(or How To Spend $1000 on Podcasting Gear in 60 Seconds or Less)
If you are a podcaster or you have a podcaster in your life, you already know the equipment you use is a very key component in creating a quality podcast. Guests and how you recruit and promote them are important (we did a whole series on that starting here) but once you have the guest, you want them to sound great and record beautifully. That’s where your gear comes in. And if you want the best of the best, you’ve come to the right place for recommendations.
Headphones
We recommend: Sennhesier HD280
The Sennhesier HD280 are “the audio engineer’s choice” for podcast headphones. They are very comfortable and really just great-sounding headphones that are built to last. (Alex notes “I’ve had my set for over ten years.”)
Recorder
We recommend: Zoom PodTrak P4
The Zoom PodTrak P4 lets you take your podcast on the road. This unit records to your computer or laptop or straight to an SD card, is small enough to slip into your laptop bag, and you can even plug a cellphone into it if you or your guest don’t have internet and you want to do things the old-fashioned way with your guest calling in over the phone.
This unit can also record up to four people at once (including yourself) using their own microphones (or three plus one person over the phone), and the ATR2100 USB microphone (another of our recommendations) can easily be used in XLR mode so you don’t need to buy new mics by upgrading and adding this to your podcasting kit.
Microphone
We recommend: Shure SM7B
This is a truly legendary microphone, with a “last microphone you’ll ever buy” sort of quality.
This one has been on Alex’s own ‘wish list’ for a few years and he’s considering treating himself to one this year.
There are, however, two important things to note with this microphone:
- It is XLR only, meaning you can’t plug it into your computer without an interface/recorder. (like the Zoom Podtrak P4, for example.)
- It requires 60dB of gain, which the Zoom P4 does have. Many audio interfaces (especially entry level ones) don’t offer that much gain, though, and will require a phantom-power preamp like the Triton FetHead or Cloudlifter CL1 in order to pick up this microphone.
For those reasons, this is not an “entry level, just getting into podcasting” sort of microphone, it’s a microphone for very serious podcasters wanting to truly up their game and record like the best of the best. It’s not for the faint of heart.
Now you’re set to go out and treat yourself (or a podcaster you know and cherish) to the best gear money can buy.
Questions? Ready to start a podcast or take your podcast to the next level?
Book a consultation with Alex!
