For those who’re amongst folks as you learn this, look to your left. Now look to your proper. Statistically talking, these on both facet of you most likely have their very own podcasts. Odds are you’ve gotten a number of folks in your life that additionally match the invoice. The excellent news is that the prevalence of podcasts means higher and higher instruments are being produced to assist hosts up their video games.
A few months again, I wrote a How I Podcast article showcasing a number of the ideas and methods I’ve deployed for my very own present, RiYL. It’s very a lot a one-man manufacturing in the meanwhile, however I’ve been in a position to improve my sport significantly, due to new tech.
You’ll discover lots of what I personally use on this record. Some objects are pricier than others, however the excellent news is that in 2023, you don’t should pay a ton to supply a great-sounding present. And when you’re on the lookout for new great-sounding exhibits, try our podcasts masking startups, founders and the crypto area: Equity, Found and Chain Reaction.
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RODECaster Professional II
A number of years after its preliminary launch, the RODECaster Professional stays the gold commonplace for constructing on-the-go studios. The system is nice for in-person productions, notably these and not using a mounted location. Once I go extremely transportable, nothing beats a Tascam and a few mics, however if you wish to recreate the sensation of a four-mic studio, with out the price of a real professional soundboard, that is the place you go.
It’s tremendous straightforward to make use of out of the field, and affords a ton of controls and customization, together with options like music cue set off pads to supply a podcast in actual time. It’s an ideal reward for a seasoned hobbyist podcaster trying to take issues to the following degree.
Tula Mic

Picture Credit: Brian Heater
I might have simply as simply caught this one within the journey reward information. As somebody whose work requires they hit the street as soon as a month, I’ve been on the lookout for approach to up my lodge recording sport. The Tula Mic has all of it: beauty, nice sound high quality and a compact foldable design that may sit comfortably in your keep on.
The mic connects to your pc by way of a USB-C port and affords a spread of various settings. You may as well take it on the go for discipline recordings, courtesy of a 12-hour battery and 8GB of inner storage. It’s a particularly effectively thought out little bit of {hardware} up and down the road.
Shure MV7
I’ve been by way of so many USB microphones — particularly over the course of the pandemic. The Shure MV7 is the primary one I’ve ever actually fallen in love with. As soon as I picked this up, I’ve recorded each episode of my podcast, moderated dozens of panels and performed numerous conferences with it. Actually, it stays completely plugged into my desktop always.
Now it’s not fairly the professional degree of Shure’s SM7B — usually thought to be the gold commonplace of podcasting mics. However the MV7 is cheaper and, extra importantly, includes a USB enter so you will get nice sound with out having to futz with separate audio interface {hardware}.
Insta360 Hyperlink
This webcam is one other fixture for my residence desktop. It’s a bizarre factor to say, however I get complemented for my video high quality on a regular basis throughout work conferences. The video goes as much as 4K, however for many issues, you’re greater than positive counting on 1080p. The additional decision actually turns out to be useful, nonetheless, when using the 5x digital zoom with minimal picture degradation. For those who have a tendency to maneuver round lots, no worries, the built-in digital gimbal has you lined.
Insta360’s desktop software program can be foolproof, ensuring issues are appropriately framed forward of time, so that you don’t seem like an novice, adjusting issues after you’ve already logged in.
Razer Ring Mild
Over the pandemic lots of us had been pressured to confront simply how dangerous our residence lighting is. Whereas a superb webcam can go a good distance towards bettering your picture, it’s nothing and not using a good gentle supply. There are a ton of ring lights in the marketplace, however finally I landed on this one from gaming big Razer.
The worth is definitely proper, and the system could be mounted to a tripod or the again of a monitor. My recommendation, nonetheless, is that straight on isn’t at all times finest — particularly when you put on glasses. You’ll wish to experiment with the arrange a bit, however fortunately, the mounting system provides you all types of choices right here.
Bose QuietComfort Extremely

Picture Credit: Brian Heater
My recommendation for all podcasters is: put on headphones. And attempt to make your friends the place them, when potential. It’ll make your job as editor considerably simpler. For many hobbyist podcasters, I usually encourage a pair of over-ear headphones that you just additionally intend to make use of in your day-to-day life. For those who’re recording remotely, you most likely don’t want a pair of high-end screens.
I’m going with the QuietComfort Extremely based mostly on monitor report (they’re at present up for preorder). Bose makes nice all-day put on headphones, so you should utilize them for podcasts, conferences and take them on lengthy flights, due to their ultra-comfortable design.
I additionally extremely suggest taking a look at a pair with auxiliary enter. That’s an actual useful function for modifying, to not point out these fickle airplane seat-back video methods.
Subscriptions

Picture Credit: Riverside.fm
As a rule, subscriptions make nice presents. This definitely applies to podcasting. I really feel like each month I hear about one other service I wish to subscribe to so as to take my present to the following degree. Listed below are a few of my present favorites:
Riverside.fm ($15/month): I’ve beneficial Zencastr in earlier years, however finally the platform gave me an excessive amount of grief. For $15 a month Riverside provides you as much as 5 hours of high-quality distant video and audio recording.
Auphonic ($10.50/month): The latest addition to my workflow saves me a number of hours per thirty days. Add a monitor and Auphonic will degree it and take away background noise in a matter of minutes.
Otter ($10/month): Otter is a godsend for each transcription and modifying. For the latter, the AI-based service will help you discover key phrases very quickly.
Podcastpage ($12/month): An excellent straightforward to make use of service that generates a professional-looking web site in your present. I used to be coping with an harm this previous weekend and spent a number of hours customizing my present’s web page. The flexibleness is spectacular for a visible editor.