Given that your podcast is 100% audio it’s really important that it sounds good. The quality of your podcast reflects on you and your business/brand. Below are some podcast recording tips to help you capture quality audio which doesn’t undermine your expertise and credibility.
- Record audio locally – Assuming you are recording remotely (over zoom etc.), rather than relying on your video conferencing software to capture the audio, have your guest record themselves and then send you the audio recording. Not only will the audio quality be better but you will not be at the whim of the internet and any connection issues. If your guest doesn’t have a microphone they could simply use their phone.
- Use a microphone and pop shield or windscreen. There are quality limitations to using laptop or phone microphones so if possible buy a dynamic microphone. A pop shield goes between the microphone and your mouth to stop plosives i.e. rushes of air when you say words with the letter p or b. A windscreen is the black foam that goes around the microphone and serves the same purpose
- Record in a small room with soft furnishing – You want the room you record in to have as little reverb (echo) as possible. This reverb comes from flat surfaces like walls and floors. Soft furnishings such as curtains, sofas, carpets etc. help dampen down the reverb. You could even get drying racks and hang duvets or blankets over them to further dampen the room.
- Keep still. This applies to when you are talking as moving around will create variation in the signal strength. However it also applies to when you are listening as background noise can be distracting. NB as you get closer to your mic you experience the “proximity effect.” Basically your voice has more low/bass frequency to it. Find a comfortable distance from the mic and then adjust the gain accordingly. The signal shouldn’t be too hot/loud
- Wear headphones – If your microphone records your guest’s voice coming from your speakers, you will have problems. There will be a latency/delay between their local recording and your recording which will cause editing problems.
- Record 5 seconds of room ambience – The chances are that you may need to remove some of the background noise from your recording. There is software which can do this incredibly well (Audacity and Izotope RSX) In order to do this you need a recording of the room with no talking or movement.
Another element which we’ve not explored in these podcast recording tips but will help your podcast sound slick and professional is music. For more information on using music in you podcast see the article Tips on Podcast Music
Alternatively if you want some bespoke podcast intro music get in touch
