The most common questions I get asked could be a mad lib. What X do you use? Insert any piece of podcasting gear into X and I have probably read that tweet, email, Discord message, or YouTube comment (with additional curse-laden embellishments) double-digit times.
So let this post be the link I start firing off from now on. I love talking gear. But I’ve typed this reply so many times my P-R-4-0 keys are getting worn out.
Oh, and just an FYI: yes, these are affiliate links. Sometimes I find better deals on B&H or Sweetwater.
My Microphone: Heil PR 40
Hail to the king of podcast microphones, the Heil PR 40. I replaced my Blue Snowball with this mic back in 2013 and it has been my faithful companion through the rise and fall (and rise again) of Hearthstone’s popularity and every single other podcast I’ve ever breathed a word into.
I like to think of it as the Russian stacking doll of podcast microphones. I saw Scott Johnson using it. Then Tom Merritt. Now I use it. And I’ve been told by younger podcasters than me that they have one because they saw me using it.
It sounds great. Doesn’t completely cover my face when I’m on camera. And as mine is coming up on damn near 10 years of use, it’s reliable as hell.
Affordable bonus mention: Blue Snowball USB Mic
Cheaper than a Yeti. Sounds better. Doesn’t require an XLR interface. I still have one of these for traveling.
My Mic Arm: InnoGear Mic Arm
I have had a couple mic arms over the years and the springs have always worn out. InnoGear is a brand I’ve never heard of. But this arm has lasted longer than any others I’ve owned. Nothing fancy. Gets the job done. And is the cheapest arm I’ve owned.
My Interface: RODECaster Pro
USB microphones are a great place to start podcasting. That Blue Snowball I mentioned above is the best sound for dollar spent I’ve ever encountered. If you’re hesitating cause of the cost, just get the Snowball and hit record.
But if you want the option for the best mics out here, XLR is the way to go. XLR interfaces also give you more control over how you sound.
Full disclosure: The fine folks at RODE sent me one of these interfaces for free. However, I’ve had this thing for almost 4 years now and I’m still using it.
One of the most common questions I get asked is “how do you play music and sound bumpers live so your co-hosts can hear them?” This answer has changed over the years. For the longest time I ran an iPad (running a soundboard app) into my old Alesis MultiMix interface. But the RODECaster has a built-in sound board. There’s 8 physical square buttons that I can assign any WAV, or MP3 I want to. I have an 8-sound rack saved for each podcast I produce (TAC has 2 racks for all the silly show clips listeners send in, it’s SO HOT). The RODECaster can swap between saved racks with a single button press.
More affordable bonus mention: Alesis MultiMix
My Rat Nest of Cables
Over the years I’ve settled on cables I keep on hand. I always keep at least one extra of these lying around because cables inevitably will go bad. There’s nothing worse than recording time hitting and getting no sound from your mic. Something an extra $8 XLR cable can quickly fix.
· XLR cable: For any non-USB microphone. Always have an extra.
· 3.5mm to XLR Male: For getting any device with a headphone jack into your interface.
· XLR to 1/4" jack: When you need extra mics on interfaces with limited XLR inputs.
My Camera: Sony a7 III | & Lens: Sony FE 35mm F1.8
Now we’re into the not-required for podcasting side of my gear. But since I started using an SLR as a webcam I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how I get such a blurry background. Here is where I admit that I spent FAR TOO MUCH on my camera and lens.
There is no way to fake a really good blurry background. Yes. Zoom will blur your background for you. But it will likely also blur your shoulders, mic arm, your actual arms, and maybe half of your freaking face because it’s trying to fake what a real lens can do. The only way to get a true “bokeh” is to get a lens that will let you adjust your aperture and a camera that will accept such lenses.
Now I am not advocating for anyone to drop over $2k on their camera setup. I do videography in the freelance side of my life. This camera gets a lot of use besides outside of being a webcam. But it you’re looking to get the same look I have… this is my camera/lens combo.
That’s it!
This is essentially everything that makes up my studio. I plan to update this post as I notice other common gear questions. Feel free to comment below or tweet @GarrettArt with anything I use that you want to know more about.
Good luck and have fun podcasting!