Essential equipment you need to create your own Podcasts.
There are many who are fond of listening to audios than reading. They prefer to hear audio files that can be downloaded that they can listen to later, while driving or in spare time.
That is one of the reasons podcasting has become so popular.
And if you’re an educator, talk show or an entertainer who hosts his/her own radio show, or a composer, disc jockey, who want make his/her songs heard by a large audience, you can take advantage of this technology.
Anyone can make a podcast about anything, and anyone can listen to a podcast anytime (as long as they have the necessary gear).
If you’re thinking about producing your own podcast, the following five steps will help get you ready:
- Decide on a topic you’re passionate about
- Find a place to produce your podcast, ideally one with little to no background noise (watch out for air conditioners, fluorescent lights, and other noisy appliances)
- Decide how long each podcast should be (after carefully considering how long you want to spend on pre- and post-production and the amount of bandwidth you have available)
- Decide how often you want to release a podcast (your listeners will appreciate a regularly scheduled show, whether it’s daily, weekly, or monthly)
A script is usually unnecessary, but some cards outlining the topics to cover are helpful in keeping you on the right track.
A typical team might plug two studio mics and a keyboard into a FireWire mixer, where they can tweak and balance the sources then route the signal into their computer. Then they can record and edit their podcast with software such as FL Studio or Reason.
After the show is recorded, post-production editing should be minimal; a little tweaking and adjusting can go a long way.
Equipment Required to Produce a Podcast
The gear used to record and edit these recordings can vary greatly, but the list below will give you a general idea of what you’ll need. Remember that the more professional your gear, the more professional your podcast will sound, and the more enjoyable it’ll be for your listeners.
A broadcast microphone: A large-diaphragm cardioid condenser mic, or Heil’s renowned dynamic studio mics, will give you the best sound quality. If you’ll be doing field work, you’ll want a more rugged hand-held mic, but you should still get a condenser for high-quality sound when you’re in the studio.
Pop filter: A pop filter will minimize unwanted plosive noises and is a must-have in any studio.
Desktop microphone stand: A stand keeps your hands free and prevents thumps caused by handling noise.
Headphones: Quality studio headphones will let you monitor your podcast. Talking while monitoring your voice can be disorienting, so practice until you get used to it before you record for real.
USB mixer or interface or a FireWire mixer or interface: An interface will get the signal into your computer and may include mixing software for tweaking and balancing sources, while a mixer is a dedicated unit for doing this and will give you multiple channels and analog control. Make sure your mixer has phantom power if you plan on using condenser microphones.
Computer: You’ll need a computer to record and produce your podcast. Though the word “podcast” is closely associated with Apple Computers, you can record and listen to podcasts on PCs as well.
Recording and editing software: Be sure to get software that supports multiple tracks and supports multi-effects and signal processing plug-ins. Make sure the software lets you save tracks in a digital audio format. Many of these software programs also come with royalty-free audio loops, which are very handy for bumper music (the short clips of music between segments).
Soundcard: A good soundcard will provide you with the ability to playback and monitor your podcast, if your interface is not equipped with this ability.
Digital multitrack recorder: A professional recorder will give you very high-quality sound, battery operation (with some portable models), effects, and the ability to record and play back multiple tracks. Most professional digital recorders record in WAV format, so you’ll need to compress your audio on your computer with audio editing software.
With the proper equipment, your podcast will sound great and if your content is interesting and you do a good job publicizing your creations, you’ll soon generate a base of loyal listeners.
Behringer Podcastudio USB Podcasting Package
Behringer PODCASTUDIO USB includes everything you need to create podcasting content. The bundle includes XENYX 502 USB mixer, XM8500 dynamic microphone, UCA200 USB/audio interface, headphones, and a recording software.
The captured audio can be stored on a computer, it can be recorded/edited (using the included software) and the finished audio file can be posted on an appropriate server.
You may even use the package to understand how music recording is done (though you may experience latency problems as you begin to add more tracks).
You can use it to understand the intricacies of music recording. Seems to work with different digital audio workstations (DAW), and works well on iMac as well. Even though everything is easy to setup, newbies may have preferred more instructions on how to use the different features of the equipment (knobs etc).
Five-input, two-bus mixer with a single premium microphone preamp. Professional, studio dynamic microphone. Studio headphones with ultra-wide frequency response. Tracktion 4 DAW software.
Includes table microphone stand, microphone cable, RCA phono cables, and a USB cable
Behringer Podcastudio USB recording bundle which comes with a two-channel USB audio interface, 5-input mixer with 2-band “British-style” EQ, headphones, dynamic broadcast-style microphone with desk mount, plus cable. It can be a great setup for home recording with decent quality sound reproduction. Its an affordable package to get started – to express yourself and to create recordings – comes with everything you need.
Promoting the Podcasts
You should ideally also promote your show so that more people can find about it! Here are some of the things that you could do:
- Be active in the podcast community
- Talk about your podcast on your website and your blog, if you have one
- Exchange promos with other podcasters and maybe even pay for advertisements on other sites.
If you spend time doing these tasks, soon the word will spread and you’ll have a size-able following of subscribers!
To Conclude
There are always a lot of people who are online at any given point of time, and content producers know how important it’s to engage them using new and a user-friendly distribution channel. No wonder that bloggers, musicians and even media organizations have taken to podcasting as well.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
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