The Best Beginner Podcast Set-Up for 2023 (Under $200)

Updated (3/22/23): This article is about a beginner podcast set-up that costs less than $200. Disclaimer: This article contains Amazon affiliate links which provides a means for Podchaser to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

If you see pictures of professional podcasting studios, you might get the false impression that podcasting is expensive. But that’s not true! It can be really cheap to achieve good audio quality at home.

You won’t sound quite like those professional podcasts, but the big secret is that few people can tell the difference between “good” sound and “great” sound.

With that in mind, here’s our recommendations for a podcast beginner set-up that costs less than $200.

Once you’ve bought your beginner podcast set-up, be sure to claim your podcast on Podchaser Claiming your podcast allows you to customize your podcast page, respond to listener reviews, and promote your show. Claim Your Podcast Today.

Microphone
Microphone Stand
XLR-XLR Cord (Male to Female)
Foam-ball Windscreen
Audio Interface with Phantom Power
Headphones with Studio Headphone Jack
Audio Editing
Sound Dampening
Camera
Lighting
How to Grow Your Show with Podchaser

$182 Beginner Podcast Set-up

Dynamic Microphone – ($59): Shure PGA58

The microphone is the foundation of your podcast beginner set-up, and is consequently the most expensive piece of equipment. Even so, this $59 Shure PGA 58 microphone is a great product for the price.

Buy The Microphone

Microphone Stand – ($20.99): InnoGear Microphone Arm

microphone stand for a podcast microphone

A microphone stand keeps your mic still to ensure consistency in your audio recording. If you are holding your microphone in your hand, it’s common to unconsciously move it away from your mouth, ruining your recording.

To pair with the Shure PGA 58 microphone, we recommend the InnoGear Microphone Arm, available for $20.99.

Buy The Microphone Stand

XLR-XLR Cable (Male to Female) – ($8.95): Amazon Basics

The XLR cable is a cable common to all professional audio recordings. For your beginner podcast set-up, you’ll need a male to female XLR cord to connect your microphone to your audio interface. You can get a 6-foot long AmazonBasics cord for $8.95.

Buy The XLR Cable

Foam-ball Windscreen – ($9): 5 Pack

foam ball windscreen for a podcast microphone

Foam-ball windscreens cover your microphone and are used to reduce breathing and popping sounds. Almost any windscreen will work, including this $8 5-pack.

Buy The Foam-ball Windscreen

Audio Interface with Phantom Power – ($45): Behringer UM2

An audio interface converts your microphone cable into a USB connection, allowing you to record your microphone into your computer. Phantom power means that your audio interface also provides the power to run the microphone.

We recommend the Behringer UM2, which provides phantom power at the reasonable $45 price point.

Buy The Audio Interface

Headphones with Studio Headphone Jack – ($39): LyxPro Has-10

Sometimes your microphone picks up sounds that you wouldn’t be able to hear without headphones, like audio from a co-host bleeding into your microphone. If you have headphones, you can catch these problems in real-time and avoid re-recording. They are also useful for close listening while editing your podcast.

While you probably already have headphones, for podcasting you’ll need headphones with a studio jack to plug into your audio interface.

Buy The Headphones

Audio Editing – Free

There are a few options here depending on your preference. Audacity has been a staple of the podcasting industry since its beginning and is completely free. If you’d like to upgrade to more robust software, Hindenburg Lite is $99, and Audition is $20.99/month.

Sound Dampening – $0 to $25

sound dampening or sound proofing foam tiles for podcasting

In essence, sound dampening is a shock absorber for sound, which removes any echo from your recording. To do this you can spend money on foam pads and use them to cover hard surfaces in your recording area, but there is a free option that works just as well.

Simply cover your recording area with towels and blankets, including the walls around you, the table your mic is placed on, and especially the wall directly in front of you.

Buy The Foam Pads

Video Podcast Set-up – $64

Only a small amount of podcasts have video components and you don’t need to release video podcasts as a beginner, but if you want to go above and beyond, here are some recommendations for beginner video equipment.

Camera

As a beginner, you don’t need the highest resolution camera as most of your audience probably isn’t watching in 4k. That being said, high-quality 1080p cameras are inexpensive, including Logitech’s $52 1080p webcam.

Buy The Camera

Lighting – Free to $40

Diagram of a 3 point lighting system for lighting a video podcast

Similar to sound dampening, you can achieve great lighting with the gear you probably already have at home. The best lighting set-up is called a three-point lighting system, which contains a fill light, key light, and backlight.

The key light is the main source of light on you while recording. It sits right next to the camera pointed right at your face. This can be accomplished for free by placing a lamp (sans shade) next to the camera, or by setting a second monitor or tablet to a white screen.

The fill light is similar to the key light but is placed on the other side of the camera to even out the lighting on your face. Again, lamps and white screens work great for this.

The backlight is placed behind the subject, out of view of the camera. This light should be defused with a lampshade to create a soft depth of field in the camera shot.

If you are unable to create a DIY lighting system with the lights you already have at home, we recommend buying the $35.99 Ubeesize Selfie Ring light. With your camera placed directly in the center of the light, the ring light performs the roles of both the key light and the fill light.

ring light for recording a video podcast

Buy The Ring Light

How to Grow Your Show with Podchaser

The beauty of podcasting is that it’s accessible to anyone. It takes less than $200 to record professionally and share your perspective with the world.

At Podchaser, our goal is to support podcasters by giving you customizable discovery tools for your podcast page. You can read more about how to grow your show with Podchaser here, and then claim your podcast to get started.