There are a couple of pieces of tech we’ve used from the very beginning of the Flipping America show. The Focusrite 2×2 has served our needs very well since our inception in 2017. I’m no sound engineer, which makes the Focusrite perfect. It’s basically idiot-proof. Plug your mics into it (2 of them, which is why it’s a 2×2), plug the other side into the USB port on your computer and voila – the device translates the signal coming in from your mic to something the computer understands.

Real sound engineers and high end studios will add other gadgets and gizmos, compressors, equalizers, and so forth that allow you to spend thousands of dollars for a 5% improvement in the audio quality, to my untrained ear. In a separate post I’ll tell you about Auphonic, which I have used from the beginning, to get professional level compression.

If you are looking to start a basic podcast, all you really need is this Focusrite 2×2, a good mic like the Shure SM7B, and a free program on your computer to put it together. I use Garageband on my Mac. It works well, is simple enough to use and has all the flexibility I need.

Here’s a link to look at a range of Focusrite products and some bundles.