What you’ll need
Build the ultimate studio by spending wisely where you have to, while getting what you can for free
CREATING A PODCAST is rather like making a radio show, or indeed a basic music recording using microphones. At its simplest, a podcast studio can be your desk or a spare room, preferably one that’s away from unwanted background noise, such as a noisy road. If there’s only going to be one person speaking, or two people sitting close together, you only really need one microphone. There are plenty of good quality USB mics for around $80– $120, such as those from Blue Microphones, Zoom, Røde and Shure. Some stand on your desk, while others need to be attached to a boom stand which will give you more flexibility, but can add slightly to the cost.
Most microphones tend to have integrated pop filters, which help you achieve a cleaner voice recording while reducing the peaks that can naturally occur when your mouth makes “p” or “t” sounds. In fact, some companies offer podcast hardware bundles with a microphone, headphones and audio interface, which are often sold for a fair bit less than their component parts. If you need two or more mics, you’ll have to go with more traditional XLRequipped models, and these will need to be connected to an audio interface or a mixer. IK Multimedia makes the iRig series, and the new iRig Pro Quattro I/O offers four inputs as well as compatibility across macOS, Windows and even Android and iOS. Dedicated podcast mixers do exist and can be pricier, but something like the RødeCaster Pro or Tascam Mixcast 4 will be designed specifically for mixing podcasts.
While these devices will add to the quality of your final recordings, so are a good investment if you’re serious about your new hobby, as with all things, it can take a few goes to figure out if it’s something you’ll want to do long-term, and therefore whether it’s worth the investment. We’d urge you to keep things cheap and simple if you’re starting out, and a 2-in, 2-out USB audio interface can cost as little as $90 and will also offer great recording quality.
Decent headphones are a must for mixing, or speakers if your budget stretches. As recording, editing and mixing a podcast is similar to laying down music tracks, a free app such as Audacity or GarageBand is perfectly suited. GarageBand is the more user-friendly of the two, letting you set up and save templates to suit your needs. It’s really about recording elements, editing them together, maybe adding music beds and other audio clips, followed by a little processing just to smooth everything out.
More specialized apps like Steinberg’s WaveLab Cast are affordable and offer more advanced tools, and there’s also Adobe Audition to consider if you’re a Creative Cloud subscriber. For mobile, apps like Spreaker’s Podcast Studio or Spotify’s Anchor app are more stripped–
down systems that you can use on the move. If your budget is limited, spend it on a decent microphone and a solid audio interface, since free apps offer all the basics. If you have loftier ambitions, trading up to WaveLab Cast or even Apple’s Logic Pro will help the end result shine.