A beginner podcast needs a microphone for each voice, a way to get those microphones into a computer, and headphones. For a solo show that can be one USB microphone. For two hosts in the same room, the classic setup is two dynamic microphones and a two-input podcast interface, about $250 in total with the gear below.
Choose dynamic microphones. They pick up the voice in front of them and very little of the room, the keyboard or the other host, which is exactly what makes amateur podcasts sound amateur.
Solo podcast setup
Rode PodMic USB White, $223
A dynamic podcast microphone with both USB-C and XLR outputs and built-in processing. Plug it into a laptop today, into an interface later. One of the highest-ranked podcast mics we track: #1 of 26 USB / podcast microphones.
Two-host podcast setup
Rode PodMic, $84
The XLR version, a dynamic mic built for speech with an internal pop filter. Buy two. #1 of 21 broadcast microphones.
Focusrite Vocaster Two, $77
A podcast interface with two microphone inputs, auto gain, voice presets, mute buttons and a phone input for remote guests. #39 of 206 USB audio interfaces.
Two PodMics and a Vocaster Two cost about $250 together tonight, plus headphones for each host.
Audio-Technica ATH-M40X, $120
Closed headphones, so each host hears the conversation without the sound leaking into the microphones. #4 of 105 studio headphones.
Upgrades
Shure MV7X, $219
A dynamic XLR podcast microphone with the look of Shure's famous broadcast mics, for a host who wants a step up. #2 of 21 broadcast microphones.
Rode Rodecaster Duo, $474
An all-in-one podcast studio with microphone preamps, sound pads, recording and a built-in wireless receiver, for shows that want to record without a computer. #7 of 17 multitrack compact studios.
Room tips that cost nothing
Record in the softest room you have: carpet, curtains, a sofa, a full bookshelf. Sit close to the microphone, about a fist away, and turn the gain down rather than up.
Questions
What equipment do I need to start a podcast?
One microphone per voice, an interface or USB microphone, and headphones. Free recording software is enough to start.
Is a USB or XLR microphone better for podcasting?
USB is simplest for one host. For two or more people in a room, XLR mics into one interface keep everything in sync.
How much does a podcast setup cost?
About $200 to $250 for a solo or two-host beginner setup with the gear above.
How we picked. Every product comes from an AudioFu ranking, scored on demand, price, specs and brand. Prices are Thomann's, converted from euros at the European Central Bank rate and updated every night, as are the ranks.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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