The way your podcasts sounds is just as important as its content. If your audio isn’t good, your podcast’s listenership will suffer. Follow these 5 tips to ensure your podcast isn’t hindered by poor quality sound.
Tip 1: Use a mic that’s compatible with your system
Before you even start recording your podcast, you need to make sure the microphones that you’re using actually work with your system. The first step is to confirm that your mics will work with the computer or smartphone you’re using to record your podcast. For your mic to work, you have to be able to connect your mic to your system. If you’re using a USB mic, you can connect the mic directly into your computer. It’s one of the easier ways to connect a mic. USB mics allow you to bypass the need for a mixer or a separate i/o device.
Tip 2: Use good mic placement
Where you place your mic always makes a huge difference in the quality of audio. Never neglect good mic placement. Proper mic placement leads to clear and audible audio, so you want a mic that is easy to adjust to the right position. That way if you need to adjust the mic in the middle of the podcast, you can do so with ease.
Tip 3: Choose a mic with the right directionality
You will need to choose the right directionality depending on where you’re recording. A microphone’s directionality determines how the mic picks up sound and what sounds are rejected. It’s best to use a mic that’s directional enough to keep unwanted sounds from getting picked up. Unidirectional and cardioid microphones pick up sounds from a specific direction or axis. Directional mics are designed to minimize background noise. Omnidirectional mics, on the other hand, pick up sound from every direction. The kind of directionality you’ll need will depend on your recording environment and what sounds you want to record.
Tip 4: Make sure you can hear yourself
You need to hear yourself before and during your podcast. This allows you to adjust the audio as you see fit. Additionally, you’ll be able to catch any changes in audio if they happen during recording. Being able to adjust for changes on the fly helps avoid any major loss of quality. Closed-back headphones are great since their design will help you focus on the podcast’s audio throughout the entire recording session.
Tip 5: Record at the highest quality
Make sure to capture your audio at the highest quality. If you’re worried about running out of storage, don’t. Audio files are relatively small, so capturing at the highest bitrate and sample rate won’t be a burden in terms of drive space. So go ahead and record at the highest quality you can for as long as you need to.
AKG Lyra USB Microphone has a long list of features
If you need to record a great sounding podcast, one mic to consider is the AKG Lyra. It’s marketed as an easy to set up mic that is universally compatible thanks to its USB connectivity. It doesn’t matter if you have a Mac or a PC; it will work with either. The mic also works with iOS and Android tablets and smartphones.
The AKG Lyra has multiple mounting options through its integrated desktop mic stand. It can also be mounted to a stand or boom, so there’s a lot of flexibility for its placement.
The Lyra is ready for ultra-HD quality audio with a 24-bit bitrate, 192kHz sample rate and high-resolution converters. With an adaptive capsule array, the Lyra uses four mic capsules to provide four different capture modes, giving you more or less rejection from your environment. And, with zero-latency monitoring, you can track with full control over output volume, mic gain and mute. Plus, the Lyra can be bundled with the K371 headphones.
Keep these tips in mind
To capture the best sounding audio possible, choose a mic that works best with your system and record with the right amount of rejection to isolate the sound source. Add in good monitoring and high-quality capture, and you’re sure to improve your next podcast. Get out there and put these tips to work.
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