Joe Rogan's Podcast Equipment List

Joe Rogan’s Studio Setup

The Joe Rogan Experience is a popular podcast hosted by American comedian Joe Rogan, known for its wide range of guests and discussions spanning topics from comedy to politics. With a format that typically involves long-form conversations lasting 1 to 3+ hours, the podcast aims to provide an open platform for engaging and often controversial dialogues.

Mic: Shure SM7B Vocal Dynamic Microphone

Pros: 

• Wide Dynamic Range: The SM7B offers a wide dynamic range, providing clarity and versatility in vocal and instrumental recordings.

• Durability: This mic is known for its rugged construction and legendary reliability, making it a long-lasting investment.

• Presence Boost: The SM7B features a presence boost that compensates for lack of brightness, enhancing vocal quality.

• Internal Shock Mount: it’s equipped with an internal shock mount that absorbs vibrations, eliminating the need for bulky external mounts.

• Off-Axis Rejection: Provides good rejection of off-axis sound, ensuring focused audio capture. (It doesn’t pick up background or “side” noise as much, just what’s in front.)

• Built-in Pop Filter: Includes a highly effective pop filter, reducing plosive sounds and enhancing vocal clarity.

Cons: 

• Needs to be Close: This mic is meant to be used just a few inches from your face, if you are moving a lot it won’t pick up the audio. This can be a con if you are prone to movement. 

• Transient Response: While decent for a dynamic microphone, it may not capture as much detail in the audio as condenser microphones, though for voice-only and podcasting, this should be fine.

• Low Output Level: True only in slightly older versions of this mic, there may be the need for a pre-amp. The newest version comes with one built in.

• Not Ideal for Whisper Vocals: For very quiet sources like whisper vocals, obtaining proper recording levels may be challenging without sufficient gain.

Price: Averages at about $399.

Sound quality is important on a podcast, there’s no doubt. And Joe Rogan knows it well, he focuses on in-person interviews which means he can control the sound quality not only of his own vocals, but also that of his guests. Joe Rogan has chosen the Shure SM7B Vocal Dynamic Microphone as his microphone of choice, for himself and all guests.

While on the more expensive side of microphones, it’s well worth the investment. The SM7B offers a wide dynamic range and is very durable, meaning it will last you through many years of podcasting. The mic comes with built-in pop-filter to protect recordings from harsh plosives and an internal shock mount which means it won’t react to bumps to the table or arm. However, this mic does need to be used in short range, only a few inches directly in front of the speaker’s mouth. If you are your guests are prone to expressive movements while you talk, or moving around, this might not be the microphone for your show.

Headphones: Sennheiser HD280PRO Headphones

Pros:

• Neutral, accurate sound: These headphones also have a relatively flat frequency response

• Comfortable for long recording sessions: These are designed for long-wear, don’t sacrifice your comfort while working hard in the studio!

• Durable: these headphones are very sturdy, expect to use them for quite a while. 

• Great value for the price

Cons: 

• Bass response may vary depending on fit and listener: this is a personal con, but do your best to try them out before a purchase.

• Non-detachable cable: While we recommend connected headphones for podcast recording, this can be seen as a con if you want to use these headphones for any on-the-go reasons.

Price: Average cost is about $99

Podcaster’s headphones have a reason beyond looking cool on video podcasts, we promise. Quality headphones are very important for recording audio, to understand the audio being recorded and the sound quality. Joe Rogan’s headphones are the Sennheiser HD280PRO Headphones a great choice for studio recording. 

The Sennheiser HD280PRO headphones provide a great balance of sound quality, comfort, and durability at an affordable price point. They’re quite a popular choice for studio professionals. The neutral frequency response and accurate sound make them well-suited for critical listening tasks like tracking, mixing, and monitoring. While the clamping sensation can cause fatigue after extended use for certain users, the headphones are otherwise comfortable for long recording sessions. Even though they do cost close to $100, you can expect them to last a long time. Lastly, the only drawback users may find, is that these headphones do come with a non-detachable cable, meaning when you are in the zone, you’ll have to stay near to the studio.

Audio Mixer and Interface: Universal Audio Apollo FireWire Audio Interface

However this is an older model, today’s equivalent would be the Universal Apollo x6 Thunderbolt.

Pros: 

• Great sound quality with good clocking and converter upgrades

• 6-core DSP for powered plugins, allowing you to track with low-latency UAD effects

• Wide range of models to choose from to fit different needs and budgets

• Superior build quality and stability

• Comes with UAD's excellent Console software for managing inputs, outputs, and plugins

• Ability to daisy-chain multiple interfaces via Thunderbolt

• Allows monitoring with plugins at near-zero latency while tracking
  

Cons: 

• Very expensive compared to some other high-quality interfaces

• If something breaks, repairs can be costly due to the complex technology inside

• Thunderbolt interfaces can be problematic on Windows systems

• Causes macOS to kernel panic when waking up from sleep, so sleep should be disabled

• Unison tracking with plugins may not be seen as a major benefit by some users
  

Price: On Average $2,299

Joe’s team needs a mixer and audio interface to complete the studio setup and manage all incoming audio. The Joe Rogan Podcast uses the old model of the Universal Audio Apollo FireWire audio interface, today’s newest equivalent would be the  Universal Apollo x6 Thunderbolt. 

Overall, the Apollo x6 is an excellent choice for those who value sound quality, build quality, and the ability to track with UAD plugins. However, it may be overkill for those who don't need those specific features and are willing to sacrifice some of the Apollo's advantages for a lower price point.

Editing Software: Adobe Audition

Pros:

• Comprehensive Audio Editing Tools 

• Professional-Grade Features: features like multitrack sessions, audio bus setup, and integration with Adobe Premiere.

• Ease of Use

• High-Quality Audio 

• Industry Standard

Cons: 

• A bit of a learning curve for those new at audio editing.

• Expensive

• Resource-Intensive: requires a powerful computer to run smoothly

• Not Ideal for Beginners

Price: Like all Creative Cloud apps, Adobe Audition is a subscription-based service and costs $22.99 per month.

To edit multi-tracks and the nuances of interviews, Joe Rogan’s podcast producer’s editing software of choice is Adobe Audition.

Adobe Audition provides a wide range of audio editing tools, including noise reduction, equalization, compression, and more, making it a powerful tool for podcast editing. While it may have a steep learning curve, many users find Audition easy to use once they get familiar with its interface and features. It’s become a standard in podcast and audio production, but if you are just starting out, it may not be the best software to learn with. The complexity of the software, and the price, make it quite the investment. Start learning on another program, and when you are ready, Adobe Audition is your next step. 

Hosting Platform: Spotify for Podcasters

Pros: 

• Free, for hosting unlimited episodes

• Distribution to all major apps, and syndication is easy.

• Great analytics available

• Monetization available in-house

• Can use Spotify’s music library

Cons:

• Poor Recording and Editing tools

• Spotify takes a percentage of monetization

• Lack of ownership: You hand over all rights to Spotify, they can use your podcast for advertisements or as they wish.

• Limits to size of recording: Group and solo recordings can’t exceed two hours apiece. You can also only upload files of up to 250MB

Price: Free.

Unlike most podcasts that aim to distribute as widely as possible, Joe Rogan has made a deal to distribute his podcast exclusively on Spotify. That means that the Joe Rogan Podcast is also hosted on Spotify for Podcasters. 

For podcasters who can’t strike an exclusivity deal with Spotify yet, their hosting platform can still be a great option. They offer free hosting, for unlimited episodes. However, those episodes, especially if recorded in-app, have their limits. On that note, their recording and editing tools aren’t that great overall. But the hosting is worth it, and their platform makes sure your podcast is distributed to all the major platforms: Apple, YouTube, PocketCasts, wherever you want to send it.

Ready to start your own podcast?

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into producing the Joe Rogan Podcast. If you are hoping to launch a podcast with top-notch quality, there might be a bit of an investment.
If you need help, with equipment choice, recording, production, or promotion for your brand podcast, get in touch with Lower Street.