We need to talk about remote recording and the pros and cons of virtual studios for podcasters...
The Podcast Coach co-founder, helping business and thought leaders develop and create amazing podcasts | Award winning sound design producer | Commercial helicopter pilot | YouTuber, Rory On Air
There are some major advantages in using a virtual studio. Yes it's nice to sit face to face with your interviewee, but... Virtual studio recordings solve so many issues and provide a ton of flexibility. Let me explain. 🌎 Many of our podcasting clients want to record interviews with guests all over the world so by using a virtual studio we aren't limiting ourselves geographically. It's also considerably cheaper than hiring out a physical studio. 🔉 Virtual studios record all the contributors as separate tracks. This allows complete control in post production to clean up and treat the audio, resolve overlapping or interruption and remove 'off mic' sounds. When people record in person, you get sound bleeding across to all the mics, making it much harder - if not impossible - to remove coughs, ums and other distractions. 🗺️ Aligning busy diaries, especially when factoring international time zones can be tricky as it is, so the flexibility of not having to work around physical studio availability is also helpful. There are some downsides though... 🛋️ The space people sit in to record has a huge impact on the sound quality. Rooms with lots of soft furnishings, curtains, carpets, beds, sofas etc are best as these absorb reverberant sound waves. Avoid glass and hard surfaces as much as you can. Providing guidance to guests ahead of time so they can prepare their recording environment is always time well spent. 🎤 You need to supply your guests with USB microphones. Most people don't have one of their own, so we have got very efficient at mailing a microphone to the guest and testing it ahead of the recording. Positioning it correctly is key too. Built in mics in laptops and headphones are to be avoided as they sound thin and scratchy. 🛜 Sometimes poor internet connectivity results in reduced streaming quality or even breaks in the live audio. While the recording will likely be fine, this can be distracting for the participants and cause breaks in the conversation flow. Try to ensure everyone's internet is stable and reduce demands on the wifi by asking others to avoid streaming content while you're recording. Overall I think recording remotely is a fantastic option for most podcasters as the benefits outweigh the disadvantages in the vast majority of cases. It's important to prepare carefully ahead of the recording and have a contingency plan incase things don't work out on the day so you can maintain your consistent release schedule. Do you want to improve your podcast sound? Would you like some help producing your podcast? Get in touch with us at The Podcast Coach www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk #Podcast #PodcastProduction #RemoteRecording Pic: Recording an upcoming episode of Rewilding the World using our virtual studio.