9 Tech Essentials You Need For Your Podcast

Before people invented podcasts, radios were the most used audio telecommunication system. The problem with the radio is that they weren't straightforward to listen to. When you want to listen to a radio station, you would most likely spend countless minutes trying to find the right song or talk show.

Now, the invention of podcasts has changed all that. Simply put, podcasts are digital audio documents placed on the internet for you to listen to. With the technological innovations humankind is making, you can now download these audio documents to your phone or computer. The producer of the podcast can also decide how many audio files they want to drop. Sometimes, the podcast can contain just a one-time recording to convey specific information. At other times, they can release installments which their subscribers would listen to every day, week, or even month.

To create a fantastic podcast with unique sounds and quality, you need to have the right equipment. That said, this article will help to highlight mine tech essentials you definitely need for your podcast. You would need these tech essentials, whether you're just starting or you've been in the business for a while.

1. A Microphone

When starting, the first, most obvious thing you would need is the microphone. Without the microphone, what would you use to record your podcast? 

Unfortunately, many people tend to make silly mistakes when buying a microphone. A lot of microphone-producing companies like to offer discounts on microphones that would deceive their target market. When you purchase these microphones, they tend to have several problems, such as low volume and sound quality. Consider an option among the fine products from Turtle Beach.

That said, when choosing a microphone, make sure you make quality your top priority, rather than price. Podcast production may cost a fair amount of money, but it would be worth it in the long run.

2. Some Quality Headphones

After buying one or two microphones, the next thing to buy is a few pairs of quality headphones. If you look around you today, you can find so many headphones on the market. However, the sad truth is that over half of those headphones are not suitable for podcast recordings. 

When you want to buy headphones, make sure they're the type that has some helpful podcast-recording features like noise cancelation and fantastic sound quality. 

Of course, you don't have to go out shopping for the best headphones. They don't have to be the most expensive, but they should perform the job well.

Something you should be wary of is buying deals that have microphone and headphone combos. They won't tell you, but the sounds of the microphone and headphones would be abysmal and would have low durability. 

3. Skype

You may think you don't need Skype, but this is where you'd be wrong. Skype is a digital tool that can help podcasters set up interviews with the people of their choice. If you want to have a reputable podcast, you would need to start giving interviews. Interviews allow you to convey juicy information from the person you're interviewing to the viewers. And the best part is it's free!

Skype is a platform that has helped millions of podcast owners connect with the people they want to interview. Before they started using Skype, podcast owners had to travel all the way to a particular place to grant someone an interview. As you may expect, this often costs a lot of effort, time, and energy. Using Skype allows you to conduct interviews with just your devices and an internet connection, all from the comfort of your own home!

4. A Boom

Admittedly, a boom might not be significant when you're just starting. However, it becomes an absolute necessity when your podcast starts getting more popular. Podcasting beginners tend to hold the microphone with their hands for several minutes or even hours. This would most likely lead to arm cramps and general pain after setting down the microphone. On the other hand, a boom allows you to suspend your microphone, which would help you prevent any cramps and pain related to microphone suspension. Additionally, it helps further to improve the overall sound quality of your podcast. It does this by ensuring the microphone doesn't turn away from you accidentally while speaking. 

5. Recording Equipment 

This tech essential is one of the most important on this list. Without decent recording software, how would you pass across good, quality information to your listeners? You may not think it, but it is sometimes helpful to also record your mistakes. Recording your errors allows you to learn from them, so you would never make them again. 

Luckily, you can find so many of these recording equipment on the market. However, you have to be smart when picking out one. Although most recording equipment may sound perfect when new, the equipment's sound quality tends to reduce drastically after using for a while. Hence, choose wisely after going through the online reviews.

6. Editing Software 

What's a podcast without good editing software? The truth is that people tend to make countless mistakes while trying to create content for their podcasts. If you don't have much capital when starting, you can use some free software, such as Adobe audition. This helps to edit your voice by balancing it out and removing any form of noise.

If you have a MacBook already, there is some good news to share. MacBooks have a preinstalled editing software called GarageBand. It is a fantastic tool that gives you a lot of options post-recording. 

7. A Podcast Hosting Account

Another tech essential you would need is a podcast hosting account. A podcast hosting account allows you to have a platform for you to post your podcast. Doing this means that after recording your podcast live, you can leave the recording on this podcast hosting site for the people who missed it to have access to it still.

Having this tech essential also allows you to include a podcast subscription service for your listeners. This means that they would need to pay to have access to your podcast. 

Some good podcast hosting accounts you can use are Libsyn and SoundCloud. As you may already know, people mostly use SoundCloud for music. What you may not have learned is that people also use it to host their podcasts. Libsyn is the best in terms of podcast hosting services because its manufacturers made this software mainly for hosting podcasts.

8. Design Software

Although you can decide to leave your podcast on the podcast hosting service, it would be even better for you to include your podcast on iTunes. Millions of people use iTunes daily. It would significantly help your podcast grow by helping to reach your target market faster. iTunes also includes a payment system, which ensures that you get some money in return when people listen to your podcast.

When you want to post your podcast on iTunes, you would most likely need a killer cover art to help you convert more. Hence, it would be best if you had design software to make that happen. Your cover art is what many people would see when they're searching for or listening to your fantastic podcast. 

If you don't want to do it yourself, you can always delegate this task to a professional. 

9. A Pop Filter is Needed 

The last thing you would need to include in your podcast setup is a pop filter. Have you ever tried to record something and realized that you were making loud "b" and "p" sounds more often? If you've experienced this, you most likely need a pop filter. Simply put, a pop filter allows you to dull the amplified b's and p's without having to reduce the volume or the sound quality. 

Although you can solve this by speaking through the side of the microphone, it would be better for you to use pop filters. The best part is they're cheap and easy to use. 

Final Thoughts 

Podcasts were very much needed, especially since the pandemic started. Several factors have prevented individuals from seeing other people. As you may already know, maintaining human communication is especially important. Luckily, one of the best ways to do this is by using podcasts. 

Podcasts have been around for a long time, and they have always historically been essential for human life. That's why a lot of people currently have podcasts. There are currently over 850 thousand podcasts and 30 million episodes on the internet.

Despite this fact, a lot of people still fail to get their episodes out there. If you're one of them, fret not. This article highlighted the tech essentials you need to start your podcast and release episodes. Upon following these suggestions, you would witness a fantastic surge in listeners within a short time.