How to record a podcast at home with good sound

You don't need a studio for your podcast to sound good. Many successful shows are recorded in a living room, a wardrobe or a bedroom. What makes the difference is understanding how sound behaves in a room and knowing how to control it.

Choose the right room

Not all rooms sound the same. The worst are those with bare walls, hard floors and lots of glass, like kitchens and bathrooms. Sound bounces around and you get that metallic echo that gives away a home recording.

Look for a small or medium-sized room with things that absorb sound: thick curtains, rugs, a sofa, bookshelves, fabric wall hangings. The more soft, uneven objects, the fewer reflections.

Test for echo with a clap

First of all, test the room. Clap loudly in the middle and listen. If you hear a metallic ring or a tail that takes a while to fade, there's reverberation and you've got work to do. If the sound dies away almost instantly, you've found a good spot.

Another test: record ten seconds of yourself talking and listen back on headphones. It's the quickest and most honest way to find out what your microphone is really picking up.

Treat the sound without breaking the bank

Even with limited resources you can make a big improvement:

Control the noise

Good audio is, above all, audio free of distracting noise.

Work on your technique

Your voice matters too. Even a good microphone sounds bad if the speaker keeps moving towards and away from it.

• Keep a steady distance of ten to fifteen centimetres.
• Speak slightly off to the side to avoid puffs of air.
• Stay hydrated: a glass of room-temperature water helps avoid mouth clicks.
• Speak with energy, as if someone were sitting opposite you. When you record alone, it's easy to sound flat.

Speak as if someone were sitting opposite you.

If you struggle to sound natural in front of the microphone, read how to overcome your fear of the microphone and camera.

Set your levels

In your recording software, set the gain so that your voice peaks at roughly half to three quarters of the meter, without ever hitting the red.

Do a thirty-second test, speaking as you would in the episode, with a laugh or some emphasis thrown in. That way you can check your real range. If you use the equipment we recommend in what equipment you need to record a podcast, you won't have any problems.

Common mistakes when recording at home

• Computer right next to the microphone. The fan noise creeps into the recording. Move it further away or use a longer cable.
• Sitting facing a bare wall. It's better to have a curtain, bookshelf or wardrobe behind you.
• Changing position mid-episode. Moving changes the volume and tone. Find a comfortable, stable posture.
• Not listening back to the recording. Always check the first few minutes before carrying on.

Backups and when to record elsewhere

Save your recordings somewhere safe with a clear file name: date and episode number. Keep a copy on a second drive or in the cloud. Few things hurt more than losing an episode to a computer crash.

If your episodes are guest interviews, you need to record video or your brand demands very high quality, it may be worth recording outside your home. A production company can bring the equipment to you or find a suitable studio. We cover the options in how to choose a podcast production company in Barcelona.

In short

The right room, soft furnishings, no background noise, good technique and properly set levels. With these, your home podcast can sound like it was recorded in a studio.