Now that you have your story thought out and yourscript written, you are ready to start recording and editing yournarrative podcast. This starts with making sure that the audio you lay down isof good quality. Here are some audio production basics that can help to giveyour podcast a smooth, professional sound:
Know your recordingspace
For “in-studio” audio, you want to seek out a large room withplenty of space around you. Small recording spaces with hard, flat surfaceswill allow sound to bounce around and reverberate in your recordings. If you donot have access to a professional studio with sound dampening walls, positionyourself in the middle of a large room, as far from the walls as possible. Youshould also listen to the ambient sounds of your room through your headphonesprior to laying down audio. Do you hear the hum of an A/C unit, or the buzz offluorescent lights? If you can hear it through your headphones, you will alsohear it in your recording. Try to find a space that minimizes these ambientnoises.
For scenes that take place outside of a sterile studio, don’tbe afraid to record in actual spaces. In these cases, the ambient backgroundnoises can be desirable. For example, if a scene is set in a coffee shop, youcould take a field recorder and record lines in an actual coffee shop. Thebackground sounds you get will help to fill out the setting for your listener.
Check your inputlevels
Most audioediting programs will have some sort of audio-level scale that usuallyconsists of a bar that goes from green, to yellow, to red. You want to avoidrecording in the red. It’s much easier to increase the volume of a file thandecrease it, so the key is to get your levels as close to the red as you canwithout actually going into it. This will give you a good volume level withoutdistorting the sound. A quick rule of thumb is to try to record your audio witha peak input of around -10dB.
Use proper microphonetechnique
Everyone has heard audio with annoying “P” pops and “S” sounds.These issues are caused by excessive bursts of air hitting the microphone, andprobably mean you are too close to the mic. The best way to minimize theseunwanted sounds is to move off-axis from your microphone. Setting your mic upslightly to the side, angled towards your mouth, will prevent air from hittingthe microphone directly and will result in a more natural tone. Most people’surge is to speak straight into a microphone … resist that urge!
Once you have recorded your audio files, there are also somesimple tips for audio editing that can make a big difference in the soundquality of your recording. We will go into more detail on editing tips in laterepisodes, but for now, here are some basic audio-editing techniques that canreally increase the quality of your podcast.
Crossfade, crossfade,crossfade
Any time you cut a file or join two files together, makesure you insert a crossfade between the adjacent clips. This helps to normalizeyour volumes and cover up any distracting clicks or pops. The dialogue betweencharacters will sound more natural.
Tweak usingequalizers
EQ is an extremely useful tool when editing audio and cangive you the ability to boost or cut frequencies, making your overall soundquality better. If your audio sounds too “booming,” there is probably too muchbass. If it sounds “muddy,” you have too much low-midrange volume. A “harsh”sound likely means there is too much upper midrange. Adjust your EQ to levelout your clips and create a smoother overall sound.
Remove backgroundnoises
If you don’t have a professional sound studio, there willlikely be some unwanted background noises in your recordings. The good news isthat it’s okay, those noises can usually be removed. Most editing software hasbackground noise removal capabilities that allow you to highlight and removebackground sounds automatically. You don’t need to be an expert sound engineerto do this, as most software will have preset noise reduction settings you canuse.
Compressand normalize
Most audio editing software will also allow you to compressand normalize your audio files. Compression filters are the easiest way to makeyour audio sound professional post-recording. They are basically automaticvolume controllers that help to reduce your audio’s peak levels. This has theeffect of “smoothing out” your vocals and creating a more natural sound.
Once you have compressed your audio, you can also apply anormalization filter. This boosts the volume of your audio so that it uses thefull volume range of available speakers. Both compression and normalization arelikely preset filters available in most audio editing software.
Audio production basics are important to makingsuccessful podcasts. Taking the time to make sure you record your audio in thebest setting possible and applying some simple editing presets can have a hugeeffect on the sound quality of your audio files. Don’t be afraid to play aroundwith your audio-editing settings to find the perfect sound balance for what youenvision your podcast to sound like.
