Easy Podcast Equipment Checklist
As readers may or may not be aware, I am not only a philosophy instructor, a blogger, and an instructional designer, but I am also host of a podcast on Star Trek and philosophy, Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast, along with my cohost, Mike Morrison (C. Michael Morrison, author of Hannah Goodheart and the Guardian of Time) on the Trek.fm podcast network. Until recently I was also cohost of To The Journey: A Star Trek: Voyager Podcast, also on the Trek.fm network.
I have been approached many times by people who are interested in starting their own podcast, asking about the essential materials and equipment needed to host and produce a professional-quality podcast. I thought it might be helpful to put together a podcasting equipment checklist to make it easy for new podcasters to get up and running with everything they will need to record, produce, and distribute a new podcast.
Microphone
First off, you’ll need a quality microphone, a better microphone than your computer’s built-in microphone, at least. While there are many microphone options from which to choose, I recommend one of the following two microphones, both of which are quite affordable and more than adequate for almost any new podcaster:
Microphone Boom Arm
To reduce the chance of noise from movement or vibration noise from your desk, you should also use a microphone boom arm to elegant your microphone off the desk. There are many options for microphone boom arms, but here are two I recommend:
Foam Windscreen
It’s a good idea to pick up a foam windscreen for your microphone to help reduce breathing noises in your recordings. Here is the one I use, available in three different colors:
Computer
Almost any modern computer will work for podcasting, but it’s helpful to have a newer machine with plenty of processor power and RAM (memory) for editing and exporting your podcast files. In general it’s better to use a desktop computer than a laptop computer for podcasting, since the fan noise from laptop computers can sometimes interfere with the purity of your audio recording. Click on the graphic below to see a selection of desktop computers on Amazon if you are looking for a desktop computer suitable for podcasting:
Software for Recording and Editing
You will also need some software for recording and editing your podcast audio files. Although there are free options such as Audacity, your podcasting life will be much easier with a professional-quality recording and editing program such as Adobe Audition:
Image Editing Software
Many podcasts use custom thumbnail images, usually with the logo of your podcast and/or your podcast network for every episode. Adobe Photoshop makes it easy to produce an artwork template for your show, from which you can then generate customized artwork for every episode:
Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription
If you intend to use both Adobe Audition and Adobe Photoshop, it is usually more cost-effective to purchase a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. You will get access to many other Adobe tools such as Adobe Illustrator (for illustrating) and Adobe Premier Pro (for video editing), along with Adobe’s cloud storage for your various audio, video, and art files for your creative projects. I maintain an active Adobe Creative Cloud subscription at all times, both for my podcasting work and for my professional work as an instructional designer:
Zoom Account
If you plan to have more than one speaker for your podcast, you’ll likely need a Zoom account to be able to carry on a real-time conversation with your cohost(s) or guest(s). Although you should always record your online meeting as a backup when recording a podcast, you will get much higher-quality audio if each participant records his or her own individual audio files with a high-quality microphone, after which you can mix the audio track for each participant together into a multitrack edit for the final podcast episode show file:
Podcast Distribution Platform: Libsyn
Finally, you’ll need an account with a podcast distribution platform such as Libsyn. Libsyn makes it easy to distribute your new podcast episodes simultaneously to the various podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spreaker, and so on, along with social media blasts for each new episode on various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Here is a link to information about how to get up and running with Libsyn as your podcast hosting platform:
Conclusion
As you can see, although podcasting does require some equipment, with a minimal initial equipment investment (microphone, software, etc.) and some time planning the production and distribution process for your show, you can be up and running with a new podcast forty quickly. Do not, however, skimp on the microphone or on the audio editing software, as these are essential for a professional-sounding podcast with high-quality audio, and for your own sanity in editing each new podcast episode you record.
Additional Podcasting Resources:
Podcasting: How to Start a Podcast and Create a Profitable Podcasting Business by Amanda Mayo
Podcasting for Dummies by Tee Morris and Chuck Tomasi
