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Podcast equipment for starters

Thinking about starting a podcast. Will Skype + recording software be enough to start? Maybe @csallen have some insights? ;)

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    I use Audition, Zencastr (for recording and hosting the call, as an alternative to Skype), and a nice cardiod mic. Tim Ferris lists some good gear that he uses. I think his mics are cheap, like $100 each.

    Honestly, I don't think sound quality matters as much as many people make it out to. Conversational/episode quality is king. If your content is great, people will complain about the sound quality but 95% of them will listen anyway. If your content is average, nobody will care how great it sounds.

    On that note, being able to see your guest is helpful. Making eye contact smooths out the conversation. So Skype might be great for that. Or in-person recordings. I think the IH podcast would be better if I did more of each of these.

    Spend time promoting your podcast. For example, go on other podcasts and talk to their listeners about your show. If you rely on 100% organic growth, it'll probably take a long time even if your show is great.

    Find ways to make it fun and easy for yourself so you don't quit. The vast majority of podcasters quit less than 10 episodes in. Aim to make it to 1000. If you find yourself dreading any particular podcast-related task, cut it out of your workload or outsource it.

    Finally, be consistent. If you have a weekly show, missing even one week can be devastating to your download numbers. If people decide to work your show into their schedules, don't let them down.

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      Thanks @csallen! How do you go about having routine guests? I was thinking maybe I should have at least 3-4 episodes pre-recorded first, release them weekly or bi-weekly, and keep working on the guest pipeline during that.

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        In the beginning, it's just lots and lots of emails. Keep them them short and respectful. The more interviews you do, the bigger the backlog you'll build up, and the more recognizable faces you'll have on your website, which will lead to a higher % of people agreeing to come on your show, so you don't have to send so many emails.

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    There's some solid entry level mics. I use a little pricier Audio-Technica AT2020USB PLUS but others on our podcast use Blue mics that're a fraction of the Audio-Technica. Paired with Skype, you can get pretty far.

    Once you start hitting your Skype quality limits, you can use Audacity. We use Audacity to record individual tracks and then everyone sends it to one person for editing. It's a bit more tedious but we've noticed a higher quality product that way.

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      Ah cool, thanks for the tip @outlandnish!

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    It's quite obvious that you will need not only software) This type of activity involves the use of a variety of hardware: from PC to recording equipment. And the result is always some kind of mess in the workplace: a bunch of wires that you can’t handle in any way. I solved this problem with the help of special organizers for wires. Very handy thing. Found them on https://sysracks.com/ in the accessories section. Hope it will be useful for you as well.

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    As other posters said, content will always win out. Don't worry too much as long as the audio is like a 7/10 at least.

    I've just started my podcast in March and I do mine in-person. I use the Blue Yeti Microphone, linked directly into an Apple MacBook Air and Garage Band. Kept it simple so that I could concentrate more on becoming a decent interviewer and not worrying about tech or things going wrong.

    I speak a little bit about how I started it and the equipment used in this episode.
    https://open.spotify.com/episode/4MBM1Tj5dR0LfAw7QkuBvf?si=wUeaMZrxSgqT6U6HZePVGA

    Let me know if you have further questions and good luck with the journey. It's been a huge amount of fun so far after 8 episode of mine.

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    I made a list of the equipment these makers are using https://www.makerspartlist.com/list?id=cjuhvm1oh00350840jc0rf6fh

    Personally I like the Blue Yeti mics the best though.

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      Thanks man! Will check it out soon!

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