When it comes to getting a great podcast out there to your audience, there is a lot more that goes into than just getting a microphone and a pair of headphones. Of course, it’s entirely possible for you to start your podcast using a simple app on your smartphone, but once you’ve established your podcast and have a few loyal listeners then it might be time for you to upgrade your recording process. Or better yet, start out with a great process so that you know you’re hitting it out off the park right off the bat! The more your audience grows the more they will start to appreciate the extra effort you go through for them, like buying the right tools, professional editing, and publishing on a consistent schedule.
To ensure that you are using top of the line equipment, the best option for recording your podcast (without a massive initial investment) would be to find a podcast recording studio that you can book for your recordings. However, if this is not in the cards, then there is no need to start stressing yourself out just yet! There are many great alternatives out there, including helpful software, and easy-to-start equipment recommendations that will fill your podcasting toolbox and get you on your way to producing a great show!
So let’s take a look at what exactly you should be putting in your toolbox and how these tools will help you in your podcast recording process.
Project Management Tools
Having a creative mind means that your mind is constantly busy with new ideas. Not all of them might be good but some might be the breakthrough topic you’ve been looking for. This is why it is so important to have a place where you can just jot down as many notes as you want, then at a later stage go through them and organize your ideas and hand out tasks to your team (if you have one).
Using project management software can help you stay organized and keep your content for the podcast on a steady flow. This way you can also keep track of what tasks still need to be completed and where you are in your podcast production process.
Trello
Here at We Edit Podcasts, Trello is definitely our bread and butter for ensuring that things run smoothly and on time! So of course, we might be a bit biased when it comes to choosing Trello since we use it every single day, in all of our processes. Trello is essentially a collaboration tool that helps you to organize your projects into separate boards. This enables you to see what’s being worked on, who’s working on it, and where the task is in the process. It has everything you need to keep your entire team in the loop of what needs to happen while at the same time giving you the space you’ll need to keep your creative juices flowing. Trello is currently being used by many companies as well as freelancers to keep their work organized and flowing smoothly.
Simplenote
Created by the same company that gave us WordPress, and just as efficient, Simplenote is one of the easiest ways to keep track of all your thoughts, lists, and anything else you might need. It offers the perfect platform to keep your entire team updated of what’s to come as well as offering them a space to share any ideas they might have. You and your team will be able to have access to all the notes from any of your devices.
Asana
Asana is another great web and mobile application designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work. It gives you everything you need to stay in sync, hit deadlines, and reach your goals. With their boards, you can easily visualize the work being done, track the progress, and see what is still outstanding. This is great for your podcast workflow so you can see what still needs to be recorded, which episodes are in editing, and leave notes about what still needs to happen for the episode to publish.
Related read: How to Be More Productive When Podcasting From Home
Scheduling Apps and Software
Having a podcast means you’ll need to be able to plan ahead and what better way to do so then by using a scheduling app. There are a ton of benefits to switching over to an online appointment scheduler, especially when it involves getting everything done in your podcasting process. Using a scheduling app will help you set up your future guest interviews, create deadlines for yourself, or even plan a few meetings with your team.
Calendly
Calendly is one of the easiest scheduling options out there, helping you organize your podcast schedule. You can set custom reminders and confirmations to help remind not only you but also the guests as well. Their app can be integrated with Outlook, Office 365, and Google, while also checking all other calendars you might have to ensure there won’t be any double-bookings. They also have built-in intelligent timezone detection so that you are always on the same page with your guests.
SimplyBook.me
SimplyBook.me allows you to design a professional and customized look for bookings right on your website. You can choose from their beautifully designed templates that match your podcast brand. It even allows you to choose the most convenient way for podcast guests to see your booking availability to easily schedule your interviews. SimplyBook.me is available on most devices and can be used simultaneously by your entire team as well as your guests. You will automatically receive reminders of the meetings or episode recordings that you are involved in.
Related read: 5-Step Email Sequence for Hosting a Podcast Guest
Podcast Recording Software
Now that you’ve got your interviews scheduled with potential guests, it’s time to take a look at what types of software you can put in your podcasting toolbox to help with the recording process. This is especially important when you are recording your interviews remotely, not sharing a recording space with your guest.
Squadcast
SquadCast is a new interview recording software and one of the fastest-growing platforms out there. With SquadCast you can easily connect with your podcast co-hosts and interview guests and record high-quality audio from anywhere in the world. It also allows you to record just the audio while you are on a video chat so you can have that face-to-face connection with the person on the other end. With SquadCast you can schedule calls ahead of time or easily hop on a call with up to three guests joining you. Each audio track is saved individually to make it easier during the editing process.
Ringr
Ringr is an app available for both iOS and Android users. They also have a web-based app, which allows your guests to connect with you for their interview using their phone or by simply logging on in their browser. Essentially Ringr allows you to record an interview from anywhere while sounding like you are in the same room as your guest. This is a great software to have in your podcast recording toolbox.
Zencastr
Zencastr allows you to record voice in high-quality, without worrying about dropping the call due to a bad connection. With their free plan, you will be able to record up to 8 hours of audio with up to two guests at the same time. Zencastr is a cloud-integrated software, making it easy for you to access your recordings directly from your Dropbox or Google Drive account where it is automatically uploaded.
Related read: 8 Top Interview Softwares for Recording Your Podcast Remotely
Podcast Recording Equipment
Of course, you cannot record a podcast without some proper equipment! This might be one of your first investments into your podcast since you need to get your equipment set up and ready for your recording journey. When it comes to equipment, there are tons of options out there to fit any budget. There are microphones, headphones, computers, pop-filters, and more out there for those with a lot to spend and those who are on a shoe-string podcasting budget.
The best option to find the right equipment for you is to go out there and do your research. Read reviews on the different microphones you can buy and find a music or sound store where you can perhaps test out the product before making the investment. To give you a better idea of what some of the top-quality options are, here is an overview of the equipment that we use in our WEP Podcasting Studios.
Microphone
In each studio, the microphones in the space are the Shure SM7B, high-end studio-quality microphones. These microphones power all of our studios, as well as some of the biggest shows in the world. The wide-range frequency response of the SM7B helps to preserve the natural essence of the sound that it captures. The Shure’s ability to capture the full range of the human voice while rejecting a large majority of the background noise is great for those who are worried about finding a quiet space to record. These are also great for in-person interviews, which is why we have multiples set up in all our studios. Each microphone is accompanied by a Gator Frameworks stand for a clean, functional look.
Headphones
Accompanying each microphone as well as the engineer’s desk is a pair of Audio Technica M40x headphones. These headphones are tuned flat for incredibly accurate audio monitoring across an extended frequency range. They enhance your studio experience with superior sound isolation and swiveling earcups for convenient one-ear monitoring. Engineered with pro-grade materials and robust construction, the M40x excels in professional studio tracking and mixing.
Audio Interface
The audio interface used at each of our studios is the Zoom LiveTrak L-12. With the LiveTrak L‑12, you can mix, record, and monitor with a single piece of gear. It’s the only digital console that lets you mix your live recording with up to 12 discrete channels, all while providing five individual custom headphone mixes.
Gain Boosters
Each studio uses Cloudlifters, which are devices to help boost overall gain capacity on the SM7B microphone for richer sounds and also helps to boost female vocals.
Related read: Defining The Most Common Podcasting Terms
Editing Software
If you ask us, editing your podcast is the most important part of creating a high-quality show. Your listeners tune in to hear a well-crafted podcast with great audio for their listening pleasure. Of course, high-quality equipment and taking the time to create a space that is quiet and podcast-friendly is a must for helping out the editing process. But for all those extra background noises, “um’s” and “ah’s”, stutters and restarts, you will need a great editing software in your podcasting toolbox to help clean up your audio and get it ready for publication.
Audacity
Audacity is a free, open-source, cross-platform, audio software that keeps it simple and offers you all of the basic tools that you’ll need to create an excellent podcast. It is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. They offer sophisticated audio-processing effects that will help you remove unwanted coughs, static, or other distracting sounds. There’s no need to search for hours to find your editing tools, they’re all on the main dashboard.
Adobe Audition
Here at We Edit Podcasts, our team works strictly with Adobe Audition. It is the most well-known recording and editing software out there. Most consider this as the premium option, which means this is perfect for the podcasters that understand and love audio editing and are willing to invest in the software to add it to their podcasting toolbox. Audition is a comprehensive toolset that includes multitrack, waveform, and spectral display for creating, mixing, editing, and restoring audio content. Their powerful audio workstation is designed to accelerate video production workflows and audio finishing, delivering a polished mix with pristine sound.
Related read: 10 Podcasts that Use Sound Effects to Stir Emotion + CEO of Soundsnap Weighs in
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you’ve found a few key tools to put in your podcasting toolbox and get you started on your journey towards producing and publishing a professional-sounding podcast for your audience. The best way to know what will work best for you as a podcaster is simply to get started, try a few things out, and really find your groove in the podcast recording process.
Don’t forget to let us know what your favorite tools in your podcasting toolbox is in the comments below!
