Attack of the Pod Penguins 8: Podcast hardware basics

A few well-planned and well-researched hardware purchases can really make a difference in your podcast's sound.

By Tony Steidler-Dennison, LinuxWorld.com, 03/29/07

To this point in the "Attack of the Pod Penguins" series, we've covered much in the way of software and licensing. Those are the things you think of first when considering all the pieces of your open source podcast. They're important pieces, to be sure, but they may not be quite enough to deliver your podcast with the top-notch sound quality you're looking for.

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Take a closer look at the hardware in our slideshow

Whether your podcast is primarily spoken word or focused more on music, it's likely that, at some point, you'll realize that the sound quality is just not what you were hoping for.

That's especially true if you're regularly listening to other podcasts. Many of the most popular podcasts are recorded and produced by radio pros, using great hardware as well as software. There's a lot to be said for the convenience of this hardware/software approach, and the resulting sound quality can be very, very high. If you get beyond the point of "podfade" (the point in the life of a podcast, usually about 10 editions in, at which the podcaster realizes how much work a regular podcast can be, and just fades away), it's likely that you'll start looking to improve the overall sound quality of your podcast.

A few well-planned and well-researched hardware purchases can really make a difference. So, in this installment of "Attack of the Pod Penguins," we'll diverge a bit from licensing and software to look at hardware. These items are no less critical to the quality of your podcast than choosing the right software.

Microphones

It almost goes without saying that your choice of microphone is very important to the quality of your podcast. It's the hardware bridge between your voice and your recording. In the past few years, the quality of microphones has continued to increase as prices have come down. It's possible today to purchase a mic for less than $200 that captures sound more accurately than mics costing upwards of $1,000 just a few years ago.

When considering your microphone purchase, two items are of primary importance:: interface and recording pattern. Mics are generally available in one of three interface types: USB, unbalanced and balanced. USB mics offer some real convenience in that they'll interface directly to your computer system. That's an important convenience if you've chosen not to add any additional interface between the the mic and the computer - you're recording directly from the mic to the hard drive.

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