While there are more types of microphones, the three useful for podcasting are dynamic, condenser and ribbon microphones.

Condenser microphones have been used for all kinds of applications for a long time, and quality varies a lot. They require some sort of power source, like phantom power. Dynamic microphones are often more directional than condensers (which can use different pickup patterns). Dynamics are also often more robust. They are the most common microphone for live use, but are used in studios as well. Ribbon microphones almost seemed to disappear for a while but have seen increased usage the last years. They typically use a figure-eight pickup pattern, meaning that they pick up both at the front and the back.

Side-chaining is when you use the dynamic levels of one source to control the compression of your signal. For podcasting ducking might be the typical use for side-chaining. But you can also use it with a compressor and an EQ to create a de-esser, or with a gate and create the opposite effect of ducking, i.e., letting sound through when the signal is sounding.

A multiband compressor is simply a compressor that can be set to operate differently on different frequencies. For instance, you could set it to a ratio of 4:1 on 500-1000 Hz and a ratio of 2:1 on 3 kHz. In the same way multiband limiters also exists.

An expander is in a way the opposite of a compressor. While a compressor uses the threshold setting to reduce the signal above the set value, an expander reduces the signal below the threshold value. This makes the signal more dynamic, and is thus expanded instead of compressed.

As with most audio tools, the parameters can vary between expanders. Typical controls found are ratio, threshold, knee, range and attack.

A gate is typically the same thing as an expander, but set to a such high ratio (I.E. high compression) that it doesn’t let anything past the set threshold. In other words, it is almost to the gate, what the limiter is to the compressor. Gates are perhaps most often used as a noise gate, that is, to remove unwanted noise from recordings.

Nothc filters, or “high Q notch filters” are basically EQ bands used to eliminate certain frequencies. Usually they have very high Q settings so that they only affect a very specific area of the frequency range. Notch filters are usually used to remove hum or other noise.

DAW is short for Digital Audio Workstation. The exact description of the term is somewhat vague as it can refer to a complete system consisting of both audio interface, controller and software, or just the software only. The most common features for a DAW is multi-track recording, editing and mixing possibilities. Some of the most popular systems out there are Digidesign Pro Tools, Steinberg Cubase and Apple Logic.