How to Improve Your Podcast Audio Quality

Audio quality can make or break your podcast. Even the most compelling content will lose listeners if it's difficult to hear or unpleasant to listen to. This guide covers the essential techniques for achieving professional-sounding audio, from recording setup to editing and processing.

Recording Environment

1. Choose the Right Space

Your recording environment significantly impacts audio quality:

• Ideal spaces: Small to medium-sized rooms with soft furnishings, carpets, and curtains
• Problematic spaces: Large rooms with high ceilings, bare walls, hardwood floors, and bathrooms
• Listen for: Echo, reverb, and background noise before committing to a location

2. Treat Your Space Acoustically

Reduce unwanted reflections and external noise:

• Budget options:
• Hang blankets on walls or create a "blanket fort" around your microphone
• Record in a closet full of clothes
• Use a mattress or couch cushions to create a makeshift vocal booth

• Place a pillow behind your microphone to absorb reflections

• Mid-range solutions:

• Install acoustic foam panels on walls (especially at reflection points)
• Use a portable vocal booth or reflection filter
• Add area rugs to hard floors

• Hang heavy curtains over windows

• Professional setups:

• Dedicated acoustic treatment with bass traps and diffusers
• Floating room construction for complete sound isolation
• Purpose-built vocal booth

3. Minimize Background Noise

Eliminate common noise sources before recording:

• Turn off HVAC systems during recording
• Disable notifications on all devices
• Unplug or move away from refrigerators, fans, and other appliances
• Inform household members when you're recording
• Consider recording during quiet hours if external noise is an issue

Microphone Techniques

1. Choose the Right Microphone

Different microphones suit different voices and environments:

• Dynamic microphones (e.g., Shure SM7B, Rode PodMic): Best for untreated rooms, reject more background noise
• Condenser microphones (e.g., Blue Yeti, AudioTechnica AT2020): More sensitive, better in treated spaces
• Lavalier/lapel mics: Useful for on-the-go recording or video podcasts
• Shotgun microphones: Highly directional, good for noisy environments

2. Microphone Placement

Proper positioning dramatically improves sound quality:

• Position the microphone 4-6 inches from your mouth
• Speak across the microphone rather than directly into it (reduces plosives)
• Maintain a consistent distance throughout recording
• Use a microphone stand or boom arm to prevent handling noise
• Position the microphone slightly below your mouth, angled upward

3. Use a Pop Filter or Windscreen

Reduce plosives (hard "P" and "B" sounds) and breath noise:

• Install a pop filter 3-4 inches from your microphone
• For dynamic mics, a foam windscreen can help with minor plosives
• Position the pop filter at a slight angle for additional protection

Recording Best Practices

1. Set Proper Gain Levels

Correct input levels prevent distortion and noise:

• Aim for peak levels between -12dB and -6dB on your meter
• Record a test segment and adjust before starting your full session
• Leave headroom—never let your levels approach 0dB
• Speak in your normal podcast voice when setting levels
• If using a mixer or interface, set gain before applying any compression

2. Use Headphones While Recording

Monitor your audio in real-time:

• Use closed-back headphones to prevent bleed into your microphone
• Listen for unwanted noises you might otherwise miss
• Monitor your microphone technique and adjust as needed
• Check for technical issues immediately rather than discovering them later

3. Record Separate Tracks for Multiple Participants

Even for in-person recordings:

• Record each speaker to a separate audio track when possible
• This allows for independent editing and processing later
• Use a mixer or audio interface with multiple inputs, or
• Have each person record locally while also capturing a backup mix

Remote Recording Considerations

1. Choose the Right Recording Platform

Remote recording quality varies significantly between tools:

• Dedicated podcast recording platforms: Riverside, SquadCast, Zencastr (record locally to avoid internet quality issues)
• Video conferencing with local recording: Zoom, Skype (ask guests to record their own audio as backup)
• Double-ender technique: Each person records locally, files are combined in editing

2. Prepare Your Guests for Quality Audio

Guide remote participants to improve their sound:

• Send a brief "audio quality tips" guide before recording
• Request they use headphones and external microphones when possible
• Ask them to find a quiet location and turn off notifications
• Conduct a brief sound check before starting your main recording
• Suggest they record late at night or early morning for minimal background noise

Post-Production Techniques

1. Essential Editing for Cleaner Audio

Basic editing dramatically improves perceived quality:

• Remove false starts, long pauses, and verbal fillers (um, uh, like)
• Edit out unexpected background noises (door slams, phone rings)
• Cut cross-talk or overlapping speech for clarity
• Remove mouth sounds and excessive breathing when distracting
• Ensure natural-sounding transitions between edited sections

2. Apply Processing in the Right Order

Follow this sequence for best results:

1. Noise reduction: Remove consistent background noise
2. Editing: Cut unwanted content and sounds
3. EQ: Shape the tonal balance of voices
4. Compression: Control dynamic range
5. Limiting: Prevent digital clipping
6. Output leveling: Ensure consistent volume

3. EQ for Clearer Voices

Equalization enhances vocal clarity:

• Apply a high-pass filter at 80-100Hz to remove rumble
• Cut frequencies around 200-300Hz if the voice sounds muddy
• Add presence with a small boost around 2-3kHz
• Reduce sibilance (harsh S sounds) by cutting around 5-8kHz
• Make subtle adjustments—less is often more with EQ

4. Compression for Consistent Volume

Dynamic range compression evens out volume fluctuations:

• Start with a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio for podcasts
• Set threshold so gain reduction happens only on louder passages
• Use moderate attack (10-20ms) and release (50-150ms) times
• Aim for 3-6dB of gain reduction during normal speech
• Add makeup gain to restore overall volume

5. Normalization and Limiting

Ensure consistent and competitive volume levels:

• Normalize to target loudness standard (typically -16 to -14 LUFS for podcasts)
• Apply a limiter with a ceiling of -1.0dB to prevent clipping
• Check levels across different playback devices
• Compare your levels to professional podcasts in your genre

Common Audio Problems and Solutions

Problem: Room Echo/Reverb

Solution: Add more sound absorption to your recording space, record in a smaller room with more furnishings, or get closer to your microphone.

Problem: Plosives (P-pops)

Solution: Use a pop filter, speak across (not directly into) the microphone, or edit problematic plosives in post-production with fades or filters.

Problem: Background Noise

Solution: Record in a quieter environment, use a noise reduction plugin during editing, or switch to a dynamic microphone that rejects more ambient sound.

Problem: Inconsistent Volume

Solution: Maintain consistent microphone distance, use compression during editing, and apply a loudness normalization process to your final file.

Problem: Distortion

Solution: Lower your recording gain, increase your distance from the microphone for loud passages, or use a pad switch if your microphone or interface has one.

Final Audio Quality Checklist

Before publishing, verify that your podcast audio:

• Has consistent volume throughout the episode
• Is free from distracting background noise
• Has clear, intelligible speech for all participants
• Doesn't contain harsh sibilance or plosives
• Maintains proper levels that compete with professional podcasts
• Sounds good on multiple playback systems (headphones, car speakers, etc.)

Remember that audio quality improvements are cumulative—each small enhancement adds up to a significantly more professional sound. Focus on the biggest issues first, then refine your process over time.