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It seems like someone starts a podcast every day. And that’s because they do. Podcasts are fairly simple to start but challenging to maintain at a high quality. If you sound like you are recording in the closet on an iPhone 6 people probably won’t hang around for your witty banter. Start on the right foot with a decent mixer/recorder, microphones, sound proofing and headphones and you’ll get that crisp, engaging sound all your favorite podcasts have.
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The Zoom LiveTrak will give you a great base to start any podcast. With an 8-channel mixer and 12-track simultaneous recording, you’ll be able to bring in the crew and a host of special guests all while utilizing intro music and sound effects. A mix-minus function prevents feedback caused by any call-in guests and six assignable sound-effect pads will let you drop in clips at the right moment. Your audio is stored on an SD card at resolutions of up to 24-bit/96 kHz. As an added bonus this mini-studio is portable and can run or up to 2-and-a-half hours on four AA batteries or a USB battery.
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If your bedroom is your makeshift studio you’re going to need some sound protection. This is less about bugging your neighbors and way more about making sure you don’t capture any of their arguments, barking dogs, or screeching sirens in your mix. This handy desk-mountable foam and metal screen will keep your microphone isolated and free from outside noise. It’s got multiple ways to mount your microphone so you can record with the greatest of comfort. At 23.5 by 15.4 by 11.0 inches this setup won’t take up much space.
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This USB condenser microphone from Razer has great plug and play capability and great sound quality. Being designed for streaming and live broadcasts means it has very little audio lag and has built in shock absorption so that if you bump it you won’t hear the thunderous results on playback. Built in background noise reduction means you won’t have to worry as much about ambient noise from your loud fridge. There are more expensive and feature-heavy microphones but this should get you off to a good start.
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Audio-Technica’s studio monitor headphones provide crisp and deep sound as well as noise isolation that ensures you’ll hear every word and every note as your listeners will. You’ll probably spend some time tweaking tracks, editing clips and conducting interviews and these headphones come with the kind of cushion that will make them feel like an extension of your head.