Podcasting as an individual can be done very inexpensively. You could start by recording directly into your phone, using an app like Anchor, for example.
Recording with multiple people can be a bit trickier. Anchor is still an option, if everyone has an iPhone or Android device, and installs the Anchor app, but it’s awkward talking into a phone, and the audio quality suffers.
If you’re doing a multi-person podcast, you’ll want to spend a bit of cash. Not a huge amount, but certainly more than you might expect.
This Podcast Starter Kit is what I consider a Minimum Viable Product. You can spend more, or less, but this is a good starting point, with surprisingly good mics for the money, a great audio recorder, and all the cables and adapters you need.
A quick review of what you’d be getting:
- Microphones. You need to talk into something!
- Foam windscreens. Helps cut down on “popping” sounds.
- Mic stands. Much easier than hand-holding, and eliminates handling noise.
- XLR cables. Connects the mics to a recorder.
- A recorder. Of course, right?
- SD card. Used in the recorder, and for transferring audio to a computer for editing.
- Headphone amp. With multiple people, you all need to hear each other (and yourselves).
- Headphone adapters. Assuming everyone brings their own 1/8″ (phone-style) headphones, you’ll need these to plug into the headphone amp.
My recommendations (below) is about a $530 investment for a two-person show. For a four-person show, it’s about $615.
(If you’re thinking about doing more than four people, my first suggestion is don’t. Secondly though, you’ll need a slightly different set up that goes beyond the “starter” model. I won’t get into that here.)
Like I said, not cheap, but you’ll get good audio, and be well-positioned for the future (better mics, better stands, better headphones…).
Here are my recommendations. You can buy on Amazon.com with a couple of clicks:
- Click Buy From Amazon
- Click Continue
- Adjust the 4x quantities for the mics, foam, and cables, if needed.
- Click Proceed to Checkout and continue as normal in Amazon.com
(If you buy through this page, I do get a small commission from Amazon, possibly enough to buy an ice cream cone! Thanks!)