Microphones I recommend

I recommend dynamic microphones. Stay away from condenser mic’s unless you want to spend the extra on acoustically treating the room you will be recording your podcast, broadcast, and calls in. Condenser microphones are great for recording vocals on in a studio, but they are terrible for recording the spoken word with in an average room that’s not treated for recording. With a dynamic mic you have to be right in front of it and it only picks up what’s right in front of it while rejecting the sounds that beside it and behind it. This makes it perfect for podcasting, recording training videos, and recording webinars.

Here is a list of microphones I recommend from the least affordable, but quality to a more professional model.

 

Perfect for plugging straight into your computer with no need for a mixer, or A/D converter.

 

I like this one a lot because it already has the desk mic boom with it and is a larger diaphragm mic, which in turn sound better in the long run. $100 more than previous mic, has other things you will need to get and better quality mic.

My mic of choice. This is what I along with several other Podcast like Michael Hyatt, Ray Edwards, John Lee Dumas, and Cliff Ravenscraft use. The first person I saw use and heard on this mic was Leo Laporte of this Week in Tech. You will not want, need, or ever use another mic if you have this one. You will need a small mixer or audio card to get this into your computer as this is a professional mic, but it’s worth every penny.

Mixing Consoles I recommend

When you using professional microphones, outboard gear to import other audio and sound you will need a mixer for that. This is a unit that basically blends the different sounds from the different instruments, mics, and audio sources down to signal to then bring into your computer. Here a few I recommend that will do the job. NOTE you do not need a mixer if you are using 1 usb mic to go directly into your computer. However you are limited to only 1 mic which means only 1 audio source you can send into your computer at the same time. ALSO I know there are USB mixers on the market that are only $39, but that are VERY noisy which means BAD AUDIO. It makes no sense to purchase a higher quality mic only to plug into a low end trashy mixer.

 

Here is where I would begin. Allen Heath make mixers from $150 to $150k. However you can get quality sound with their preamps and faders which they are known for, but at an affordable price.

 

My mixer of choice and a work horse I use everyday. Plenty of channels, clean effects, and most importantly for podcasting, broadcasting, and recording the spoken word it has BUILT IN COMPRESSION. If you want that big, lush, radio sound then you’ll want this mixer and the built in compressor limiter. Easy to use, one knob compression, and simple to set up.

 

Digital Recorders I recommend

I’m only going to recommend 1 in this section because I don’t believe you need another. There are other units 4 times as much or 1/2 as much. The ones that are 4 times as much do not sound any better, nor offer any other benefits. The ones that are 1/2 as much are noisy and typically are lower end knock offs which you can get support from. Why use an outboard digital recorder rather than just recording to your computer? Simple. Computers crash, freeze up, have glitches, and shut down at times. When I record my podcast, webinars, training videos, and other content I have the audio being recorded on my computer, but I also am recording from the mixer straight to this unit.

This unit also comes with an extra mic for a lapel mic so if you need to record audio from you standing up in front of a camera you can and it actually sounds really good.

 

Cameras I recommend

To do training videos, sales pages, and other online content recording you will need good cameras. This is the one area I wished I would have originally invested more in up front. I am NO photographer but one thing I’ve learned as well about video and photography. Having a great camera is important for sure, but what is equally important is Lighting, Lighting, Lighting. I’d rather have good lighting with a cheap camera then cheap lighting with a good camera. Spend the extra and get both. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

 

My streaming camera of choice. 95% of my sit down behind the desk is captured with this USB camera. Plug and play and easy to use. Again there are cheaper units, but this is the one that will do the best job and capture the best images.

Here’s everything you need in one package as far as camera. I am using this package for all of my stand up videos in front of a white board and it works great.

 

Don’t forget the lighting. This package here I’ve liked so much I’ve bought it 3 times. One for my office, one for my church, and one for the basement where I record my training videos from time to time. Remember the 3 most important things for good video and photography is lighting, lighting, lighting. With having it all in one kit and having a green screen you can literally do anything now.