The biggest hurdle to start with your new comedy podcast is the selection of the right equipment. The equipment that best suits your comedy podcast depends on various factors including the money that you can invest. You need to find the right balance between cost and quality.
Compromising with the quality could make you suffer in the long run. Although many may argue that it is possible to get through your comedy podcast with limited or no equipment at all considering you have really worthed content that will not be held back because of the audio quality. No doubt you can start off with no equipment but then you have a big challenge in front of you.
Podcast listeners have often had a poor experience with the quality because either they were edited poorly or the equipment used for recording it was not upto the mark. Since podcasting is a very competitive field playing around with the quality could be a real danger for you.
No podcaster wants to lose their audience because of the quality of the audio that your audience listens to is subpar.
Through this article I’ll help you decide which equipment you should probably invest in. I emphasize on one thing time and again that equipment only makes a good show better. In the end it is the content that matters more. I don’t suggest anyone spend a huge amount on professional equipment unless you have a very strong idea.
We will be talking about various equipment required for your comedy podcast along with their price range. I will also give you an idea of the software, web service or the show host that will help you with editing your content.
Basic Requirements For Comedy Podcasts
You might have seen many podcastors with really fancy equipment that must have fascinated you massively. I have always admired the show Comedy Bang!Bang! By legendary podcaster Scott Aukerman. I have always dreamt of buying the equipment that he uses in his show.
If you dream of buying those luring equipment then make sure that your pocket is full of those crispy notes.
The basic requirement however for your comedy podcast is: microphones, headphones, mixer, softwares, web services, and podcast hosts.
In the article to follow we will discuss each of these equipment individually.
Best Comedy Podcast Microphones
A good quality microphone is an essential part of your comedy podcast for recording purposes. But selecting one from such a wide variety of available microphones is a tough task at hand. You will not need a microphone that will cost you more than $1000.
Now when you plan to purchase a microphone you will come across two types of microphone. The first one can be used with a USB port and the other one needs a XLR port. Speaking from a consumer point of view mics with USB port are better because you can directly record the sound on your computer without the need of any additional equipment.
Some other essential accessories that you may need to buy are sound dampeners, pop filters, and mic holders to avoid any sort of disturbance.
Some important terms that you should be aware of are: “dynamic”, “condenser”, “omnidirectional”, and “cardioid”.
Dynamic and Condenser relates to how the microphone takes in sound. Dynamic mics record a more narrow field of audio sound and therefore have a lower quality while condenser mics are high quality mics.
Omnidirectional mics capture the sound from a full 360 degrees while cardioid captures sound only from the front and back.
You can check out any of the following set of mics:
1. Samson Go Mic Portable USB Microphone
This is a decent mic at an affordable mic. This will surely work better than the microphone in your laptop.These would cost you not more than $100.
2. Audio-Technica AT2020 USB Cardioid Condenser Microphone
It has great quality and is very compact. Cardioid pattern eliminates any disturbance coming from the side. This will cost less than $150.
3. Blue Microphones Yeti USB Condenser Microphone
This provides you with a headphone jack so that you can hear your own audio. This is a bit heavy but a really good option. It is priced at less than $200.
4. Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Microphone
This is one microphone used by many professionals. It is a very sophisticated model as it provides top notch sound quality. Although it is a bit pricey, it will cost you $375.
Best Comedy Podcast Headphones
One generally buys headphones as a luxury accessory. You may want to edit your audio using a high quality headphone.
The range of best headphones is listed below.
1. Audio Technica ATH- M30X
This is a great headphone to have from a very reliable brand. These headphones will cost you somewhere around $100. You may also check out another model from Audio Technica which has an additional feature and costs you around $150. Both of these are really good.
2. Shure SRH440
Offers a solid build along with comfortable listen. Pretty decent with cost under $100. This is a perfect match for you if this is your first comedy podcast ever.
3. Sony MDR7506
Sony is one of the most reliable producers of headphones. If you don’t want to do much of a research go for this. These headphones are used by many podcasters, musicians, and filmmakers. Will not cost you a lot.
4. Sennheiser Momentum
These headphones stand out in many aspects. The really good sound built, leather ear pads, and comfortable headband. It will cost you close to $200.
Best Comedy Podcasting Software
There are many podcasting softwares out there in the market. Some of the best softwares that will help you record easily, edit, and cut are listed below.
1. Squadcast
Makes recording a podcast really easy. This will help you organise your show in the best possible way.
2. Audacity
This is a very popular free software with a user friendly interface. Although the editing tools that they provide are hard to navigate. It is free and I highly recommend using it.
3. Adobe Audition
It is a great, robust software with an interface very similar to other Adobe softwares. Although I don’t find this really worthed for the money that you pay.
Best Comedy Podcast Hosting
Once you are through with making your show then you are left with uploading your files and distributing it at various platforms including iTunes, Spotify etc.
Some reliable podcast hosts for your show are Simplecast, Blubrry, Buzzsprout, Castos, and Podbean. They charge a meagre $10-$15/month. They will provide you with sufficient storage that you may need.
My favorite is Buzzsprout and I also recommend it to you as it provides a user friendly interface and also offers cheap plans. It also has a free trial plan.
You can compare its pricing in the below table also.
| Free Plan (90 Days) | $12/Month | $18/Month | $24/Month |
| 2 Hour Files/Month | 3 Hours Files/Month | 6 Hours Files/Month | 12 Hours File/Month |
| Cannot Monetize | Can Monetize | Can Monetize | Can Monetize |
| Advanced Stats | Advanced Stats | Advanced Stats | Advanced Stats |
| Unlimited Team Members | Unlimited Team Members | Unlimited Team Members | Unlimited Team Members |
| Cannot Import Podcasts For Free | Import Podcasts For Free | Import Podcasts For Free | Import Podcasts For Free |
| Plan Expires After 3 Months | Extra $4 for 1 Extra Hour | Extra $3 for 1 Extra Hour | Extra $2 for 1 Extra Hour |
With all the proper gear, hosting, and setup you can create a podcast that will bring listerners to your show episode after episode. As you up your quality and find your flow you will want to keep increasing your setup to create a podcast experience that blows away listeners.