In this article, we continue our $1,000 budget studio starter kit series in which we provide a selection of studio gear bundles you can buy across a range of common audio production fields. As we said in the first article in this series Studio Starter Kits For Different Studios - Our In Depth Look At What You Can Get For Around $1,000 To Meet YOUR Needs, the question “What studio gear should I buy?” isn’t a detailed enough question for anyone to provide a useful answer. You need to know what kind of audio application you intend to use the gear for otherwise you could end up buying a load of gear that you either won’t use to its full potential or worse still, not use at all.
In this article, the audio production field we will focus on is Podcast recording. What do podcasters need in order to record and publish their broadcasts?
Recording Podcasts - The Studio Gear We Recommend To Get You Started
As with all the options in this series, to stay within the $1,000 budget we have assumed you already own a computer. Taking out the purchase of a computer and DAW software means you have the full $1,000 budget available to spend on the key audio elements that matter the most for recording bands. If you haven’t read it already we recommend that you read the introductory article to this series Studio Starter Kits For Different Studios - Our In Depth Look At What You Can Get For Around $1,000 To Meet YOUR Needs. This article lists several free DAWs you can download and start using today as well as some guidelines to ensure that the computer you already own is up to the job of recording and mixing audio.
If you plan to get into recording podcasts then $1,000 can go quite a long way if you are careful with your spend.
Although one person can do a podcast, a monologue is unlikely to maintain your audience’s attention. Typically you would have 2 to 4 people around a table chatting about whatever the podcast subject matter is. We are not going to get into production and editorial areas here, that is outside the remit of this article. Back with the tech and the next consideration is whether your contributors are going to be together in the same room, or like us on our Production Expert podcast around a virtual table with each of us in our own studio. If you are going to be in the same room we recommend that you go for an interface with enough mic inputs for all of you to have a mic each, so it’s probably best to look at a 4 mic input interface as the sweet spot.
Audio Interfaces
Audio interfaces play an important role in any type of modern recording application. Their main purpose is to route audio into a DAW for recording and route audio out of a computer to monitor audio playback from within a DAW.
For podcast recording, you will need an interface with at least 4 mic inputs to be able to plug in all the microphones you intend to use to record the presenters.
So let’s take a look at 3 different options…
Zoom LiveTrak L-8 - $300
The Zoom LiveTrak L-8 was announced at the 147th AES Trade Show and Convention in October 2019 and what it offers at the price point makes the L-8 another Zoom triumph. Zoom says of the LiveTrack range that they “make it easier than ever to mix, monitor and record professional-sounding Podcasts and music performances in one portable, affordable package”. Zoom acknowledge that Podcast creators require a unique audio feature set, together with the flexibility of a proper mixing console.
The L-8 has 6 mic preamps and as we have mentioned the quality of the mic preamps is especially important and Zoom state that “the L-8 features six high-performance preamps each with phantom power, a low noise floor (-121dBU EIN), and maximum input gain of +54dB. Additionally, there are two Hi-Z, line-level and USB inputs.” That said talking to Zoom at AES 2019, they were suggesting that if you go down the SM7 route then It is still best to use Cloudlifters.
Zoom has also designed the L-8 to make remote interviews easy. All you need to do is connect your smartphone using the provided TRRS cable. The L-8 provides a proper Mix-Minus (also called a clean feed) that prevents echo and feedback to and from the caller. Alternatively, you can use the USB connection to route audio from Skype, Facetime, Hangouts, and so on.
The L-8 is equipped with four headphone outputs so that each participant can clearly hear what is going on.
It’s so much better if you can record each mic separately and the good news is that the L-8 records separate tracks directly to your SD card for each channel, enabling you to edit them later. To achieve this the L-8 can record up to 10 discrete tracks plus a stereo mix directly to an SD card at resolutions up to 24-bit/96 kHz, however, they do say that effects, EQ, overdub, and audio interface are not available when using 96 kHz sample rate. You can even punch-in, overdub and then transfer your work to your DAW for fine-tuning.
You can also use the L-8 as an audio interface for your DAW, and best of all, the L-8 can record simultaneously to both your computer and an SD card for extra security and backup, which the more expensive RodeCaster Pro can’t do.
The Zoom L-8 is class compliant, enabling connection with iOS devices, as long as you have an Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter.
you can press one of 6 assignable Sound Pads to play intros, outros, jingles, ads and sound effects.
The Zoom LiveTrak L-8 can run up to 2 ½ hours with just four AA batteries, or on a USB battery, so you can podcast from just about anywhere.
Once you’ve got a set up for a particular podcast or combination of presenters and contributors you can save it! The L-8 can save up to 7 show “scenes” that can be saved and instantly recalled at the press of a button.
Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 USB Audio Interface - $400
If you prefer a simple interface and then do everything in-the-box then we think the Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 is the best of the bunch within the budget constraints we are working to in this series. The Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 has…
Four Scarlett mic preamps with phantom power, a low noise floor (-128dB A-weighted), and maximum input gain of +56dB.
Two high headroom instrument inputs, for plugging instruments straight in, great if you have a guest artist on the podcast doing a simple acoustic set.
Eight balanced line inputs, for connecting other line-level audio.
Four balanced outputs, for monitoring and effects sends plus two independent headphone outs to monitor, mix and playback however you want.
The Focusrite Control software is designed to make it simple to route your audio and cue mix, loopback and monitor mixes, from your Mac, PC, or iOS device. Send, stream, sample – simple.
Rode RodeCaster Pro - $600
The RØDECaster Pro was probably the first of these dedicated podcasting units. The 4 microphone channels are designed to power studio condenser microphones as well as conventional dynamic microphones enabling you to be able to quickly connect microphones for you and your guests with automatic level setting and one-touch recording to a microSD card.
It comes with eight programmable sound effects pads, for instant triggering of sound effects, music, jingles, applause and ads. You can record audio directly to the programmable pads from any input, or simply “drag and drop” files from your computer using the supplied software. You can even select your favourite colours for pad illumination.
If you have a remote guest you want to interview, then you can connect your phone to the RØDECaster Pro via Bluetooth or with a TRRS cable. The unit automatically provides “mix-minus” (clean feed) audio to prevent echo being heard by the caller, so you no longer need to purchase dedicated and expensive hardware.
The RØDECaster Pro features Class-A mic preamps which Rode say “provides a much cleaner gain structure with lower levels of distortion. The result is an incredibly clean, low-noise signal. The preamps are also servo-biased, keeping distortion levels low. Your signal is broadcast-pure.” The mic preamps have an equivalent input noise ( EIN) of -125dB A-weighted and maximum input gain of +55dB.
When it comes to processing the unit comes with APHEX Aural Exciter and Big Bottom as part of the audio processing section as well as compression, limiting, de-essing and noise-gating all in the box.
The RØDECaster Pro operates as a standalone unit recording your podcast direct to a microSD card. It also connects to your computer as a USB audio interface, so you can record your podcast to your favourite recording software, or stream live. Multitrack recording is also available via USB to your DAW software on your computer, allowing you to separately record each of the sources to its own track for editing in post-production. In addition, a stereo mix of your finished podcast can also be captured in multi-channel mode.
even though this is a more comprehensive unit that the Zoom L-8 it is interesting that the RodeCaster cannot record separate tracks onto the SD card. You only get the multitrack mode when using it as a USB audio interface with your DAW software. Plus the Rode unit only has 4 mic inputs whereas the Zoom has 6.
Need More?
If your budget for a podcast recording studio starter kit is greater than $1,000, or you need more inputs, then do check out our recommendations for 1U audio interfaces that provide you with a minimum of 8 recording inputs, which may come in useful if you find you need to record several presenters in one sitting.
Read: What Are The Best 1U Audio Interfaces With A Minimum Of 8 Analog Inputs You Can Buy Today?
Microphones For Recording Podcast Presenters
You are going to need several microphones to record your presenters…. But what type of microphone? You are looking for mics that are good for speech and so you could choose a dynamic microphone like the Shure SM7 but if you go this route you will probably need to look at a Cloudlifter or similar to boost the signal out of the microphone before it hits the interface. Alternatively, you could go for lower cost large-diaphragm condenser mics, but don’t just depend on the foam windshield, make sure you get separate blast or pop shield for all the mics. However there are two issues that you are likely to hit up against, one is people turning away or sitting back in their chair and so going off mic and the other is with multiple mics in the same room is spill into the other mics which results in a hollow sound. You can alleviate this last one by turning down the mics of the people not speaking but that will significantly increase the post-production time. Our recommendation is to use headset mics. it will mean that no one is ever off-mic because the mic moves with the person because it is head-mounted, and spill issues are nowhere near as bad. Finally, headset mics don’t require mic stands either.
Sennheiser e835 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone - $100
Our first recommendation is not the Shure SM7, because not only would it be too expensive to get 4 of them, they would also need 4 Cloudlifters. You could go for the Shure SM57 on which the SM7 is based, but we recommend that you go for the Sennheiser e835 mic. You may notice that is what Zoom were using to demonstrate the LiveTrak L-8 on the AES show floor.
The Sennheiser has an internal shockmount to help keep handling noise or pickup through the stand as low as possible. The Cardioid pickup pattern has been designed for feedback rejection but in podcasting that translates into good rejection of the other presenters and contributors in the room as well as rejecting the noise of the space you are recording in. The pickup pattern has also been designed to get a consistent performance despite its position, so if you have guests that move about a lot then you should get a more consistent sound. Finally the e835 comes with a pouch and microphone clip and a 10-year factory warranty
sE Electronics X1 A Large-diaphragm Condenser Microphone - $100
Getting a good quality large-diaphragm condenser mic that would fit the budget was a challenge and the one we felt was the best option is the sE Electronics X1A mic, which comes in at the same price as the Shure SM57 and Sennheiser e835, but don’t let the price fool you. This is a decent large-diaphragm condenser microphone and comes with the attention to detail and quality that you get from a respected brand like sE Electronics.
The X1A is the younger sibling of the X1 and comes with a new acoustic design and condenser capsule. It has an all-metal chassis, unlike some other "entry-level" microphones and the X1 A's all-metal chassis is designed to provide rejection of electrical interference and noise. It has ‘super low noise’ electronics and an integral 20dB pad and for podcasting a very useful low cut filter.
The integrated windshield is designed to eliminate the need for an external pop filter and provides an extra layer of safety and security for the all-important capsule, but we feel it is always safer to have a separate blast shield further away from the capsule to prevent pops and bangs when recording a podcast.
Finally, the X1A comes with a newly designed swivel mic clip and thread adapter to fit with any mic stand.
Pulse Headset Microphone with Telescopic Boom and 3.5mm Locking Jack Plug - $60
Again finding headset mics that would fit in the budget was tricky and our recommendation for a headset option if you want to dispense with mic stands and be confident that presenters and contributors alike are always on mic. Our recommendation in order to stay in budget is to move away from the conventional mic brands and go with a brand called Pulse. Although these are a budget headset mic, Mike uses these in all kinds of situations including interviews and podcasts. Check out Mike’s video showing the new Nugen Audio VisLM features recorded at IBC on a noisy trade show floor.
In the UK and Europe, CPC Farnell is probably the best place to get the Pulse headset mics while in the US check out Newark.com.
The Pulse MIC-3000LJ Headset Condenser Microphone is an over-the-ear headset mic that fits over both ears, Mike recommends steering clear of the single ear models as they have a tendency to come off. These headsets are designed to be compact and unobtrusive with a lightweight design.
It has a telescopic microphone boom, which can be fitted on either side, it is designed to have ‘excellent ambient noise control’ and comes with a windshield/pop noise head, and Mike recommends getting a pack of 5 windshields because they do have a habit of disappearing. They do come with a range of different mic connectors to suit the various radio mic packs, but Mike recommends the lockable 3.5mm mini-jack.
To work with audio interfaces you will need adaptors for each mic to convert 48v phantom power to plugin power on a 3.5mm mini jack like the Rode VXLR+ 3.5mm to XLR Adapter with Power Convertor or the Deity Microphones D-XLR 3.5mm to XLR Adapter which will cost around $25 each.
Headphones
The remaining budget needs to be invested in a few sets of studio headphones as these play a vital role in any style of recording application. Headphones, like audio interfaces, don’t need to be expensive but they do need to be considered. You can’t go wrong with a reputable pro audio brand name and we recommend that you say away from unknown brands.
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x - $50
Audio-Technica produces a wide range of very good studio headphones. even though the ATH-M20x are fairly low down the range, they are very capable. These are perfect for recording as they’re comfortable to wear for long periods of time, sound fairly balanced and cost-effective. These are the headphones Production Expert Team Member James Ivey uses for his artists in his studio.
Beyerdynamic DT 240 PRO - $80
These are a solid set of headphones that should last you for years. Beyerdynamic has produced countless headphones, durability is one of the things Beyerdynamic are known for. The isolation is exceptional for the price, sound quality is what we would refer to a suitably well balanced and the price represents great value for money.
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro - $100
Sennheiser also produces a number of studio-grade closed-back headphones. Their HD 280 Pro are by no means the best Sennheiser has to offer but they do very well in a wide range of recording studio applications. Out of the three, these are by far the best allrounders, perfect for recording and well suited for critical listening.
Using Multiple Sets Of Headphones
Some audio interfaces do not feature more than two headphone outputs which may become a problem if you have more than one or two podcast presenters. If you find you need to use 4 pairs of headphones then you will need a standalone headphone amp box, which are relatively inexpensive such as Behringer’s MicroAMP HA400 4-Ch Headphone Amplifier for $25.
Depending on the interface you choose you may need an additional headphone amp like this. Although it won’t enable you to setup independent headphone mixes, it will enable you to set a level for each set of headphones to best suit each presenter and contributor.
Studio Monitors
Although you won’t want studio monitors when you are recording, you may find a pair of speakers useful when it comes to editing and mixing your podcast. If so, then we have tested many low cost studio monitors, find out what we think of these below:
Three Studio Starter Kits For Recording Podcasts
In our three kit suggestions below we have prioritised each kit list in order of the most important studio gear essentials to the least important:
Studio Kit Option 1
4 x Sennheiser e835 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone - $400
Zoom LiveTrak L-8 - $300
4 x Sennheiser HD 280 Pro - $400
Total: $1100
Studio Kit Option 2
4 x sE Electronics X1 A Large-diaphragm Condenser Microphone - $400
Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 USB Audio Interface - $400
4 x Beyer Dynamic DT 240 PRO - $80
Total: $1120
Studio Kit Option 3
4 x Pulse Headset Microphone with Telescopic Boom and 3.5mm Locking Jack Plug - $340
Rode RodeCaster Pro - $600
4 x Audio-Technica ATH-M20x - $200
Total: $1140
You can see that in all the examples we have crept over the $1000 budget. However, if we kept to the Audio Technica headphones, we could deliver the first two options bang on the $1000 budget. By using the headset mic option we could shave off another $60 off options 1 & 2 as well. Whichever way you cut it with 4 presenters, using the RodeCaster you aren’t going to get the package within the $1000 target. But if 3 people are all you need then any of the 3 options is possible within the budget.
Essential Entry Level Studio Gear For Recording Podcasts
Some of the gear we have recommended in this article may not be premium gear, but that’s ok. If you are on a tight budget and wish to start recording podcasts then there’s no shame in your first set of essential studio gear being low-cost options. These days cheap doesn’t always mean nasty. If proper production techniques are applied using tried and tested microphone placement skills then the items we’ve recommended will serve you well in your new podcast recording ventures.
More Resources To Help You Make Better Podcasts
At Production Expert, we have published over 380 podcasts. Below are some quick tips to help you plan, produce and publish your new channel and podcast series…
Plan the topic
Have a bullet point script to keep your discussion on point
Plan to record and publish your podcast regularly to enable you to grow your brand awareness.
Here are some links to a range of helpful content including 2 Apple Podcast Best Practice Resources…