Resources

USB Microphones

Blue YetiRecommended: Blue Yeti ($119.00) – The Blue Yeti is a great USB microphone that I highly recommend. I am currently using this microphone for all my podcast recordings and I have found the sound to be very clear.

This microphone has multiple settings for solo podcasting, interviews or joint podcasting, conference room recording or even stereo recording.

ATR 2100ATR 2100 ($59.95) – This was the first USB microphone I bought and I highly recommend it. Tim Ferris (author of the 4 hour work week) uses this microphone for his podcast and it sounds great.

A good low budget microphone delivering a high quality sound. When I ordered mine it also came with a little microphone stand that went on my desk. I had to hunch over to reach the microphone so buying a large stand would probably be a good idea.

Blue SnowflakeBlue Snowflake ($6.97) – A great microphone used by a lot of YouTube gamers who podcast while they play their game.

I haven’t personally experienced this microphone but for the videos I have watched where they use this microphone it sounds great.

 

Pop FilterPop Filter ($6.61) – No matter what microphone you get (USB or phone) I recommend you get a pop filter. They are super cheap (less than $7) and remove the harsh P tones from your recording. Well worth the investment and I wish I invested in a pop filter earlier.

 

 

SmartPhone Microphones

Rode SmartlavRecommended: Rode Smartlav ($79.00) – Choosing the best portable microphone for your phone was difficult. While I rate the iRig Mic for quality of sound I had to go with the recommendation of the Rode Smartlav.

Gives good quality sound for such a small microphone and has the added bonus of being great for video (which I do a lot of). Clip it to yourself and get great sounding video without a lot of effort. A microphone extension chord is much needed.

 

iRig MiciRig Mic ($59.99) – A close 2nd to the Rode Smartlav the iRig Mic is going to be one of the best quality microphones that will plug directly into your phone.

Good quality sound and easy to use.

If you weren’t doing any video and really didn’t want to podcast using a USB mic for whatever reason then this is going to be your best option.

inbuilt MicrophoneInbuilt Microphone – Cheap and free. Simply use the inbuilt microphone in your high end smartphone to record sound.

I have only ever used iPhones but have found all their inbuilt mics to be fairly highly quality. Great for the person starting out but if you want to sound professional then this isn’t recommended.

It picks up a lot of background noise so only record in a quiet place (a room of your car) and stay away from noisy areas.

iPhone HeadphonesApple Headphones ($9.49) – Free with the iPhone I have found the quality of this microphone to be slightly better than the inbuilt microphone.

It is really clear and with some good post production you can hardly tell that all you are using to record are your headphones.

Even when I was making thousands of dollars per month from my podcasts I still used these for their quality and ease of use. Only recently did I upgrade to the Blue Yeti because I thought it was time.

iRig Mic CastiRig Mic Cast ($23.95) – A great microphone for interviews or when you are out and about. Doesn’t pick up nearly as much background noise as the inbuilt microphone.

Has a low and high gain setting so if you are doing a solo podcast you can use low and hold it closer to your mouth for a higher quality sound or you can use the high setting when interviewing someone so you can be further away from the microphone.

Podcast Editing Software

ScreenflowRecommended: Screenflow ($99 or Free Trial Version) – Recommending Screenflow as the #1 podcast editor seems strange on the surface. I have used Audacity and Garageband and find Screenflow leagues ahead in terms of simplicity and ease of use.

It is fun to use, really simple, quick and visually appealing. What it lacks in sound editing options can easily be fixed by exporting the audio file into Audacity to clean up and put back into Screenflow.

For anyone who isn’t an audio engineer genius…Screenflow is the way to go.

AudacityAudacity (Free) – While Audacity packs a monster punch in terms of how powerful it is…I have found it slow and cumbersom to use compared to Screenflow.

While I recommend Audacity for it’s sound adjustment capabilities (I use Audacity to adjust sound after editing my podcast in Screenflow) I do NOT recommend it as your sole podcast editor. Unless you like poking around software that looks and acts like it was built in 1990. #sorryaudacity

GaragebandGarageband (Free) – A simple option for those with Apple computers. Free with new Macs and easy to use there really isn’t much to say about garageband.

It does the job and allows you to record and edit your podcast fairly easily. If you want to play around with the music features and insert guitar riffs and drum beats then this will be right up your alley.

Adobe AuditionAdobe Audition ($19.99/month) – If you want uncompromised sound quality and the best in the business quality then you can’t go past Adobe Audition.

This software is for extremely serious podcasters (usually those with a team of minions behind then editing and tweaking the podcast).

For the solo podcaster this is likely going to be too much power that you won’t know what to do with.

iPhone Podcast Recording Apps

Voice Recorder HDVoice Recorder HD ($2.49) – I stumbled upon this app and I am glad that I did. It is a simple recording tool which takes little to no time to learn how to use.

It smartly cancels out a lot of external noise which I absolutely love and it integrates with dropbox so when you are out and about podcasting you can upload your files to access on your computer at a later date.

I highly recommend this app if you are going to be podcasting on your iPhone

Voice Record ProVoice Record Pro ($0.00)

 

 

 

Bossjock StudiosBossjock Studios ($9.99)

 

 

 

Audio Hosting

SoundCloudRecommended: SoundCloud – SoundCloud has only recently entered the podcast space offering their podcast hosting in their podcast beta program.

Their podcast hosting is in it’s early phases and is difficult to use. It is nearly impossible to find the direct file links (to put in your own RSS feed).

But SoundCloud has one thing that no other podcast host has…access to a large audience. If you want to get the most listeners to your podcast then choosing not to be on SoundCloud is like choosing not to put your videos on YouTube.

While impact for most podcasters is small as I write this (early 2015) it is sure to grow from strength to strength in the coming years. The Ask Pat podcast has over 300,000 subscribers JUST on SoundCloud!

For help podcast with SoundCloud (and trust me you need help) get my free video series Podcasting With SoundCloud

LibsynLibsyn – I have hosted my audio files with Libsyn for years. But as per their mascot (driving an original iPod…) Libsyn have been hesitant to change their service with the changing needs of podcasters.

Choosing to ignore the SoundCloud’s strength to get podcast creators access to a larger audience they are burying their head in the sand claiming that “SoundCloud is only for music” and having your own Android App is the way to get a larger audience.

Don’t they realise that iTunes used to be “only for music” and is now the #1 podcasting platform in the world!

Their stats are better than SoundCloud and their service is easier to use. But I fear that Libsyn with be the #2 podcast host in a world where #1 (SoundCloud) gets 80%+ of the business.

Self HostedSelf Hosted (not recommended)

 

 

 

Website Creation and Hosting

GoDaddyGoDaddy (for Domains)

 

 

 

Arvixe Web HostingArvixe (for Hosting)

 

 

 

Artwork Design

FiverrFiverr

 

 

 

WordPress Plugins

Blubrry Powerpress PluginBluBrry – The only