I started podcasting in late 2008, using a Macbook (black) bought in April 2008. I've been using the same setup ever since. It's not the ideal setup, but it seems to work pretty well.

I have a Plantronics headset I bought from BestBuy for about $50. It plugs into the USB port, but if you take the adapter off, you can use the analog plugs for mic and headphones separately. It doesn't have the depth of low frequency response that something like a Heil would have... maybe someday.

For recording on Skype I use a Skype plugin called Skype Call Recorder. It cost about $15 and records both sides of a conversation, including all parties in a conference call.

I use GarageBand on a Mac, and just drag in the audio file from Skype Call Recorder (if I've recorded a call).

I export as MP3 from GarageBand. BTW, there was a bug (don't know if it's been fixed) that is really frustrating in GarageBand. If you try to export an MP3 with a file name greater than about 25 characters, it goes through all the motions and number crunching, but then does not write the file to disk. Not a trace of it. So, keep the file names under 25 characters, and it seems to be fine.

Then, I upload to my blog on the Streetwise Security Zone community (hosted by iGroops), which is configured to set up iTunes and Feedburner. I upload the Social Media Security audio file to a Libsyn account, which provides great daily download stats.

When I have the money, I hope to get a Heil microphone and either a Marantz or Zoom portable digital audio recorder. Then, you can do fun things like recording in the field, or fancy mixing techniques.

I look forward to hearing what others are using.

Scott

Although it's a bit outdated, here is how we produce our shows at Waves of Tech:

http://www.wavesoftech.com/waves-tech-podcasting-techniques/

Our podcast No Shirt, No Shoes, Pants Optional is a comedy podcast that has two or more voices recorded at the same time in interview and situational comedy. My basic machine is an iMac (Intel based with Snow Leopard OS). It's connected to an Alesis MultiMix 8 firewire mixer. This mixer allows me to record four separate channels on Garageband. This helps when sound editing because you can isolate each voice and record 4 separate tracks simultaneously. Garageband is great for adding sound effects and music tracks. I use Sennheiser dynamic mikes to record. I have a program called Audio Hijack Pro which allows me to record anything that comes through the computer, including Skype. If there is a sound bite from YouTube or a news show or sample sound effect, you can grab it with Audio Hijack. It costs around $50. and is a great tool. There is a wonderful free program that I depend on called Levelator. Once I've finished editing, I save the recording in iTunes, convert to aiff format on iTunes and then run that file through Levelator. This program will smooth out all the recording levels. The final result is a very balanced, level sound throughout the recording. Libysn is my choice for distributing the podcast. Enjoy your podcasting.