The advice above is great to capture a live event, but when you are done you still need to mix the audio channels together, edit out the mistakes, fix the levels, get rid of any odd sounds (coughs, room rumbling, HVAC noise, and so on). Unless you really love doing that work, it is probably better to send the raw audio to a pro and have them do your mix.

Also, I had never done a recording with really high-quality mics in a properly sound-insulated studio. The results are amazing. You can hear details in the speaker’s voice that you would not capture with the equipment above. Most people will not hear the difference, but it will make you sound better.

In summary — if you are creating an audio book or other studio-friendly program, just get into the studio. Let them do the work.

If you are recording live, then get the equipment above, but turn the files over to the studio for the final mix.

I already know how to do this stuff, and I am planning to send out my work from now on. Even after spending money on my own equipment, I would rather do future recordings from a studio now.

For either need, call these folks:

Supreme Sound Studio
86 Lackawanna Ave
Building #2, Suite 227
West Paterson, NJ 07424
973-890-1672

Ask for Brian. Brian Csencsits is patient and easy-to-work with, even if you have never been in a studio before. You can also get him via e-mail: bscen@netscape.net.

Of course, if you are outside the New Jersey area, you will need to find someone else for your in-studio recordings, but if you are doing any live recordings, he can do the final mix for the recordings that you give him.

One issue that people are confused about is what they need in terms of a mic. You do not need the equipment described in this article to do a podcast. Instead, you can get a USB microphone that plugs directly into your computer. You then record the sound directly on your computer. A good USB mic will sound much, much better than any mic you can plug into the “audio in” jack on your computer.

Here are some suggestions that I researched for a friend:

I recommend a USB mic in the $60 to $100 range. I have usually been happiest with sound equipment when I step up a little from the base products. I am a sound snob, so feel free to ignore me and get something a little cheaper. Here are two items that look ideal to me:

* CAD U37 USB Condenser Microsphone
* MXL 990USB USB Powered Condenser Microphone

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/CAD-U37-USB-Condenser-Microphone?sku=271322
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/MXL-990USB-USB-Powered-Condenser-Microphone?sku=271009

The cheapest handheld USB mic I could find is the Nady USB-24M USB Microphone (about $30 to $40). It is available at Radio Shack, but only on-line. Reviews are mixed, with some people who love it and some who complain that the sound is tinny and computer-sounding.

Sometimes people ask if you really need two mics. Having two mics does add to set-up time, cost, and post-event mixing time. At a recent event the lav mic failed to record, so I only had the omni mic track. I was able to run the whole track through a compressor and get a nice sound.

It is noisier than my other speech recordings, and I could not do much to get rid of door slams and other distracting background noise. Still, it is a good example of what you can do with a single microphone and a little bit of post-event mixing and editing.

Listen to the “So You Want To Be An Independent Consultant” recording to hear this single-mic recording:
http://www.alexsbrown.com/consultant-recording.html