8 Tips to Get Pro-Level Podcast Audio on a Budget

In Episode 02 of our Podcast Marketing Series, you'll learn how to create a show with stellar audio quality no matter what microphone you use.

Links from this episode:

• Squadcast
• Riverside.fm

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Transcript

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If you want to grow your podcast, you need to have good sound quality, even if the content you have is great. If the sound quality isn't good, your listeners can't hear what you're saying or they're going to be turned off and go somewhere else. The good news is you don't have to spend 1000s of dollars to get good sound quality, as long as you follow these eight simple tips. Tip number one is to invest in a microphone. Now your laptop microphone or the microphone that comes with your phone just isn't going to cut it. That's because both of them will pick up a lot of background noise. And the overall sound quality just isn't that great. The good news is you don't have to pay an arm and a leg to invest in a good microphone. Alvin actually recently recorded a video that reviews two mics at cost under$100. And if you want to watch that video, click on the link in the show notes. Tip number two is to record in a quiet place. Ideally, you'll record in a soundproof room. But I know that in reality you're probably recording from your apartment or your home. In this case, try to find a separate space hopefully a room where you can close the door that's quiet enough you can record your podcast if you have children or dogs or other noisy areas in your home. Try to avoid that as you're recording your show. Tip number three is to get some sound dampening materials. You don't need to go on fancy and get soundproofing equipment. The point here is to reduce the echo that might come across on your recording. So you can use things like moving blankets, towels, or even pillows around your microphone so that when you're recording, you can get the best audio quality possible. Tip number four is to practice your mic technique. A seasoned podcaster can make $100 microphone sound like a $2,000 microphone, just based on the technique, you can buy a pop filter that you should cost less than $10 and practice the right distance between you and the microphone which is usually about six inches. If you really want to take it one step further. Go ahead and practice recording your voice using different angles and distances from the mic to make sure you really are getting the best sound quality that you can. Tip number five is to prepare your guests. Now if your guest is a podcaster that's great, there's probably not much more you can say to get the best audio quality you can from them. Now if your guests happens to be not as tech savvy or it's the first time they've ever been on a podcast, you might need to do a little bit more coaching. So simple tips like making sure their quiet room having them wear headphones while you're recording can really make a big difference. Tip number six is to make sure that you and your guests have a great internet connection. If either of you has a spotty internet connection, it's going to result in things like poor audio quality. Maybe either of you will cut off or picking up weird glitchy background noises and that just isn't going to cut it as a pro tip. Plug your laptop into your internet modem so that you can get the best speeds possible. Tip number seven if you're recording remotely invest in recording software that's designed for podcasts. So companies like squad cast Riverside are really great, because they're designed for podcasts and to help you record high quality audio. Now compare this to things like zoom or Skype, which is great for catching up with family and friends. But they're not the best for when you want to record a podcast. And the last tip a little technical but well worth it is to record what's called a double Ender. So in addition to recording on software like squad cast, you can also have each person record in Audacity on their individual devices. That way you can extract the best quality possible from any of those recordings. Thanks for listening to Podcasting Q&A. If you have a question you would like for us to answer in a future episode of the show had to speakpipe.com/Buzzsp out or click on the link in the show notes and leave a brief udio message Podcasting Q&A is available both video and audio ormat. If you prefer video, please subscribe to the Buzzsp out YouTube channel. And if you d like audio Podcasting Q&A is available on all your favori e podcast apps. That's it for to ay. Thanks for listening and as always keep podcasting