I’ve been producing podcasts at CHW Studios for around 3 years now, and doing something consistently for that amount of time has taught me some important lessons. While this isn’t a comprehensive guide to producing the perfect podcast, my hope is that it will be a great jumping-off point for anyone who’s been thinking of starting one - especially if you’re feeling a little anxious or apprehensive about it. Here are five things I’ve learned that I think will help you out:
1. It’s simple, but not easy.
The process of podcasting is simple: plug in some mics, hit record, start talking. The “not easy” part comes in when you start thinking about what you’re going to talk about, how many hosts to have on your podcast, how many podcasts already exist for people to listen to, should you have guests, how long you should talk about whatever niche subject you decide on (by the way, niche is good!), what mics to use…it can get overwhelming! I highly recommend sketching it out on paper or in a note on your phone before hitting record. Seeing a visual of what you’re about to do can help calm you down if you’re nervous, and placing some guidelines for how long to talk through each section can help you stay on track and not ramble, unless of course you want it to be a bit ramble-y (go find Adam Scott Auckerman for an example).
Let’s say you’re looking to spend 15 minutes per week talking about your business or you’re a musician sharing about your songwriting process. Here’s a possible flow you could follow:
Intro (1 minute) - music fades in, introduce yourself, give a tag line, introduce what you’re going to talk about
Content - give 3 main points on your subject and talk about each one for a few minutes
Outro (1-2 minutes) - music fades back in, thank everyone for listening, let them know how to find you and support you (social media, Patreon, email, etc.)
It really can be that simple! On a personal note, if I get too detailed on my outline, I tend to stop and start a lot, it doesn’t flow naturally, and I give myself a lot of editing to do on the back end. If that sounds like you, I recommend just making a few bullet points and try to really “own” the information - in other words, keep it as natural and conversational as possible.
2. Microphone choice is extremely important.
Ah yes, tools of the trade. The first time I ever recorded a podcast, I made the mistake of using a Neumann TLM 102 with myself and 2 friends sitting around it having a conversation about…I don’t even remember what (you can search for “These Are Words” and have a good laugh!). If you’re not familiar with that microphone, imagine a beautiful $700 piece of equipment that sounds AMAZING…IF you’re in a vocal booth with acoustically treated walls/floor/ceiling OR if you are looking to pick up every sound in the room! Needless to say, it was a fun conversation but it sounded like garbage.
What I learned from this (and from messaging some audio friends who had way more experience than me) is that expensive condenser mics have their place, but for a simple, DIY setup we were better off using less expensive mics. Shure SM58’s with some cheap pop filters sounded 1000% better, and the cost there was only about $300 (you can go used for even cheaper). The big lesson here is that dynamic mics on each person, with the hosts and guests speaking more directly into them, will sound so much better than an expensive condenser in the middle of 2 or 3 people. If you can set up some acoustic foam, it will help, but the main thing here is using something that won’t pick up all the noise in the room (keeping the gain in the mid-range will help too).
***Side note - here’s a list of some of the hardware I’m currently using: Zoom Livetrak L12 Mixer, Shure SM7B, Rode Procaster, headphones for each person. I’ve done some upgrades for sure, but again, 3 SM58’s and a Scarlett Interface will sound just fine. Feel free to shoot me a message with questions on what equipment to use!
3. Editing is a fine line.
For anyone who doesn’t know, the editing process for podcasts happens in a DAW (digital audio workspace) such as ProTools, Garageband, Reaper, Cubase, Logic (which is what I use). It essentially gives you a visual of what you are recording on the front end (make sure it’s not too quiet!) and gives you the freedom to turn volume up and down, take out annoying mouth sounds and breaths, etc. on the back end. When I say editing is a fine line, I just mean that you can go to EXTREMES with taking out noise, editing the space between people talking, making things sound “perfect”, whatever that means to you.
My recommendation here is to try to make things sound as natural as possible. A couple examples: I’ve been in plenty of situations where the people I’m recording are taking 6-10 seconds to form their thoughts before saying a paragraph’s worth of content. I think it’s a great idea to take that space down to about 2 seconds! Otherwise, the podcast gets a little…sluggish, especially if it’s happening frequently. Also, taking out “ums” and “uhs” is always a good idea, in my opinion. BUT sometimes taking out all of them can make the podcast feel less natural - thus the fine line. If you hear a dog barking from the other room and you want things to be as distraction-free as possible, by all means take out as much as you can. But if it becomes a fun back-and-forth between the hosts about hilarious dog stories or memes - definitely keep it in if it feels good!
Bottom line: with editing, there’s formulas you can follow, there’s science to it, and sometimes you just have to “feel” it. Let me know how I can help you with the editing process for your podcast, and I’ll try and point you in the right direction!
4. Mixing and Mastering is WAY simpler than I thought it would be.
Ok, this does fall into the “simple, not easy” category for sure - but I have a couple pointers for you that I think will help. First, try not to overthink your mix. I used to spend way too much time analyzing every little detail of a mix before sending something out into the airwaves. The most important things to remember are making sure the volume of each host is as close to the same as possible (although if you’ve listened to enough podcasts, you know that that’s not even a dealbreaker!), and go for as natural a vocal sound as possible.
To get that natural vocal sound, try to use as few plug-ins as possible. I would start with EQ and Compression for each mic, then an overall gain boost/limiter on your entire mix. (Not a sponsor, but I tend to use the stock EQ plugin in Logic because I like the visual in real-time, then a C1 Compressor/Gate to even out the levels and limit the background noise that comes through when someone isn’t talking). This is a huge can of worms to open, so I’ll leave it at that for now, and I may do a future blog/video/podcast on signal chain and what plugins I like to use!
***Some other plugins I use from time to time, as necessary: Izotope’s RX7 Vocal De-Noise, Waves’s De-esser, De-Breath, and Vocal Rider. If things get really bad as far as noise, or if you leave an electrical chord resting on an XLR…not that I’ve ever done that…Waves has X-Noise and Z-Noise that can lessen those things consistently in a mix.
5. Great content is more important than sound quality and flow.
Look, I’m not saying you’re going to get a thousand subscribers in your first month because you know everything about your niche topic. What I mean by this is that it’s important to go ahead and start. You wouldn’t believe how many podcasts I’ve started listening to on episode 10, or episode 100, or if it’s Joe Rogan, episode 1285 (estimating here). By that time, those hosts probably have a great flow, they’re making a little money with sponsors or Patreon subscribers or YouTube, and if you scroll alllll the way back down to episode one (if they have it listed), it’s bound to be a little rough. Quick example, I really love the goofiness and rapport and subject matter of My Brother My Brother and Me, but I went to the bottom and listened to episode 4 and, yes, it was rough!
So if you believe in your content, or even if your 50/50 on your subject matter, go ahead and start - you can and will get better as you go!
I would love to help you however I can - shoot me an email at chwstudios865@gmail.com or find CHW Studios on social and I’ll do my best to give you some pointers. I’d love to hear where you are int he process of podcasting as well as how this was helpful for you!
- Asher