174 | Microphones, Pre-Amps, and Post-Production: The Podcast Audio Journey Explained

[00:00:00] Ever wonder what your voice goes through from mic to earbuds? It's more than just recording. It's a whole journey shaping every sound. So today, we're going to find out what that is and how it can shape your podcast.

[00:00:21] Sound matters. Be heard. Welcome to the podcast where you get exclusive behind-the-scenes tips to make your own show sound truly spectacular. This is Podtastic Audio.

[00:00:37] What's happening? How are you doing today? Thank you so much for being here. I am Chris, and yeah, you found the right place.

[00:00:47] This is Podtastic Audio. This show was designed and created to help you, yes, you, make an amazing show for your audience. And how do you make that amazing show? Well, you actually say some things into a microphone. So today we're going to talk about the path of your sound from your mouth directly to your listeners' ears.

[00:01:11] So not that long ago, another podcaster was asking me questions about how to make sure his audio sounded amazing and how to explain to him the actual path of the audio from your microphone into your software and then eventually down the chain into your listeners' ears. So it got me thinking, maybe there's a lot of other podcasters, especially indie podcasters, that don't understand how this process is.

[00:01:41] This process actually works. I mean, come on. We take advantage of all the easy-peasy stuff that's available to us right now.

[00:01:48] When you take a picture with your smartphone, you don't think about how the camera actually captures the image, how the image sensor captures that thing and then puts it together and reforms everything on a screen.

[00:02:03] You don't think about that stuff. You just take a picture and enjoy it.

[00:02:06] The same thing with your audio podcast. A lot of podcasters just assume that talking to the microphone, it gets sent into whatever recording software I use, whether it's Zoom, Riverside, Audacity, wherever.

[00:02:18] It goes there and then it's already there. Then I take that audio and I throw it into my media host and I call it a day.

[00:02:25] Good job. Good to go.

[00:02:26] But today, we're going to talk about the actual process of how audio actually works and how audio, when it comes from your mouth, how does it actually end up in the listener's ears?

[00:02:40] So when it leaves your mouth, it actually will travel through your equipment and then actually gets processed and then exported.

[00:02:50] And then somewhere on some podcast media app out there, your listener is actually going to consume your podcast.

[00:02:58] Now, if you want great sound for your podcast and actually I think everybody really wants great sound, but not everybody can deliver great sound.

[00:03:06] We'll get to that more later.

[00:03:08] But here's a quick tip.

[00:03:10] Start with clear sound.

[00:03:13] You want to take a few seconds to find a very comfortable, consistent speaking level.

[00:03:18] Unless maybe you're doing like one of those crazy audio dramas where you're doing a lot of voice acting, where you're bouncing around with your inflections and different things like that.

[00:03:28] But if you're doing a standard, you know, regular audio podcast, good audio begins with a steady volume and clear enunciation, which I've personally have struggled with myself.

[00:03:40] You know, you're talking with somebody with a guest or maybe even a co-host and you're having a good old time going back and forth.

[00:03:47] Sometimes our emotions kind of take the best of us.

[00:03:50] And sometimes we get talking so fast because we're so excited about whatever we're talking about.

[00:03:55] I've done that myself where I'm kind of fumbling words just because you're caught up in the moment.

[00:04:01] So first things first, when you physically say something, when sound actually leaves your mouth, how does it happen and what does it do?

[00:04:10] When you speak, your vocal cords create sound waves that travel through the air, hearing the unique qualities of your voice, tone and emotion.

[00:04:22] But what you want to try to do is actually control the sound quality at the source, which would be your mouth.

[00:04:30] So how do you do that?

[00:04:31] If you speak steadily and avoid moving around like every which way, or sometimes people get excited and they start talking and they move all around the microphone, maybe the lean back like three feet or something to move all around.

[00:04:43] Try your best to avoid doing that because what that does is it can create an inconsistent audio level.

[00:04:50] Now, another thing to think about when it comes to the source, aka the sound leaving your own mouth, is that sound waves are very sensitive to background noise.

[00:05:03] About 10 or 20 minutes ago, my next door neighbors had their landscaping gardeners over and they were using leaf blowers right next door.

[00:05:14] And this room I'm in right here kind of faces that house.

[00:05:19] So this side of the house was all the kinds of noise happening from next door.

[00:05:24] So I had to wait until they were done using the leaf blowers before I can start recording.

[00:05:29] Because I do know that background noises like fans or pets or traffic or especially lawn mowers or leaf blowers or any of those kind of things, they do get picked up in the recording.

[00:05:43] So when it comes to the source of the recording, your mouth, you want to make sure you have a very somewhat quiet environment.

[00:05:51] I mean, obviously we don't have these design studios that are completely foam everywhere, padded out.

[00:05:58] This room I'm in right now is like an office slash guest bedroom.

[00:06:03] There are some stuff in here to kind of damper the sound with, you know, there's pillows, there's a couch, there's soft materials.

[00:06:11] Unfortunately, the floor is hard.

[00:06:14] The cabinets are hard and things like that.

[00:06:16] There's a window.

[00:06:17] You know, the monitor in front of me has got glass or plastic, whatever these monitors are made out of.

[00:06:23] But the point is try to record in a quiet environment if possible.

[00:06:28] And it does help if you have some kind of, you know, clothing like a closet or pillows or things of that sort.

[00:06:34] Soft objects to help absorb the sound.

[00:06:37] They don't bounce around, give you that echo sound.

[00:06:40] Okay, so once you have the source all figured out, your voice and your environment,

[00:06:45] the next, probably the most important thing you have to have is a microphone.

[00:06:50] You can't do a podcast without a microphone of any kind, really.

[00:06:54] So when the sound actually enters the microphone, what it's doing is it's converting your sound waves into signals.

[00:07:03] When the sound waves reach the microphone, the mic kind of acts like a translator, turning these waves into an electrical signal that can be processed.

[00:07:15] So what are the two types of microphones?

[00:07:19] Anyone?

[00:07:20] Anyone?

[00:07:21] Well, I would suggest for indie podcasters, there's really only one type of microphone you need to worry about.

[00:07:26] And that is a dynamic microphone.

[00:07:30] Now, these dynamic mics, they're great for recording in, say, noisier, less than ideal environments.

[00:07:38] As they pick up less of the ambient noise, less of what's around it in the background.

[00:07:45] Like, although I had the gardeners over next door doing the leaf blower thing, I still did not quite feel comfortable recording with that noise outside.

[00:07:57] Although with my equipment and with my microphone and the way I have things set up here, there's a good chance that none of that would have been in the recording.

[00:08:07] But just to play it safe, I decided to wait until they were done recording.

[00:08:12] Now, dynamic microphones are a great choice for any indie podcaster.

[00:08:18] Anything that says dynamic microphone, if you see a microphone that does not say dynamic on it, do not use it as an indie podcaster.

[00:08:29] Because chances are, your setup and my setup are probably fairly similar.

[00:08:33] Whether recording in a bedroom or maybe our living room or our kitchen, places that are not sound treated.

[00:08:42] And most dynamic microphones have kind of the sweet spot of where the audio gets picked up the most.

[00:08:50] Usually, it's from the front of the microphone, you know, rejecting kind of like the rear of the microphone.

[00:08:56] So, if you're facing the microphone like I am right now, I'm talking right into the microphone.

[00:09:01] Everything in my little area here, my little bubble, is where the audio is being picked up perfectly.

[00:09:07] But audio, say, from the kitchen or audio from next door or wherever, it's not picking it up as much.

[00:09:15] Now, the second kind of microphone we have that I do not recommend getting if you're an indie podcaster.

[00:09:22] And that is a condenser microphone.

[00:09:26] Now, these microphones are more sensitive and they can capture a fuller range of frequencies, which you might think sounds great.

[00:09:35] It can pick up more of the recording.

[00:09:36] That's amazing.

[00:09:37] But the problem with these condenser microphones is that it's going to pick up you and everything else around you, which you don't want in your podcast.

[00:09:47] And what happens is, is that a lot of people will buy the famous or should I say infamous Blue Yeti microphone, which is a condenser microphone.

[00:10:00] And that's why the Blue Yetis have kind of that sound to them where you hear the audio like bounce around, give a slight, slight echo sound to it because they're very, very sensitive microphones.

[00:10:14] And if you don't use them correctly in the correct place, which most of us don't have.

[00:10:21] To use a condenser microphone correctly, you need like a super padded room that's completely dead to the world.

[00:10:30] No outside sound getting in there at all.

[00:10:33] I mean, singers use it for things.

[00:10:35] Voice over actors use it for things because they have design studios that are designed to record it with a condenser microphone.

[00:10:46] If you do not have a sound booth, if you do not have a completely padded room for your condenser microphone, don't use a condenser microphone.

[00:10:57] Simple as that.

[00:10:58] Now, a side note on condenser microphones is that they usually require phantom power.

[00:11:04] Most audio interfaces have some kind of phantom power switch built into them.

[00:11:12] The Rodecaster does.

[00:11:13] My other interface I was using did.

[00:11:15] A lot of them do.

[00:11:16] Now, I know the Blue Yeti is a USB-only microphone.

[00:11:21] But for a lot of the other ones that require an XLR audio interface connection,

[00:11:26] they require phantom power to be turned on to use these things.

[00:11:30] I don't have any condenser microphones.

[00:11:32] And I don't want any.

[00:11:34] I love the microphones that I use.

[00:11:36] And the microphone I'm using right here, right now, is the Rode PodMic.

[00:11:41] I love the Rode PodMic.

[00:11:42] I got it connected directly into my Rodecaster Pro 2.

[00:11:47] Switched on to the Rode PodMic settings.

[00:11:50] Now, if I really wanted to, I can go in here and fine-tune the different settings on this microphone in the Rodecaster.

[00:11:57] But I pretty much have left it pretty much the same way that it came with.

[00:12:02] And I got the Rodecaster switched to the Broadcaster setting because that gives it more of a rich radio broadcaster sound,

[00:12:10] which works great for me.

[00:12:12] But here are some simple tips on how you can get the best out of your mic input.

[00:12:19] See, when you use your microphone, you actually want to position the microphone about maybe three to six inches from your mouth

[00:12:29] to get the clear sound without distortion.

[00:12:34] Now, you don't want to be screaming into your microphone and yelling into your microphone and things like that.

[00:12:38] I always say maybe a good fist distance away from your microphone is probably pretty good.

[00:12:44] I'm talking a little closer to my microphone because I don't have them cranked up quite crazy loud levels.

[00:12:51] And also, too, if you get a little closer to your microphone,

[00:12:55] especially if you have two people in the same room doing a podcast together,

[00:13:02] talking closer to the microphone, each person, will help reduce some of that crosstalk.

[00:13:08] And it also helps reduce some of that echo sound or any of that reverb sound, things like that.

[00:13:14] But you go too close, it can get really distorted.

[00:13:17] So you have to kind of find that sweet spot area.

[00:13:20] But if you're finding that you get maybe these plosive sounds happening,

[00:13:25] these P and B sounds happening quite a bit with your recording,

[00:13:29] well, maybe you need a pop filter or maybe you need a little clown nose kind of,

[00:13:34] I guess you call it a pop filter.

[00:13:36] I got pop filters, but they also have the windscreens.

[00:13:38] That's what I'm thinking of.

[00:13:38] The windscreens that go in front of the pop filter.

[00:13:41] I'm not using one right now.

[00:13:43] I did used to use them on the other house with the other microphones.

[00:13:47] But this microphone is supposed to have an internal pop filter,

[00:13:51] plus I have an external pop filter.

[00:13:52] I guess I could put an actual windscreen on it.

[00:13:55] I never thought about it.

[00:13:57] You know, I think it kind of looks fine the way it is.

[00:14:00] But to each their own, if you have problems with plosives,

[00:14:04] then maybe get a windscreen in front of your microphone.

[00:14:07] It's pretty easy to do.

[00:14:08] They're not very much on Amazon.

[00:14:09] Hook yourself up.

[00:14:10] Okay, so the next thing we're going to talk about is the actual signal boost.

[00:14:16] Boost the preamp and analog to digital conversion.

[00:14:20] Now, what in the hell does that even mean?

[00:14:23] You know, this is the problem with a lot of indie podcasters

[00:14:26] that know nothing about audio.

[00:14:27] They know nothing about how the audio goes from your mouth to the computer.

[00:14:32] Like, how does it even happen?

[00:14:33] Where's the magic behind all this stuff?

[00:14:37] After entering the microphone, your audio from your mouth,

[00:14:41] the electrical signal may need a boost.

[00:14:44] Now, that is where the preamp comes in.

[00:14:48] This stage ensures the signal is strong enough for digital processing

[00:14:54] without adding distortion.

[00:14:57] Now, most of the audio interfaces out there on the market today

[00:15:02] have some kind of preamp built in.

[00:15:05] Some kind of preamp processing power

[00:15:08] that takes your analog signal from your mouth and runs it through it.

[00:15:13] It does some cool boosting to it, which makes it sound amazing,

[00:15:17] and then sends it into a digital format,

[00:15:20] which sends it into either your computer or maybe a memory card

[00:15:23] or something like that.

[00:15:25] So the basics of a preamp is that the preamp amplifies the microphone's signal.

[00:15:32] It's kind of like raising the volume to ensure clarity.

[00:15:37] Good preamp levels are crucial to avoid overly soft or maybe even distorted audio

[00:15:45] because those are no good.

[00:15:47] If your audio is so quiet that you have a hard time hearing it in the end,

[00:15:52] or if it's too loud and blown out and sounds very distorted and muffled,

[00:15:58] either one of those doesn't sound great.

[00:16:00] And that is where a preamp comes in.

[00:16:02] So if you take your analog signal, the signal coming from your mouth,

[00:16:08] we're going to convert that analog signal to a digital conversion,

[00:16:12] the ADC as they call it.

[00:16:15] Now, the ADC converts your voice from the analog signal, electrical,

[00:16:22] to a digital signal, which is data.

[00:16:26] Now, this allows the audio to be stored and edited on your computer later.

[00:16:31] It goes from the microphone through the preamp.

[00:16:35] Then it converts that digital electrical signal into data,

[00:16:39] which now goes down to your computer,

[00:16:42] whether it's a memory card or directly onto your computer somehow.

[00:16:46] That's how it happens.

[00:16:47] Now, this conversion captures thousands,

[00:16:49] and I mean thousands of samples per second,

[00:16:53] creating a high-resolution digital file of your voice.

[00:16:58] So here is a really quick tip.

[00:17:01] Actually, you need to set the input levels correctly.

[00:17:05] Keep your input level between negative 12 and negative 6 dB

[00:17:10] to avoid any kind of distortion.

[00:17:13] And also, more importantly here,

[00:17:16] you need to test the sound to ensure it's strong and clear before recording.

[00:17:21] Before I record here or anywhere,

[00:17:25] I check to make sure that my recording,

[00:17:29] that I talk into this microphone,

[00:17:30] I press record either on the software or on the Rodecaster or sometimes both,

[00:17:35] and I check to make sure the levels are actually being recorded.

[00:17:40] In Audacity, which I'm using right now,

[00:17:42] there is an actual program peak meter that I'm looking at right now.

[00:17:47] It goes from green to yellow to red.

[00:17:49] Red means dead.

[00:17:51] You don't want to hit red at all,

[00:17:51] but it's actually bouncing up and down as I'm talking.

[00:17:56] Now, the same thing is happening right on the Rodecaster.

[00:17:58] It also has a meter on the Rodecaster.

[00:18:01] If you see that thing moving and you're talking,

[00:18:04] it's actually doing what it's supposed to be doing.

[00:18:07] And when I say set the input levels,

[00:18:10] that meter is what I'm talking about.

[00:18:13] If you're talking and you see that meter moving,

[00:18:15] but it's very faint,

[00:18:17] it's like probably towards the lower end of the meter.

[00:18:20] Well, your input levels are way,

[00:18:23] way too low.

[00:18:24] And that is where the actual preamp comes into play.

[00:18:28] Now,

[00:18:28] if your audio interface comes with some kind of gain knob or a boost knob or an input knob,

[00:18:37] that you can crank that up and that actually will boost the level or the power or the gain to your microphone.

[00:18:46] To increase that actual level of your recording.

[00:18:50] Okay, moving on to the fun section, which is called the processing stage.

[00:18:55] Now, this is where you do the editing and refining the audio.

[00:19:00] And if you are a podcast audio editor,

[00:19:04] if you edit people's shows and that's your job,

[00:19:07] this is where you probably jump in.

[00:19:09] This is your spot where you actually start

[00:19:11] because your clients probably already recorded the audio and sent it over to you.

[00:19:16] And this is where the fun begins.

[00:19:18] So now that your audio is actually digital,

[00:19:22] it's ready for editing.

[00:19:24] This is where you can enhance the clarity,

[00:19:27] balance the volume,

[00:19:29] and remove unwanted noise

[00:19:31] to create a nice,

[00:19:33] polished,

[00:19:34] and well-rounded and sounded podcast.

[00:19:36] And I know that there are probably lots and lots of podcasters that steer clear

[00:19:42] of doing any kind of editing for their podcast.

[00:19:45] They farm it out to an editor to do it for them

[00:19:48] because editing sounds complicated.

[00:19:52] Audio editing sounds really complicated

[00:19:54] because they don't know how to use like Audacity

[00:19:57] or any other kind of audio,

[00:20:00] you know,

[00:20:00] software out there.

[00:20:01] So a lot of podcasters,

[00:20:03] especially indie ones I've seen,

[00:20:05] have decided to just stick with something like Descript

[00:20:08] that edits things like a Word text document.

[00:20:12] There are some audio enhancements within Descript.

[00:20:16] Yes, there's some stuff,

[00:20:17] but it does not look like your standard audio editing software.

[00:20:22] But I'm going to give you three key tools

[00:20:25] that can help you enhance your podcast audio.

[00:20:28] There's three things you can do.

[00:20:31] Very simple.

[00:20:32] Now, the first thing you can do

[00:20:34] is use some kind of noise reduction.

[00:20:38] In Audacity, there's noise reduction.

[00:20:40] I use it pretty much every single time.

[00:20:43] What it does

[00:20:44] is it reduces background noise

[00:20:47] like say hum or hiss

[00:20:49] or things like that,

[00:20:50] making your voice clearer

[00:20:53] and reducing that unwanted background noise.

[00:20:57] So once you do that,

[00:20:59] the second thing you can do to your audio

[00:21:01] is add a little EQ,

[00:21:03] a little equalization.

[00:21:05] This actually adjusts the frequency ranges,

[00:21:09] letting you add warmth

[00:21:12] or brightness to your voice.

[00:21:14] EQ can help your voice sound fuller or cleaner

[00:21:17] or make it sound louder or brighter.

[00:21:20] You can do a lot of crazy things

[00:21:22] with EQ on your audio podcast.

[00:21:25] I love it.

[00:21:26] A little EQ can go a long way,

[00:21:28] so don't go crazy with this stuff,

[00:21:29] but you can enhance it.

[00:21:32] So first, you got to do the noise reduction.

[00:21:33] Then you do the EQ.

[00:21:35] And the third thing you can do

[00:21:37] to really make your audio sound great

[00:21:40] is use some compression.

[00:21:43] Now, what is a compressor

[00:21:44] and how does it work?

[00:21:45] One of the cool things

[00:21:47] about the new update to Audacity

[00:21:49] is that they have this big,

[00:21:51] full suite of cool tools

[00:21:52] and one of them is

[00:21:54] this whole compressor suite.

[00:21:55] I absolutely love it.

[00:21:57] They've got like 20 to 50 different choices on there

[00:21:59] of how you want to compress the audio.

[00:22:01] You want to make it sound like a podcast

[00:22:03] or a radio show?

[00:22:04] Go right ahead.

[00:22:05] You want to make it sound

[00:22:06] a bunch of different ways

[00:22:07] you can make it sound.

[00:22:08] What a compressor actually does

[00:22:11] is that it balances the loud

[00:22:13] and the soft parts

[00:22:15] to create a consistent volume,

[00:22:17] making it easier for the listeners

[00:22:19] to hear all the parts of your audio clearly.

[00:22:23] And that is what it's all about

[00:22:24] because if you're talking very quiet

[00:22:27] and the listeners can't quite hear you

[00:22:29] and that they crank the volume really loud

[00:22:31] and then maybe you come in

[00:22:32] and your volume is kind of blasting

[00:22:34] because you got really close to the microphone

[00:22:37] or you're talking very loudly,

[00:22:39] the compressor helps balance that out.

[00:22:41] So the things you got to worry about

[00:22:43] is noise reduction, EQ, and compression.

[00:22:46] But here's something to consider

[00:22:48] if you're going to do some EQ

[00:22:49] on your podcast audio.

[00:22:51] So if you are boosting the lower frequencies,

[00:22:55] this actually can add in some warmth

[00:22:57] while reducing high frequencies

[00:23:00] contain some of those like sharp sounds.

[00:23:03] Now, when you're using the compressor

[00:23:05] or compression on your audio,

[00:23:08] the settings for the compressor

[00:23:09] can vary quite a bit.

[00:23:11] That's why I love the Audacity's

[00:23:12] like they have a bunch set it

[00:23:14] and forget it all ready to go.

[00:23:16] But compressors can vary

[00:23:17] and compression settings can vary.

[00:23:20] So maybe, you know,

[00:23:21] start out with a two to one ratio

[00:23:24] and adjusting from there

[00:23:26] can balance out the loud

[00:23:27] and the soft parts of your voice.

[00:23:30] But with any of this stuff,

[00:23:32] try having some fun

[00:23:34] and maybe experiment a little bit

[00:23:36] with your own podcast.

[00:23:37] I know everybody's voice is different.

[00:23:39] Everybody's microphone is different.

[00:23:40] Everybody's equipment is different.

[00:23:42] Everybody's room,

[00:23:43] the recording is completely different.

[00:23:44] So just play around with this stuff.

[00:23:47] Try some EQ settings.

[00:23:48] Just find things that work best for you

[00:23:51] and your own voice.

[00:23:53] And moving on to another amazing fun stage

[00:23:56] if you are an indie podcaster

[00:23:58] and that is exporting your audio.

[00:24:00] Now, how do you do that?

[00:24:02] And what does that even mean?

[00:24:03] When you're done editing

[00:24:04] and hopefully you do edit your podcast.

[00:24:06] Do you edit your podcast?

[00:24:08] I know some don't,

[00:24:09] but hopefully you do.

[00:24:10] When you're done editing,

[00:24:12] it's time to export that audio.

[00:24:15] The exporting process

[00:24:16] actually prepares the audio

[00:24:18] for playback on different devices

[00:24:21] with different formats.

[00:24:23] Now, when it comes to audio files

[00:24:25] and audio editing,

[00:24:27] there's probably only two types of files

[00:24:31] you need to worry about.

[00:24:32] The first type is the WAV or .WAV file type.

[00:24:38] Now, the WAV file

[00:24:39] is a high quality uncompressed audio

[00:24:42] often used for the initial recording

[00:24:45] and editing, which is what I do.

[00:24:47] So everything I do up until the point

[00:24:50] where I create the MP3 file

[00:24:52] is used as a WAV file.

[00:24:56] High quality uncompressed audio,

[00:24:58] which allows me to edit this audio amazing,

[00:25:01] run lots of EQ

[00:25:02] and do a lot of cool things with this audio

[00:25:05] because it's clear, it's clean,

[00:25:07] it's original, it's uncompressed,

[00:25:09] it's a very natural audio,

[00:25:11] which sounds great.

[00:25:12] And you're thinking,

[00:25:13] why don't we just send that out

[00:25:14] to our podcast media host?

[00:25:16] Why do we need an MP3 for, Chris?

[00:25:17] Well, the problem with WAV files

[00:25:20] is that because they're clean and crisp

[00:25:22] and uncompressed,

[00:25:24] they're very big.

[00:25:26] Really, really big.

[00:25:27] Now, I know they're not as big as a video file,

[00:25:30] but they can be pretty close,

[00:25:32] let me tell you.

[00:25:33] So if you were going to put that

[00:25:35] onto your podcast media host,

[00:25:37] it would be so massive,

[00:25:39] it would take forever

[00:25:40] to download to people's devices.

[00:25:42] They would actually fill up their phones

[00:25:45] with a few episodes of your podcast

[00:25:47] because the files were that big.

[00:25:50] So how do we fix that?

[00:25:51] We convert it into an MP3 file.

[00:25:55] So why do we use MP3 files?

[00:25:58] Well, for one,

[00:25:59] the audio format MP3

[00:26:02] is commonly used everywhere in the world.

[00:26:06] So that's one thing.

[00:26:07] And another thing

[00:26:08] is that it's actually used for podcasts

[00:26:12] because it provides good audio quality

[00:26:15] with a manageable audio file size.

[00:26:19] It can be compressed

[00:26:20] to a much smaller size,

[00:26:22] which is more easier to use

[00:26:25] and to share

[00:26:26] within your podcast media app.

[00:26:29] That's why we use it.

[00:26:30] Now, some would say

[00:26:31] MP4 is slightly better,

[00:26:34] and maybe it is.

[00:26:36] But I've been using MP3,

[00:26:38] and you are probably using MP3 also.

[00:26:40] But if you like to use MP4,

[00:26:42] go right ahead.

[00:26:44] But it's also a compressed audio file.

[00:26:47] Now, MP4 might be slightly better

[00:26:49] than MP3,

[00:26:50] but MP3 is easy,

[00:26:52] and it works.

[00:26:54] And that's the thing

[00:26:55] when it comes to podcasts.

[00:26:56] You want to make sure

[00:26:56] that thing you do

[00:26:57] is delivered to your listener

[00:26:59] and whatever file you use.

[00:27:02] Hopefully it's MP3

[00:27:03] because it does work,

[00:27:04] and it does get played

[00:27:05] pretty much everywhere.

[00:27:07] But when you save your audio

[00:27:09] in your audio editor

[00:27:10] as an MP3,

[00:27:12] one thing your software

[00:27:13] is going to ask you

[00:27:14] is what bit rate

[00:27:16] are you going to save

[00:27:17] this MP3 file at?

[00:27:19] Now, bit rates

[00:27:21] impact the audio quality.

[00:27:24] A higher bit rate

[00:27:25] means better sound.

[00:27:27] Sounds pretty easy

[00:27:28] to figure that out.

[00:27:29] But it's also

[00:27:30] a much larger file size.

[00:27:32] So the problem is,

[00:27:33] yeah, you want it to sound great,

[00:27:34] but you don't want to overwhelm

[00:27:37] the download

[00:27:38] by being this massive,

[00:27:39] huge file.

[00:27:41] So for podcasts,

[00:27:43] somewhere around 128

[00:27:45] to 192 KPBS

[00:27:48] or kilobytes per second

[00:27:49] deliver a really good balance

[00:27:52] between quality

[00:27:53] and file size.

[00:27:55] So just remember

[00:27:56] anywhere between 128

[00:27:58] and 192.

[00:28:00] I like to record everything

[00:28:02] at 192

[00:28:04] on the higher end

[00:28:05] because

[00:28:05] I like to make sure

[00:28:07] the audio sounds

[00:28:08] its absolute best.

[00:28:10] But on that note,

[00:28:11] you want to make sure

[00:28:12] that you are using

[00:28:13] a consistent bit rate.

[00:28:16] On Audacity,

[00:28:17] I believe there's a section

[00:28:18] on there,

[00:28:18] it does say

[00:28:18] consistent bit rate

[00:28:20] and that's where I keep it at

[00:28:21] 192 consistent.

[00:28:23] Now this is for

[00:28:24] a reliable

[00:28:24] listening experience.

[00:28:26] So for example,

[00:28:27] if you have multiple episodes,

[00:28:28] what this actually does

[00:28:30] is that it actually

[00:28:31] normalizes the audio

[00:28:33] to a set standard level

[00:28:35] across all of your episodes.

[00:28:38] And now that brings us

[00:28:39] to the very last trip

[00:28:41] in our journey

[00:28:41] all the way from your mouth

[00:28:43] to the listeners ears.

[00:28:45] The actual playback

[00:28:47] on their actual device.

[00:28:50] What does it sound like

[00:28:51] to them?

[00:28:52] One thing that I always suggest

[00:28:54] any and every podcaster

[00:28:56] out there

[00:28:56] is to subscribe

[00:28:57] to your own show.

[00:28:59] If you're not subscribing

[00:29:00] to your own show,

[00:29:01] what is wrong with you?

[00:29:03] Always subscribe

[00:29:04] to your podcast

[00:29:05] and better yet,

[00:29:06] give it a play.

[00:29:07] I know you just recorded

[00:29:08] and I know you just did

[00:29:10] the editing on it

[00:29:10] and I know all that great stuff.

[00:29:12] Yeah, I've heard it before.

[00:29:14] But why aren't you listening

[00:29:15] to your own podcast?

[00:29:16] Like why aren't you pressing play

[00:29:17] to make sure

[00:29:19] everything you did

[00:29:20] along this journey

[00:29:23] actually came out

[00:29:24] in the finished product?

[00:29:25] When a listener

[00:29:27] hits play,

[00:29:28] their device converts

[00:29:30] the digital file back

[00:29:32] into sound waves.

[00:29:34] The listeners,

[00:29:35] speakers,

[00:29:36] or headphones,

[00:29:37] whatever they're using,

[00:29:39] it'll create

[00:29:40] these sound waves

[00:29:41] allowing them

[00:29:42] to hear your voice.

[00:29:44] But you want to make sure

[00:29:46] that when they hear

[00:29:48] your voice,

[00:29:48] it sounds

[00:29:50] as it should.

[00:29:51] The problem is

[00:29:53] is that

[00:29:53] different devices

[00:29:55] for different sounds,

[00:29:57] different places

[00:29:58] people listen.

[00:29:59] So, for example,

[00:30:00] if I'm listening

[00:30:01] to a podcast

[00:30:02] in my work truck,

[00:30:04] which is a little noisier,

[00:30:05] it doesn't sound

[00:30:07] quite the same

[00:30:08] as it may

[00:30:09] in my earbuds

[00:30:10] or with headphones on

[00:30:12] or playing directly

[00:30:13] off my phone

[00:30:15] without any kind

[00:30:16] of speaker,

[00:30:18] just a speakerphone

[00:30:19] on the phone itself.

[00:30:20] Playback quality

[00:30:22] can vary

[00:30:22] between these devices.

[00:30:24] So,

[00:30:24] testing your podcast

[00:30:26] on multiple devices

[00:30:28] can give you

[00:30:29] an insight

[00:30:29] on how

[00:30:30] it sounds different

[00:30:31] from user

[00:30:33] or listener

[00:30:33] to listener

[00:30:34] because not every listener

[00:30:36] is listening

[00:30:37] in a sound booth

[00:30:38] and not every listener

[00:30:39] has the best equipment.

[00:30:41] So,

[00:30:42] you have to expect

[00:30:43] that your podcast

[00:30:44] listener

[00:30:45] is listening

[00:30:46] to your show

[00:30:47] on a wide range

[00:30:49] of devices.

[00:30:50] So,

[00:30:50] if you have

[00:30:51] the ability

[00:30:52] to sample

[00:30:53] your own podcast

[00:30:55] in different formats,

[00:30:57] in different places,

[00:30:58] on different devices,

[00:31:00] that way you can see,

[00:31:02] well,

[00:31:02] hey,

[00:31:02] if I play it

[00:31:03] on my phone,

[00:31:04] it sounds much different

[00:31:05] than I play it

[00:31:06] through my car stereo.

[00:31:07] Well,

[00:31:08] if I listen to it

[00:31:08] with my car stereo,

[00:31:09] it sounds much different

[00:31:10] than it does

[00:31:11] through my earbuds.

[00:31:12] But,

[00:31:13] one thing is for sure,

[00:31:15] you want to make sure

[00:31:15] that your show

[00:31:16] can be heard

[00:31:18] clean and clear

[00:31:19] and basically

[00:31:20] be able to understand

[00:31:22] what you're saying

[00:31:22] no matter

[00:31:23] what kind of device

[00:31:24] it's being played on.

[00:31:25] And that

[00:31:26] is the podcast

[00:31:27] audio journey

[00:31:29] from your mouth

[00:31:29] to your listeners' ears.

[00:31:31] That is the path

[00:31:32] it took

[00:31:32] to get there.

[00:31:34] Thank you

[00:31:34] once again

[00:31:35] for listening.

[00:31:36] I do appreciate

[00:31:37] you spending

[00:31:37] your time

[00:31:38] with me today.

[00:31:38] Like I said,

[00:31:39] I make these episodes

[00:31:40] for you.

[00:31:41] And if you have

[00:31:42] any questions

[00:31:42] or concerns

[00:31:43] or anything at all,

[00:31:44] you always can reach me

[00:31:45] on my website

[00:31:46] directly at

[00:31:48] podtasticaudio.com

[00:31:49] And until next time,

[00:31:51] happy podcasting.