not accept mediocre content!
 
The phone, laptop or desktop that you are using to view this article will likely have a built-in microphone that will do the trick to get you started, If you have an old set of headphones with a built-in microphone even better!
  


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Choose your starting setup:


The first main consideration you should make is whether you should record your podcast in person or using video calling software such as zoom. Where possible I would highly recommend recording your podcasts in person. 
 

The second main consideration when choosing what device(s) you should use to record your podcast out of what you already own is avoiding noise bleed. Aim to record in a quiet space and use headphones if you are recording using a video call to avoid noise bleed from the other speaker.
 

Next you need to ensure that whatever device you are using to record your audio has enough free storage space, a high quality 1 hour audio recording can into the


Step 2: 
Levelling up your Podcast Recording Setup 
 

After you have recorded and published the first few episodes of your podcast you may feel that it is time to upgrade your podcast recording setup, there are a few ways that you can go about this ranging in cost from around £100 to professional solutions which can cost upwards of £1000.
Here are your main options:

Option 1: Upgrade to using Lavalier microphones:

A wired Lavalier microphone is a small microphone which you can connect to a phone or laptop and then wear clipped to the collar of your shirt, they are commonly used on TV as they are small and discrete.



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You can purchase a pair of Lavalier microphones from a reputable manufacturer such as Sony’s ECM LV1 for £64. These lav mics can then be plugged into each of the speaker's phones using an adaptor. The audio can then be recorded directly onto the phone's internal storage.

Pros:

·        Inexpensive

·        Discrete; if you decide to film your podcast recordings and you don’t want your mic to be visible this is the solution for you.

Cons:

·        Poor for picking up unwanted background noise

·        Not particularly robust and easy to damage

Option 2: USB Microphones

You can purchase a pair of USB Microphones which can then be connected directly up to your laptop/desktop and used to record your podcast.


You can purchase a high-quality USB microphone for around £110, a good example would be that Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ or the Shure MV7.



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Pros:

You can use these microphones with the equipment you likely already have instead of having to buy an external audio interface.

 

Cons:

·        USB interface can be unreliable especially when connecting multiple microphones to the same laptop/desktop

·        USB microphones often have poorer recording quality than their XLR equivalents as the analogue to digital conversion is being done by a poorer quality internal unit rather than a higher quality external interface.

I would advise against choosing this option if you can afford to push your budget up to include an audio interface (option 3).

 

Option 3: Upgrade to using XLR microphones and an Audio Interface

 

This solution would involve you purchasing a pair of XLR microphones (microphones with a 3 pin XLR connector on them) and then getting an audio interface to allow you to connect them to your laptop/desktop.



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Getting a pair of Shure SM7B microphones and a compatible audio interface such as the SSL 2+ or 4th generation Focusrite 2i2 will give you professional quality recordings in even poor recording environments. However, if you are looking for a good quality setup without spending quite so much you can swap the SM7B’s for AKG P120 microphones.



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Keep in mind that you will have to purchase microphone stands and cables as well to use this setup.

Pro’s

  • Excellent quality audio recordings
  • Can be easily upgraded in the future i.e. replace microphones with higher quality mics or upgrade to a higher-end audio interface.

Cons: 

  • Higher cost
  • More complexed to setup and use.



Step 3: 

Purchasing your equipment, top 10 tips and tricks

  • Only purchase equipment from reputable retailers or trusted individuals
    • The used market is flooded with highly accurate counterfeit microphones which look like the real thing but certainly don’t sound like the real thing!
  •  Buy B-Stock or Refurbished to save on equipment
    • You can purchase different “grades” of B-Stock audio equipment from most of the main retailers.
    • The highest grade of B-Stock may have been opened once and then returned because they had the wrong colour marked on the box! They are then repackaged and sold at a significant discount, this can be an excellent way to get yourself a bargin, just make sure that you are still getting a reasonable warranty!
    • You can also buy refurbished audio equipment directly from some of the main manufacturers such as Focusrite to save as much as 25% on the recommended retail price!
  •   Use your Student Discount!
    • Some retailers offer as much as 25% off to students, Focusrite offers 25% off all of their interfaces (*excluding those on sale) and Studio Spares offers discounts on audio interfaces, microphones and accessories (stands and cables).
  •   Maximise your warranty:
    • Some retailers offer free extended warranties, make sure you take advantage of these by registering your equipment when you receive it. 

Step 4: 
Don’t get caught up on equipment!

Don’t get too caught up in getting the “perfect” recording setup! Instead focus on making content, just get started with what you have!

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