The big day is nearly here and with it are plenty of tech deals to carry you over into the new year. This is an especially great time to invest in equipment to start your very own podcast.
And Black Friday deals are guaranteed to keep cropping up until the holiday proper. There are some true stand-out deals, including the HyperX SoloCast USB microphone for $50.99 at Best Buy, the InnoGear MU078 microphone arm for $22.99 at Amazon, and the HyperX Cloud II Wireless Headset for just $84.99 at HP.com.
This is the perfect time to pick up all the equipment to get started, including some of the best headsets, best streaming microphones, and more.
Today’s best podcasting equipment deals
Below, you’ll find great deals on the five essential pieces of equipment you’ll need to start podcasting (other than having a good gaming PC).
Microphones
Boom arms
Studio monitors
Headphones
The five most essential kit you’ll need to start podcasting (other than a PC)
In order to start podcasting, you’ll need some basic equipment, mainly five items: a microphone, a boom arm to hold the mic, a studio monitor, an audio editing program, and a pair of headphones.
- Microphone: the most basic of equipment that you need, as you can cover most other functions through it and your PC. Though many PCs have built-in microphones, they tend not to be the best quality. Therefore, it’s a good investment to purchase a mic made especially for podcasting, as the audio quality bump up alone is worth it.
- Boom arm: this isn’t strictly necessary but having a boom arm to attach to your mic gives you a much longer range, stabilizes your mic, and keeps your desk space clear for your keyboard and mouse.
- Studio monitor: these have built-in filters and windscreens that prevent annoying tics and popping sounds (like the ‘p’ sound in ‘pop’). These greatly clean up your audio as you record. They also protect mics from flying spit as accumulated saliva can corrode mic parts. You’ll also want to purchase isolation pads to pair with the studio monitor.
- Headphones: You’ll need headphones if you have a separate microphone, as you don’t want PC speakers to create feedback while recording. Each host in the podcast needs one so they can hear themselves and monitor sound quality and mic levels while recording. This prevents mistakes and minimizes retakes by giving hosts live feedback on audio quality.
What to know before starting that podcast
There are other specialty equipment that you can purchase as you become more invested in the growth and improvement of your podcast, such as a mixer or an audio interface, acoustical treatments, and a headphone amplifier.
Podcast recording and editing software are absolute necessities, as you need to be able to edit out unwanted sounds as well as delete unnecessary sections and dead air between lines. Programs like Audacity and DaVinci are great starting points since they’re relatively easy to use and are free.
It’s smart to start off simple when you first start podcasting since you need to gauge your popularity. But it’s important to purchase better equipment over time in order to retain and grow your audience. Listeners are willing to deal with bad audio quality at the start, but rarely will they stick with a podcast that continues its mistakes.
There are of course other aspects to podcasting, ones that you can’t buy. That includes the ability to write a solid script, having vocal presence and conversational skills, a commitment to deadlines, and good chemistry with any cohosts. If you don’t possess or cultivate these skills as you continue your podcast, then it won’t last for long.
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