podcasts

You don't really need high end equipment for podcasting. I ran a podcast for quite a few years (and also went to audio college) and I have a few recommendations:

• Make sure you get dynamic mics not condenser mics. The latter has better sound quality but will pick up every god damned sound in the entire room and cause untold additional hours of editing. You don't need expensive mics, as long as they're not cheap pieces of shit. $120-150 each should suffice.

• You'll probably want to use pop/plosive filters. They're not expensive but they will filter out some unwanted noises. Put your hand in front of your mouth and make a "P" sound like "puh - puh - puh" feel that? That's going to hit the diaphragm of your microphone and cause awful noise

• Yes I would recommend stands. If you're holding your mic you're going to be moving it around and it will make scruffy noises when you do that, and it's harder to ensure that the distance between your face hole and the mic diaphragm is consistent. Also, you need something to mount the pop filter onto

• You don't need an expensive DAW, something basic will be fine. Just remember to use a compressor on each of your audio tracks. If you don't know what that is or how to use it there are plenty of youtube videos. It's essential for getting a good, full sound out of your voice.

• Make a "hang 10" sign with your hand. When you are recording that is how far your mic should be from your mouth (give or take, maybe a little bit closer for podcasting that rule is usually for recording vocals)

• Personally I prefer to record directly onto the computer rather than a zoom recorder, but they both work. If you decide to record directly onto your computer you'll need an external audio interface to plug your mics into. If you don't want to go that route, zoom should work just fine

Good luck, and have fun!

Edit: I forgot to add, sound proofing your room is not necessary, it's also ridiculously expensive to do so. Just make sure that all your windows are closed, fans turned off, etc. Just reduce your ambient noise as much as possible and you'll be fine.