Here’s my gear list!
Tons of listeners ask me about the gear that I chose to use for my podcast, so here’s the skinny: I started with a very small budget and did A LOT of research. I’m the kind of guy who only likes to buy something once, and “value” is my middle name. That being said, I’m also cheap, so the products I’m listing below represent a great combination of quality, value, and price. My podcast sounds great, considering the initial outlay, which I mostly still use to this day. Feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions or need advice of any kind. Thanks for your support and thanks for listening!
PIPPA!!
For housing and distribution, I use a service called Pippa. I was one of their first customers, and I’ve been VERY happy with them. As a matter of fact, Simon, the CEO himself, helped me with the set-up and answered about a dozen of my dumbest questions at all hours of the night. Now, I’m not saying that that’ll happen, but that was my experience, and it speaks to the type of company Pippa is. They take customer service very seriously, their prices are amazing and if you already use a different company, like I did, switching over is super easy. So, if you’re looking to start a podcast, or you already have a podcasting service, give Pippa a serious look. Check them out – I’m really glad I did. You can learn more about Pippa here: Learn More
My home office/studio/guest room/man-cave
I searched and searched for mics and this is the one I chose. At $35 a pop, I bought four, and I love them. They’re Shure clones, but they sound like the real thing, at least for a podcast.
Shure SM7B Vocal Dynamic Microphone, Cardioid
I love this mic. I have one. I want three more. It’s perfectly flat in sound, with a nice warming quality, it’s heavy and built like a tank, and it has a built-in pop filter that actually works. When you’re chatting with someone who doesn’t know how to use a mic, this detail becomes very, very important. Get a couple, if you can.
I searched high and low, tested and returned, and looked on Craigslist and eBay for a USB interface. This is the one. $99 for $499 worth of sound quality, build quality, great pre-amps, super easy to use… I could go on and on. You plug it in and start working. Simple as that. I’m not sure I would upgrade for my podcast- if I were recording really high-end vocals/intruments, etc, then yes- but for this podcast it’s PERFECT.
Zoom H6 Six-Track Portable Recorder
I used to use a Zoom H4n which was amazing. Now I use a Zoom H6 which is more amazing. I went from two XLRs to four (six with the adapter). It is super rugged, has crystal-clear sound and is dead simple to use right out of the box. I still have my Zoom H4n as a loaner and back-up, and the H4n is absolutely perfect for anyone getting into it, but I’m at 61 episodes and counting, so I thought why not? This thing is bitchin.
NEEWER Microphone Suspension Boom Scissor Arm Stand
This is not exciting, and there are other options, like desktop stands that don’t clamp. I went with these and they work. Are they sexy? No. Are they insanely inexpensive? Yes. Do they hold mics at different heights and can you move them any which way? Uh huh. Yawn.
Eggsnow Camera Universal Microphone Shockmount
You’d be really surprised by the terribly amateurish and constant thumps you’ll get on your recordings without a shock mount of some sort. I went with these- again, they’re cheap, and they work. I find them especially necessary when I’m on location with the Zoom and my portable stands. I ruined about the first ten recordings before I got my head out of my ass and finally figured it out. Hey I’ve learned along the way- get a couple of these. Trust me.
SanDisk 64GB Ultra SDXC UHS-I Memory Card SDSDUNC-064G-GN6IN
SD cards- get a couple and put them places. You don’t want to show up late, as your guest comes strolling in, only to discover that you left your only SD card back home in your card reader and she’s disappointed but understands because you’re so new at this and anyway she knows that you guys are really good friends and you’re meeting at work, just an hour early, so it’s not a totally huge big deal but you’re still mortified that you look like a day-dreaming-Johnny and a wholly unprofessional hack because you have to reschedule and ask for yet another favor to make it work again in a few days. Don’t let this happen to you like it did to my friend who has a podcast just like mine with the same name at the same address.
Hamilton Nu-Era Tabletop Mic Stand
I don’t have these, but I’m ordering them. Right now, I use articulating stands for my road kit, and I HATE them. The bases are plastic and filled with concrete. Sounds fine, right? Wrong. The concrete cracked and slowly spread very fine dust all over the place- in my bag, on tables, EVERYWHERE. I’m lucky that it didn’t ruin any equipment before I figured out what was going on. Terrible.
AmazonBasics XLR Male to Female Microphone Cable – 6 Feet
Cables. You need cables. Amazon basics are great and cheap. I also like Monoprice, but these are great too. Cables.
iZotope RX 5 Audio Editor -Channel Audio Editing Software
This software suite is expensive, period. But man, does it make fixing major problems easy. The de-plosive plugin alone is worth it. It automates loudness standards, takes out pops, fixes echo, cleans up dialogue and a dozen other things. iZotope is used by everyone in the music business. Film, TV, podcast, broadcast, studios… EVERYBODY. Is it overkill for a home-based podcast? Sure, but whatever. If you can afford it, run, don’t walk, to iZotope- you won’t ever look back.
These things are incredible! Not really, but you DO need them, especially if you’re mostly using anything but the Shure SM7b. It makes a huge difference and it’ll save you a lot of time in post-production (and money)- Which brings me to more software…
You can use Garageband for your podcast. I use Logic- Tomatoes, tomatoes.