Getting invited to speak on a podcast is an exciting experience. However, you may be feeling some apprehension going into it as you want to create a professional podcast episode that will bring value to your employees, colleagues, and other listeners.
The question we most often hear from new clients is ‘What podcast equipment is needed for guest appearances?’
The first step in creating a winning podcast episode is investing in high-quality equipment to make you sound crystal clear and feel more confident. Today, we will be sharing some of the absolute must-have podcasting equipment you need today to create a polished, professional podcast episode you will be proud of. Let’s explore.
Why Your Computer Mic Isn’t Ideal:
Your computer microphone isn’t designed with podcast creation in mind. It’s intended to be functional, well-concealed, and complete essential functions like text-to-speech and music. Because of this, the size of your computer mic is extremely small.
Smaller microphones are unable to accurately capture sounds and larger microphones. On your laptop, they are placed near the keyboard or webcam and amplify sounds such as your typing, breathing, and more. This can cut through the sound of your voice. Plus, they’ repositioned far away from your face and use harsher, midrange vocals to move through other sounds, which can annoy listeners.
It’s always best to invest in the quality podcast recording equipment to ensure your production is engaging and retain’s listeners. Low-quality audio will turn away listeners and reduce your engagement stats.
We put together an easy-to-read podcasting equipment guide for you to quickly browse and understand what works for your budget. Each of these can be purchased via Amazon through the links on the page.
Best Microphones for Podcasting:
Thankfully, you can purchase a relatively inexpensive, high-quality microphone from Amazon and start your podcast tour today. We’ve took a look at many microphones in our time, and here are the top 3 podcasting microphones for you to use today:
Samson Technologies Q2U USB/XLR Dynamic Microphone:
This microphone is affordably priced at USD$69.99. Samson Technologies professional handheld dynamic microphone offers USB digital output and XLR analog output, which means you can connect it to a computer and mixer. This microphone is intuitively designed to focus on sound from in front of the microphone and minimize ambient sounds from other room areas.
This microphone is tailored for podcasts, voiceovers, and live recording sessions. The microphone’s design reduces the risk of feedback in live performance settings, making it a highly universal microphone for all of your needs.
Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone:
The Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ microphone ($149) is the best mid-priced microphone for podcasting available on the market. This powerful microphone offers contemporary features like an inbuilt headphone jack with volume control, USB output for digital
recording and an A/D converter. The converter in this microphone is a 16 bit, 44.1/48 kilohertz sampling rate, which guarantees you crystal clear audio.
Compatible with Vista, XP, 2000, Mac OS X, and Windows &, this microphone is a must-buy for any serious podcasters who want incredible clear audio.
The holy grail of podcasting microphones ($269), this powerful USB microphone comes with a tripod that is perfect for close-mic applications. It offers dual USB and XLR outputs which means you can record digital or analog.
A touch control panel allows you to monitor volume, headphone mix, and mute the mic with ease. There is also a built-in headphone output, which will enable you to hear yourself as you’ re-recording. This all-metal microphone uses innovative microphone technology and frequencies to guarantee rich, natural vocal sounds with minimal ambient noise. This is the premier podcasting microphone for professionals.
Best Headphones for Podcasting:
Headphones are a vital component of your podcasting setup. Headphones allow you to hear yourself as you’ re-recording, and you can monitor for any errors, background noise, and other annoying sounds in your podcast. You can control your audio as you record, making editing your podcast more seamless.
Here are our favorite headphones for podcasting.
Crystal clear, high-quality sound is a priority with the Sony MDR7506 over-ear headphones ($99). Neodymium magnets and 40-millimeter drivers command powerful, detailed sound.
The functional design of this headphone reduces external sounds, and there is a long cord so that you have the freedom to move without disconnecting your headphones. At less than USD$100, this is an affordable headphone for your podcasting.
Shure SE215 PRO Wired Earbuds:
Also, starting from a low price of under USD$100, these Shure earbuds offer incredible sound for their style. These earbuds have been engineered to provide a full range of sound from a single, vented armature driver. These earbuds also boast enhanced bass and sound-isolating technology so that you won’t be distracted by external noise.
Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Professional Studio Monitor Headphones:
This is the best headphone for podcasting available on the market today ($149). Critically acclaimed by top audio engineers, this headphone offers exceptional sound clarity throughout an impressive frequency range. Accurate bass response and circumaural design contours around the ears for added comfort.
You can even use the 90 degree turning earcups for easy one-ear listening. This headphone has been engineered for long listening periods and offers plenty of comfort options, including professional-grade headband material.
You Need a Ringlight: Here’s the Best:
If you’re going to record your face during your podcast, good lighting is the key to quality production. A good ring light will give you just that! Here are some of our favorites;
This durable desktop ring light can hold your phone and makes it easy to record from home. It’s stabilized, so it won’t topple over and works well for all of your social media, streaming, and podcasting needs. You can rotate the light 360 degrees, and the ring light can be extended to 25.5”, so it’s very flexible for your needs. It’s affordable, too, coming in at just under USD $30.
10” Ring Light with 2 Tripod Stands, TonyKey Dimmable Ringlight:
This is a 10-inch selfie light with a built-in phone holder ($59). Highly stable, you can record from your phone with ease without the risk of it toppling over. There are 3 lighting colors and 10 brightness options to choose from, so you can get the perfect lighting for your shoot. The stand is adjustable up to 61 inches, and the light can rotate 360 degrees vertically and 180 degrees horizontally.
Fovitec 19″ Dimmable Bi-Color LED Ring Light:
This is a professional ring light with LEDs, which offers high-quality lighting to suit your needs ($79). This ring light is highly portable and comes in an easy-to-assemble three-piece design. There are multiple brightness and color adjustments available to match your lighting needs. There is an in-built phone holder that is highly stabilized. It won’t fall even if it’s holding your phone!
How Do I Set up Podcast Equipment?
You are certainly smart enough to know that it’s important to set up and test your equipment in advance of your upcoming podcast appearance.
All of our equipment suggestions are simple enough to plug right into any computer and power source to get going. Depending on your computer, it may need to automatically download specific drivers to complete the setup process.
From there, you’ll want to launch an audio or video tool from your computer to test how your new setup looks and sounds. You can choose to launch Zoom and record a solo session to see how it appears, or you can launch something like Audacity, a free light-weight audio tool.
Our Clients Receive A Complimentary Podcast Kit
Our number one goal for our private clients is to keep overwhelm at an absolute minimum. To that end, we take on the responsibility of making sure you are set up with the perfect podcast equipment for your style. Once we begin working together, we deliver straight to your door the necessary tools as we’ve outlined here.
We’ll also make certain you are comfortable and properly using the equipment through a test session together.
Meet Our Podcast Kits:
And there you have it! Here is our comprehensive guide to all of the must-have podcasting equipment you need to create a brilliant podcast guest appearance. We explored the very best in microphones, headphones, and lighting to ensure you can make the proper podcasting setup for you.
Are you looking for a simple, done-for-you solution? New clients are hand-delivered our podcasting kits that offer everything you need to make a great podcast appearance. With industry-leading products included, our podcast kits will give you everything you need to make a winning podcast guest appearance every time.