2021 Podcast Holiday Gift Guide

Shopping for the holidays isn’t an easy task. What do you give the podcaster who appears to have everything? More Gear! If your loved ones enjoy podcasting as much as us then they’re likely always on the lookout for ways to improve their sound and be more efficient with their production time. There’s likely one area of their podcast kit that’s lacking and that they’re looking to level up. We hope this 2021 Podcast Holiday Gift Guide will have something for every podcaster, while also inspiring some great gift giving ideas.

All of these products we’ve used and love. This post contains affiliate links. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases. We hope you’ll love these gift ideas as much as we do.

Neewer Professional Microphone Pop Filter Shield

Please don’t pop your p’s. Nothing is worse than a podcast full of plosives. It’s distracting to the listener. Plosives are a popping, bass like sound that can sometimes distort audio. They’re caused by too much air being blown into the microphone’s capsule when saying words that start with P’s. Pop shields or pop blockers help reduce instances of popped p’s by dispersing air pressure. Reducing the amount and severity of popped p’s in your podcasts will improve sound quality and listenability. That’s why every podcaster can benefit from a good pop shield.

Features:

• Dual layer filter that blocks air blasts and disperses air pressure
• Fully adjustable gooseneck to angle and adjust the screen to the perfect spot
• Swivel mount for easy setup and removal
• Tightens with rotating screw clamp
• Compatible with most major boom arms or microphone stands

Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter CL-1 Mic Activator

By now you’ve probably noticed how much gain dynamic microphones need to sound robust. Those damn mics are quiet. To remedy this, in comes the Cloudlifter. Cloudlifters use phantom power to boost dynamic mics up to +25db. These things will give your vocals the extra oomph they need to shine and cut through the mix. No more noisy recordings from having to crank the gain to 10 to get a healthy microphone signal. Cloudlifters have officially solved the issue of noisy podcast recordings and we love them. Tired of hearing your friend’s noisy podcast? Add this to their stocking asap!

Features:

• Noise free amplification
• Transparent boost in sound, no color added to your recordings
• Ultra-transparent Class A JFET circuitry protects your tone

Sabrent 4-Port USB 2.0 Hub with Individual LED lit Power Switches 

When was the last time you sat down to record or edit a podcast and realized you didn’t have enough USB inputs for all your gear? Was it yesterday? Because at The Podcast Haven, it happens to us all the time. That’s why it’s safe to say that all podcasters need extra USB ports for their computers. Especially those podcasters’ with newer MacBooks. Those things only come with USB 2 ports. 2 ports!? How are you going to plug in your USB microphone, hard drive, mouse, and ilok? Well, you’re going to need to use a USB port. This Sabrent USB hub is bus powered, lightweight, and offers high speed 480mbps connections for all your external gear. Don’t let its price point fool you. This little dude is powerful! It’s a podcasting must have.

Features:

• Instantly Add Four USB 2.0 Ports to all compatible devices.
• Bus powered
• Intelligently designed to be as thin as possible

Audio-Technica 2100x USB and XLR Microphone

The ATR 2100x is both an XLR and USB dynamic microphone that packs a big punch. It’s a perfect mic for podcasters who like flexibility. Perhaps you know a podcaster who is constantly on the go, speaking at conferences or traveling for business. We’d bet they don’t want to travel around with a bulky audio interface in their luggage. The USB capability of this mic would be perfect for them, because, they can easily pack one of these in their bag without taking up too much space or weight.

But, maybe the podcaster in your life has a killer workspace at their home studio. That’s also perfect! They’ll be more than satisfied with using the XLR plug and connecting this to their audio interface. The beauty of this microphone is that it will come in handy in both recording situations.

The ATR2100x-USB captures high-quality sound with its 192kHz sampling rate and low self noise. There’s also a headphone jack on the mic itself, so you can directly monitor incoming and outgoing sound with near zero latency.

Features:

• Connection via XLR or USB
• High-quality A/D conversion up to 192kHz sampling rate
• Cardioid polar pattern rejects unwanted noise from the back and sides
• Built-in headphone jack
• Desktop stand included
• Ships with a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A cable

RODE PSA1 Swivel Mount Studio Microphone Boom Arm

When podcasting it’s important to have your hands free. Holding a microphone is a big distraction and will create handling noise in your recordings. Another reason to have your hands free is so you can access your computer to reference things being discussed, or to scroll through your show prep. The PSA1 boom arm comes in really handy in this regard. It swivels 360 degrees and reaches 32 inches horizontally and 33 inches vertically. This allows the user to position the arm and their microphone directly in the perfect position. It’s time to up your podcasting game and get yourself situated with a proper broadcasting setup.

The Rode PSA1 also looks badass. It’s time to look like you know what you’re doing in your next recording session. Grab your favorite podcaster this boom arm today.

Features:

• Supports most broadcast-style microphones weighing up to 4 pounds
• Works with USB mic’s
• 360 degree positioning
• Maximum horizontal reach of up to 32 inches and maximum vertical reach of up to 33 inches to provide ample desk coverage
• Supplied cable wraps to keep your microphone cable out of the way
• Mounts to desks as thick as 2.16 inches
• Attachment provided for desks up to 2.75 inches thick

Acoustic Panels, 2″ X 12″ X 12″ Acoustic Foam Panels

A lot of times the easiest way to improve your audio quality is not by buying some expensive microphone, it’s by acoustically treating your recording space. These foam panels are an easy way to cut down reflections in your studio, which cuts down on the amount of reverb in your podcast. To start, put up a block of 4 of these panels on the walls directly to the right and left of where you record. Next, put another block in front of your desk and a block on the ceiling above your desk. That’s a great starting point and a nice introduction to acoustically treating your studio.

We recommend buying some posterboard and glue from your local craft store and gluing the panels to the poster board. Then you can tack the posterboard to your wall. This method will save you a headache because it’s a pain in the ass to glue these foam panels directly to the wall. It’s an even bigger pain in the ass to rip off foam panels that are glued to the wall. Ripping off panels that are glued to the wall is really messy and it ruins the foam. By attaching these to posterboard, their location in your studio isn’t permanent and you can play around with the placement and height to determine what deadens your room the most.

Features:

• Provides moderate sound absorption on walls and ceilings.
• Made up of environmentally friendly polyurethane
• For use in recording studios, offices, homes, theatre rooms – You can shape and cut the foam if need be. Altering them won’t affect their performance

Sony MDR-7506 Headphones

Every podcaster needs headphones for podcasting. If you want more info about why it’s important to wear headphones while you podcast, check out this post. The Sony MDR-7506 headphones are regarded as the industry standard for recording headphones. These cans can be seen in studios all over the world.

They reproduce a flat frequency response. In other words, what you’re hearing is how the audio actually sounds. These headphones don’t beef up or process sound, which is what you want for recording, editing, and mixing podcasts. Is there someone you know not wearing headphones while they podcast? Send them a pair of these.

Features:

• The closed-back design provides you with a consistent listening environment while isolating some sound inside and outside of your headphones
• Adjustable, comfortable headband
• Easily foldable for portability 
• ¼ and ⅛ inch compatible 
• Frequency response extends from 10Hz to 20kHz – easily covering the whole audible spectrum

Hosa XLR Pro Microphone Cables

Every podcaster needs a few extra XLR cables, and Hosa makes quality cables that are affordable. These Hosa cables have years of research and development behind them. They come with Neutrik AG connectors. Neutrik is one of the leading manufacturers of audio connectors and receptacles, so you know you’re in good hands with these cables.

How long is too long? We recommend the 5 foot cable if you’re podcasting from a workstation and your setup doesn’t ever change. If you’re podcasting in a conference room, a friend’s basement, or locations that are always changing, it’s best to go longer. We recommend the 15 or 20 foot cables in that situation.

Features:

• Silver-plated REAN connectors for superior signal transfer
• 20 AWG Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC) conductors for a louder, clearer signal
• 90 percent OFC braided shield for a higher signal to noise ratio
• Limited Lifetime Warranty

The Four Pillars of Podcasting ebook

Starting a podcast might seem like a simple task. But, there are a lot of steps and moving parts that go into creating a well-crafted, professionally produced podcast. In The Four Pillars of Podcasting we set out to answer the following questions:

• What do I hope to achieve by launching a podcast?
• What type of show format do I want to create?
• What recording equipment do I need?
• How do I edit my podcast?
• How do I get my podcast on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, and the other major Podcast Directories?
• What’s the best way to market and promote my podcast on social media?

Drawn out questions such as these often leave potential podcasters confused and disillusioned before they even hit record. In The Four Pillars of Podcasting, we break down everything you need to learn how to do to successfully launch a podcast. The book is broken down into 4 steps: Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, Marketing and Launch. You need to successfully build upon each pillar in order, before you move on to the next. With a solid understanding of each pillar, you’ll be on your way to creating great, consistent podcast content that your audience gain value from.

This is a perfect gift for the newbie podcasters and those who feel stuck and are looking for advice to improve their sound or grow their audience. Available with Kindle or a downloadable PDF.

6.3 Inch Ring Light with Clamp Mount

Let’s face it, by now every podcaster has been involved in a remote recording session. How did it look? Were you the person with a well lit image? Or were you the schlub whose face you couldn’t see? When hopping on Squadcast or Riverside to record a podcast it’s important that you exude a professional appearance. After all, the respectability of your brand depends on it and a big part of looking professional is lighting.

Ring lights are all the rage and for a good reason. They’re compact, lightweight, and provide professional looking lighting at the push of a button. You can dial this light in by adjusting its brightness or shade to the tone of your studio. If you want to have a successful podcast you’ve got to look the part.

Features:

• USB Powered
• Adjustable brightness and color – Warm, warm white and white. Each color has 10 different brightness levels
• Anti-scratch mounting clamp, clamp this light to your laptop or desktop computer
• 360 degree ball head that allows you to dial in the perfect positioning

Happy Holidays

We all know that the best gifts are ones that show our appreciation and love of someone else – so these should be perfect. There is something here for every type of podcasting personality and interest/skill level. We’ve included items to help improve audio quality, lighting, organization, as well as some educational tools. These great presents are sure to make any podcaster feel loved this holiday season.

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