Recording Etiquette
Episode Show Notes
How can we ensure consistent and optimal sound quality in every one of our episodes? On this PodOn episode, we chat about the recording etiquette every podcaster should follow before they sit down and start rolling. If you’ve ever struggled with audio during post, or have had to throw away some of your best pods because of poor audio, this episode will cover several key points you can cover before hitting record. Listen now to learn all about the industry’s handy tools and spot the best recording environment — so you don’t have to do an episode in a restaurant with a handheld recorder.
Jump straight into:
(00:56) - Starting right with what you have - “I think first and foremost, is understanding the type of equipment that you have and what you have access to.”
(02:29) - Recording from a closet and evaluating environments - “Microphones can only do so much, it’s more about the environment that you are recording in.”
(03:25) - Achieving the right energy will do wonders for your show - “Really, just don’t go in cold.”
(05:39) - Remote recording and anticipating technical difficulties - “Try to do a test run before if you can, it doesn’t have to take more than five or ten minutes.”
(08:16) - Why re-recording isn’t a podcasting taboo - “Don’t put anything out there that you’re not happy with.”
(10:22) - Always double check! - “It’s not live, remember you do have the magic of editing on your side.”
PodOn is hosted by TJ Bonaventura and Julian Lewis, founders of the full-service podcast company based in San Francisco, StudioPod. If you want more details on how to fully record and produce your podcast with our services, you can reach us at http://studiopodsf.com, send us an email at info@studiopodsf.com or contact us through our social media channels as @studiopodmedia. Music by GaryOAKland.
Episode Transcript (via Rev.com)
Julian Lewis:
Hey, yo, my quality control captivates your party patrol.
TJ Bonaventura:
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Joey, Joey Joey. We start the PodOn podcast with a quote, not a song.
Julian Lewis:
Oh, my bad. You said to find something on quality. My bad. All right. Here's one: "Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected." Steve Jobs. This is the PodOn podcast.
TJ Bonaventura:
We're your host, TJ Bonaventura, that's me and Julian Lewis.
Julian Lewis:
That's me
TJ Bonaventura:
As founders of a podcast media company, we had to start a podcast. So join us each episode as we and our guests drop knowledge on podcasting for you, the curious and scrappy podcaster. Welcome to the pod on podcast, and today we're going to be talking about recording etiquette, how to make sure that every podcast that you do is going to be its best possible quality, no matter your environment.
Julian Lewis:
And TJ, before we dive into this, I do want to say that we do want people to be able to just record and speak their voice. However, as you are really diving into this podcasting thing, what's really going to capture your audience is having that quality. So TJ, what are the things that people really need to focus on when it comes to quality?
TJ Bonaventura:
I think first and foremost is understanding the type of equipment that you have, and what you have access to. There are a lot of different types of mics out there, and we'll do another episode when we get specifics into the types of mics, but at a high level, there is condenser mics, and there are dynamic mics. What we're using today in the studio are Shure SM7B dynamic mics. This will make sure that we can record in more of an open space, and the quality will be much better, versus if I was using a condenser mic or something like a Blue Yeti, I need to be in a very controlled and conditioned environment to make sure that my audio is going to be good. And then of course there's like little tips and tricks with each mic where you want to be three fingers or a fist away, depending on the levels that you've set with your equipment. So little things like that are really going to help make sure that your quality is going to be consistent throughout the entire show.
Julian Lewis:
TJ, I feel like with a lot of people at home and our Airbnb experience where we're encouraging people to launch their podcast from home, what is the best practice for the environment in which they're in? Is it going into their closet? I feel like a lot of people go into their closet.
TJ Bonaventura:
Honestly, it's not a bad idea. I first recorded in my closet when I was living in New York and I had the idea for StudioPod back in the day. The reason why that's beneficial is because the clothes in your closet will able to give it a little bit more condition and soundproofing that you wouldn't have if you're doing it in office with high ceilings or a conference room at work. So think about that. And the dirty little secret is mics can only do so much. It's more about the environment that you are recording in. So keep that in mind when you're deciding any place in your home, any place in your office, any place where you decide to make a recording.
Julian Lewis:
I think it goes without saying if you have a dog or if you're near a major street, make sure, one, you're not by that window, and make sure that you're put your dog up or you're in a completely separate room where the closet is in which you're recording from. But what other tips do you have for folks in terms of etiquette?
TJ Bonaventura:
One, be prepared, which we've talked about in plenty of episodes previous to this, but doing some warmup. Get on the mic, start a conversation. If you're by yourself, just start talking out loud, maybe reading out loud. If you have a guest, just get on the mic, get comfortable with the headphones, get them comfortable with the headphones, get them comfortable with your voice. Really just don't go in cold. I think too often we see clients that just want to come in and just record, and they don't take the time to really get the energy and get used to getting into a podcast, or they don't take the time to get the energy levels up, especially with a guest that they've maybe they don't know or someone that they're recording with for the first time, you really want to make sure that you guys are meshing and vibing for the most authentic feel possible.
Julian Lewis:
Yeah. In terms of warming up, batch recording's my thing. This is the third episode we've done today, and I started the episode by singing, so that was my way of warming up by having a couple other episodes. And before this TJ and I were just talking, catching up, hitting our checklist of things that we want to do to help grow our StudioPod before we just jumped on the mics and started recording.
TJ Bonaventura:
I think a big thing to remember too, is this isn't live. Too often, we see so many hosts out there, podcasters out there, put the pressure on themselves of understanding that this is going to be live and that they all need to be One Take Tony's, right? They all need to be done in one fell swoop. It doesn't need to be the case there at all. Fourth wall it, let your guests know they can fourth wall it. If they don't like the way they answer the question, if they don't like the way you asked the question, if you don't like the way you asked the question, say, "Hey, I want to do that over again." With the magic of editing, you can remove it. You have the benefit of having post-production on your side, so don't feel like you have to be a perfectionist, even though many of us are when it comes to getting on the mic, especially being on the mic for the first time.
TJ Bonaventura:
A quick anecdote to share, we had some folks in the studio the other day, and they were having some problems logging into the software tool that we were using to record remotely. It didn't feel like their momentum and vibe was really meshing because of the start and stop nature. But at the end of the day, you have post production on your side to make sure that it's still going to sound good. So this is the same for if you wanted to rerecord something or fourth wall it.
Julian Lewis:
Yeah. And TJ, you talked about remote recording, and I know we've touched on this a little bit when we have the Squadcast guys on, but do you want to talk a little bit about when you're doing remote recording, let's say you're in the studio, but your guests are not. What would you recommend to the guests that you're having log on?
TJ Bonaventura:
A big part of the etiquette here is try and do a test run before if you can. It doesn't have to take more than five or 10 minutes. Give them the link, whether you're using Squadcast, Riverside, Zoom, whatever it may be, get a feel of what their condition is going to be like. Preferably do it with enough time so they can make the appropriate changes to make sure the quality is going to be there. That will really help for the day of, and for the day of make sure you schedule in some cushion beforehand. That way, when it comes to the actual recording, you make sure everything's good and you're not wasting. If someone only has an hour and a half worth of time, and that's how much you want to actually be recording, you probably want to book two hours of time just to be safe.
Julian Lewis:
Yeah. And in terms of like headphones and the way in which that they are logging in, you want to make sure that they have the headphones. That's first and foremost. That's key, but are there any other things that they should be thinking about? And you mentioned both Squadcast and Riverside, and I know that both of those send out kind of tips and tricks, so making sure that you send those to your guests, I think is important, but is there anything else that they should be thinking about in terms of equipment?
TJ Bonaventura:
Yeah, definitely want to have headphones, no matter what. A hundred percent, always have headphones. If you're going to be filming, make sure that they're aware that you're filming and you're going to be doing more of a video-cast style podcast. Let them know if something was to cut out that it's okay, just log back in. None of these tools are perfect. A lot of it depends on wifi, which is another great example of what people should be thinking about.
Julian Lewis:
There are tools for you to test your wifi, and maybe just have your guests run a test. If it's below a certain threshold, maybe see if they can go in another environment where they do have better wifi, or if you're doing it via like a Zoom, for instance, which a lot of people do, maybe have them turn off their camera because sometimes that helps to boost the quality of it.
TJ Bonaventura:
A hundred percent, and I love that you said that because this is a personal thing that I deal with whenever you and I aren't in the studio together recording, and we're on Squadcast or Riverside recording, I'm not looking at you. I'm looking at me as I'm recording, and that makes it very difficult for me to focus on what the hell I'm talking about and I find myself rambling. A lot of people have the same sort of feeling. It's hard enough hearing yourself in the headphones and hearing your voice. It's another thing to see yourself and now you're all distracted with what's going on. Get rid of all the distractions. Make sure that you are in an environment that's going to make you succeed with the authenticity that you want to create. Another thing that we always recommend...a lot of people don't like it because it does put in more work and it kind of can be embarrassing...is rerecording. What would you say to the benefit of rerecording and why one would want to ultimately rerecord?
Julian Lewis:
Yeah, I gave my numbers for my podcast when we were talking about the goal of your podcast. It was about 160 downloads a podcast. I'm in the top 50%, don't judge. But you know, one of the lowest amount of downloads that I had on particular episode was an episode in which I recorded in a restaurant. And this is before TJ and I met. This is before I knew the best practices, and I just didn't rerecord it. I just left it.
TJ Bonaventura:
Using a Yeti microphone, I think?
Julian Lewis:
No, actually this one was like a handheld recorder because I was sitting at a restaurant with a couple friends of mine, and I think I felt nervous that I couldn't ask them to rerecord, but in hindsight, I think they would've been completely on board with them because they're homies of mine. I just think you can't be nervous about doing that, and when we were meeting with the guys at Big Swing, when they were on the podcast, they talked about doing just that.
TJ Bonaventura:
Yeah, they had an episode where it just didn't feel right, and they decided to rerecord the next day. If it's you and a co-host that you are doing consistent episodes of just you two or you three or you four without a guest, definitely leverage this as much as possible. Make sure everybody has the energy. Make sure everyone is feeling good about it. It is going to be a little bit more difficult if you have a guest, but I think you'll also be pleasantly surprised saying, "Hey, I think we could have done better" or "I think we could have done this section better. I went back and listened. Why don't we give this another shot? Let's try and answer this a different way. Let's try and approach this question a different way."
Julian Lewis:
Yeah, and we did it. We tried to record remotely when COVID first hit and the vibe just wasn't there. It was a long week. Now that we're in the studio together at a distance, it's definitely better, but we've also recorded a couple where we were remote, and it was better because now we knew that we really need to have our energies up, and we had to do it on a day that was good for both of us.
TJ Bonaventura:
Yeah, and just don't put anything out there that you're not happy with. Right? Like if it's adequate, maybe you should think about it. You maybe should be like really happy with not just the content, but how it sounds. So think about that too, when you're thinking about overall recording etiquette.
Julian Lewis:
Yeah, and the only other thing that I would say, and this might be common sense, but I know that it happens all the time. If you're offering your guests a drink while you're podcasting, just make sure that they're not slurping into the microphone. One thing that I love about StudioPod, when I first came in as a customer, TJ had these felt coasters, right? And so the table that I'm sitting at right now is metal, and I have a metal water bottle, so you can imagine every time I pick up my bottle and set it down, it's a sound that could get picked up. But now because there's that felt layer in between, you can't hear it. Those are the little things that you have to be cognizant of. So I don't think we necessarily need to run back through that entire list. I think the basic premise of this episode is if you really are invested into this and you want to improve the quality, listen to this episode over and over again, and start to check off the little things to help improve your quality.
TJ Bonaventura:
You're right. I don't don't think we need to run through the list, but if there was one thing that I want to really just harp on, and I tell all of our clients, is it's not live. Remember it's not live. You do have the magic of editing on your side. Now there are certain things that you won't be able to edit for, perhaps like being in a restaurant, and there's a dog in the background, and you're doing a handheld recorder, but understand you have an opportunity to redo it, and it's not live, and you can make changes as necessary as you go through. Pod On.
TJ Bonaventura:
Every episode of the pod on podcast is produced and edited by StudioPod Media. For more information about our work and our clients, go to studiopodsf.com.
Julian Lewis:
Shout out to Gary Oakland for the fire track.
TJ Bonaventura:
Gary O!
Hey, yo, my quality control captivates your party patrol.
TJ Bonaventura:
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Joey, Joey Joey. We start the PodOn podcast with a quote, not a song.
Julian Lewis:
Oh, my bad. You said to find something on quality. My bad. All right. Here's one: "Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected." Steve Jobs. This is the PodOn podcast.
TJ Bonaventura:
We're your host, TJ Bonaventura, that's me and Julian Lewis.
Julian Lewis:
That's me
TJ Bonaventura:
As founders of a podcast media company, we had to start a podcast. So join us each episode as we and our guests drop knowledge on podcasting for you, the curious and scrappy podcaster. Welcome to the pod on podcast, and today we're going to be talking about recording etiquette, how to make sure that every podcast that you do is going to be its best possible quality, no matter your environment.
Julian Lewis:
And TJ, before we dive into this, I do want to say that we do want people to be able to just record and speak their voice. However, as you are really diving into this podcasting thing, what's really going to capture your audience is having that quality. So TJ, what are the things that people really need to focus on when it comes to quality?
TJ Bonaventura:
I think first and foremost is understanding the type of equipment that you have, and what you have access to. There are a lot of different types of mics out there, and we'll do another episode when we get specifics into the types of mics, but at a high level, there is condenser mics, and there are dynamic mics. What we're using today in the studio are Shure SM7B dynamic mics. This will make sure that we can record in more of an open space, and the quality will be much better, versus if I was using a condenser mic or something like a Blue Yeti, I need to be in a very controlled and conditioned environment to make sure that my audio is going to be good. And then of course there's like little tips and tricks with each mic where you want to be three fingers or a fist away, depending on the levels that you've set with your equipment. So little things like that are really going to help make sure that your quality is going to be consistent throughout the entire show.
Julian Lewis:
TJ, I feel like with a lot of people at home and our Airbnb experience where we're encouraging people to launch their podcast from home, what is the best practice for the environment in which they're in? Is it going into their closet? I feel like a lot of people go into their closet.
TJ Bonaventura:
Honestly, it's not a bad idea. I first recorded in my closet when I was living in New York and I had the idea for StudioPod back in the day. The reason why that's beneficial is because the clothes in your closet will able to give it a little bit more condition and soundproofing that you wouldn't have if you're doing it in office with high ceilings or a conference room at work. So think about that. And the dirty little secret is mics can only do so much. It's more about the environment that you are recording in. So keep that in mind when you're deciding any place in your home, any place in your office, any place where you decide to make a recording.
Julian Lewis:
I think it goes without saying if you have a dog or if you're near a major street, make sure, one, you're not by that window, and make sure that you're put your dog up or you're in a completely separate room where the closet is in which you're recording from. But what other tips do you have for folks in terms of etiquette?
TJ Bonaventura:
One, be prepared, which we've talked about in plenty of episodes previous to this, but doing some warmup. Get on the mic, start a conversation. If you're by yourself, just start talking out loud, maybe reading out loud. If you have a guest, just get on the mic, get comfortable with the headphones, get them comfortable with the headphones, get them comfortable with your voice. Really just don't go in cold. I think too often we see clients that just want to come in and just record, and they don't take the time to really get the energy and get used to getting into a podcast, or they don't take the time to get the energy levels up, especially with a guest that they've maybe they don't know or someone that they're recording with for the first time, you really want to make sure that you guys are meshing and vibing for the most authentic feel possible.
Julian Lewis:
Yeah. In terms of warming up, batch recording's my thing. This is the third episode we've done today, and I started the episode by singing, so that was my way of warming up by having a couple other episodes. And before this TJ and I were just talking, catching up, hitting our checklist of things that we want to do to help grow our StudioPod before we just jumped on the mics and started recording.
TJ Bonaventura:
I think a big thing to remember too, is this isn't live. Too often, we see so many hosts out there, podcasters out there, put the pressure on themselves of understanding that this is going to be live and that they all need to be One Take Tony's, right? They all need to be done in one fell swoop. It doesn't need to be the case there at all. Fourth wall it, let your guests know they can fourth wall it. If they don't like the way they answer the question, if they don't like the way you asked the question, if you don't like the way you asked the question, say, "Hey, I want to do that over again." With the magic of editing, you can remove it. You have the benefit of having post-production on your side, so don't feel like you have to be a perfectionist, even though many of us are when it comes to getting on the mic, especially being on the mic for the first time.
TJ Bonaventura:
A quick anecdote to share, we had some folks in the studio the other day, and they were having some problems logging into the software tool that we were using to record remotely. It didn't feel like their momentum and vibe was really meshing because of the start and stop nature. But at the end of the day, you have post production on your side to make sure that it's still going to sound good. So this is the same for if you wanted to rerecord something or fourth wall it.
Julian Lewis:
Yeah. And TJ, you talked about remote recording, and I know we've touched on this a little bit when we have the Squadcast guys on, but do you want to talk a little bit about when you're doing remote recording, let's say you're in the studio, but your guests are not. What would you recommend to the guests that you're having log on?
TJ Bonaventura:
A big part of the etiquette here is try and do a test run before if you can. It doesn't have to take more than five or 10 minutes. Give them the link, whether you're using Squadcast, Riverside, Zoom, whatever it may be, get a feel of what their condition is going to be like. Preferably do it with enough time so they can make the appropriate changes to make sure the quality is going to be there. That will really help for the day of, and for the day of make sure you schedule in some cushion beforehand. That way, when it comes to the actual recording, you make sure everything's good and you're not wasting. If someone only has an hour and a half worth of time, and that's how much you want to actually be recording, you probably want to book two hours of time just to be safe.
Julian Lewis:
Yeah. And in terms of like headphones and the way in which that they are logging in, you want to make sure that they have the headphones. That's first and foremost. That's key, but are there any other things that they should be thinking about? And you mentioned both Squadcast and Riverside, and I know that both of those send out kind of tips and tricks, so making sure that you send those to your guests, I think is important, but is there anything else that they should be thinking about in terms of equipment?
TJ Bonaventura:
Yeah, definitely want to have headphones, no matter what. A hundred percent, always have headphones. If you're going to be filming, make sure that they're aware that you're filming and you're going to be doing more of a video-cast style podcast. Let them know if something was to cut out that it's okay, just log back in. None of these tools are perfect. A lot of it depends on wifi, which is another great example of what people should be thinking about.
Julian Lewis:
There are tools for you to test your wifi, and maybe just have your guests run a test. If it's below a certain threshold, maybe see if they can go in another environment where they do have better wifi, or if you're doing it via like a Zoom, for instance, which a lot of people do, maybe have them turn off their camera because sometimes that helps to boost the quality of it.
TJ Bonaventura:
A hundred percent, and I love that you said that because this is a personal thing that I deal with whenever you and I aren't in the studio together recording, and we're on Squadcast or Riverside recording, I'm not looking at you. I'm looking at me as I'm recording, and that makes it very difficult for me to focus on what the hell I'm talking about and I find myself rambling. A lot of people have the same sort of feeling. It's hard enough hearing yourself in the headphones and hearing your voice. It's another thing to see yourself and now you're all distracted with what's going on. Get rid of all the distractions. Make sure that you are in an environment that's going to make you succeed with the authenticity that you want to create. Another thing that we always recommend...a lot of people don't like it because it does put in more work and it kind of can be embarrassing...is rerecording. What would you say to the benefit of rerecording and why one would want to ultimately rerecord?
Julian Lewis:
Yeah, I gave my numbers for my podcast when we were talking about the goal of your podcast. It was about 160 downloads a podcast. I'm in the top 50%, don't judge. But you know, one of the lowest amount of downloads that I had on particular episode was an episode in which I recorded in a restaurant. And this is before TJ and I met. This is before I knew the best practices, and I just didn't rerecord it. I just left it.
TJ Bonaventura:
Using a Yeti microphone, I think?
Julian Lewis:
No, actually this one was like a handheld recorder because I was sitting at a restaurant with a couple friends of mine, and I think I felt nervous that I couldn't ask them to rerecord, but in hindsight, I think they would've been completely on board with them because they're homies of mine. I just think you can't be nervous about doing that, and when we were meeting with the guys at Big Swing, when they were on the podcast, they talked about doing just that.
TJ Bonaventura:
Yeah, they had an episode where it just didn't feel right, and they decided to rerecord the next day. If it's you and a co-host that you are doing consistent episodes of just you two or you three or you four without a guest, definitely leverage this as much as possible. Make sure everybody has the energy. Make sure everyone is feeling good about it. It is going to be a little bit more difficult if you have a guest, but I think you'll also be pleasantly surprised saying, "Hey, I think we could have done better" or "I think we could have done this section better. I went back and listened. Why don't we give this another shot? Let's try and answer this a different way. Let's try and approach this question a different way."
Julian Lewis:
Yeah, and we did it. We tried to record remotely when COVID first hit and the vibe just wasn't there. It was a long week. Now that we're in the studio together at a distance, it's definitely better, but we've also recorded a couple where we were remote, and it was better because now we knew that we really need to have our energies up, and we had to do it on a day that was good for both of us.
TJ Bonaventura:
Yeah, and just don't put anything out there that you're not happy with. Right? Like if it's adequate, maybe you should think about it. You maybe should be like really happy with not just the content, but how it sounds. So think about that too, when you're thinking about overall recording etiquette.
Julian Lewis:
Yeah, and the only other thing that I would say, and this might be common sense, but I know that it happens all the time. If you're offering your guests a drink while you're podcasting, just make sure that they're not slurping into the microphone. One thing that I love about StudioPod, when I first came in as a customer, TJ had these felt coasters, right? And so the table that I'm sitting at right now is metal, and I have a metal water bottle, so you can imagine every time I pick up my bottle and set it down, it's a sound that could get picked up. But now because there's that felt layer in between, you can't hear it. Those are the little things that you have to be cognizant of. So I don't think we necessarily need to run back through that entire list. I think the basic premise of this episode is if you really are invested into this and you want to improve the quality, listen to this episode over and over again, and start to check off the little things to help improve your quality.
TJ Bonaventura:
You're right. I don't don't think we need to run through the list, but if there was one thing that I want to really just harp on, and I tell all of our clients, is it's not live. Remember it's not live. You do have the magic of editing on your side. Now there are certain things that you won't be able to edit for, perhaps like being in a restaurant, and there's a dog in the background, and you're doing a handheld recorder, but understand you have an opportunity to redo it, and it's not live, and you can make changes as necessary as you go through. Pod On.
TJ Bonaventura:
Every episode of the pod on podcast is produced and edited by StudioPod Media. For more information about our work and our clients, go to studiopodsf.com.
Julian Lewis:
Shout out to Gary Oakland for the fire track.
TJ Bonaventura:
Gary O!