AUTHOR'S NOTE: This article contains affiliate links to purchase the items that I am recommending. My preferred vendor is zzounds.com - most items ship free and arrive the next day. However, because zzounds.com doesn't carry all of the products I have recommended, there are a few Amazon affiliate links listed amongst the products. It throws a few extra cents in my pocket. Thanks!

Best (On a Budget) Podcast Hardware - November 2020 

As one of the more advanced podcast producers in my region, and being a somewhat techy nerd, I often get asked "What's the best hardware to get my podcast going?" or "What's the best way to go if I am just getting started with recording podcasts/spoken word?"

There are so many different ways to answer this question, and we are going to cover all of the bases here!

Workstation Desk

Every great producer needs a great place to work. This keyboard workstation will double as a fantastic desk for your computer monitors, mixing board, keyboard, mouse, and studio monitors. And what a steal at just under $220.

Click here to purchase the On-Stage WS7500 Wood Workstation

External Recorder

Some podcast producers like to record everything on to a portable recorder, transfer that file to the post-production computer, and then edit. I don't like this process. It's cumbersome and throws unnecessary steps into what should be a very simple process - press record, talk, edit, post it for the world to consume.

However, as a good rule of thumb, there should be an external recorder in the recording chain as a backup! Over the years, and only a handful of times, I have started recording directly into my laptop only to find out that when I go back to edit the podcast, that the entire episode or segment was recorded through the laptop's internal microphone. Without a backup, my team and I were forced to re-record entire podcast episodes.

I recommend the H1n from Zoom for your backup recorder. Coming in at around $120, this recorder will be able to handle the backups of your recordings with ease. And for those times you are going out on location to do an interview with a subject, this recorder will come in handy in gathering that audio as well.

Click here to purchase the Zoom H1n

Mixing Boards/Audio Interfaces

Every good podcast producer needs a good, reliable audio interface. The audio interface allows so much flexibility in my ability to record - solo recording, multi-user recording, Skype/Zoom/Teams interviews - the sky is the limit. Coming in at a sultry $150, the Mackie ProFX6v3 is the mixing board of choice in my home studio. 

I have three devices plugged into mine - two microphones (we'll get to those next), an aux cord so I can plug other devices to play through my studio monitors and my main computer that connects on USB channels 3/4.

Click here to purchase the Mackie ProFX6v3

When I'm recording with more than one other person in the studio, I simply swap out this mixing board for one with more channels - the Mackie ProFX12v3. It's the exact same model as the mixing board previously recommended just simply with more channels - 6 XLR inputs to be exact. These are workhorse mixing boards that provides clean, crisp audio without much manipulation in post-production.

Click here to purchase the Mackie ProFX12v3

Microphones

Microphones are a key element in creating a good podcast. The options are bewildering at times. However, my motto is definitely keeping things simple. That trend continues as we move on to microphone recommendations. To get a little technical, podcast mp3s should be encoded at 64kbps. Music mp3s encoded at 64kbps would sound like absolute compressed garbage. But, spoken word mp3s encoded at 64kbps sound marvelous - and they take up less space when you're using a free hosting service that counts those valuable megabytes. Why does this matter? It means you don't need to spend hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a good microphone.

My first recommendation is the Shure SM58. Yes, that Shure SM58. When I first started producing podcasts, I thought that I would use some stuff I already had from back in my karaoke hosting days (yes, that's how I got started in this business - don't judge me). As I worked more and more with the SM58s in a professional recording environment, I found that they sounded amazing! And coming in at $100, it fits into everyone's initial budget to set up a podcast recording interface.

Click here to purchase the Shure SM58

My next recommendation in the microphone category is actually made about 11 miles down the street from my house, but it is a worldwide phenomenon because of the name attached to it - Heil. Sitting right here next to me is my trusty Heil PR30. Yes, you read that correctly - the PR30. While the PR40 is the gold standard in podcast production, the better value is the PR30 coming in around $260. Why is it a better value? When it comes to spoken word, the differences in the array patterns are minuscule. You'll love the warm, rich tones that this microphone produces. It sounds great on solo recordings and Internet video meetings.

Our friends at zzounds.com don't sell this microphone.

Click here to purchase the Heil PR30 on amazon.com

Cables are an essential piece of your podcast puzzle. Cheap, junk cables result in cheap, junk recordings. It's that simple. Our friends at Hosa happen to be one of the best companies in the audio cable manufacturing business.

Microphone XLR Cables

Click here to purchase HOSA XLR cables

AUX Cables

There might be times when another host needs to plug a device into the chain to play some audio, and that audio needs to be recorded. This cable makes it a snap. Plug it in and pot it up.

Click here to purchase HOSA AUX cables

Headphones

Producing podcasts takes time - sometimes LOTS of time. Comfortable headphones with excellent sound quality are completely and absolutely necessary when editing out umms, ahhhs, breaths, and any other unwanted noises from your podcast. The Sennheiser HD 280 headphones do just that. Sennheiser's HD280 Pro headphones have the features and performance you need to produce professional-quality audio. With seriously high output and extreme isolation, they're great for any producer who wants zero outside distraction from their tracks.

Click here to purchase the Sennheiser HD 280 headphones

Studio Monitors

And sometimes, producers want to work outside of the world of wearing headphones, which is totally understandable. A great set of studio monitors does a great job performing that function. BONUS - they double as great sounding computer speakers too for listening to music or gaming! I became a fan of Alesis products about 15 years ago when I was introduced to their first USB mixing board. So when I came across some studio monitors made by Alesis - for $129 for the PAIR - I had to give them a shot. I have been using this variant in my studio for many, many years. 

Click here to purchase Alesis Elevate 5 studio monitors

Studio Monitor Wall Mount

Don't mess around with desktop stands or floor stands for your studio monitors. Mount them on the wall right at your ear height when sitting in a chair. They're up, they're out of the way, and you get the full studio monitor effect.

Click here to purchase studio monitor wall mount

Editing Software (DAW)

For beginners, the best software is FREE! Check out Audacity (Windows) or Garageband (Mac). For advanced users, Adobe Audition is the industry standard in audio production. If you have a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud, you should also just use Audition. There are so many great Audition experts on YouTube.

Podcast Hosting

A common misconception is that iTunes will host your podcast episodes for you. It doesn't. It's simply a directory of podcasts. You'll need a podcast host to take care of this for you. Hosting your own audio will make your website come to a crawl.

I recommend Buzzsprout!

Storage

Don't forget to pick up some extra storage to store all of your media files! These SanDisk 32GB SD cards do the trick!