Tips on how to register a quality Podcast

After editing, mixing and mastering hundreds of podcast and see the same quality issues pop up again and again, I wrote this short guide to help new podcast producers produce better sounding podcasts and not make the same mistakes, that, once establishedare difficult to solve.

These are the most essential tips for recording a good podcast.

Format

Format is one of the most important yet most overlooked aspects of Podcast recording. I'm surprised to receive Podcasts included in wav 8 bits, 8000khz, or worse at 32 KBps mp3! This is to give you an idea, like wrapping a chocolate pastry in a matchbox! Nothing that many of the original will survive!
I always advice recording in wav format at 44100, 16-bit. This format makes the best quality for size. The file size may, however, huge (1 min recording = ca. 10 mb). But once it is registered, a sound engineer can mix, master, eq and Polish and reduce the a small 15 mb file, ready to upload. In this way the saturation and the quality of the source is maintained most and all other process such as noise reduction and Eq beautiful results. If you want to record in mp3, I propose a bit rate of 320 kbps, 44100 at least.

Place the microphone

The microphone or Miking is a comprehensive science in itself. If the microphone is too close to the mouth, Pops will cause, and bass boost, making the sound muddy or hard. If it's too far, the voice presence will suffer. It's always a good idea to register a few samples with different placements and see what gives the best results. Some basic do's and don't-

1. keep the microphone as far away as possible from unwanted sound sources such as CPU fans, a/c pipes etc.

2. do not place the microphone directly behind a wall. This will result is reflections and the voice will echo.

3. place the microphone directly in front of your mouth, about 4-8 inches. You can also position the microphone a little bit higher than your mouth and point it down.

4. always a pop screen/filter to the explosive breath sounds.

Levels

As a rule, the recording level never cross 0 db. A level higher than 0db nasty caused distortion in your recordings. The best way to avoid it is to do an example recording and hear it back. Always check the levels on your recording software. Low levels can always be fixed, but distortion is almost impossible to confirm. My advice; on the maximum levels do not include. A bit limit and always check that your recording no distortion. Or better, if you use a compressor in the signal chain can apply, it allows for the peak levels.

Location

An acoustically treated room is the best place for recording. Although ideal, it may not be available for all podcasters. Never include in rooms that have a lot of metallic furniture items or an entire empty space. This will reflect the sound waves and will lead to poor shots. A room with carpet and wooden furniture is a better choice.
Verify that the location you choose has minimal ambient sounds. Fans, exhausts, noisy CPU all contribute to broadband noise. Make sure that there are no phone ringing, the neighbor's dog or the doorbell!

Happy recording!

Rajiv Agarwal is a professional sound engineer and music producer. Visit his leading online studio http://www.audioshapers.com/for affordable editing, mixing and mastering of Podcasts, Seminar CDs, jingles, music podcast and all kinds of audio work.