Podcast equipment for beginners

What goes on a podcast equipment list?

The core kit:

1. A microphone for each person.
2. An audio interface, or USB microphones if the show is solo.
3. Closed headphones for each person.
4. Stands or boom arms.
5. Cables: one per XLR microphone, plus a spare.
6. A computer with recording software; a free program such as Audacity is enough to begin.

Useful but optional: pop filters or foam covers, a standalone recorder, acoustic panels, and cameras and light if you film. The video side is covered in cameras and light for a video podcast. How much of the core kit you need depends on how many people sit at the mic:

Plan the inputs for the largest table you expect, especially if a show in two or three languages brings in extra guests.

Dynamic or condenser microphone: which is better for a podcast?

The classic mistake is to buy a condenser for an echoey room and then fight the echo in the edit. In an ordinary flat or office, a dynamic mic close to the mouth gives the cleaner result.

Check the pickup pattern as well:

• cardioid picks up from the front and is the podcast standard;
• omnidirectional picks up the whole room;
• side-address microphones are spoken into from the side, not the top, which beginners often get wrong.

Some dynamic microphones are quiet and need a lot of clean gain from the interface. Before you buy, check that the interface can supply it; otherwise you end up with the knob at maximum and hiss in the recording.

USB or XLR microphone?

A USB microphone plugs straight into the computer, and you can be recording within minutes. It suits one person well. Several USB mics on one computer are unreliable, though, and there is little room to upgrade.

An XLR microphone needs an interface. In return, every mic gets its own channel, and you can swap the mics or the interface later without replacing everything. Some microphones have both outputs, so you can start on USB and move to XLR when the show grows.

What does an audio interface (sound card) do, and do you need one?

An audio interface is the box between your microphones and the computer. It:

• turns the microphone's analogue signal into digital;
• has preamps, each with a gain knob;
• supplies phantom power for condenser mics;
• has headphone outputs, so you hear yourself without delay.

People call this external box a sound card or an audio interface, and both names mean the same thing here. The sound card built into a computer is something else and will not do the job.

Count your microphones and buy at least that many inputs: two cover a pair of hosts, and a show with guests needs four or more. Check that the interface records each input as a separate track, so you can edit every voice on its own. A standalone multitrack recorder does the same job without a computer and writes to a memory card, which makes it handy on location.

Are lavalier (clip-on) microphones good for podcasts?

Lavaliers are easy to hide on video and leave your hands free, which makes them good for interviews, walking shots and filming on location. The downsides are clothing rustle, more room sound than a dynamic mic close to the mouth, and, with wireless kits, a dependence on batteries and radio conditions.

Clip the mic about a hand's width below the chin, on the side the speaker turns towards, and hide the cable under clothing. Clip-on mics that plug into a phone are fine for content on the go. For a seated podcast, a microphone on a stand usually sounds cleaner.

What else do you need: headphones, stands and the room?

• Headphones should be closed-back. Open headphones and speakers leak sound into the microphones. Give each person their own pair, so everyone hears their own level and catches problems as they happen.
• Stands and arms keep the distance to the mouth constant and stop knocks on the desk from reaching the mic.
• A pop filter or a foam cover is a must for close work on a condenser. With a dynamic mic and its own foam, it is usually optional.

Then the room. A rug, curtains, soft furniture and a full bookshelf cut echo. Record away from windows, the fridge, ventilation and bare parallel walls.

Acoustic treatment and soundproofing are different things. Treatment reduces echo inside the room; it does nothing about street noise coming in. Fixing echo and noise has its own guide.

Should you buy equipment or test it in a studio first?

Before you spend money, record one session on professional equipment. You will find out:

• what a close dynamic mic sounds like on your voice;
• how many inputs you need;
• whether video is worth it for your show.

Buy your own kit once you record often and in the same place, and keep a studio for episodes with several guests or with video. What the kit route costs over time compares the two.

At Baltic Podcast Studio in Riga, each person at the table has their own professional microphone, so one session there can serve as the test; the studio page lists what is in a podcast studio. If you already own microphones, you can rent the set and bring your own kit. And if you plan to build a studio, you can book a consultation on setting up your own studio for €100/h.