As a full-service agency, we help clients plan and promote podcasts. But we depend on a great partner for the technical side of recording and editing podcasts. Charles Lipper, Founder and CEO of Volubility Podcasting has spent his career perfecting audio recordings. In recent years, his work shifted from radio and TV to podcasting. The tips from Charles below focus on the more technical aspects of podcast production. In a later post we’ll ask him for recommendations to ensure top quality content.
Can we record guests over Zoom?
The short answer is – it’s just not that easy. While studio recording will always produce superior quality, remote podcast recording online became a necessity during the pandemic and remains a cost-effective way to record guests from around the country or worldwide. Zoom can be used, but there a number of settings that must be adjusted to achieve good sound quality and so each person is recorded separately to allow for editing. Zoom is complicated to configure, and smartphones present other issues, so Charles has found (through lots of trial and error) a headset and software combination that is cost-effective and produces good quality sound. But he admits that it is a moving target — his recommendations change with each new release of software and hardware. Bottom line, it’s best to let an expert guide you with the latest solutions!
Can we record the podcast ourselves and have someone help edit it?
Most people should focus on the guests and the content, and let experts create a great audio recording. There are many variables with acoustic spaces, and the technology keeps evolving. If your recording has issues, it usually takes more time to try and fix it than it would to record it properly in the first place.
Do we need a podcast platform; which one is best?
Podcast platforms do the heavy lifting to store and serve up your recordings to users. They are also a necessary component for getting your podcast listed with the major services like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn. So, choosing a platform is essential. They usually provide reporting about your users and downloads and may offer other forms of marketing support. The choice isn’t easy; there are many platforms out there, and they range from free to more than $150 a month. You need to pick the service that best fits your needs, but more expensive isn’t necessarily better. The service Volubility recommends starts with a 30-60 day free trial of their $20/month plan that can be downgraded at any time to $7/month if the analytics are overkill for your organization.
Should we get transcripts of our podcasts?
Yes! Volubility actually provides clients with transcripts of each recording, realizing that it makes it easier to review and guide the editing process. Posting the transcript with your final podcast also helps build search engine optimization.
Contact The Cyphers Agency team or visit the Volubility Podcasting website to learn more.
