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Shockmounts
While you can use a traditional mic mount for your microphone, you might want to check out a shock mount to go with your boom arm. The shock mount further lessens vibrations from reaching the mic as you move the mic stand or boom arm around. In my studio I use Electro voice 309A with my Electro voice RE20 microphone. This mic is a bit expensive for the beginner, but a shock mount like this will work just fine in your beginner setup. The 309A costs about as much as a boom arm, so you will need to decide if this is something you want to buy in your initial purpose.
Mixers
If you have several people on your show, of if you plan on doing interviews in your podcast studio, you are going to need a mixer. With the increase in digital production, many mixers not only have outputs for analog equipment, but many now feature USB and Firewire interfaces to connect directly to your computer.
Alesis MultiMix8 USB
Alesis has come out with a new line of compact mixers that include a USB interface to record directly to your computer. The MultiMix 8 features an 8 channel mixer with 4 XLR (balanced) and 4 ¼? balanced inputs. The XLRs channels are great for your microphones while the balanced ¼? inputs allow you to plug in an instrument like a guitar, etc. This mixer also has 3 Band EQ per channel and of course the USB interface. The price is right for this unit too as it comes in just under $150. Alesis also features an 8 channel mixer with Firewire connectivity too.
Behringer UB1002FX
This is a smaller mixer that doesn?t have all of the bells and whistles that the Alesis mixer does, but it features 10 inputs (2 XLR), 3 Band EQ, and an effects processor with over 100 presets like reverb, echo and more. With a price of $79, this unit may sound like a steal, but there is a downside. Unfortunately, there is no digital out with this unit, which means you will need an audio interface.
Yamaha MW 10 USB
Another 10 channel offering from Yamaha has 4 XLR inputs, allows you to hook up external processors, and transmits everything over USB. At $199 it may be worth checking into.
Audio Interfaces
There are many interfaces out there. These units take an analog signal and convert them into digital format that can then be sent to your computer via Firewire or USB.
F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
Another offering from Behringer, this unit is designed more for musical instruments, but with ¼? inputs, a portable mixer output can be plugged directly into it. MSRP $99.
M-Audio FireWire Solo
This is my audio interface of choice. It can take balanced or unbalanced inputs including S/PDIF I/O. You can record instruments, vocals, drum machines, and more with ease. Because it is so small you can take it anywhere and set it up in minutes. The downside of the M-Audio FireWire is it doesn?t draw power from the computer, so you have to have an external power supply. This can limit mobility, but is still a fantastic product. This is the most expensive piece of equipment on this list coming in at $250, but it is well worth it. If you are not a Firewire person, M-Audio does have a USB version that works quite well too.
While this simple list is by no means complete, for around $500 you can get up and running quickly with quality equipment. When you are ready, you can step up with more robust gear, but that is best left for a future installment.
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