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Podcast Setup

I decided to make a video all about podcast setup because this is something I wish I would’ve known from the very beginning of my podcasting journey. Sadly, I didn’t realize that I had a bad podcast setup until someone (who’s in the industry and really knows what they’re doing) told me, “Oh yeah, the echo on your podcast is awful.”

By the way, they didn’t actually say the word awful, but my ego interpreted their constructive criticism as, “You suck and your show is awful because your audio quality sucks!” Don’t you love how our ego and insecurities work so well together?

Tips from Someone Who’s Been There

Let me give you some advice on how to create better audio because I don’t want you to receive a note from anyone saying or implying that your sound quality is subpar! Which is the exact reason why I’m sharing with you today the tips and the tricks in the video below.

These are the things I found create better sound quality and better audio overall. (Without fancy software upgrades or spending a single dime!)

So in the video, I talk about how my office in our home…

Wait, let me stop there.

First of all, I don’t record in a professional studio and I don’t have super fancy equipment. If that’s what you’re looking for then I’ll tell you right now you’ll be disappointed watching this video.

You may want to go find information from someone who’s way more professional than me. I keep things very practical and affordable around here because that’s what I do with my podcast.

Now, back to the Office…

In my office, I have tile floors.
Although I do have a rug in here, the sound is actually quite awful! (You’ll hear the sound change from awful to better in the video below.)

I’ve tried putting blankets down to create more of a sound absorption or barrier so the echo isn’t as bad.

But, yeah…no.

I did this for several months. Now, I go back and listen to podcast episodes where I did interviews with people and the echo is just so bad! Or to use another word, AWFUL!!

Why Not Do What the Pros Do?

I heard Rachel Hollis share on her “Rise” Podcast that she would record episodes in her closet. The reason why she did this was to minimize the echo whenever she recorded her podcast.

So…if Rach can do it, why can’t I, right?

I’ve heard other podcasters talk about recording episodes underneath the blankets on their bed. They did this because they want to make all the other noises in the room or in the house totally obsolete.

I haven’t taken this extreme measure yet since the closet has worked out for me, but I also haven’t totally ruled it out either. (If you find me underneath the covers of my bed talking to myself, don’t freak out. I’m either recording a podcast episode or pretending to be a ghost. NBD!)

Recently, I started recording the introduction, the outro, and the self-sponsored ads within my podcast either in my closet or in my media room. Both of these spaces have lots of carpet and more objects in the room to bounce sound off of or to absorb the sound. (However, that works…)

I’ve said this before, but these tips I’m sharing with you today aren’t things that I’ve done from the very beginning of my podcast. These are things I WISH I would’ve known from the very beginning to make my show better.

What Equipment Do You Use?

Let me say this for all of your aspiring podcasters out there that have yet to take the plunge and purchase equipment…

YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE FANCY EQUIPMENT TO GET STARTED PODCASTING!!

My microphone and my pop filter cost me a whopping total of $30! (This is the exact microphone I have!)

But if you have the ability to increase the quality of the show you’re producing, then you should! Why not give your audience the best experience you possibly can?

Especially when it comes down to whether they listen to your show again or they decide they can’t handle the awful echoing of your podcast.

Use Your Own Experiences

From first-hand experience, I’ve turned off podcasts where the audio was so bad that I couldn’t bear to listen to it anymore. I didn’t care how good the content was. The audio noises in the background bothered me so much that I decided I could get this content from somewhere else.

In the words of Shrek, “Bye, Bye…See you later!”

I hope you found some value in this post and the video above and I encourage you to share it with anyone else that is thinking about starting a podcast.

(By the way, you can audibly hear how the sound improves whenever I go into my closet and I do an actual demonstration of the podcast and the difference of when I record in my office. Which I think is very helpful…)

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