How to Start a Podcast in Bangladesh: Gear, Setup and Budget (2026)

1. Pick your podcast format first

The format decides almost every purchase, so settle it before you look at microphones. Ask two questions: how many people speak in the room, and will you publish video (YouTube and Facebook) or audio only (Spotify, Apple Podcasts)?

Remote guests on Zoom or Google Meet do not change your hardware: you still need a good mic for yourself, and you ask the guest to wear earphones so their voice does not echo back.

2. Choose a microphone: USB or XLR, dynamic or condenser

This is the single most important purchase. Two choices matter more than the brand.

USB or XLR?

A USB microphone plugs straight into your laptop. It has its own built-in sound card, so you do not need anything else. It is the right choice for one person recording at a desk.

An XLR microphone needs an audio interface between it and the computer. You pay more, but you can record two or more people on one computer, swap mics later, and get better sound from the same money once you go past about ৳15,000.

A USB + XLR hybrid gives you both: start on USB today, move to an interface later without buying a new mic. For most new podcasters in Bangladesh this is the best first microphone.

Dynamic or condenser?

Most Bangladeshi homes have a ceiling fan, hard walls, traffic outside and neighbours. A dynamic microphone mostly hears what is right in front of it, so it ignores much of that. A condenser microphone hears everything in the room: more detail, but also more fan, echo and horn. For podcasts, choose dynamic unless your room is quiet and treated.

Our picks

6 Months Warranty

Maono PD200X USB/XLR Dynamic Microphone

৳ 5,990 Original price was: ৳ 5,990.৳ 5,890Current price is: ৳ 5,890.

Maono PD400X USB/XLR Dynamic Microphone

৳ 15,000 Original price was: ৳ 15,000.৳ 11,490Current price is: ৳ 11,490.

Rode Pod Dynamic Microphone

৳ 18,500 Original price was: ৳ 18,500.৳ 16,490Current price is: ৳ 16,490.

Rode PodMic USB Versatile Dynamic Broadcast Microphone

৳ 32,990

3. Audio interface: do you need one?

Only if you use XLR microphones. An audio interface turns the mic signal into clean digital audio for your computer, and amplifies it. If you bought a USB microphone, skip this section: a USB-only mic cannot plug into an interface at all.

1. MicrophoneXLR dynamic or condenser
2. XLR cableone per mic
3. Audio interfacegain, phantom power, headphone out
4. Laptop or PCover USB-C

Three things to check:

• Inputs: one XLR input per person.
• Headphone outputs: one per person who needs to hear the recording. Many interfaces have only one.
• Gain: popular podcast mics like the Rode PodMic and Procaster are quiet. They need about 60 dB of clean gain. Interfaces below that work, but you turn the knob almost to maximum and hear more hiss.

What about all-in-one podcast mixers? Compact units like the Maonocaster Lite AU-AM200 (৳6,490) add sound-effect pads, voice effects and a phone connection, and suit live streams on a phone. For two XLR studio mics with separate headphones, an interface like the Vocaster Two is the cleaner option.

4. Headphones: closed-back and wired

Wear headphones while you record, so you hear problems (a rustling shirt, a mic too far away) before they ruin a whole episode. Choose closed-back headphones, so sound does not leak back into the mic, and wired ones, because Bluetooth adds a delay that makes you hear yourself late.

• Maono MH700: the budget choice, ৳4,500.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M20x: our default for guests and co-hosts, ৳7,990.
• Sennheiser HD 200 Pro: comfortable for long sessions, ৳9,990.
• Audio-Technica ATH-M40x: accurate enough to edit on, ৳14,990.

5. Boom arm, pop filter and cables

• Boom arm: it keeps the mic 5 to 10 cm from your mouth, where dynamic mics sound best, and stops desk bumps reaching the recording. Heavy mics need a strong arm: the Rode PodMic weighs about 0.94 kg and the PodMic USB about 1.1 kg, so use the Maono BA37 (৳4,000) or BA92 (৳6,200). The Maono BA20 is for light USB mics only.
• Pop filter or foam: stops the “p” and “b” sounds from thumping. The Platinum PPF1 costs ৳1,490.
• XLR cables: one for each XLR mic. Ask our team when you order; they are not always listed online.
• Video only: a fast memory card (V30 or better) for the camera.

6. Going video: camera and lights

Video podcasts are now the norm on YouTube and Facebook in Bangladesh. Your audio gear stays the same; you add a camera and soft light.

Camera

For a podcast the camera sits still for an hour or more, so three features matter more than megapixels:

• Runs on mains or USB-C power, so the battery does not die halfway through.
• Works as a USB webcam, so you can record or stream straight into the laptop.
• Does not stop recording after a time limit.

The Sony ZV-E10 II (৳1,04,490) runs from USB-C power and works as a plug-and-play webcam, so it is our default. Older bodies like the ZV-E10 and a6400 need a dummy-battery adapter for long sessions. The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 (৳39,990) is a compact alternative, but it has no microphone socket: record audio on your interface and sync it later, or pair a DJI wireless mic. For a second camera angle, a second ZV-E10 II or the Sony a6700 works.

Lights

One soft light per person, placed to the side of the camera and a little above eye level, makes the biggest difference. Bi-colour lights let you match daylight from a window or the warm bulbs in your room.

• Godox ML60Bi (৳22,990) with the Godox ML-SF50 softbox (৳4,790): quiet, compact, our default.
• Godox SL60IID (৳13,990): cheaper, Bowens mount, so it fits Phottix Raja softboxes.
• An RGB tube or stick behind you, such as the Yongnuo YN360 II, adds the coloured background you see on most video podcasts.

7. Your room, noise and load-shedding

A ৳30,000 microphone in a noisy, echoing room sounds worse than a ৳6,000 one in a quiet, soft room. Before buying anything more, fix these:

• Turn off the ceiling fan while recording. Microphones pick it up more than you expect.
• Record when the street is quiet, usually late at night or early morning in Dhaka.
• Add soft things: a rug, curtains, a sofa, a bookshelf. Bare walls and tiled floors cause echo. A wardrobe full of clothes behind you works like free acoustic treatment.
• Speak close to a dynamic mic, 5 to 10 cm, and keep the gain lower. Your voice gets louder relative to the room.
• Plan for load-shedding. USB mics and most interfaces are powered by the laptop, so a charged laptop keeps recording through a power cut. Put the router, lights and camera power on a UPS or IPS, or use battery-powered lights.

8. Recording, editing and publishing

• Record and edit audio: Audacity is free and enough to start. Focusrite interfaces come with their own software bundle.
• Record video: OBS Studio (free) records the camera and your interface audio together, and can stream to YouTube or Facebook at the same time.
• Remote guests: use a platform that records each person locally, or ask the guest to record their own side on their phone as a backup.
• Publish: upload the video episode to YouTube and Facebook, and the audio version to Spotify (through Spotify for Creators) and Apple Podcasts so listeners can find you everywhere.
• Back up every raw recording before you edit. Losing an interview to a crashed laptop is a common, painful story.

9. Four ready-made podcast setups (prices on 9 Oct 2026)

Each setup is a complete, compatible kit. Open the Podcast Setup Builder to change any part and see the bundle price.

Every order over ৳5,000 can be paid in 3 to 36 month EMI with 30+ banks, which spreads a studio-sized setup into a monthly cost. See the bank list.

10. Five mistakes we see every week

1. Buying an audio interface for a USB-only mic. It will not connect. Interfaces are for XLR mics.
2. Buying a condenser mic for a noisy room. It records the fan, the echo and the street. Choose dynamic.
3. Two USB mics on one laptop. Use XLR mics and a 2-input interface instead.
4. A Rode PodMic on a small interface or a light arm. It needs about 60 dB of gain and a strong boom arm.
5. Forgetting the second headphone output. Your co-host needs to hear the recording too. Vocaster Two has two outputs; the Scarlett 2i2 has one.

Frequently asked questions