A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Podcast Equipment That Ensures You Sound Great

When recording remotely, there are myriad decisions to make when choosing podcast equipment. To further complicate things, the internet is littered with conflicting DIY podcast advice and information.

Many of our clients come to us because they quickly learned how difficult it is to record and produce a podcast. Zoom calls just don’t cut it! We’ve taken the guesswork out of every aspect of podcasting, starting with the equipment, to make your life easier and ensure your podcast is up to your brand’s standards. 

While I can’t say we’ve tried every option out there, we have zeroed in on the type of podcast equipment that delivers the best features, value, and audio quality, while creating the least amount of technical lift for our clients and their guests. (We can even create a custom equipment package based on your level of technical proficiency.)

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the microphones and software we researched, tested, and chose.

A behind-the-scenes look at the podcast equipment we use

Microphones

There are literally thousands of microphones on the market, with new models being released every day. For in-studio recording, we use the highest quality industry-standard voiceover microphones to ensure crystal clear conversation and seamless audio editing. 

For our clients who record remotely, we can provide custom packages that include equipment of the same quality that we use in our studio. Because it may involve a greater technical lift for the user, we leave nothing to chance. We always provide a detailed cheat sheet with step-by-step instructions on how to use every piece of podcast equipment.

Our clients’ podcast guests don’t need fancy equipment, just quality headset mics. We did a great deal of research to find the models that deliver high quality audio with minimal technical know-how, which we provide free to our clients’ guests.

Audio recording software

You have a large variety of audio recording software programs to choose from that range in features and price. At the end of the day, all these programs will achieve the same end result: an edited mp3 file for your podcast delivery. The more robust programs allow for finer tuning and the ability to further edit audio at a much faster pace.

We use Avid Pro Tools, which has been the industry standard program for major motion pictures and television shows for the last 20+ years. Its flexibility and versatility allow for edits down to 1,000th of a second, and it supports our fast turnaround times.

That said, audio software programs aren’t plug-and-play. Many clients have admitted that they tried them, and then had no idea what to do. Attempting to record and edit audio without formal training would be like walking up to the sound board at a concert. Would you know what to do? Unless you are an audio engineer like those on my team, the answer is likely no.

We also use a variety of third-party software plugins that allow us to remove ambient noise and room reverberation. Between Avid Pro Tools and these plugins, your remote podcast will always sound clear and professional.

Remote recording services

When it comes to remote recording services, you have far fewer options than recording software and microphone models. But they are all better than Zoom.

We know from experience that most organizations rely on Zoom video calls (or even conference phone calls) for their podcast. These methods can and will: 

• Cause glitches and dropouts in the audio

• Require an exhausting number of software settings to be set up ahead of time

• Put the burden of recording/delivering audio files on the guest

Adjusting Zoom settings alone is a heavy lift for us – and we do this for a living!

We tested all the major players and selected the one that works best for us and our clients. In other words, it allows for the highest quality with the least amount of headache. 

The program we use records audio locally on each participant’s computer, so even if there are glitches during an interview, they don’t appear in the final recorded audio. All necessary settings are adjusted behind the scenes prior to any recording. And each user’s audio files are automatically uploaded to the cloud for our team to immediately begin transcription and editing. 

The technical preparations that go into podcast production can be daunting. That’s why we’re here – we will take that technical burden off your organization’s shoulders. 

We are well versed in the art of studio recording, and thanks to the pandemic, we are now experts in remote recording as well. Our process, and the equipment we use, make our clients’ and their guests’ experience as comfortable and low maintenance as possible with minimal technical interruptions. 

If you’d like to take podcast production off your plate, let’s discuss how we might work together. Schedule a call today!