I've conducted over 500 interviews for a variety of podcasts and have produced many more.

At this point in podcasting, quality audio is just expected from the listeners. And it's pretty easy to achieve with all of the advancements in tech and audio equipment over the past several years.

Unfortunately, many people make achieving excellent sound more difficult than it needs to be.

Here are the 5 things you'll want to record an amazing sounding podcast:

Use a decent mic

Tons of options exist. I prefer Shure mics in most situations.

Consider the Shure SM58 or SM7B if you want an XLR mic or the Shure MV7 if you want a USB mic.

Use a digital recorder

The digital recorder is the primary way you'll record your interview. You'll want something capable of a fancy thing called "mix-minus."

I have the Sound Devices MixPre-6 ii in my office and we send the Zoom PodTrak P4 to all of our clients.

Connect with the right software

You have many software options for connecting with guests remotely. But you should pick one designed specifically for recording podcasts. This will be our secondary or backup means of recording.

Riverside is our go-to solution for high quality audio and video recordings.

Use headphones

This is the easiest way to improve your recordings. Headphones help prevent echo from your mic picking up your guest talking through the computer speakers.

Use whatever you have. My love my Audio-Technica ATH-M50xs.

Record from a quiet space

This is often the most overlooked aspect of getting quality sound. The best equipment in the world won't matter if you are recording from a terrible space.

Simple to dos include reduce background noise in the space, reduce background noise outside of the space, and reduce the echo of your own voice.

Do those 5 things and you will have a much better sounding podcast.