UFC commentator, standup comedian, and host of “Fear Factor” are prolific titles, yet that’s not what Joe Rogan is most known for. His podcast the Joe Rogan Experience has reached millions of listeners throughout the last decade. If you’ve heard full episodes or soundbites, you’ll know that his voice and sound are distinct. So what is considered a “Joe Rogan microphone”?
Joe Rogan uses the Shure SM7B, a microphone that is considered one of the best for podcasters, video producers, and content creators. He has used the Shure line of microphones for his entire podcasting career.
In this article, we’ll break down why Rogan chose the Shure SM7B, the potential issues you may run into, and other gear he uses in his podcast studio.
Joe Rogan Microphone: Shure SM7B, why?
Rogan didn’t just pick up a random microphone to use for his popular podcast. He chose the Shure SM7B Dynamic microphone and kept this line of microphones in his studio for multiple reasons.
Firstly, Shure has a reputation for producing solid with flat responses. This means they’re great for podcasting and voice acting, but you can also find them on kick drums, guitars, and all kinds of different places in recording studios.
This microphone also has a cardioid polar pattern to help filter out background noise like electromagnetic hums. In podcasts, there may be plenty of background sounds like opening drinks, ruffling through papers, typing on laptops, and other noisy situations. It also has a pop filter which clears out heavy breathing sounds.
However, there are some issues with this microphone, too. If you watch the Joe Rogan Experience, you’ll notice Rogan consistently tells his guests to get closer to the microphone. This is because the microphone needs a high decibel gain to pick up sounds. Oftentimes, podcasters need outboard gear to get a solid audio sound.
What else does Joe Rogan want in his microphone setup?
Microphones come with a variety of sensitivity settings. The higher the sensitivity, the more sounds the microphone will pick up. Rogan’s studio isn’t perfectly soundproof, so he actually has the sensitivity quite low.
Along with the Shure microphone, Rogan also uses a Gator Frameworks Deluxe desktop-mounted microphone arm. Its 360 rotation mount lets Rogan move the microphone wherever he wants while maintaining clear audio. It also comes with a mounting option, which is great for this long-form podcast. The mount is also made of durable, lightweight material, and it also allows you to hide your microphone cables inside it.
In addition to this, Rogan has a fully-equipped studio where he records his interview. There will be minimal background noise as the room will have a controlled ambiance. Despite this, the SM7B is still designed to filter out any unwanted background noise, too.
As far as headphones go, Rogan uses the Sennheiser HD280PRO. If you’ve ever watched a video of Rogan, you can already tell these have tons of ear padding, as they are designed to wear for longer periods of time. They are also high-quality, producing crisp, clear audio.
Is there any additional gear Rogan uses to produce his podcasts?
Rogan uses a series of items to produce his high-quality podcasts without going deep into post-production editing. Though he does use tons of extra tools, they aren’t all needed to make his podcasts.
Altinex Podcast Tilt ‘N Plug Jr.
This is a podcast unit in front of each guest. It has a ton of features that make it more convenient for his guests. For example, there’s a headphone jack, a volume control knob for the headphones, a USB for charging devices, and a cough button so the guest can mute his or her mic at any time.
The Joe Rogan Experience uses this mixer to improve their sound quality and allow them more control over their audio. This is used by producers to play intros and outros, audio clips, music, and what ever other audio they want live during the recording.
The TASCAM portable digital recorder is used on Rogan’s set as a backup recording device, though you can use it as the main one. It connects to your mixer to pick up the microphone audio and can plug into the device or use the lithium-ion batteries for hours of recording.
Apple Mac Pro Desktop
This is one of the top computers for podcast and video editing. It has 32 GB of Ram and 256 GB Solid State Drive storage. On top of this, its 32-inch 6k XDR display monitor produces insanely high-quality video resolution for editing and presenting possibilities.
Of course, these aren’t the only devices that the Joe Rogan Experience uses to produce their podcasts. There’s tons more video equipment, desks and chairs, and software this podcast uses to produce its high-quality videos on podcasts.
Final Thoughts
With over a decade of podcasting under his belt, it may surprise many that Joe Rogan still uses the same version of the microphone that he did since the beginning. The Shure SM7B Cardioid Dynamic Microphone, though, is one of the best for podcasting, offering crisp audio while blocking any unwanted background noise.
If you enjoyed this article, check out the books mentioned on The Joe Rogan Experience