How To Start A Podcast in 2023

Published: January 19 2023

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Approximately 2 years, and 115 episodes ago I started The Wrong Advice Podcast. When I first started my podcast I had no clue what I wanted to talk about or what it was going to be. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what kind of gear and recording devices or software to use. Below, I’ve outlined what I use for my podcast, and what you could use as well to get started.

While the Shure SM7-B has become known as the most famous microphone in podcasting, when I first started off my podcast I didn’t think spending $400 on a microphone made a whole lot of sense. Initially I made due with an old ‘Blue Snowball USB’ microphone but I wasn’t in love with the results. After using that microphone for a few episodes I decided to pick up the ZDM-1 XLR microphone from Zoom. I consider this microphone the baby step-child to the SM7-B. It’s a fantastic microphone that produces great quality for its manageable price point of $79.99.

After picking up a pair of the ZDM-1’s I quickly realized I had no way of interfacing the microphones with my computer to record podcasts. Initially I made the mistake of picking up XLR to USB cords to plug directly into my computer but if I’m being honest the results were less than great. The next part of my kid that I added to my podcasting setup was the Zoom Podtrak P4 podcast recorder. This tiny little powerhouse of a recorder can hook up to 4 XLR microphones and record each track individually. Additionally with the optional BTA-2 bluetooth adapter (a must in my opinion) the Podtrak P4 can interface with a bluetooth accessory to record phone calls, Google Meets’ or Zoom meetings.

And lastly, my setup includes a set of quality headphones. I happen to have an amazing pair of Bowers and Wilkins headphones that I use to record my podcast but if I’m being honest they’re absolutely overkill for what I do. Any decent pair of headphones can work for recording a podcast and in this it’s totally up to your personal preference.

Typically when I record my podcast I record via Garageband on my Mac as well as through the P4. This gives me dual file recordings in the unlikely event one of the recordings fail to work. I have a third backup for non in person podcasts with the Zoom audio recordings but I’m not a huge fan of their audio if I’m being honest.

There you have my podcasting setup and everything I would buy again if I was to start over from scratch. There’s a lot of different gear you can pickup to start a podcast but at the end of the day it’s mostly important for you to feel comfortable in the process versus spending a ton of money on microphones and recorders. Ultimately I’ve had a lot of success with mine and it’s something I’m really happy I started 2 years ago!