5 tips for recording at home
One of the first questions I get asked when someone starts a podcast is how do I get good sound from my house? It’s not as hard as you think, but there are a few things you can do to make recording at home easier.
My first big piece of advice is to have a dedicated recording space. Somewhere in your house where you can close the door. This is going to save you a lot of headaches and help reduce echoes. I’ll talk more about that in a minute, but before you can any further, find a place to record. I have a desk in the guest bedroom which works great for me!
So let’s get back to our 5 Tips for Recording Your Podcast at Home:
Batch! Pick a day, get a sitter and batch batch batch. There are so many distractions at home and things to take care of and before you know it, the week has passed. By batching, you allow yourself to plan for the days when the neighbors are doing construction or the kids are having a particularly loud day. Building in those buffers really help.
Use a microphone. Don’t rely on your computer’s microphone to get the best audio. Get a microphone! You don’t need an incredibly expensive one to get good quality either. One of my favorite starter mics is the Blue Snowball, but there are some others that are really great and don’t cost an arm and a leg.
Record on a local device. So you may be conducting interviews over the internet which we do all the time, but also record yourself from your device. Internet isn’t always reliable. I will usually run quicktime or something similar in the background to make sure that I’m getting the best quality from my voice. This also acts as a backup which is always awesome to have.
Soundproof where you can. Now this doesn’t mean go out and buy a bunch of supplies and line your walls, but there are some small things you can do. Check the echo in your room. Maybe you need a rug or some curtains. My “studio” is in a carpeted room with blackout curtains on the windows and that helps a ton. This is actually a really funny article with some great tips on the topic: https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyshwake/noise-home-quiet-soundproof-loud-neighbor
Lastly, give yourself grace. Stuff happens! Dogs bark, cats push open doors and children go running and screaming down the hallway. Remember that you can pause and start over. If it can’t be fixed, just let your audience know that this is real life! At the end of the day, don’t be so hard on yourself.
At the end of the day, podcasting from home is possible, it just takes some adjustments. Get your family on board and if all else fails, lock the door!
Ready to launch your podcast? Be sure to download our free podcast launch checklist. Head to www.wildhomepodcasting.com/newsletter
Happy Podcasting!
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