The Blue Yeti is a classic. It's become the go-to entry-level mic for content creators, streamers, and remote workers alike. It's plug-and-play, no-fuss to set up, and it sounds great. It's got a bunch fo nice controls on the hardware like sound direction and a mute button. The quality is really nice and you don't need a boom arm or to use it. Just plonk it on your desk and move it out the way when you don't need it.

What are you gunna do when you’ve gotta record a video (or join a call) from a cafe and it’s noisy af? You need some noise cancelling headphones. AirPods, Bose, Sony, whatever! Doesn’t matter. What does matter is your focus and sanity, so make sure you got a pair of these in ya JanSport.

It looks great, it’s built really well, it sounds amazing, and all the pros use it. The SM7B is basically the gold standard for podcast audio these days. It’s an XLR condenser mic so it’s got accurate, balanced sound with minimal interference noise. If you want a great podcast setup, then you need this mic. But there are a couple gotchas. If you’re new to professional audio you’ll need to purchase an audio interface. This routes the sound from the mic into your computer. It has special XLR inputs which computers definitely don’t have. On top of that, you’ll probably need a preamp — this is for boosting the volume of the microphone. By default, the SM7B is a very quiet microphone. Once you’ve got it all set up sound is well worth it.

Shotgun mics are the secret hack to really great videos. Why? Because you can’t see them. Normally to get great audio you need the mic as close to your mouth as possible. Think about all those podcast interviews where the SM7B’s are held super close to the speakers’ mouths. The sound is great, but having a big mic covering your face kinda ruins the shot. With a shotgun mic you can avoid this. Shotgun mics are designed for film and television. Their job is to pick up high quality sound and not be seen on camera. The Senheisser MKH 416 is one of the best shotgun mics on the market. Connect this to a boom arm, point it at your chest and make sure it’s out of shot. Pro-level audio and nothing blocking your face.

Finally, a little bonus option for all you psychos. The Teenage Engineering CM-15 portable mic. Who cares about the sound (the sound is good) this thing looks so friggin sick. But costs an arm and a leg.