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So first of all, a USB mic isn't going to connect to a mixer. They're designed to go straight to the computer, but mics that connect through XLR are going to give you a better audio signal, so definitely go that rout if possible. Personally, I recommend the Behringer XM1800s or the CAD D32 if you need multiple mics, or if you have a bit more saved up then the Audio-Technica Pro 41. There are plenty of other great mics out there, but these are all good quality at a relatively low price, so I think they are great for people just getting in to using audio equipment.

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For the mixer, as long as you aren't streaming live then you can go with an audio interface instead of a full mixer. The interface takes the input from your mic, boosts the signal to a usable level, and has an analogue-to-digital converter that makes the signal usable by your computer. Most mixers will do all that (there are a few that don't convert to a digital signal, but those are usually older models), plus allow you to add EQ or other effects to your audio. If everything is getting recorded though, all those effects can be done more precisely in your DAW (digital audio workstation, the software you record and edit with).

There are plenty of good interfaces with two XLR inputs, and some of them even have multiple headphone outputs. If the interface (or mixer) you get only has one, you will need a splitter, but with only two headsets you shouldn't need anything else just to record. If it's not working, then you can look into headphone amps, but usually they aren't something you will need.

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For the mic stands, basically any cheap stand will work. Unless you are using a mic that's heavier than average (like the SM7B), there isn't going to be any issue. Pop filters are the same, you can even just use the cheap foam wind covers. Pop filters are designed to help reduce plosives (the puff of air from the 'p' and 'b' sound hitting the mic), but the biggest thing to get rid of them is to speak slightly off-axis to the mic, not directly into it. Dynamic mics usually have some sort of built in pop filter as well, so don't worry too much about what you get for a pop filter.

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Audacity is a great free DAW, and will work great. It's not perfect, but for the price I haven't found anything better. Personally, I use Reaper, but which software you use is less essential than being familiar with whatever it is that you use. Get comfortable messing around with the effects, and figure out what stuff does. Audacity has everything you need for recording and editing.

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The one thing you didn't mention that I consider to be very important is acoustic treatment. This can be as simple as stringing up old blankets, or you can buy acoustic panels, but having some soft material between you and the walls to cut the reverb and echo in the room is an absolute must. Without treatment, even the best of mics will sound harsh from all the echo, but with a well treated space even cheap mics can sound good.

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If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask. And good luck!

So, I don't know the most technical differences, but I can tell you the major difference between Condenser and Dynamic.

Condenser mics are going to pick up a lot of ambient noise. You'll probably see these in a recording studio, and they work well in that setting because studios are designed to incorporate them. Some condenser mics require phantom power to power them, the Blue lineup does not as they are powered by the computer.

Dynamic mics are going to be more focused, picking up the sound directly in front of them. I prefer the Dynamic, as I think you can get a better, more isolated sound. Especially if your recording space isn't ideal or acoustically treated.

The Blue Microphones (Snowball and Yeti) are condenser mics. So, if you're using a Yeti, you're going to be picking up a lot of the noise in the room, and outside the room (and even the building, depending on your recording space). So, if you have animals, roomates, Air Conditioning, fans, any little thing that makes noise, it will be picked up.

We used to record with a Blue Snowball, and while it's nice for capturing the sound of multiple hosts, the cons outweigh the pros.

Now, if you're able to treat the space with either acoustic foam, or even something as simple as hanging blankets up, and putting some on the floor if you don't have carpet, this will help your acoustics.

Or, if you're a one-person show, you can record in a closet, as well Just be mindful of any ambient noises you might not think of.

However, depending on how many people you're planning on having, here's the setup I recommend, for your price range:

1. Behringer Xenyx 1202 with 4 XLR inputs. - This $80 mixer gives you some room to grow.
   
   
2. Behringer Ultravoice 3-Pack - This affordable $40 dynamic microphone bundle will let you and any additional hosts get started with a decent sound. You could always upgrade to more expensive mics later, but even the affordable Behringer XM8500 is a great mic that comes in at $20.
   
   
3. Pick up the cables, which should run you between $20–$30: 3 XLR cables, plus the line out from the mixer to your laptop/computer.
   
   
4. Audacity. Free, easy-to-use editing software that I've been using for 6 years and is perfect for my show's needs. There are a lot of online resources to support Audacity and all of its functions.
   
   
5. A hosting site: Podbean, Shout Engine, Libsyn, Archive.org, etc. This is where you'd upload your show and use your RSS feed to get into iTunes. I personally use Podbean, but to have a decent go of it, you'll have to pay. We pay around $100 a year. Shout Engine and Archive.org are free alternatives, and I've personally used Shout Engine without issue.
   
   
6. Some people like to use headsets to monitor their sound, but it's not super necessary to start. You can gauge your volumes by watching the recording track in Audacity and see if anyone needs to be turned up or down. Using dynamic mics and a mixer will give you a lot of volume control pre-recording. Down the road, you could look into an Audio Interface which would allow for multitrack recording, giving more control over everyones levels post-recording.
   
   And there you go. For about $150, you'll have a decent starter setup which will capture a good sound right away.
   

I would get the K & M Microphone Stand with Telescopic Boom Arm. IT may be easier to get a desk based stand but this will remove the microphone from physical contact with the same table you are using for your computer/recorder/mouse to prevent noises from translating from the table through the stand to the microphone and into your recording.

I would urge you to go higher than $100 for the microphone to a large diameter broadcast dynamic microphone like the re20 or the re320. You can get a package from BSWusa.com to include the shockmount and the pop filter that's the best deal around but if you want to stay under $100 per item I would recommend either the Samson Q2U or the sE Electronics V7.

If you use the sE Electronics V7 I would recommend one of the Makie Audio Interfaces. The Mackie Onyx Artist is currently under $100 but if you wanted to futureproof yourself with the ability to expand to one additional microphone I would highly recommend going with the Mackie Onyx Producer instead. The Samson Q2U can output via USB and XLR at the same time so you could go into the Mac and a XLR connection (like a portable audio recorder) at the same time with no need for the Mackie Interface.

The next one is outside of your price range but I would highly recommend that you invest in a portable audio recorder. Yes you can record straight to your Mac but I've seen so many software recorders fail and lose episodes that a hardware recorder is generally best in my opinion. For your application I would either recommend the Zoom H5 at $270 or the Sound Devices Mix Pre-3 at $650. Either will work for you but the preamps and options on the Mix Pre-3 are pretty sweet. Also, if you upgrade to the re20 or the re320 the preamps on the Mix Pre 3 won't be working as hard and might end up giving you a cleaner sound. The Mix Pre-3 can also act as an audio interface to your Mac as you record at the same time so there would be no need for the Mackie Audio Interface. You can use the Zoom H5 without an audio interface as well but you cannot record on the Zoom H5 and pass the audio to your Mac via USB at the same time.

There's other things I would consider as well but if it was me I'd grab the Zoom H5, the sE Electronics V7 and record straight to a the Zoom.

You want a 4 input mixer with a USB out. Brands will cause an uproar in this sub but I've had 3 different Behringers and never had a problem and they are cost effective. You want a USB out for sound clarity. If you go with line out to a PC, it will sound like shit.

This is a great mixer for the price. It's has USB out to your pc and 4 xlr inputs for mics as well as a couple for your pc or whatever audio in.

This mic will do what you need it to. It's not a condenser, but it will sound great.

With cables and windscreens you should be able to keep it under 200 with those 3 items. But, you may want to look at some cheap mic stands (holding a mic makes too much noise that will annoy your audience) and balanced Y cables for your pc inputs. I'm pretty sure the mixer will come with the USB cable. Also you will need a good headphone splitter/amp. Or you can get a cheap 4 way headphone splitter, just make sure it's stereo.

You have a low budget so you will have to sacrifice on some of the equipment. Not to say this stuff is shitty, just that five hundred would get you more bang. I realize you only have 3 people now but a guest will happen over time. Chances are though, you will do 10 shows and quit - someone will not have the time or life will get in the way, it happens. The equipment I linked to will work in many applications so it will be easy to move if you decide to get rid of it.

Again, people here will argue for days over brand name and set ups. My suggestions are suggestions that will work. I've used them for years and have had a few incarnations of each. I personally use completely different equipment now, but I know this stuff works on a budget. No - I do not work for Behringer, but the shit works for its price. Good luck, guys. PM me with the first show!

There's a ton of great advice here already, but here's something I wish somebody told me at the beginning: Don't start with a USB mic. Get a Mixer and an XLR mic. I can't tell you how much I wish I'd have gone with this setup at the beginning, to allow for expansion in the future. Even just a little Behringer XENYX Q802 USB for myself and a potential guest, and an Audio Technica AT2020 XLR would have been an amazing way to kick things off. It's also crucial to include a pop filter and XLR cable, so this AT2020 bundle with the mic, pop filter, and cable all included, is a great deal. This is a much more solid investment, and as I said, I wish somebody told me this when I started.
Edit:
Even better, there's this AT2035 bundle. The AT2020 and AT2035 mics are very similar in quality, but the AT2035 comes with a shock mount, which is a great addition to any setup, in order to avoid all those little bump and vibration noises.

A good starter mic would be the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB or an AT2005-USB or a Samson Q2U. The prices were a steady $60-$50-$38 but Amazon has the AT2005 at $80 and the Q2U at $60 for some reason for the last few weeks. All are effectively identical hardware.

The ATR2100 (and the others which are basically identical) is a nice solid dynamic mic with USB or XLR outputs and good ambient noise rejection. It's not bad when you have them in the same room a bit apart. It's a little quiet but once you crack up the gain it's fine and sounds very good. The ATR2100 has a limited lifetime warranty and the others have a one year warranty.

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR2100-USB-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B004QJOZS4/

I'd suggest a mixer if you want to record more than one track at a time. While you can on a Mac set up aggregate audio devices and on PC use

http://www.asio4all.com

it's just not stable.

Edit: You could use an audio recorder like the Zoom H5, though. That's pretty bulletproof and dead simple, doesn't crash. The H5 has two XLR jacks with an option to add two more and the H6 has four XLR jacks with an option to add two more as well. The H4n is a little cheaper and supports two XLR jacks but is a bit older tech and the H5 and H6 have cleaner pre-amps.

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You don't need to get super fancy (especially starting off). If you're audio sounds like a phone call, that's going to be an issue that will deter listeners. But mediocre audio quality will not hinder your growth, bad content will.

A few recommendations:

Cheap mics:

This works great as a portable mic: https://www.amazon.com/Samson-Mic-Portable-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B001R76D42/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1498145879&sr=8-3&keywords=samson+clip

I also used this to clip onto my headphones before: https://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1498145910&sr=8-6&keywords=clip+mic

Actual mics:

I've heard good things about the Snowball but I've never used it: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowball-iCE-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B014PYGTUQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1498146044&sr=8-3&keywords=mic

If you want an actual mic, this is the cheap mic I buy all my cohosts. It sounds perfectly fine. I've been using it for over 2 years now: https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR2100-USB-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B004QJOZS4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498146015&sr=8-1&keywords=atr-2100

You don't need a mixer. Instead, I would use zencastr to record the audio. It has a free version but I pay for the unlimited one ($12).
Otherwise, you can just record your own individual audio with Audacity which is free and GREAT!

Mod mics? You mean something like this? Those aren't going to be amazing, but honestly I've known people who record their show using their laptop's internal microphone and it sounded okay. It's more important to use what you have and produce something rather than sit on your hands and produce nothing.

That board you linked claims to have 8 inputs, but it actually has 4 stereo channels, two of which are mic-level and two are line-level. If you have more than 2 people, that's probably not a great option. I also wouldn't recommend that particular mixer because it has no USB-out. It's also going to be outputting stereo, which is to say two audio channels. You can record in stereo, but it will give you less control when editing. If you want to get a board like that, I'd recommend this one from Behringer. It's substantially the same, but has USB.

Incidentally, how many people are you going to have on your show? If it's more than two, what I'd actually recommend is something more like this 4-channel audio interface. To use those mod mics you'll need some adaptors for the 1/4" microphone plugs. But it will let you record up to 4 individual audio channels, and if you decide to upgrade to better microphones in the future you'll be able to use the same device.

You might be able to find it for less than $100, but that's the first one I came up with.

If you have more than 4 people, I think you'll have a hard time finding an effective solution for less than $100. But again, I think the quality of your show is more about the content than the fidelity of the audio.

You could always try this Behringer ULTRAVOICE XM1800S Dynamic Cardioid Vocal Microphones, 3-Pack (at 30-40 bucks a pop you can buy two for SIX mics) and TASCAM DR-40, and as many of these splitters as you need. We've put our mics into these splitters and they work splendidly. You'll also need XLR cables for the mics as well. If you have two friends who are louder than everyone else I guess you could also buy a mixer for a little more control.

Anyways, I have the DR-40, Behringer mics, and the splitters. They work pretty damn well for how cheap you can get them. You get great portability, as well.

A lot of these guys are probably a lot more pro than me, so they're probably the ones to listen to if you want to be super legit. If you are on a budget, though, I can confirm that this setup works quite well! Minus the mixer you could probably get everything for six people having a their own mic for ~$300.

Edit: The DR-40 comes with a 2GB memory card but you might want to upgrade it a little bit just in case. SD cards are pretty cheap now, though!

Edit Edit: You'll also want some stands, too... and these windscreens.

It might end up around like $300-$400 bucks. But when some of those Blues cost $100 per mic for the cheapest ones, it's kinda a good deal for all of the stuff you'll get. Also, if podcasting doesn't work out you now have all the equipment to start a karaoke bar.

I'm pretty sure the problem you are having is trying to use multiple USB microphones on one computer. There are ways to do it, but even when you get it set up, it's a completely unreliable set up and you will findself regularly having technical troubles and losing recordings from crashing software.

Ideally you should record to a dedicated audio recorder like a Zoom or a Tascam, they are the most reliable.

If you want to record to a computer, you need a usb mixer and xlr microphones. Behringer can get you started for cheap, if your podcast becomes successful you can upgrade to better quality later.

The q1202 USB mixer is a great cheap place to start.

You can grab yourself a 3 pack of microphones as well. They aren't amazing but they will sound better then an expensive condenser microphone in a room where you can't control the sound (aka open plan living spaces).

With a $500 to $700 budget I might suggest the following. Steer clear of the "packaged podcast stuff". And others will have their own opinions and thoughts but here are mine.

Recorder: Zoom H4nPro $230. Portable, flexible, will accept up to 4 inputs. Records on a SD Card.

Software: Audacity. It is free and allows you to manipulate and put together a cohesive product.

Mics: 2 of the ATR 2100 USB $150. Again, flexible and a decent beginner mic.

Accessories needed. 2 wind screen/pop filters for mics ($20), 2 mic stands ($20), 2 XLR cables for mics ($25)

Headphones: Sony MDR7560 $80 2 might be nice, but 1 required.

That is about $550 to $600 at this point.

If you wanted a studio mic, a decent starter mic is the MXL 990 at $100/ea. But beware that this is a condenser mic and it will pick up a ton of ambient sound especially in a non-treated room.

You may want to add a mixer into the mix at some point. I have a Behringer Xenyx 1204USB $139, but wish I had known more when I bought it and I would have bought the Behringer UFX1204 with the difference being that the one I have sends out a single stereo track to the recorder, but the latter has the ability to send separate tracks. Woudl be very handy if your guest is VERY soft spoken, there is a lot of talk over one another, etc.

I scaled up audio inputs with microphones that have USB and XLR outputs. I recorded for a while with a 2 XLR mics going into a two input interface and 2 ATR2100s by aggregating devices on my hackintosh (or using ASIO4ALL when twitching on windows, which is what the kids say). After a while I upgraded my interface to one with more inputs, but I was able to keep using the ATR2100s through their XLR connections. Low initial cost to expand inputs, and future proofing for when you do get that nice Saffire interface with loopback capability for recording remote hosts super easily!

Best of luck!

A couple of suggestions. First, don't get the atr2100 mics. You're paying for a USB interface you won't use. Pick up a couple of Shure SM58 mics - even if you upgrade later you'll have them as good quality spares. They cost a little more but they're a little better quality.

Get the Zoom H5. It's about $270 and had actual gain knobs (no digging through menus) and supports Zoom's interchangeable mic capsules. It can also act as an audio interface.

That'll leave you around $130 to pick up an inexpensive set of headphones, a couple of mic stands, and cords. You'll have a setup that will work well as a portable setup as well as an in-studio rig and will be useful later on if/when you decide to upgrade work a mixer or dedicated audio interface.

Hey man just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to respond with so much detail.


Your answer pointed me in the right direction and what I've found is that my mixer (Behringer 1202fx) only exports 1 channel. My understanding is that although I have 12 channels going into my mixer (that I can adjust, e.g. adjust gain on each) when it goes out of my mixer and into my mac, it's all one channel (this video helped me understand this: https://youtu.be/1VC1Dho7nh0). One of the next versions (Behringer 1204fx usb https://www.amazon.co.uk/Behringer-X1204USB-Xenyx-Input-Mixer/dp/B0039PPW60) looks like it would be able to record to 2 channels, but mine can't.


I had to bite the bullet and look into another option - either go for the 1204 (or another mixer with the 2 channel input) or an audio interface. It looks like the Focusright Scarlet 2i2 audio interface is a good option (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56EA). It records 2 channels, so in audacity I can record both mics on a separate channel. This seems worth it to me, because if someone speaks over the other or if someone starts coughing or their mic picks up noise or one person is louder than the other (and I don't pick this up when recording), I am assuming this means I can edit each mic's audio independently, so that when combined it's better quality.


If my understanding looks wrong, please let me know and thanks again for taking the time :)

I'm thinking of grabbing this - http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B005OZE9SA/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1371078769&sr=1-3 - it looks pretty sweet. You like yours? My show setup now is my cohost and I in my office, each with our own USB mic plugged into my Macbook Air, recorded in Reaper. I'm ready to take the next step. Is grabbing this and a couple good mics a smart play you think? My show doesn't use SFX/Music, so I don't need more channels in. And we do our interviews via Skype. Thanks for your help.

Try the ATR2100

Or the Samson Q2
Both super for starting out. Have either USB or XLR for flexibility. And they sound great.

Also it's a good idea to get a pop filter for it. These are like $5 and help audio quality a lot.

Just remember, it's not the mic that makes a great show, it's you.

The Audio-Technica ATR2100/AT2005/Samson Q2U are very good podcasting microphones, and are versatile by having both USB and XLR connections.

The Zoom H6 is a good recorder. If you want to save money, get a Behringer mixer (1-XLR, 2-XLR, 4-XLR) and a Zoom H1 to record with.

The Audio-Technica ATH-M30x or ATH-M40x are good headphones.

Get any pop filter that fits your price. A Neewer boom arm is OK for podcasting (that's what I use), but the next step up is a Blue Compass, Rode PSA-1, or Heil PL-2T.

The Neewer boom arm comes with a plastic shock mount.

Monoprice.com has pretty good quality cables for cheap, but price almost equals quality for audio cables.

Audacity is a good audio editor.

Check out Better Podcasting, The Audacity to Podcast, School of Podcasting, The Feed, and Podcasters' Roundtable for podcast advice. Pod Squad is a Discord server that I help moderate where you can also get more help from other podcasters.

We are looking at setting up an very basic, in-home podcast studio. Would anyone mind weighing in on what we are considering?

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The podcast is primarily two hosts with an occasional guest (3 ppl max). Its all conversational. It doesn't need to be perfect, we are just hoping for a reasonable audio quality. We aren't trying to break the bank. So my research has been low end but quality items.

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Here is the purposed setup:

• Mac Mini - It will be dedicated to the podcast. My understanding is that I can set it up to have multiple audio inputs.
  
• Audacity/GarageBand - We currently edit and do some single channel recording with Audacity, and my research indicates it can be set up for multi channel. But I'll explore GarageBand as well.
  
• Mics - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001R747SG - This is what we're considering purchasing for our three mics.
  
• Mixer - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00I2J4TWG - This is what we're considering purchasing.
  
• Headphones - https://www.amazon.ca/Audio-Technica-AUD-ATHM20X-Professional-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR18 - This is what we're considering purchasing.
  
  ​
  
  I'd love to get some feedback. Thanks!

I use anchor its awesome, the support team is always really helpful and quick, plus they post almost everywhere.

If you already have a mac book tho you can record right into it. if your budget is around 1000 you can get some nice stuff. My set up rn is just a zoom H6 and two audio technica mics and a pop. If you want a nice headset thats not too expensive I like these.

The zoom is nice because it can double as a mixer and it portable, the mic can plug into your computer through usb so your not just stuck recording into the zoom.

I upgraded to xlr back in November and haven't regretted it for a second. Everything sounds so crisp and you can modify the sound to a T, plus there's none of the issues I had with usb.

My setup works perfectly for a 3 or 4 person show. I have the [Behringer XENYX 1202] (http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-1202-BEHRINGER-XENYX/dp/B000J5Y282/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1456941958&sr=8-11&keywords=xlr+mixer) mixer which costs about 75 used but I managed to find one for 50. The only issue with this is that it all records to one track so if you want to isolate someone while editing, no luck. You could probably pay an extra 50 bucks to get a multitrack mixer but I don't think it's worth the money.

For microphones, I use the [Ultravoice XM1800S] (http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-ULTRAVOICE-XM1800S-Cardioid-Microphones/dp/B000NJ2TIE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456942042&sr=8-1&keywords=microphone+3+pack), which come in a 3 pack for about 35 bucks. I really love this microphone even more than my $60 condenser microphone because they don't pick up a lot of background noise so nobody will be bleeding sound onto each others mics!

I also got a 5 pack of cheapo xlr cables on Ebay for less than 10 bucks and a 5 pack of foam pop filters for less than 5 bucks.

Hope this helps and let me know if there's anything else you want help with.

Edit: Multitrack mixer costs 50 bucks more, not 5.

Don't know if this will apply to your needs/budget/expertise, but here's how I record Culture Vultures Radio. (Add a dot com to that to find our site.)

• Mics are Audio-Technica AT2020USB which is a large diaphragm condenser which don't require a mixer and phantom power. They're about $130 at Amazon.
  
• Using a mid-2009 model MacBook Pro which I've upgraded to 8GB RAM and an SSD. Have used Yosemite and Mavericks.
  
• A Behringer headphone amp/splitter to convert the one output from the MBP to 4 headsets.
  
• Using Reaper DAW to record. I couldn't figure out GarageBand to save my life for some reason, so I started using the recording software I already had a license for.
  
• Pop filters! These are generic cheapo units (~$6.50) and they work fine. My co-host used to like to blow the mics by doing the Stewie on Family Guy "Wil Wheaton" thing and it totally blocks that.
  
  The tricky part was setting up the aggregate audio device to pipe in the mics into Reaper. It's funky and it took me a couple of hours to get two freaking mics working - haven't tried a third yet - but it worked out.
  
  To save space on the HD, I set up Reaper to print the tracks as MP3s at 192kbps instead of WAVs. I apply compression and limiting when I record to get a nice solid level. When I'm done, I transfer the project folder to my bruiser of a gaming PC and apply an expander to the tracks to minimize mic bleed and background noise like fans or furnace/AC (we record in a basement). On mixdown, I hit the music track and the overall mix with master bus compression to make it nice and full-sounding with even levels.
  
  It's a slightly involved process to do, but I think the results and quality control are worth it. We used to go into the Internet radio station's studios to do the show live and just put the recording out as the podcast, but they tripled the studio fee and I calculated that if I bought my gear and sent them a file to air, it would pay for itself in 13-14 shows; we've done 18 so far. Bonus is that when the studio was stifling hot in the summer when the AC broke down and they've been having chronic technical problems affecting audio quality, it hasn't impacted us. We miss the live feedback from the listeners and it takes much longer to produce a show, but it's a tighter product overall.
  
  Hope this helps someone, if not your specific needs. Cheers.

Most computers can't deal with 8 USB mics at once, on top of the fact those mics don't work well all in the same room together. I would get a USB XLR mixer and some dynamic mics.

8 people seems like a lot? This mixer goes up to 6 via XLR and is pretty affordable. Behringer is an "affordable" brand.

Speaking of Behringer, these mics are pretty decent for the price. They will slightly pick up others in the room, but nothing a simple gate in post can't fix. I don't know your budget, but if you want to get fancier, you can go with the MXL BCD-1.

I use the Focusrite 18i20, it's way more pricey.


I enjoy using Reaper.FM, it's $79 on both Mac/PC. It can record your software and edit it. I'm on Mac, I record everything with Audio Hijack first, then do my post in Reaper.

If you have more questions, let me know. I can get more specific with other stuff if you care.

Not to name drop but I met Maron at one of his shows a few months ago and he gave me a few tips for my setup. He recommend a good stage mic if you don't want to drop too much money. I went with these mics https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IEVDOXC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and this mixer https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008O517IW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 this mixer price is good the mics are a little pricey. You can get a shure set for cheaper. Hope this helps.

I use

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Q1202USB-12-Channel-Mixer/dp/B008O517IW

And its always been good to me. To be fair I haven't really tried others but this works well just grab a couple splitters for the headphones. The compressors on the 4 main inputs is quite useful although I'm sure there are better ways to compress it makes it easy for a noob

Here's what I'd suggest (as podcaster with ten years experience). If you can afford it buy a hardware recorder. The Zoom H6 has four inputs, and each one can support phantom power. It'll do multichannel recording on its own - no laptop required, and is infinitely more reliable than any software solution. Then buy four cheap as chips mic (e.g.: something like this) - whatever kind you like. If you stick at podcasting you can upgrade the mics later, but the Zoom will still be an excellent recorder / preamp, and will stand you in good stead for years (as well as being mobile). If you want to hear sound quality of this solution check this out this episode of my podcast from a couple of months back.

The ATR2100 is a really good, inexpensive dynamic mic option. The AT2020 is a great condenser option.

As for theme, find something you are passionate about. Something you can talk about no matter how you feel that day. A lot less "work" to do if you focus on something you love.

Thanks /u/STGGrant for your response. Would be glad if you could highlight on a couple more things. Like, after buying the mic, let's say the Blue Yeti one, which comes with a USB, I won't need any mixer right? I'll just be able to record using Audacity, and then something for hosting the audio files. I googled and found this one for the mic. So just to make sure, just connect the mic using the USB and start recording using Audacity, right? And what do you use for editing? Looking for tips, because I'm a total beginner you know!

Thanks again.

If I want to record my podcast over a chromebook what's the best software to use?

I only have a microphone (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QJOZS4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 with the foam. What should I get next and why?

Is skype and hangouts the best way to do interviews?

EDIT: I have a chromebook I'll be using for awhile. What's the best way to do interviews on this.

Thanks

My partner and I are huge podcast listeners and are looking to start up one in the near future.

I've been doing a ton of research recently on the essentials needed to run a podcast with 2 hosts. Budget-wise, I'm looking for something that won't break the bank but delivers a great sound overall. Here's the list I've gathered so far.

• Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface
  
• ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone x 2
  
• Samson PS01 Pop Filter x 2
  
• Microphone boom arm x 2 (optional)
  
  Do you have any recommendations on the above setup? Is there anything here you would swap out?
  
  I haven't done much audio post-production but I am familiar with the process from my video editing days. We don't have any desire to be mobile at the moment, so we're looking for a fixed setup.
  
  Thanks in advance!

For the love of god, do not buy a Blue mic. I don't know how they got a reputation for making good mics. I think they are terrible.

The best cheap mic I've heard is the BEHRINGER ULTRAVOICE XM1800S (affiliate link). But, it comes in a pack of three for $40. Could work if you can find friends to split with. Still all three are cheaper than the ATR2100 (which is in fact an amazing mic).

There was a booth at Podcast Movement in which I was able to test about a dozen different mics. If you want to listen, it's up on my Dropbox here. The Behringer is the first mic on this test. You can even listen to how much background noise the Blue Yeti picks up. Awful, awful mic in my opinion.

EDIT: Just noticed there's also a Behringer Ultravoice Xm8500 (affiliate link), that goes for $20 for one. I would suspect (and the Amazon ratings suggest) it's as good as the three-for-$40 model.

EDIT EDIT: Also just realized the ones I listed above are XLR. You'd need an XLR to USB cable, about $10.

As others have mentioned, XLR mics with a mixer is a good start for multi-mic. Of course, as long as you have a PC you can output to mixer to for recording.

A great starting mic is the ATR2100. We started with a cheap 2-input Behringer, outputting to my PC and Audacity. We eventually upgraded to using a Zoom H4N Pro going to a macbook and Garageband. The Zoom gives us a bit more recording freedom, which is nice.

Your budget was right around what we spent, although we didn't use a mixer cause we do everything through skype and record locally. So that said all the stuff below if for a non-mixer set-up, maybe it works with a mixer, idk.

The Blue Yeti is a good mic for the price. It is not a professional mic by any stretch, but for $100 it's about as good as you are going to get, imo. Blue also has a snowball, for $50 which I actual have one of but have not yet tested in terms of recording quality.

The stand you can get for cheap. This one is the one I use, it screws right into the bottom of the Yeti.

Headphones I would actually recommend not going cheap on. We had this issue in one of our early podcasts where I broke out a $15 pair of cheap sony headphones and you could hear the audio I heard through the mic. I use these now, they're amazing, very comfortable.

The blue yeti is alittle up there if you are buying more then one. Blue snowball maybe be the next best thing.

Yeti

Snowball


PS: When the podcast goes up DM me the link I would love to give it a listen cause I play Pathfinder myself and always like it when people record there sessions.

There is a way using Soundflower if you're on a mac or try this other reddit thread if you're on a PC.

However, that is definitely going to be a bit of headache. The much easier, but obviously more expensive solution, down the line would be to use two XLR mics and a mixer. A mic like the ATR2100 that is USB / XLR is a very good choice and what my wife and I use on our show. From there any of the inexpensive Behringer mixers are really all that you need. So for just over $200 you have a very scaleable set-up. Add in a Zoom H1 / H4 and you don't even need the computer anymore.

Yeah I might be a little better at answering this one Kate lol

Matt here, yeah I just bought this http://amzn.to/1QKzFBd and http://amzn.to/1QKzF4p and haven't had any time to sit down and learn how to effectively use them with Google Hangouts, my plan is to have a bunch of wires everywhere linking a guest google hangouts through the mixer and have our google hangouts through the mixer and somehow output separate audio tracks...I don't even really know if that's possible yet

Otherwise yeah, I record my own audio track in Sony and mix everything/everyone else in Sony; I don't put music under the podcast anymore, I do use music in the breaks though

So despite all that I'm still using my yeti http://amzn.to/1P2n5rC

Such great advice!

We launched got on Apple's New & Notable with 3-for-$39 mics. You can buy $16 headphones for monitoring that sound better than Beats.

> how should we advertise ourselves

Any money spent on advertising is a waste until you've figured out product/market fit — that is, until you've found people who love your podcast, and learn about who they are and where/how to find more of them. Once you've done that, then you can responsibly spend money on non-organic growth.

The Audio-Technica ATR2100 is only ~$70 and is a quality dynamic USB/XLR for the price. I've recommended it and used it my self for several shows and it's excellent. I wouldn't even consider it a budget mic; it gets the job done and there's no need to upgrade if it's working and sounds good.

Marco Arment of ATP fame even recommended it on his blog.

The Behringer 802 is going for $65 at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-802-Premium-8-Input-Preamps/dp/B000J5XS3C

That can do two mics on xlr and two more on 1/4" plug, all mixed and going to your computer via USB cable.

I was going to recommend the ATR2100 mic but I noticed they jumped from $35 to $60. I must have got mine on special.

Audacity is free and available for mac.

I would recommend getting a mixer and not doing the USB route. You have better control of sound going in and it makes you feel like a real radio person.

This is a nice starter set up:

Mixer

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-802-Premium-8-Input-Preamps/dp/B000J5XS3C

Mic

This is really where it comes down to preference. I rock a Behringer MIC for my gusts and have this bad boy for my personal mic.

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/b8dd84773f83092c/index.html

I recommend a board like this: http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-MG102C-Input-Stereo-Mixer/dp/B000Z7C9T8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397682975&sr=8-1&keywords=yamaha+mixer

It's relatively cheap, gets the job done well. You need separate microphones and XLR cables.

This is a good basic mic package:
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-ULTRAVOICE-XM1800S-Cardioid-Microphones/dp/B000NJ2TIE/ref=pd_sim_MI_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0X64N5Q3GVRACE7BP79B

Here's a podcast I've done with the exact same products I just linked so you can judge sound quality:
http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/e/0/c/e0cc3dc16dd225c0/BIOOS24-TheHolyBible.mp3?c_id=7057683&expiration=1397688144&hwt=cc9e95aa2fd3c505643c5285aafdc2e8

I would suggest this mixer as a cheaper alternative. When we first started my podcast we got these mics which although slightly different work well enough (we still use both, added in another MXL990 and a Shure SM57A Beta which although more a live sound mic works okay). The MXL990 is nice though a little more expensive individually. Add in stands and cables and you have a package right around your limit. I would also suggest pop filters. The extra $10-15 for them pays off in the end.

Hope that helps.

I just got 2 ATR2100 USB Mics. They are $63.00 each and have great recording quality. Just recorded my first episode with them and the audio quality is clean and crisp. Make sure you get a pop filter!

What do you need with your $100 budget? Is it just you? I'd recommend this mic with a stand or boom arm if it is just you and you don't need headphones. Start with audacity for editing at the start, but look into the trails for better software like Reaper or Hindenburg.

What we use :) Just grab some pop filters too.
Good luck!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J5Y282/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002HJ61PK

I record Audiologue in a pretty tight space that echoes pretty bad and I've not had any issues using the Audio-Technica ATR2100. It doesn't need it, but you could pop a foam windscreen on it, and any sort of software gating you do should manage most of the echo. It has for me at least.

I also always recommend reading Marco Arment's mega-review. It runs the gamut of starting out mics to more high-end XLR mixer setups. Always a good resource.

Something like this might make your life easier: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00DY1F2CS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_CFZgDbGFWXJ6H

Most mic threads are standardized, so yours should be compatible. This will let you position it pretty much exactly where your want it.

Try closing out everything you're not using, your computer may have problems keeping up.

It could be flaky USB connection to microphone. Or flaky bluetooth.

Buy a quality microphone, The ATR2100 is going for about $40:

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR2100-USB-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B004QJOZS4

Go through the archives of the audacity to podcast for ideas:

http://theaudacitytopodcast.com/

Pretty sure it's not audacity. Record in the default AUP, do all your post in AUP, then File > Export to mp3 when you're completely done.

Quick and dirty: Best microphone you can afford. Record your segment. Select all of it. Then Effect > Normalize, accept defaults. File > Save Project. File > Export to whatever.mp3. Done. Will sound better than 99% of the podcasts out there already.

Buy quality microphone.

I wish someone would have given me this list when I started. For about $360 the list below gives you everything you need. I highly recommend against recording on your phone. There is also a lot of great free software out there for recording video for both PC and Mac. I use XSplit personally, even if I'm not streaming. You could probably find the light set without the green screen for a little cheaper if you want, but I wouldn't go any cheaper on the microphones, soundboard or webcam. With all this you'll have a semi-professional setup at an affordable budget.


2x Microphones ($70) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XOXRTX6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


2x Microphone XLR Cables ($20) https://www.amazon.com/XLR-Microphone-Cable-Feet-Female/dp/B06XC6435F/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503965340&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=xlr+male+to+female&psc=1


1 USB Mixer ($60) https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-802-Premium-8-Input-Preamps/dp/B000J5XS3C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1503964969&sr=8-3&keywords=xenyx


Light Set ($150) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019GTCNXC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Webcam ($60) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006JH8T3S/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you have the money, grab some ATR-2100s. That's around $200 for 4 mics though.

If you want to go on the less expensive side, you may want to go with the Nady Sp-1 kit which is actually pretty good! That kit comes with a mic, cable, and boom stand for only $25 and free shipping. I had to pay for my shipping....

what you need my friend, is a Zoom r 16. It's a digital mixer that a lot of pros use. Affordable too 300-400 bucks. It allows you to record your mics to the mixer itself, and then import later to computer as wav files for editing/mixing. you need a single 1/8 stereo to two 1/4 mono cable to connect your computer directly into the board. link here https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-CMP-153-Stereo-Breakout-Cable/dp/B000068O3C/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1474666467&sr=8-10&keywords=1+8+inch+to+1+4+inch+adapter

this cable will connect your computer speaker out put to the board. then from the board you can control all your mics and the sound clips from the computer, and play you tube live as much as you want. The sound will all end up in the board and not on your computer as you record it. That's how you create that "live" effect you want.

I have a Yeti, and it's pretty great. One step up from a snowball.

Slightly off topic, but I have this one and I love the quality it gives me

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Yeti-USB-Microphone/dp/B002VA464S/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1414886399&sr=1-1&keywords=blue+yeti

I think I might pitch this to the other members of the podcast:

1 x Mackie ProFX8v2

3 x Behringer XM1800S (there's a three pack with a case on Amazon.ca)

1 x Behringer HA 400

Thank you for the advice, tehdudeabides & StargatePioneer! I'm still going to be shopping and tweaking... but thank you!

The MicPortPro from CEntrance is pretty good idea. But a simple behringer board (link below) with the tape-out outputs going directly to your mic port on your comp should do the job fine. You will just need to buy the cables.
If you are recording a "live" type show just use audacity. record it and send it out.
If you want to do some editing use Reaper. these programs are free
finish it off with levelator (until you familiarize yourself with the programs) to keep the levels the same between episodes.
Total cost about 85$ with the cables.
I have run this setup for years and I get no complaints about my sound quality.

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-802-Premium-8-Input-Preamps/dp/B000J5XS3C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315273854&sr=8-1

A chair is a chair, if you limit the movement and just find a comfortable way to sit for a long period of time and use something like a NEEWER Microphone Suspension Boom Scissor Arm Stand to make the microphone where you need it to be you should be fine.

Im glad you liked the show!

Im using the Audio-Technica ATR2100

The Audio-Technica AT2005 is the same mic just looks different.

My co-host and I started with the Samson Go Mics. They're condenser mics, so you'll need a quiet-ish area to make them work well, but with the -10dB pad engaged they're not awful. They're like $36 on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Samson-Mic-Portable-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B001R76D42).

One thing to be aware of, the base has threads for a mic stand, but is the smaller 3/8" type, not the more common 5/8" - so you might need a mic stand adapter depending on which mic stand you're using.

I use a few of this style from Amazon, they're pretty cheaply made but they work just fine! You'll probably have to tighten some screws and such but they're quiet and less than $15 haha

I am at work right now, but I can literally show you everything I bought off amazon. Would this help?

Extensions: https://amzn.to/2Sa1Cbl - https://amzn.to/2Y0mxmu

• https://amzn.to/2S8cIxn - https://amzn.to/2LOhsY0
  
  Mic 1: https://amzn.to/2LMZNzF
  
  Mic 2: https://amzn.to/2JzGwz4
  
  Headphone AMP: https://urlzs.com/2ZuSf
  
  Mixer: https://urlzs.com/UfGH9
  
  Headphones: https://urlzs.com/J7buh
  
  I hope this helps. Thank you

If it's just you and your buddy and you aren't doing any Skype call-ins, and you guys can both be in the same room all you'll need is...

Two mics:
ENTRY/BASIC: https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR2100-USB-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B004QJOZS4/ - $64.00 American - $128 total.

Intermediate: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/356521-REG/Audio_Technica_AT2020_AT2020_Condenser_Microphone.html - $99.00 American - $200 total.

Two XLR cables: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JNLTTKS/ - $5.99 American - $12.00 total.

One XLR-to-USB setup: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CTKI45M/ - $99.00 American

Two Scissor Arms: https://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-Microphone-Suspension-Broadcasting-Voice-Over/dp/B00DY1F2CS/ - $12.99 American - $26.00 total

Two Pop Filters: https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Studio-Microphone-Filter-Shield/dp/B00ACFAULC/ - $6.95 American each - $14.00 total.

A DAW: Audacity - Free - https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

TOTAL BASIC COST: $280-355 American

If you need to do a Skype call Mix-Minus it will cost an extra $20-50 depending on how you would like to do it.

Don't get a Yeti. Get an Audio Technica AT2005 microphone.

Almost any veteran podcaster here will tell you do NOT get a Yeti or Blue Snowball for your first mic. They somehow are more well-known and do better marketing, but you're much, much better off with an Audio Technica mic.

Here's a copy/paste from a thread a while ago. This setup is kind of expensive, but it's a good setup if you plan on podcasting for a long time. If you're looking at running a show with multiple hosts/guests in-studio and via Skype, this is a good setup to have.

Also, I had bad experiences with Behringer mixers. They're fairly cheap but they don't last long. I had one for maybe three days and hated it. There was a loud hissing noise every time we'd record. I've heard other people have the same problem. I've also heard the reason Behringer is so cheap is they're assembled with the cheapest components. So that's why they don't last very long.

"First off, I wouldn't recommend garageband for recording or editing. It's a resource hog that eats up your ram. I've had it freeze up in the middle of recording before and while editing. I recommend going with Audacity. It's not as user friendly as garageband but it's reliable. I recorded for 2.5 hours in one sitting with no problems.

As for a mixer, I highly recommend the Alesis MultiMix 8 USB. You just plug it into the USB of your laptop, adjust the sound settings on whatever program your recording into and you're set. You can use it to pull audio from the laptop (ie Skype call or YouTube video) into the mix.

There's also the Alesis MultiMix 4 USB. It's cheaper, has less bells and whistles but it works just as well. Though, you'll need this cord if you want to pull audio from the laptop.

In order to hook up multiple Headphones with these mixers, you'll need a headphone amp.

As for mics, the Audio-Technica ATR2100 is a great mic for the price. And it's got xlr and USB cords."

When I wrote that, the Audio Technica mics were $30 a pop. Now they're almost twice as much. I've been podcasting with mine for over a year and a half and it still works great.

Here's a link to my podcast, in case you want to gauge the audio quality of this setup.

https://www.amazon.com/BEHRINGER-Audio-Interface-4-Channel-UMC404HD/dp/B00QHURLHM/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=behringer+4+channel+interface&qid=1564197330&s=gateway&sprefix=behringwr+4+&sr=8-3

I have the 2 port version of this. It is clean and quiet. Very nice for the price.

Don’t go with usb. You can only use one usb mic per computer so if you are recording 3 people you can only ever use one mic. It’s also never going to give you very good audio of you have people just pile around a mic. You can get 3 cheap dynamic mics, a mixer and 3 XLR cables for around $140 total

microphone package
mixer
XLR cables

I would splurge a bit more for

http://amzn.com/B0039PPW60

I have the bigger version of this, and it had a bit of a learning curve, but once i got it all figured out, everything works great.

The usb allows you to record the output via usb instead of messing with adapters from RCA. If you want to record audio using the computer as a source ( music/videos/etc ), do not use the usb line in option, it really limits you, use a 3.5mm to double 1/4 inch and put it into one of the balanced channels past the 4 unbalanced ones. Get a good cable, otherwise there's bad hum. Also, i found a headphone amplifier was incredibly helpful when having several people on shows, they could each have headphones with independent volume control, i got this one:

http://amzn.com/B003M8NVFS

I noticed, you could not just use a stereo 1/4 inch cable from headphone out to headphone amp, it wasn't coming through stereo, so i ran RCA output to 1/4 inch stereo to the headphone amplifier, and BAM worked.

I'm not an expert, so i could be wrong about all of this, just what i've done after hours of tinkering.

Google Voice is free. Here's my setup:

I got a used Mackie mixer off of Craigslist for less than $200. I run it into my PC with a set of stereo audio cables and I plug both the mic and headphones into the mixer. My setup works great. Here's my setup:
Microphone: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QJOZS4/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463590499&sr=sr-1&keywords=audio+technica+atr2100
Mixer: http://www.amazon.com/Mackie-802VLZ4-8-channel-Compact-Quality/dp/B00EDHWLFI/ref=sr_1_8?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1463590526&sr=1-8&keywords=mackie+mixer
headphones (although you don't have to spend this much): http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1463590609&sr=1-1&keywords=sony+headphones+mdr7506
cables: (these aren't my brand, but you need two sets of this kind of cable)
http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-CMP-153-Stereo-Breakout-Cable/dp/B000068O3C/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1463590655&sr=1-1&keywords=quarter+inch+male+to+.35mm+male

If you want to spend money and not just use your laptop you will need the following.

3 XLR microphones, stands and cables
A mixer with at least 3 XLR inputs
If you want to all listen on headphones you will need a splitter for that
A few assorted cables i will list
And garage band or some other recording software.

I have listed below what i used starting out.

[Microphones] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002T45X1G/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

[Stands] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002M3OVI/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

[Mixer] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J5Y282/ref=oh_details_o08_s02_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

[Headphones splitter] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000M0TN6U/ref=oh_details_o08_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

[Microphone cables] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008B2DBY6/ref=oh_details_o08_s02_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

[Other cables] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HGM1D6/ref=oh_details_o08_s02_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1) These are used to go from your mixer into the recording device and also from the mixer into the headphone splitter.

Hope this helps.

You might want to look into the Behringer Xenyx 802. Behringer makes a solid product, I used one of their mixers before upgrading to my Presonus.

Although I'd recommend getting some XLR mics instead of USB. Maybe the MXL990, not a bad mic for the price.

Behringer Xenyx 802

Don't just leave us hanging!! What may be changing?

OP, the Yeti is not a bad mic for the price, just as /u/abowlofcereal said, it has a limited upgrade path. I usually recommend the ATR2100 which can often times be found around $50 and a mixer or audio interface for similar price point. The 2100 is good as it can be used as a usb mic, but also has an xlr input for higher end equipment which offers an upgrade path. Solid starter mic.

Just my 2 cents:

Regarding equipment you would definitely need a nice microphone to record with.



The Rhode NT1-A is an excellent one, and the package on this link contains all kinds of accessories you would need: a shock mount, cables, pop filter, etc.
For a bit cheaper, you could have the Audio Technica AT2020, this is what I use. You can record pretty decent things with this beauty.
There are others of course.



For the microphone to work, you need a pre-amplifier. Lot of people keep trashing Behringer products but I find their MIC800 is a fine choice at the lower price range.

Oh, yeah, I'm wanting to start off as economically as possible. I also value flexibility, which is why I am leaning towards a mixing board. I don't ever see use doing Skype unless we somehow get big (which I have no delusions of). I found this q1202usb for only $75. Should I jump on that?

Have you looked at the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2 In/2 Out USB Recording Audio Interface My manager who does music as a hobby loves this thing.

I started out using a Zoom H5 for my show.

https://www.amazon.ca/Zoom-H5-Digital-Multitrack-Recorder/dp/B00KCXMBES/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1540021117&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=zoom+h5&dpPl=1&dpID=418XgnIJgnL&ref=plSrch

Slowly I purchased xlr external mics that plug into the bottom. Then I got an adaptor to add two more xlr mics to the top.

https://www.zoom-na.com/products/product-accessories/zoom-exh-6-dual-xlrtrs-input-capsule-zoom-h5-h6-u-44-f1-and-f4

I then moved onto boom stands and the likes.

I currently purchased an xlr splitter so I can go to 5 mics and now that I know it works will be getting a second splitter so I can go up to 6 mics.

Yes unfortunately it is. I was able to get live-stream to pick everything up when I figured out I had to assign my firewire audio (aka the Mac audio) to the "main mix" - unfortunately I'm looking to make my "firewire aka Mac audio" it's own unique track. I think if I get a cable like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-CMP153-Cable-Inch-Dual/dp/B000068O3C/ref=pd_bxgy_MI_img_z

I may be able to accomplish this through my 5/6 channel. Does this make sense? What do you think?

Yea, you pretty much nailed it! We use either Skype or Google Hangouts. The first few episodes, he recorded everything on his end (I'm not sure what software he uses). I think in episode 2 or 3, the connection wasn't as good and there's a slight quality drop on my end. But with a good connection, the quality seems to stay in tact pretty well over Skype as long as the original capture is good. I use a Samson Go Mic (http://www.amazon.com/Samson-Mic-Compact-USB-Microphone/dp/B001R76D42).

I think starting in episode 4, I started recording on my end also using Audacity. We share the files via Google Drive, and he does the post.

I set up all the Feedburner/iTunes/etc. We both have access to the SoundCloud account, so he uploads the episodes as private once they're done, then I usually add the description etc.

When the delay is constant, I think he just shifts the audio once and it isn't noticeable. I think there were a couple episodes though where the delay changed and it took a bit more effort on his part to get it sounding right. There have been times where the connection goes completely bad, but whoever has the guest just keeps going forward and the other person hops back in when the connection is back.

Yes! Here is some cheap gear that you can take a look at to get you own your way, or at least know what you should be looking for.

Microphones

XLR Cable

Mixing w/ USB insert

With these you can generally record into audacity on your computer, or another recording device attached to the mixer.

What about this boom arm? And you'd go with a windscreen instead of a pop filter? Also, how much more do you recommend the 2005 over the 2100?

I also vouch for the Behringer XENYX 1202. It's relatively inexpensive and reasonably powerful. You'll also need one of these for USB interface:

Behringer UCA202 Audio Interface

Something like this

You can spend more and get one with balanced inputs, but even these cheap little ones work well.

This will do it:

IK iRig Pre HD for $99.99.
Samson Q2U dynamic mic for $59.
$10 XLR cable.

Spend the rest on a RINGR subscription.