In early 2025 I wanted to step up my audio for podcasts and indoor videos without spending a fortune. Here's the budget setup I built around the RØDE PodMic for under €150, and what I learned along the way.
Lesson one: a mic isn't enough
Before this adventure, I thought buying a dynamic microphone meant plugging it straight into the camera. That's not how it works. You connect the mic with an XLR cable to an audio interface, which converts the analogue signal to digital, and then cables go from the interface to your camera or computer. So it's not just a microphone.
The gear
Microphone: RØDE PodMic. It's what you're hearing in the video. All my tests were good and the audio quality is pretty nice. It was €88, but I found a coupon and paid about €80. I'm still learning, I'm not an audio expert, so suggestions are welcome.
Pop filter, a cheap one from Amazon on top of the mic.
Audio interface: Tonor TX510. After watching many reviews, this is where I landed. Many audio YouTubers don't speak well of Tonor, but when they talked about this interface they said good things. The average price is around €39; I paid €44, maybe because I chose the white one. I love its old-school look: real knobs with LEDs instead of touch buttons. I wasn't looking for that, just a good, cheap product with good results.
Boom arm: Socodox, €37. The PodMic is very heavy, I think over a kilogram, so you need a stand. You can use a fixed desk stand, but I wanted a moving arm. I was afraid it wouldn't hold the weight, but it's doing a really good job.
The total
Altogether I spent about €150, and I'm all set to record podcasts and give better audio to my indoor videos. Thanks also to Geeks Outfit for the hoodies you've seen in my recent videos.