How to Select Budget Friendly Equipment for Your Podcast Studio

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There are over 850,000 active podcasts currently with more than 30 million episodes recorded already – Podcasts are certainly gaining popularity. According to eMarketer, revenues generated through advertising are expected to cross $1 Billion till next year and that’s related to the US only.

Starting your own podcast may sound easy but the competition is fierce with thousands of podcasts available on famous apps by Apple & Google (not to mention other thousands in SoundCloud, Stitcher etc).

Check out Starting Your Own Podcast in 2021 – Guide for Beginners

To ensure your podcast stands out, the important thing to focus is the content. Next is the quality of your audio. We will be discussing the latter. If you wish to start recording your own podcast, you will need some equipment. Scroll down below to read more.

Why do you need equipment?

As a listener, it is frustrating if the podcast has audio quality issues which are resulted due to improper recording equipment and poor editing. With thousands of other podcasts you don’t want to lose your listeners just because of bad noisy output. Here’s why you need equipment and two most important items include a computer & a microphone.

List of essential equipment

When you start out, you may have an impulse to buy expensive gadgets even if you are running low on budget. Here’s why proper research is important before swapping your cards. We have listed four items which we consider essential for your podcast to deliver the desired quality.

1. Computer

No surprises here. You might already have a computer which seems to work fine. If you wish to upgrade with higher processing power then investing in the right computer is key. You can opt for a desktop of course but laptops provide more flexibility; you can move anywhere without the hassle of plugging wires.

The biggest challenge perhaps is choosing between Mac and PC. If you are an Apple fan, then Mac is all for you. Also you may consider checking system requirements needed to run the audio recording software before making the purchase.

If budget isn’t an issue, we would recommend getting a higher quality computer since they are outdated quickly and you don’t want to reinvest again in a span of a few years.

Here are our two-picks:

	New Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip 13-inches	Button with link to Amazon affiliate
	Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop, 15.6 inches $364	Button with link to Amazon affiliate

2. Microphone

Next in the list is a good quality microphone to record your podcasts. When you visit an online store to search for microphones, you will be surprised at the variety available ranging from $100 to more than $1000. Certainly with budget constraints we would recommend opting for lower range price but the quality of output should matter more. Investing in a microphone is highly recommended or you may end up with hollow & tinny sound.

Here we have picked two microphones for you to choose from:

	Blue Yeti USB Mic for Recording & Streaming on PC and Mac $139	Button with link to Amazon affiliate
	Rode Procaster Broadcast Dynamic Vocal Microphone $299	Button with link to Amazon affiliate

3. Noise Canceling Headphones

A lightweight and comfortable pair of noise-canceling headphones is all you need to listen to your recording with clarity. They are very helpful to ensure that your recordings do not have background buzzing and also helpful during the editing process. Headphones also vary in prices with a wide range of variety available.

Following are two of our choices:

	Shure SRH440 With elegant design and good sound quality, this is ideal for a low-budget plan. You can get these under $100.	Link to Amazon affiliate
	Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 OHM This is another budget-friendly option for you. With a price of $200, it provides you professional quality.	Link to Amazon affiliate

4. Recording Software

You don’t need to spend a lot to get yourself decent recording software. Moreover, there are free versions available to record as well as edit your podcast mp3 files. Editing can help in tweaking and adjusting volume levels of your audio. After you are done, you may export the file to digital format ready to be published to podcast hosting service [link to podcast guide article]. For beginners, we recommend Audacity & GarageBand.

Click here to download Audacity – free version for Windows.

Click here to download GarageBand – free version for Mac.

If you already are a subscribed member of Adobe Creative Cloud [affiliate] then we would recommend using Adobe Audition. The user interface is very similar to Premiere Pro with much advanced features.

Can I start with Zero Budget?

Surprisingly, the answer is yes, to some extent. You can record your shows with your phone’s microphone and edit using free versions of software available. As far as hosting is concerned, there are a few free service providers as well. However, we would highly recommend you to record using an external microphone instead of your phone. You can check out low-priced microphones in the market (some are offered for even lower than $50). Take a few test recordings and you will be able to decide what suits you best.

Should I spend more than $1000?

As a beginner, the answer is clearly no. You only need to spend your time and dedication in creating quality podcast content. Your listener won’t leave your podcast if you haven’t recorded in a fully-studied recording studio. So engaging with your audience is important. However, with budget-friendly equipment you can create high quality audio files – without actually spending more than $1000.

What equipment do you use for your podcast? Let us know in the comments below.