It’s very possible that you can start your podcast using a simple app on your smartphone but once you’ve established your podcast and have a few loyal listeners then it might be time for you to upgrade your recording equipment. The more your audience grows the more they will start to appreciate the extra effort you go through for them like buying the right tools.
The best option for recording your podcast would be to find a recording studio that you can book for the day or have your own (a man can dream ey), but if that is outside of your budget then there is no need to start stressing yourself out just yet. Many alternatives will give you just as a great recording experience.
Now that we’ve established that there are quite a few different options when it comes to the tools you use when recording, let’s dive a little deeper and find the best tools for you to use.
1. Idea Managing Tools
Having a creative mind means that your mind is constantly busy with new ideas. Not all of them might be good but some might be the breakthrough topic you’ve been looking for. So it’s important to have a place where you can just jot down as many notes as you want then at a later stage go through them and organize your ideas and hand out tasks to your team (if you have one).
Trello
The best task managing app out there (I might be a bit biased, but I stand by my statement). It has everything you need to keep your entire team in the loop of what needs to happen while at the same time giving you the space you’ll need to keep your creative juices flowing. Trello is currently being used by many companies as well as freelancers to keep their work organized and flowing smoothly.
Simplenote
Created by the same company that gave us WordPress, and just as efficient. Simplenote is one of the easiest ways to keep track of all your thoughts, lists and anything else you might need. It offers the perfect platform to keep your entire team updated of what’s to come as well as offering them a space to share any ideas they might have. You and your team will be able to have access to all the notes from any of your devices.
2. Scheduling Apps
Having a podcast means you’ll need to be able to plan ahead and what better way to do so then by using a scheduling app. There are a ton of benefits to switching over to an online appointment scheduler. Using one of these two apps will help you schedule your future guest interviews, create deadlines for yourself or planning a few meetings with your team.
Calendly
Calendly is one of the easiest to use scheduling options out there, helping you organize your podcast schedule. You can set custom reminders and confirmations to help remind not only you but also the guests as well. Their app can be integrated with Outlook, Office 365 and Google, while also checks all other calendars you might have to ensure there won’t be any double-bookings.
SimplyBook.me
SimplyBook.me is available on most devices and can be used simultaneously by your entire staff as well as allowing your guests to decide what dates and times work for them. You will receive reminders of the meetings or episode recordings that you’re involved in. This is the best scheduling platform if you’re looking for an app to go a bit more in-depth into each guest as well as offering online payment options.
3. Best Recording & Editing Apps and Software
This is the most important part of creating a podcast, the recording. For instance, if you’re sitting in a busy cafe recording your podcast using your iPhone microphone and then just publishing it, there is no doubt in my mind that most of your listeners will be thinking “no thank you, what sh#t is this. (unless that is what you’re podcast is about). But if you take the time to create a space (whether it’s a quiet room in our house or a professional recording studio) where you can take your time recording and then afterward edit the podcast (or have a company edit it) then I can almost guarantee that your listeners will appreciate the extra effort you went through just for them.
Here the two best recording and editing apps you can use.
Audacity
Audacity Keeps it simple and offers you all of the basic tools that you’ll need to create an excellent podcast as well as sophisticated audio-processing effects that will help you remove unwanted coughs, static, or other distracting sounds. It works on Mac, Windows, and Linux and is so easy to use you just hook up a USB microphone and start recording. There’s no need to search for hours to find your editing tools, they’re all on the main window/ dashboard.
Keep in mind that this app does not support MIDI or Instrument plug-ins.
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition is the most well-known recording and editing software out there. Most consider this as the premium option which means this is perfect for the podcasters that understand and love audio editing. This DAW allows you to record audio files and then edit them as much as you’d like, giving them the professional look you were going for and making your post-production process feel less like work.
Keep in mind that Adobe isn’t the cheapest software on the market, $20 a month.
