Part Four:
Podcast Recording
Recording Location
Once you have the equipment of your choice, you will need a location where you can record. Here are some things to keep in mind when considering a location:
- A location that is Quiet.
An ideal location will not have ambient background noise or open windows that could potentially pick up things like dogs barking and police sirens. - A location that is Consistent.
It is good to pick a location that you can use every time you want to record. Additionally it would be wise to pick a location where you can leave your equipment set up. It can be a tiring task to transport your hardware from place to place. Setting up and tearing down every time can be tedious. - A location that is Low Traffic.
You want to find a location where you will not be interrupted regularly receiving visitors or deliverys, or having people walking around in recording distance of your microphones. - A location that is Spacious.
It is important to have a decent amount of space where you record so that you don’t risk bumping into equipment while moving around. Also, more space can be better acoustically helping prevent audio bounce back off of reflective surfaces.
Ready To Record
Finally, we are ready to record! We appreciate you sticking through the tutorial so far. The recording and editing process is the most difficult part of the whole thing. This is not because of any complicated maneuvers you have to complete, it is because recording and editing require work and consistency. You are going to be recording episode after episode and at some point it is going to feel like work. The important part is to stay positive and keep the podcast quality up, because as long as you put in the hours to record as professionally and consistently as possible, your podcast can be successful.
Recording an Episode
There are many important factors that go into having a good recording session, but the most important thing to remember is to record in a way that requires little to no editing. Part of that is knowing what you want. We talked in the past about recording practice episodes. This is the first thing you should do because it will help you learn what you like and what you want to edit out. Once you get a good feel for what you like and what you don’t, you can change your game plan for future recordings to create a quality product that won’t need extensive editing each episode. Ideally you won’t have to spend more than a few minutes editing each episode and most of that will be intro and outro.
- Pick a day and time and be consistent.
As we have discussed in previous sections of this tutorial, it is extremely important to be consistent. Consistency will not only help your fans keep track of you, it will also help your hosts. Keeping consistent schedules will encourage your crew to stay dedicated and on task. Being dedicated and on task certainly leads to a better podcast. - If you are nervous the first few recording sessions, know that it will go away with time.
Recording will become second nature. Consistency will play a big part in helping this, but remember that it is very important to be able to relax and be yourself. As we’ve discussed, this is one of the things that appeals to listeners. Compare it to any other job you have had. At first it is natural to struggle and be unaccustomed to the work, but after a bit of doing it, you are going to start feeling more comfortable. - Put your mouth closer to the microphone than you think is necessary.
This is like singing on stage. Being up close and personal with your microphone will give you the kind of professional sound we are looking for. The pop filter on the microphone will guard against those hissing S sounds, the popping Ps and forceful Fs that sound like a momentary windstorm hitting the mic. Try to do some sample recordings and test your equipment and position. Move your mic arm around, change where you sit, find the most optimal spot for everything so that the best sound quality can be achieved. - Watch the “ums”, “uhs”, “likes”, heavy breathing, etc…
less to edit out later if you can kick those habits.
