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Best Microphone Boom Arm (For Podcasters & Home Studios)

I have to say that getting a microphone boom arm was one of the best decisions I made for my podcasting studio.

Why? Because I can be ready to record so much faster. All I have to do is pull the boom arm toward me and hit record. But it also frees up a lot of space on your desk and feels much more professional. A mic boom arm also allows you to get perfect mic placement much easier and with better posture. That means your voice sounds better.

Also, if you get a shock mount (and you should), you will need a mic stand of some kind in order to attach it.

It’s pretty crazy that one basic piece of equipment can do so much.

But quality varies quite a bit and certain microphones (like the Blue Yeti) are heavier than average and will need a sturdier boom. If you invest in a decent one, it will last you a long time. I would avoid the cheaper ones if you can.

I’ll start with my favorite: [Read more…] about Best Microphone Boom Arm (For Podcasters & Home Studios)

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Best Universal Microphone Shock Mount (For Studio Mics)

Choosing the best universal microphone shock mount is interesting because most microphone brands offer their own compatible shock mounts that are designed to perfectly fit the microphone they are designed for.

In some cases, they don’t offer a compatible shock mount, which is a great reason to get a universal one…

But I think the #1 reason to get a universal shock mount is so you don’t have to get a new one when you decide to get a new microphone.

Good ones (like our recommendation) tend to be built with better materials that will last much longer than what most microphone brands will offer as well and reduce vibration and unwanted noise better.

Cheaper ones usually have suspensions that are much too tight and don’t do a good job reducing sound. [Read more…] about Best Universal Microphone Shock Mount (For Studio Mics)

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Best USB Audio Interfaces For Podcasters & Musicians 2017

A USB audio interface lets you convert your analog audio signals (i.e. your voice) into a digital signal for your computer. They can vary in quality, features, inputs & outputs, and more. They all have mic preamps built into the XLR inputs, and at least one output for monitoring speakers or headphones.

Compared to a built-in sound card, you’ll almost always get higher sound quality when using an external audio interface (essentially an external sound card) as well. If you want to simplify it, you’re converting XLR to USB (in the case of a microphone).

The “best” USB audio interface will really depend on your needs and potential uses, so we’ll highlight brands and models with a range of I/O (input/output). We’ll start with the smaller units and move down the page toward the larger ones. It’s organized by the number of XLR mic inputs. [Read more…] about Best USB Audio Interfaces For Podcasters & Musicians 2017

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Ultimate Guide To Podcast Distribution: Learn How To Get More Listeners

So you’ve created your podcast, but you’re only getting a few listeners. How can you get more? One of the most important steps to increase your podcast’s reach is to distribute it to additional places that people are listening from or places where people are looking for podcasts to listen to.

The most popular place to distribute your podcast is iTunes, but there are several other large sites that can get you a lot more listeners. There are also podcast directories that you can submit your podcast to so you can be found more easily.

Many podcast listening apps and directories automatically update from the iTunes API as well, so you may find your podcast listed on sites without submitting.

To be clear, these are not places where you host your podcast. These sites just read an RSS feed that is created automatically by your website or podcast host. Check out the best podcast hosts for sites that store your actual audio files.

Let’s start with the “big 4” and then we’ll list other popular directories and sites to get found on… [Read more…] about Ultimate Guide To Podcast Distribution: Learn How To Get More Listeners