Creating a great podcast starts with recording polished podcast audio. Creating great audio can take some practice, but with the right knowledge it’s easy to skip the simple mistakes that can be made. These 15 podcast recording tips will set you on the right track to make your podcast recording process seamless. If your original audio isn’t great, no amount of editing will fix it so it’s crucial to focus on keeping podcast audio quality high from the start.
Podcast Recording Tips to Improve Audio Quality
Producing the right sound is the key to great podcast recordings. It’s the podcast host’s responsibility to ensure all factors that contribute to a polished podcast audio are taken care of. If you host a podcast or want to start one, follow this guide to ensure your recording environment and techniques used are always conducive to creating a great podcast episode.
1. Choosing equipment
Any microphone can work to record your episode (even your laptop mic) but we suggest you invest in your audio quality. You’ll need a few pieces of podcast equipment to record professional and clear audio. This has the biggest impact on your audio quality compared to the other tips on this list. It’s luckily also the easiest podcast recording tip to action.
Similarly, while you don’t need headphones to record your episode(s) it’s still preferable if you have them. Earbuds work, however ones that fully cover the ears are even better. Having everyone on your podcast episode wear headphones will save you many editing hours cleaning up the audio.
2. Warming-up makes a difference
Just like any muscle in your body, your mouth needs to warm-up! If you’re a host or guest on a podcast you’re going to be doing a lot of talking – that’s the whole point of a podcast after all. You can improve your performance during the recording by practicing your script, questions or even a tongue twister prior to the recording. This will help you with pronunciation, thinking on the spot and avoiding awkward pauses.
3. Using your microphone properly
There are a few measure you need to take to ensure your microphone isn’t having a negative impact on your podcast audio quality.
- Place your microphone at the same height as your mouth.
- Sit a few inches back and have the pop filter between your mouth and the mic.
- Focus on your mouth’s distance from the microphone and adjust your body based on the desired volume level.
The closer you are the mic, the louder your voice will sound. Keeping your mouth the same distance from the mic while recording will make the audio more cohesive throughout the episode.
Most podcast recording softwares show you your volume levels as you record. The scale is usually green-yellow-red. Keep your volume in the green section for normal conversation and yellow when you need to add emphasis to certain words. If you hit the red section, your volume may become distorted. It’s best to avoid this.
4. Breathe with care
The sound of loud inhales and exhales could be distracting and unprofessional when recording your podcast. In order to breathe more quietly, you can try siting up straight, taking smaller breaths, or even turning away from the mic when you need to take a really big breath.
5. Stay still
The easiest way to make unwanted background noise when recording is unconsciously (or consciously) moving your body. This is a bigger issue if you’re using wired earbuds for recording your podcast as the mic on the wire can become muffled and rub against your shirt. Be aware of your body while recording to limit this from happening. You can try things like keeping your feet planted while sitting in a chair and using notes on an iPad instead of papers to avoid movement as much as possible.
6. Fix sound problems ahead of time
Before you start recording your podcast episode, do a test recording. This is your chance to test your mic, your guest’s mic and any other equipment involved. You’ll give yourself to identify and fix any audio problems (such as construction in the background) before its too late to remedy them. You don’t want to discover any audio issues when it’s too late and they can’t be edited out.
7. Speak when it’s your turn
In normal conversation, we often say things while the other person is speaking, such as “yes”, “true”, and “okay”. While this makes sense in a conversational setting, a podcast conversation is different. Interjecting while your guest is speaking (even if it’s positive) can be distracting and unprofessional for your listeners. Train yourself to limit this habit when recording and simply allow your guest or co-host to complete their thought. Long pauses can always be edited out.
8. Give mistakes space
Everyone makes mistakes – especially when recording podcast audio. Luckily, unless your podcast is a live show, these mistakes aren’t permanent. In order to make it possible for the editing of your podcast episode to remove your mistake, you need to give create a cue to find them in the track.
In order to do this, you have a few simple options. We recommend adding a spoken marker where you say “remove the part about [topic].” Then pause for a few seconds and continue the conversation as you were. Everything you want to remove during editing will now easily be removed.
9. Mute yourself
Turn off your mic when your guest is speaking to ensure there aren’t any errors that impact their audio on your side of the recording.
10. Hydrate your vocal chords
Drinking water before you hit record makes a difference. Your mouth and stomach will relax plus your focus will improve. You’ll also eliminate any clicking or popping noises that can happen if your mouth is dry.
11. Have everyone’s audio on a separate channel
If you have one or many guests on your show, it’s best to record each speaker on their own channel. This will give you control over their individual volume during editing.
We love using Riverside to make this as simple as possible.
12. Take breaks
Breaking the recording of your podcast episode into segments will make the recording less taxing for you and your guests. Find the logical places for you to take a break based on your podcast structure. You can use this time to check your audio for any quality issues, drink water, and prepare for the next topics you’ll be discussing.
13. Internet bandwidth
If your podcast interview is taking place online, boost your connection as much as possible is crucial. The quality of the audio your recording software captures will drastically increase.
Other than upgrading with your internet provider, you can plug your device directly into your router (versus WiFi) and close any applications that use an internet connection.
Make sure your guests sit in a place with a strong connection and plug directly into their router if they can as well.
You can run a quick speed test to check your bandwidth using this free tester. A good internet speed is at or above 25 Mbps.
14. Learn from experience
Although it’s common to hate the sound of your own voice, it’s important to listen to all audio you record (or have a team that does it for you). When something sounds off to you – it will probably sound off to others as well. Trust your judgement and don’t overthink it. The more episodes you record, the more you’ll know about what recording setup works best for you. Take notes and recreate this every time you sit down to record to improve your audio every time.
15. Don’t underestimate podcast content
No matter how good your podcast audio quality is, people won’t enjoying listening to it if the content isn’t engaging. Take the time to learn more about what you love about the podcasts you listen to and how you can apply those tactics to your own podcast.
Ready to turn your podcast idea into reality?
Here at Partnr Media, we believe podcasts are a great tool for thought leaders and brands alike to bring people together and nurture their audience. Successful podcasts do more than educate listeners. They share vulnerabilities, lessons and opportunities that bring listeners along for the ride and build a sense of community. Chat with our team today to learn about how we can help launch or grow your podcast.
