Research Guides: Podcasting and Audio Storytelling: Tools of the Trade

Hardware

Dedicated Audio Recorders

A dedicated audio recorder is an essential tool if you ever plan on capturing any audio outside a studio setting (i.e. field recording) and can even be handy within a studio context. Here are Tascam's and Zoom's industry standard offerings for different segments of the market.

Entry Level: Zoom H1N || Tascam DR-05

Middle of the Road: Zoom H4N || Tascam DR-40

Pro/Elite: Zoom H6 || Tascam DR-100

Microphones

Another key subset of podcasting gear is microphones. Plenty has been written about microphones, so rather than add to the din, here are a few articles comparing the merits of various makes and models:

The Best Podcasting Microphones on the Market, By Category (The Podcast Host)

25 of the Best Podcast Microphones (Discover Pods)

Headphones

Here is a nice list of quality headphones at budget prices (the article lacks a comprehensive side-by-side comparison of actual features, but it is still a good short list to start your search; more detailed specifications for each of these models are available on Guitar Center’s website).

Mixers

Here is a nice post by Daniel Lewis over at 'The Audacity to Podcast' that talks through the advantages of incorporating a mixer into your podcasting utility belt and closes with a list of recommended models.

Software

So you've figured out what gear you plan on using to record the material that will become your podcast. Now it's time to decide what software you will hook that gear up to in order to do your recording and editing. The sheer volume and range of software applications for audio engineering can be a bit intimidating. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it includes a good range of options from simple, beginner-friendly platforms to fully outfitted, steeper-learning-curve packages.

Adobe Audition
While Audition can be used to record audio, it is best-suited for editing, especially when working on projects with multiple tracks (Multitrack mode). Its problem-fixing tools are excellent (noise reduction, sibilance reduction, etc.) and its spectral view (visualizing the sound in terms of the frequency spectrum) facilitates quick and targeted identification and mitigation of unwanted sounds and distortion.
Anchor
Mobile app designed for on-the-go audio storytelling. Mainly intended for piecing together quick pieces of audio journalism on the fly and in the field. Relatively few editing capabilities and its automated features make it less friendly to customization or fine-tuning, but nice interface for pulling disparate clips of voiceover and music together and exporting or uploading a workable finished product using only a phone.
Audacity
Free, open-source audio editing platform; great for beginners, becomes more and more limited as you move to multiple tracks
Ferrite
App for iPhone and iPad that serves as a portable recording studio. Much more robust and full-featured than Anchor, and consequently less beginner-friendly but still approachable.
GarageBand
Apple’s introductory audio recording and editing platform [good for beginners]
Hindenburg
A software package specifically designed for audio storytellers, journalists, and podcasts
Logic Pro
Apple’s high-end Digital Audio Workstation; similar interface to GarageBand but with plenty more bells and whistles
ProTools
Industry-standard Digital Audio Workstation for recording, editing, mixing, and mastering any kind of audio [not for beginners, but can do everything you want and more]
Reaper
Free, open-source Digital Audio Workstation that has comparable functionality to Logic Pro, but also has the occasional glitches and versioning issues one would expect in a collaborative open source project of its scale