The Microphones and other Audio Gear You Need to Build a Professional Studio

Audio for things like Professional Podcasting

How big of a part of your studio is the audio equipment and gear you use? Well, that’s a loaded question, because there are MANY great options from several different brands. But after using dozens of those brands for nearly 20 years, the following recommendations come from years in the trenches, comparing dozens of microphones and other audio gear in REAL life video production.

After many months of research and testing dozens of mics, our top choice, and by far the best bang for your buck without comprising professional audio quality is the Samson Dynamic XLR/USB Microphones and this one linked even comes with pop filters and pro over-ear studio headphones. Be sure to get a shock mount which will greatly reduce any vibration caused from touching or bumping the mic (after doing many podcasts now, we’ve found that guests LOVE to fiddle with the mic!). In the first studio we built, we had the traditional mic stands, but now we will only use these mounted mic stands as they greatly reduce space if your area is tight and they are much easier to adjust to the correct height as podcast guests come in all different shapes and sizes 🙂

Speaking of podcasts, the Zoom Podtrak 4-channel recorder is a great option for mixing.

For more traditional video shoots, we’ve found the Rode NTG2 shotgun mic (mounted to a couple magic arms) to be an incredible value that will never let you down – we’re still using one of our original ones from 15 years ago!

Don’t forget the following cables and accessories to make your audio recording a breeze: Three 50′ USB cable (allows you to take the Samson mics right into your computer), 4 USB to 1 C, 3/8 adapters female, 3/8 adapters male, 5/8″ nut, 5/8″ washer, 5/8″ 10″ bolt, two shock mounts for your Rode shotgun microphones, two 50′ XLR Cable 2-pack, one 25′ XLR Cable 2-pack.

Don’t skip over the adapters we mentioned, as they come in VERY handy when trying to connect mics to different arms and connectors!

This gear combined with the custom sound treated walls create an incredible audio recording environment.

And remember, this is just one part of our full guide to building the perfect film studio. We also have in depth blogs and articles on studio cameras, studio lighting, studio backdrops, walls and framing for your future studio, studio rigging, professional studio audio as well as a list of tools that you will need to build your first studio.