So in yesterday’s blog post we told you that you only really need a smartphone to create acceptable recordings for your podcasts.

As the most basic level, this is all you need for your podcast recording.

Today’ we’ll discuss the techniques you should be looking at to get the best quality audio for your podcast audio.

Acoustics

The environment where you record your podcast audio will have some bearing on how it will sound.  Large rooms, with hard walls and reflective surfaces will have increased reverberation which will reduce the intelligibility of speech, the one thing you are trying to record.

If you record in large rooms with hard surfaces, sounds will bounce around in an echo-y fashion

Smaller spaces with more absorbent materials (curtains, carpets, soft furnishings) will create better quality audio as these spaces will have less reverberation.  

Smaller rooms with absorbent carpets, curtains and soft furnishings will give better sound.

So, bear in mind that the smaller the room you record in and the less reflective surfaces there are will result in a better sounding recording.

Position

You can hold the phone in your hand whilst recording however you may suffer from handling noise.  If possible try and use a stand for the phone (or an impromptu stand as created here from paperclips).  

A stand or resting the phone against a surface will eliminate handling noise.

Make sure the microphone which is located at the bottom of your phone is pointing upwards.

Distance

Microphones on smartphones are omnidirectional which means they record in all directions.  Aim for anyone who is being recorded to be reasonably close to the mic, about an arms length if possible.  The closer you get to the phone the more direct the captured sound will be giving a better result.

Tomorrow we’ll look at editing and assembling your podcast.

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