So you are looking to start a podcast but you aren't quite sure how to go about it. Here are some of my thoughts on podcasting that can help you get started.
Firstly when starting a podcast you need to gather your equipment. We have equipment recommendations on our website (songplistic.com) but what equipment you go for largely depends on your budget. For most people starting a podcast I would recommend the Blue Snowball microphones, they are cheap but surprisingly high quality for the price. If you are on a very low budget you can get away with just the one, but I would recommend getting one per person. Now snowball microphones plug in to your computer through USB so that also negates the need for an interface; however if you get a fancier microphone that connects through an XLR (typical microphone cable) then you will need an interface of some kind to act as the link between the microphones and your computer. For this I would recommend Focusrite, they have a variety of interfaces that are great quality (just make sure your interface has the right amount of inputs for the number of microphones you have).
Once you have your equipment sorted then you need to figure out how to record your podcast. For this there is a little bit of learning required. I would recommend using the Reaper audio recording software. We go over the ins and outs of using this software to record in our Songplistic Method tutorials that come with our podcast editing packages, but for podcasting it is nowhere near as complex as recording music so you could trial and error to figure it out.
When actually recording the podcast itself make sure you have the levels right before you record, if someone talks louder than someone else adjust the volume of their microphone or have them further away from the mic etc. also invest in some pop filters, this makes things much easier to edit as it stops harsh speech related noises from getting through into the recording. When it comes to the actual content of the podcast you can go one of 2 ways, scripted or free form. What you choose to do is up to you but be sure to try and have at least a general topic in mind when you hit record.
Once your podcast is done I would recommend getting it edited externally, especially if you are just starting out. Podcast editing is time consuming and requires a lot of studying to figure out how the software works. If you do choose to send it off to be edited then think about if you want music involved. You can have stock background music or even a jingle/theme which will make things sound much more professional, this is something we can do here at Songplistic.
Podcasting can be a great way to get your ideas out there and really open up a dialogue between yourself and those involved in the podcast, whether that be simply those discussing with you or those who tune in and leave feedback/comments. As podcasting is on the rise now is as good a time as ever to get started, good luck!
Ross