Sennheiser’s Podcast Picks 

Over the last few years, podcasts have made an increasing impact on the Australian and New Zealand media landscape. As podcasts continue to grow in popularity, and as their variety continues to diversify, Sennheiser recommends four special podcasts that you should check out – and the right audio equipment to get the most out of your favourite podcasts, both for listening and for producing them yourself.

Sound by Nature

Sound By Nature delivers exactly what its name promises: chiefly, sounds of the great outdoors from California. Don’t just take our word for it, though. As the creator says himself, you should listen to this podcast “for relaxation, stress reduction, meditation, sleeping – or whatever you like”. Each episode usually lasts for an hour, offering a range of soundscapes such as wind, birdsong, campfires or thunder and rain. Sound By Nature provides a good exercise in acoustic attentiveness.

How can I produce a podcast like this myself?

With an AMBEO VR Mic for example. If you are aiming for an immersive sound experience, this Ambisonics microphone, which has been specially designed for spatial sound recording, allows you to capture stunning 360° sound from a single spot. If you want to put an acoustic spotlight on a single sound source such as a bird singing, you should use a shotgun microphone like the MKH 8060.

SmartLess

In life, you always learn something new about yourself when you meet someone else – and this mantra is certainly true of SmartLess, presented by US comedy stars Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes. Every week, they meet interesting people from popular culture and politics for a mix of thoughtful conversation and amusing anecdotes.

How can I produce a podcast like this myself?

With an MK 8 condenser microphone (AUD $1,069). This large-diaphragm studio microphone is particularly suited to professional voice recordings. Its pick-up pattern can be adjusted according to the task at hand, for example a figure-of-eight pattern for an interview situation. 

The Joe Rogan Experience

With over 1,500 episodes under his belt, Joe Rogan is one of the most prolific podcasters in the game. On The Joe Rogan Experience, he has interviewed everyone from Elon Musk to Mike Tyson. Politics, health or relationships: no subject is off limits. 

How can I produce a podcast like this myself?

The MKE 200 is a great choice when starting out. This directional microphone features an integrated windscreen and shock mount for optimised sound recordings to camera. It comes complete with 3.5mm TRS and TRRS cables for connection to DSLRs, DSLMs and mobile devices. For more experienced users, we recommend the MKE 440, a compact stereo microphone for cameras with a hot shoe and an external microphone connection.

Darko.Audio podcast

For passionate audiophiles, nothing is more interesting than assessing the latest technology and products on the market. As well as providing an overview of the latest audiophile gear, John Darko interviews renowned music producers and industry figures.

How can I produce a podcast like this myself?

Use a good studio condenser microphone like the MK 4 or the MK 8. Very demanding producers could also take a look at Sennheiser’s MKH series. These life-like condenser microphones stand for sound recordings of the very highest quality and let you discover the soul of sound.

Feel inspired to start your own podcast? Sennheiser has teamed up with music producer, sound engineer and professional podcaster Marc Mozart to help podcast beginners get started: The tutorial series “How to Podcast” offers a free podcast guide to kick things off – from concept creation to tips on the right recording software and the right microphone to marketing your very own podcast. The video series and all further information are available here: www.sennheiser.com/how-to-podcast