Podcasting is a popular and powerful way to share your message, showcase your expertise, and connect with your audience. But to make a good impression, you need to ensure that your audio quality is clear, crisp, and consistent. Here are some tips for recording high-quality audio for your podcast.
The microphone is the most important piece of equipment for your podcast. It captures your voice and converts it into digital signals. You want a microphone that can produce a rich, natural, and balanced sound, without picking up too much background noise or distortion. There are different types of microphones, such as dynamic, condenser, USB, and XLR, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. You should research and test different options to find the best fit for your budget, style, and setup.
A bit of learning proper mic technique is going to make a world of difference. Because people like recording with cameras a lot of the time, they will have the mic sitting far away from their face. This is going to make your voice sound hollow, distant and it will pick up a lot more room noises when you need to increase the volume signal. There are dedicated mics that are good for this purpose but most people are not using them. One should get up nice and close to their mic, I recommend three finger lengths.
If audio quality is important to you, but you don't have a dedicated, sound treated studio space, make sure to purchase a DYNAMIC microphone. These microphones are less sensitive to room tone/echo and background noise and will give you better results in less than stellar conditions. There are tons of makes/models available, many for under $100, including USB options. 2 Models I frequently reccomend to my clients are the Samson Q2U (typically around $70 brand new) and the Audio-Technica ATR2100 (about $80). Both are solid options and give similar performance.
It is a good idea to learn what 'percussive sounds' are. These are sounds we all make in normal speech but our human ears and brains go a long way to filter them out. Sensitive microphones do not. (Dynamic mics less sensitive - good choice for podcasting). 'Puh', 'Thuh' and 'Cuh' sounds generate large sound pressure signals that mics pick up, especially when mouths are close to mics! E.g. 'Please pass the can' has lots of potential for 'spikes' in the recorded sound! Lapel or Lavalier mics can offer a way round this as they are typically mounted on clothing away and out of direct line of the mouth.
What happens at times is that folks are recommended a high quality condenser mic. This is usually really good but requires a really quiet room to work well. What works better for me when I take sessions from home is a simple lapel mic made by Rode. It has a very small cone that it registers and is ideal in a semi noisy environment. Sure, it will still register if a kid in the next room cries loudly but most ambient noise is cut off quite nicely.
You need to strike the right balance between bass and tremble and make sure your own voice is crisp. Listeners generally listen to baritone voices, so it's crucial to work on the elocution and voice modulation and most of all, your own personality!
The environment where you record your podcast can have a significant impact on your audio quality. You want to avoid places that are too noisy, echoey, or humid, as they can interfere with your sound and make it hard to edit. You should look for a quiet, dry, and carpeted room, preferably with some acoustic treatment or soft furnishings to absorb the sound waves. You should also turn off any fans, air conditioners, or appliances that could cause hums or buzzes.
Get a microphone that connects well to your source device. Then make sure your room is properly soundproofed. For this you can use curtains and if you are in a space where all this is difficult, then use a blanket (a thin one will do). Place it over your head and make sure your mic is close to your mouth, then when you are sure of your tent like situation, go ahead and record. The sound quality is going to be like the one in studios!
I really appreciate this advice. I see too many Podcasters who would rather show off their background room and design rather than focus on the sound.
I knew a radio show host who would broadcast from his closet. It provided an airtight sound environment - without echoes, fan noises and distracting sounds that can be heard in an open space in a house or apartment (street traffic, dogs barking, etc...)
Sempre indico uma sala reservada, com boa ilumina??o, isolamento acustico. Se n?o tiver isso e cada participante gravar de um ambiente diferente, busque locais silenciosos, sem interferencia externa, de preferencia que vc seja unica pessoa no momento da capta??o de aúdio.
Once you have your microphone and your recording environment, you need to fine-tune your settings and position to optimize your sound. You should check your input level, gain, and volume to make sure that your voice is loud enough, but not clipping or peaking. You should also experiment with different distances and angles from the microphone to find the sweet spot where your voice sounds clear and natural, without any pops or sibilance. A good rule of thumb is to keep your mouth about 6 to 12 inches away from the microphone, and use a pop filter or a foam cover to reduce unwanted sounds.
It might sound obvious, but from someone still learning about podcasting: make sure your mic is close enough to your mouth to clearly pick up your voice. Even the best equipment is not going to record high-quality sound if it's tucked away behind your monitor (no matter how this may impact the aesthetic of your background). On the flip side: avoid having your mic anywhere near where your flailing hands may end up (take this from someone who loves wildly gesturing to get their point across).
A common mistake is not thinking about what the microphone is “hearing”. The ears and audio processing in our brains that God gave us are far better than any mic system - we naturally filter out noises and reflected sound when listening, while all sounds are (relatively speaking) equal in importance to a microphone. So pay attention to background sounds, ambient noise, and sounds that are reflected off a desk or wall that get back into a microphone. A vocal shield can be helpful. Often changing the placement of the mic can make a huge different.
This is a very common mistake. Instead of checking in the settings whether the input level from the mic is appropriate, people usually rely on the audience.
A general rule of thumb is to place the mic about 45° to the side of your mouth. Even without a pop filter this positioning will reduce the pick-up of plosive sounds.
The recording software and format that you use can also affect your audio quality. You want a software that is easy to use, reliable, and compatible with your microphone and computer. You should also choose a format that can preserve your sound quality, without taking up too much space or bandwidth. The most common formats for podcasting are MP3 and WAV, each with their own pros and cons. MP3 is a compressed format that reduces the file size, but also the sound quality. WAV is an uncompressed format that maintains the sound quality, but also the file size. You should weigh the trade-offs and decide what works best for your podcast.
I would add here that, if possible (and it always should be possible if you have an experienced audio editor), recording and editing should be done in a high quality file format such as wav and with the highest fidelity you can fit into your recording medium to have the necessary headroom to allow for “human” dynamic conversation… laughing, etc. Final mixes can be converted to mp3 and other types to reduce final file size.
AIFF is another format to consider. Record uncompressed, high quality settings (at least 44.1k sample rate with a 16 bit sample depth). After done editing, then export as an mp3 for distribution.
To begin, ensure you're recording at 44.1 kHz sample rate and 16-bit sample depth. This is industry-standard hi-fi "CD quality", or the typical WAV format. When recording in Audacity, Audition, or similar software, saving as a project file should retain the original quality. After all editing is done, export as a compressed file (typically MP3) for distribution. For MP3 files, the 128 kbps bit rate setting could be considered "standard quality". 192 kbps will sound nearly indistinguishable from your master recording although with slightly larger file size/streaming bandwidth. (A lot of people won't hear the difference, especially with basic earbuds.) 64 kbps is okay for low bandwidth. Mono & VBR will also save file size/bandwidth.
After you have recorded your podcast, you should edit and enhance your audio to make it more polished and professional. You should use a good editing software that can help you cut, trim, splice, and mix your audio tracks. You should also apply some basic effects, such as noise reduction, equalization, compression, and normalization, to improve your sound quality and consistency. You should be careful not to overdo it, though, as too much editing can make your audio sound unnatural or distorted.
There are many tools available for editing audio, but some of the best ones are Adobe Audition (my favorite), Descript, ProTools, Sound Forge and PreSonus StudioOne. Descript specifically has a lot of tools/features that are great for editing podcasts including a text based editing tool, automated removal of certain words/errors, AI audio enhancement and more. If you're a DIY'er who's new to audio editing, that's probably what I'd reccomend.
You do not need to purchase an expensive program or subscription to get started with audio editing. My two recommendations are Audacity and Fairlight. Audacity is free and can handle professional-quality editing. It has a steep learning curve compared to some paid options. The user interface may be also difficult for beginners. Fairlight is equal to any Adobe or Apple product when dealing with noise reduction and refining spoken voice. It is integral to the free Davinci Resolve video editing suite. Don't worry about the system requirements, which are for video. You can edit audio on a $200 Windows laptop. Resolve is equal to or better than anything from Adobe or Apple, and the paid version with AI transcription and editing is under $400.
Speaking about AI. To effectively use AI tools in podcast editing, start by using automated transcription services to generate accurate transcripts of your episodes. Then, employ AI-driven speech recognition to identify and correct verbal fillers, pauses, or background noise. AI can also assist in equalizing audio levels, eliminating echoes, and even suggest music or sound effects. Finally, utilize AI-driven analytics to gain insights into audience engagement and tailor your content for better listener retention and growth.
If you have a good microphone and decent-sounding room (proper noise isolation), you don't need to worry about noise reduction or EQ in most cases, unless your voice just sounds "off" when you play it back. Compression (not to be confused with compressed file/streaming formats such as MP3) is used to even out the louder and softer variations in speech, especially if you're not voice-trained. Normalization is intended to level the volume differences between tracks by automatically boosting quieter tracks to make the loudest peak of each track be the same. (In practice, however, this does not always make each track sound the same loudness to your ears perceptually, so sometimes a little manual adjustment to gain/level is necessary.)
The final tip for recording high-quality audio for your podcast is to test and review your audio before publishing it. You should listen to your audio on different devices, such as headphones, speakers, and smartphones, to check how it sounds on different platforms and audiences. You should also ask for feedback from someone else, preferably someone who is familiar with podcasting or audio production, to get an objective and constructive opinion. You should be open to criticism and suggestions, and make any necessary adjustments to improve your audio quality.
During my initial venture into podcasting, my grasp of the technical aspects was modest. However, I wholeheartedly embraced constructive criticism, seeking opinions within a Telegram podcasting community. Feedback varied from subtle critiques to genuinely beneficial advice. Implementing these insights, I refined my first episode. In time, I transitioned into the role of offering guidance to fellow newcomers, striving for a balance of professionalism and courtesy in my critiques.
While there are many ways to review your audio, the first hurdle is often getting comfortable with hearing your own voice. It's important to understand that the perception of your voice and how the rest of the world hears you will be different. I've worked with many clients who cringe at the sound of their own voice, even though there is nothing wrong with it. The best solution is exposure. Listen back to your voice in a neutral way without being critical of yourself. Do that over and over again and eventually the voice in your head and the voice in your speakers will start sounding the same. Having discernment to know what needs adjusted and what's your own insecurity will go a long way to creating a podcast you can be proud of.
One of the very first things I was told when I first went on the air was "Don't think with the mic open." The same holds true for podcasting.
While recording, I swear by these rules: 1. Vocal Hydration: Mouth clicks, smacks, and pops can be distracting in audio recordings. Staying well-hydrated can reduce these noises. 2. Recording in Takes: Instead of recording one long session, consider recording in shorter takes to make editing easier. 3. Standing While Recording: Standing helps in maintaining proper posture, which can affect the clarity of your voice. 4. Pacing and Pauses: Pay attention to your pacing and use intentional pauses. It allows listeners to digest information, and make editing smoother. 5. Microphone Angles: Experiment with the angle of your microphone. A slight tilt can affect how your voice is captured and may reduce plosive sounds. Find the best angle.
Other than mic, good accoustics, a podcaster needs to keep in mind his or her state of mind. Coz your voice says it all. Do not record in a dim light, it makes you sound very soft. If you donot have a good mic or filters, use a tissue paperto cover the mic. It gives a filtered voice.
Audio quality is so often overlooked. Even if your brand/product/service is not a media deliverable (maybe you’re one of the cookie empires out there), it will be judged by the content you deliver. If you decide to start a podcast to expand your brand’s reach, mirror the quality of your product in your podcast.
Audio is great, but a lot of the fastest growing and most popular podcasts are also VIDEO podcasts. So if you already have a podcast and it's audio only, you might want to consider adding a video component in the future. Especially if the podcast is a promotional vehicle for your other endeavors. Video podcasts yield some of the highest potential for content repurposing and distribution across multiple channels.