What equipment do I need for a small office podcast setup?

February 13, 2014 9:51 AM

I've been asked to help the office start podcasting, and I need suggestions for tech. We are going to be keeping it simple to start: 2 people, USB microphones, record and edit in Audacity. Beyond microphones, what equipment would you recommend for a budget of a couple hundred dollars max? Input mixer? Pop filter/screen? Something else?
posted by philosophygeek to Technology (6 answers total)

I don't know the exact software (maybe you can do this in Audacity) but the worst thing in podcasts is when the volume levels are really different between multiple mics. I pretty much stopped listening to Marc Maron for this reason, as I had to keep fiddling with the volume.
posted by radioamy at 9:57 AM on February 13, 2014

As long as you can record from each mic onto a separate channel directly into Audacity, and balance/EQ there, I don't see much benefit to an input mixer.
Pop filters would be an excellent idea, depending on what mic you end up with. As always, The Wirecutter has some good info on appropriate microphones.
Also, consider some sound baffles to soften the room noise a bit? Echoey room noise is always what I notice on podcasts that feel amateurish to me.
posted by jeffjon at 10:01 AM on February 13, 2014

Pop filter! It really does make a difference.
posted by luckynerd at 10:13 AM on February 13, 2014

A student of mine does professional podcasting. Her official paper on how to do it. I have memailed you the link to the file (not sure how kosher it was to post in the thread.)
posted by jadepearl at 11:05 AM on February 13, 2014

Popped p's drive me insane. I'd do the pop filter, for sure, and I would think that doesn't have to be an enormous investment.
posted by Linda_Holmes at 5:31 PM on February 13, 2014

Dan Benjamin is putting together a book about podcasting podcastinghandbook.co
posted by cephalopodcast at 3:38 AM on February 14, 2014