5 Podcast Kits for Any Sort of Podcaster: The Final Information [Updated 2023]

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For those who’re simply beginning out with podcasting, it’s tremendous necessary to have the best gear. That’s why we’ve put collectively a listing of 5 unbelievable tools kits for newcomers. These kits include every little thing you want, like microphones, headphones, and recording software program, to ensure your podcast sounds superior.

We consulted our thriving neighborhood of entrepreneurs—lots of whom have profitable podcasts!—over at SPI Professional for this text.

Whereas lots of podcast gear guides will counsel mics and different tools by worth, this information capabilities a bit in another way. Every of those kits represents an excellent podcast tools checklist based mostly on a sure persona. Is audio high quality completely paramount to you, or do it’s essential to sound good on a price range? Are you on the go rather a lot, or recording out of your workplace? Do you file in particular person, with a couple of visitor, or do you solely file your podcast over the web?

No matter your “persona,” this text gives you, if not a procuring checklist, no less than a great place to begin.

Click on a hyperlink beneath to leap to the package that finest describes you.

The Jetsetter
The Audiophile
The Frugal Podcaster
The In-Individual Host
The YouTuber

Word — the value for every package was calculated earlier than tax and transport. Costs are an estimate solely and should have fluctuated since this text was written.

On Blue Yetis (A Resounding “No!”)

I’ve to get one thing out of the best way earlier than we proceed. After I polled our SPI Professional neighborhood on their favourite podcasting mics, there was one throughline: positively not a Blue Yeti.

For those who’re unfamiliar with Blue Yeti microphones, their reputation is comprehensible at first look. At beneath $100, they appear to supply an all-in-one answer, coming with a built-in stand and a beautiful design (even in flamingo pink).

However the response from our Professionals couldn’t be clearer.

The Yeti slamming ranged from phrases like “mine broke in beneath one yr” to “I hate them” and “nice promoting price range, low-cost worth level.” “It’s designed to convey the viewers right into a enjoyable setting,” mentioned one Professional, “which most individuals aren’t in… until you’re in your yard together with your goats and chickens and speaking about farm life.”

The Jetsetter: A Mic Equipment for Podcasters in Movement

$450

For podcasters on the go, it’s necessary to have light-weight, transportable tools that may simply be taken from place to put. Right here’s the perfect package:

Mic: The Rode VideoMic NTG is a shotgun mic made for cameras, however at 3.32 ounces, it’s the right microphone for on-the-go podcasting as nicely. You may join it on to your laptop computer or smartphone.

Stand: At 4 oz, the Rode Tripod Mini Stand is the right stand for an on-the-go podcast package.

Headphones: The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Skilled Studio Monitor Headphones supply nice sound high quality and are additionally foldable, making them straightforward to pack and tackle the go. As with all of those kits, having a strong pair of studio monitor headphones is essential so you may get a good suggestion of how your recording will sound in real-time.

Distant Recording Resolution: An answer like Squadcast is crucial for distant podcast recording, and each supply high-quality audio and video recording capabilities. There are some variations between each platforms which can or is probably not negatable relying in your scenario (if you would like the sharpest-possible video, solely Riverside can file concurrently in 4k, for instance). Because the variations could be finest lined in a second article, we’ll go away it to you to resolve—each are glorious choices at related worth factors.

With this podcast package, you’ll be capable to produce high-quality podcasts regardless of the place you’re.

The Audiophile: A Podcasting Setup for Discerning Ears

$900

For podcasters who’re severe about audio high quality and have an infinite price range, listed below are some high-end tools choices we advocate.

Mic: A toss-up between the Shure SM7B and the Heil PR40!

The Shure SM7B is fashionable for a motive: it has glorious sound high quality and noise discount design. It’s a cardioid dynamic microphone that captures a heat, pure sound and has a pop filter and shock mount to scale back plosives and isolate the microphone from vibrations. Its efficiency is additional enhanced with a bass roll-off and mid-range increase.

The Heil PR40 can be an incredible selection for audiophile podcasters, that includes a large frequency vary and low self-noise. It additionally has a singular design that helps scale back pops and plosives, making it an incredible selection for podcasters who’re severe about audio high quality. For those who’ve tuned into any of Pat’s reside streams or The Sensible Passive Earnings Podcast, that is the mic you’re listening to!

(Word that both of those mics would require an XLR cable.)

Mount: The Gator Frameworks Deluxe Desk-Mounted Growth Stand permits you excellent, secure adjustment on your mic. Set your mic up on this stand, plug it in, and by no means look again.

Preamp: The Audient iD4 MKII is a superb option to pair with the Shure SM7B as a result of it offers high-quality preamps and affords phantom energy, which is important to energy the SM7B. Moreover, the iD4 MKII has a low-latency headphone output, which is essential for real-time monitoring throughout recording periods.

Headphones: The Beyerdynamic DT 770 Professional Studio headphones are broadly thought-about to be among the finest within the trade, providing superior sound high quality and luxury. They’re a traditional possibility which were utilized in recording studios for years and are an incredible selection for podcasters who need to guarantee they will hear each element.

Distant Recording Resolution: Squadcast. 

With this setup, your podcast will sound pretty much as good as something you hear on the radio!

The Frugal Podcaster: A Mic Equipment for Price range-Acutely aware Podcasters

Underneath $100

For those who’re trying to begin a podcast on a price range, there are a selection of nice tools choices obtainable. Coming in at beneath $100, this package will make your podcast sound nice with minimal gear.

Mic/Stand: The Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB — at $79 (as of March, 2023), not a lot beats this mic at this worth level. It affords glorious sound high quality and is flexible sufficient to work with each XLR and USB connections, plus it comes with a easy folding stand*. Meaning you possibly can plug it straight into your pc and get all the way down to enterprise.

Pop Filter: The Aokeo Skilled Microphone Pop Filter — for about $11, it’s a no brainer. A pop filter is used to stop plosive sounds (reminiscent of “p” and “b”) from being picked up by the microphone. With out a pop filter, these sounds may be picked up as loud, disagreeable bursts of air, which may be distracting and make the recording tougher to hearken to. Don’t skip this piece.

Headphones: No matter you have already got! You seemingly have a pair of AirPods or different headphones and, since this can be a price range package, we’re not together with a devoted pair of studio headphones.

Distant Recording Resolution: For those who’re on a price range and must file friends remotely, it’s possible you’ll be tempted to make use of Zoom for distant recordings. We strongly advise in opposition to this although; the subscription value of Squadcast is nicely well worth the funding. Belief us, your editor (which might be you) will thanks!

With this setup, you’ll be capable to produce high-quality podcasts with out breaking the financial institution.

The In-person Host: A Podcast Equipment for Eye-to-Eye Magic

$500 – $1600+ (relying on mic choice and variety of friends)

For podcasters who file in particular person with friends, it’s necessary to have tools that may seize high-quality audio from a number of sources. After all, you’ll need to tailor this package deal to your particular scenario, relying on what number of friends you normally file with.

Listed below are some tools choices to think about:

Interfaces

Zoom H6 Six-Observe Moveable Recorder: This recorder is ideal for recording in particular person, with its capability to file as much as six tracks concurrently. It additionally has 4 XLR/TRS inputs, making it straightforward to attach a number of microphones.

In order for you one thing that’s a reduce above the remaining on this division, we positively advocate the Rodecaster Professional II, which incorporates sound pads, cellphone connectivity, and a variety of sound results. It additionally has a big, easy-to-use touchscreen that permits you to management all of its options.

In case your reside podcast is completely a one-on-one scenario, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is a unbelievable possibility. It’s an reasonably priced, two-channel audio interface that provides glorious sound high quality and is simple to make use of.

Mics

Any of the mics talked about to date are nice choices for in-person recording, however right here’s a bit roundup:

Excessive-end: Definitely, the Shure SM7B is your decide of selection. A pair (or extra) of those puppies and your in-person recordings will sound about pretty much as good as they presumably may!

Medium: Shure’s MV7X is one other strong possibility. With voice-isolating expertise and an all-metal development, the MV7x is designed with podcasters and vocalists in thoughts. And at lower than half the value of the SM7B, they’re a bit extra budget-friendly too. (Word—the MV7 is a barely completely different design, as you possibly can join it by way of USB. Nevertheless, at this worth level, we advocate some MV7Xs mixed with a strong preamp or audio interface.)

Price range: Once more our decide is the Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB. With a worth level round $80, that is arduous to beat for price range choices.

Misc. Gear

Monitor Headphones: Beyerdynamic DT 770 Professional Studio Headphones.

Cables: Pig Hog PHM10 8mm Tour Grade Mic Cable, XLR 10ft – 2-pack. (You might have considered trying longer cables relying on the house you’re recording in.)

Clamp-On, Growth Stands: Gator Frameworks Deluxe Desk-Mounted Growth Stand

Desktop Stands: InnoGear Desktop Microphone Stand (2-pack)

The YouTuber: An Add-On Equipment for Video Podcasters

Add $850 to any of the above kits.

YouTube lately introduced that they’re bringing podcasts to their YouTube Music streaming service. With the choice to modify between video and audio-only consumption, plenty of podcasters really feel it’s essential to file video with each episode too. That is our advice for a video podcasting add-on package, the right praise to your mic setup.

Digital camera: The Canon EOS M50 Mark II with 15-45mm lens affords nice autofocus and high-quality video in a single easy package deal.

Stand: The SmallRig Digital camera Desk Mount has an adjustable top of 13-35 inches, permitting the stand to clamp onto nearly any desk.

Lighting: The Elgato Key Mild Air is a superb lighting possibility for YouTube podcasters. It’s a compact and light-weight lighting answer that may be adjusted utilizing the Elgato Management Middle app. It has a built-in diffuser for creating gentle, even lighting, and comes with a desk mount for straightforward positioning. Plus, it’s transportable.

Distant Recording Resolution: Squadcast.

With this setup, your podcast is not going to solely sound nice, however it can additionally look nice in your YouTube channel.

Pod-on!

It doesn’t matter what your podcasting wants are, there may be an tools package on the market that’s excellent for you. By investing in the best gear, you possibly can be certain that your podcast sounds nice and is satisfying on your listeners. With the assistance of this information, you’ll be capable to discover the right tools package to take your podcast to the following stage. So what are you ready for? Get on the market and begin podcasting!

And if you happen to’re new to podcasting and need to critically up your recreation, the All-Entry Move is perhaps your finest transfer. By community-powered studying, you possibly can work alongside different podcasters, get entry to our full course library (together with the wildly fashionable Energy-Up Podcasting), attend workshops, and way more.

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