For my microphone, I have a small, desktop mike stand which is very convenient because it allows me to sit down in front of my computer and adjust the microphone perfectly in front of my mouth.
In addition to a microphone and a mixer, I also use an Alesis 3630 compressor unit to boost the performance of my microphone. Compressors add body and fullness to spoken word and most radio stations and many recording studios use similar equipment on their mikes. This is definitely a luxury but these units are not that pricey. This particular unit is around $100 dollars. You can compare prices here.
This is my setup or “rig” but you can create whatever you’re comfortable with. My little home studio costs a total of about $210 when you add it all up which is really dirt cheap. But, I can also do wonderful audio enhancements because I use a recording application called Adobe Audition (formerly Cool Edit Pro) which is basically a recording studio in-a-box.
With this software I can fix audio, amplify it, equalize it, add reverb, mix it, change the pitch, add a host of effects, filter out noise and much more. Adobe Audition is also a software mixer and I can create multi-tracked projects - one track at a time - and then mix it all down exactly as I want it.
Besides the hardware/mixer route, there are other software-based solutions for recording and mixing sound including WebPod Studio and iPodcast Producer.
More Accessories
If you’re going to be recording guests on the telephone, you might want to check out Teletool 2000. It lets you record telephone conversations or voice messages directly to your PC. Compare prices by clicking here.
And finally: save on long distance calls when talking with guests by signing up for a free account at Skype. Skype is a little piece of software that lets you make free calls over the Internet. It’s free and easy to download (Download Direct)
Tomorrow: Program Formatics – Do you need them?
