Improve Your Podcast Sound: Tips for Clear and Engaging Audio | EP285

Have you ever had to stop listening to a podcast you loved just because the sound quality was unbearable? I share my own experience with this common frustration and offer insights on how you can avoid losing listeners over something as simple as poor audio. Whether you're a seasoned host or just getting started, you'll discover practical tips to transform your recording space into a soundproof sanctuary. From using padding to minimize echo to mastering consistent microphone techniques, let’s explore how to elevate your podcasting game with clear and engaging audio.

Don't let your podcast fall victim to common recording pitfalls like inconsistent volume levels or distracting background noise. Find out how to maintain high-quality sound that retains listeners and attracts sponsors. I'll also share a humorous tale about recording under a duvet, illustrating the creative lengths one might go to achieve perfect audio quality. Plus, get a sneak peek into my plans for an upcoming webinar, "The Five Power Pillars of Podcasting," which is designed to support and inspire aspiring podcasters. Join me as we unlock the secrets to creating a listener-friendly experience that keeps your audience coming back for more.

The 5 Power Pillars of Podcasting 12th Dec 1pm UK register here > BOOK

www.donnaeade.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Importance of Podcast Sound Quality
• 11:55 Improving Podcast Recording Quality
• 22:16 Maximizing Podcast Sound Quality

Transcript

Donna Eade: 0:30

You're listening to the Mindset in Action podcast, the place to be to grow and streamline your business. I'm your host, donna Eade. Let's jump into the show. Sometimes, the most influential thing we can do is listen. Bob Berg, welcome back to the podcast.

Donna Eade: 1:00

Everybody, I am glad to have you here with me today for this episode where we're going to be talking about sound quality for podcasts. So this is really important. Whether you are planning to guest on a podcast, or whether you are a podcast host or planning to be a podcast host, audio sound quality is really, really important. It is something that I will harp on about for a very long time, but I'm going to try and be very concise here in this episode for you. So one of the reasons that you know sound quality is so important is because it affects your listenership retention, and I want to give you an example. So I'm not going to name any names because I don't like to upset people, but there is a podcast that I used to listen to that I really enjoyed the content. The value of the episodes was fantastic. Really enjoyed the content. The value of the episodes was fantastic, but it was what is known in the trade sounded like a toilet podcast, and that is when it sounds like you're dialing in from the toilet to have the conversation and nobody wants to think about somebody sat on the toilet whilst they're listening to a podcast. But when you hear that echoey sound, that is immediately where your mind goes to, because it just is. And unfortunately it also had the effect that the room that she was recording in which I know was a very bare room created more sound issues with things like her S's and also with the pitch, the sound, the audio. It just wasn't quite right and it was so bad on one episode that I decided I can't listen to this anymore and I haven't listened since, which is a shame, because I know she offers great value. But the audio sound quality just wasn't good enough for me to be able to listen to. And the importance of that is because you only listen to a podcast with your ears unless it is a videocast, and you know my thoughts about video podcasts. If it's a videocast it's slightly different. You can kind of get away with it, people can see that you're not on the toilet. But when it is just audio, people really need to have that good sound quality because it is the only sense they are listening with.

Donna Eade: 3:17

So, before we jump into the crux of the episode, I did just want to address the elephant in the room. It might not be an elephant for you, but it is for me, and that is. I missed an upload on Monday. Did you notice? I bet you didn't notice. I'm so sure that nobody even noticed. That is why I let it go and I didn't kick myself too much for it, but there was no Mini Mindset Monday on Monday.

Donna Eade: 3:41

This is something that I am going to talk about in my goals for the new year episode. So you know, we always do our quarterly wrap ups. So that will be coming soon and I will talk to you more about what my goals are for 2025 and what I'm going to be doing going forward with the podcast. However, I wanted to just address it. Let you know that you didn't miss anything. It's not that you can't find it, it doesn't exist. So that is the result there.

Donna Eade: 4:11

And then what I also wanted to do was I wanted to give you a very clear show of what I mean by sound quality and the difference that it makes. So I'm now going to play you a test that I did a while back to show the difference between the audios. Now I'm going to play them in the order of how people kind of do it. So you know, with no preparation up to prepped, so you're going to listen to the sound quality change and, yeah, just take a listen to this and then we'll jump back into it. And this is a recording of what the standard microphone in my computer sounds like with the padding, and this is what it sounds like when I have no padding and it's going through the default microphone. Here is a vocal test of the Samsung Q2U microphone in a room that is around a meter and a half by two and a half meters. It is an office, so hard surface all around, nothing put in place to deaden the sound, and this is what it sounds like. This is a recording of the Samsung Q2U in the same room with some pillows and blankets put in place to help with deadening the sound, and this is the difference it makes in the quality of the audio. Okay, so I hope that gave you a good example of the difference that sound quality makes in what you're hearing.

Donna Eade: 5:57

When it comes to podcasts and you're now probably going to scrutinize the podcast that you listen to a bit more, but to me, it is all about making the experience a good one for your listener. You want them to come back. So why audio quality matters? Let's talk about it First of all. First impressions count. We all know that we have a very, very short space of time to make a good impression on people, and that has really reduced over the years. I think it used to be like you had seven seconds when you first met somebody. Now, with social media, if you don't capture their attention in three seconds, you're gone. So you know there is somewhere between three and seven seconds that you have got to capture the heart of your listener and get them to continue to listen, and if the audio quality is bad, from that, get go.

Donna Eade: 6:49

They are likely to jump off. They are likely to jump off. It also affects your retention rate, because you know if they are listening, if the sound quality gets worse or it doesn't get any better, the likelihood is they're going to struggle with listening to the whole episode. So if they do that, even if they get through, they're likely to mark that in their heads that that wasn't a good experience, and they're only ever going to listen if the topic of conversation is like something they really, really need to hear. So you're going to have to really work hard then to get them with the titles and the description of the episode, to get them to listen into any other episodes.

Donna Eade: 7:31

So really important to not give people the excuse to jump off. You want to make the experience as good as possible. It also lends to your credibility and although you know people are sitting there, they know that you're not a podcast. You know that's not what you do. So for me, it is what I do. I teach people how to podcast. So people would listen to my podcast and expect good sound quality, and most people aren't teaching podcasting when they have a podcast. So it's not necessarily a reflection of your expertise.

Donna Eade: 8:19

However, people do look at these things in terms of well, if you are putting this much effort into that, how much effort do you put into your actual work? So it is one of those things where there is a correlation there for people in their heads, even if it's not a direct correlation. So you just one of those things where there is a correlation there for people in their heads, even if it's not a direct correlation. So you just want to make sure that you are doing the best that you can with what you have and that is what I've always taught people to do is this I literally had a one-to-one with a lady earlier and I said you know, in an ideal world we'd all have two airing cupboards, one of which we could pad out with foam and we could go and sit in and do our podcast and have our own little soundproof booth.

Donna Eade: 8:57

But unfortunately we don't have access to that. So you have to do the best with what you've got, even if that entails wearing an Udi and having a blanket over your head, mrs Catherine Chapman. But it is really important to make the best of what you've got so you can give the best experience possible, because that is going to lend to your credibility as well. It also lends to accessibility. So obviously, people who are listening to podcasts want to be able to listen when they're doing things, so when they're driving, when they're in the gym, when they are walking, running, etc. When they are walking, running, etc. All of these things. Activities are going to have outside noise and a lot of earphones now have noise cancelling, which is great. So they're going to have the outside noise cancelled a little bit for them so they can hear you better. But if your audio quality isn't great, then it's going to be something that where they're going to be pushing up their volume to try and hear it and that could actually be affecting their hearing. So you want to make sure that you are giving them a sound quality that is good enough that they can listen in the situations they're in.

Donna Eade: 10:04

I know there are some podcasts and I always think about this that I really need to go and listen to my podcast in the car. Feedback to me guys Do you listen in the car? Is it loud enough when you are on the fast roads? Because when I'm pootling along at 30 miles an hour, most podcasts are fine, but I do find that there are some that when I get up to the 60 mile an hour roads that suddenly the audio quality isn't good enough for me to be able to push it high enough to be able to hear it over the road noise. So that is something to consider as well. So some of the mistakes that people make with their audio, let's go through those.

Donna Eade: 10:41

So the first one is background noise. Now, this is something that I teach my clients how to avoid, and there is a way to reduce the background noise in the editing software. But you need to capture that external noise first. So it's great if you've got a constant stream of traffic going outside of your house, because you can let the audio pick up that background noise and then you'll be able to edit out later. But unfortunately most of us live in a place where that isn't the case. Also, your microphone can help with that. So if you have a directional microphone rather than a condenser microphone so a dynamic rather than a condenser that can help, because the sound is only going to be absorbed from one direction rather than all directions, so that can help. But if you don't take out the background noise, that can be really disruptive, because it's usually one of those really sort of low hums, low hisses, that really low white noise sound that people don't necessarily know is there, but it's irritating. It's like clouding the vocal. It's just not as crisp and clear as it should be and people can't quite put their finger on why.

Donna Eade: 11:55

So that is one thing that you want to make sure that you reduce. The other is interruptions. So this is notifications off your computer, off your phone, etc. I forgot to put my phone on silent when I started recording this. I have got to go back and edit out a ding, as my mum sent me a WhatsApp message whilst I was recording. So those things, you know. If you want to avoid them, turn everything off beforehand, wear headphones or have headphones plugged in so that you know. Obviously you'll need headphones in if you are doing a guest interview, but have them plugged in, you don't have to wear them, so that your audio computer audio is going through your microphone and then that's going to avoid any pings coming through and being picked up on the microphone. So that's a good way of avoiding those interruptions.

Donna Eade: 12:43

Then the other thing is low or inconsistent volume levels. So that's what I was talking about, about not having the right audio volume for being able to be heard in a car that's moving at high speed. Those things you're going to have to test and see what level actually works for you. So you know, don't go speeding. But you know, maybe do a couple of recordings at different levels and go and see what that actually sounds like in that environment so you can judge it. But if you have got low or inconsistent volume, that's going to turn people off, oh my gosh.

Donna Eade: 13:18

Inconsistent volume would be a nightmare if it was going high, low, high, low. That would be a nightmare because people would be turning their volume up, turning it down. If they're driving in the car, they can't fiddle with the volume like that all the time, unless they've got it. I'm lucky I've got a button on my steering wheel, on one of the tabs on my steering wheel, that I can actually lower and higher the volume. However, you don't want to be doing that when you're supposed to be concentrating on something else, so that could be really, you know, irritating for people. So trying to make sure that the volume levels are consistent means keeping your face the same sort of distance from your mic from the entire episode. So you're not going in and out, because if I go back here then you won't be able to hear me as well as you can hear me when I'm here. So those people who talk with their hands, you have to kind of reduce that a little bit so that you can keep yourself still and be heard. I obviously left that in, for example purposes, so don't come at me in the comments and go hang on a minute.

Donna Eade: 14:21

Your volume went low, excess echo and reverb. So this is what I'm talking about, about the padding in your office. So that was what the test that I did at the beginning that I let you listen to. That is where we're talking about echo and reverb. It is the act of your voice bouncing off of the hard surfaces in front of where you are speaking. So you want to try and make as much soft furnishings surfaces in front of where you are speaking. So you want to try and make as much soft furnishings be in front of you as possible to make sure that you are absorbing as much sound as possible so that nothing is coming back at the microphone and creating that echo. That is also what creates a toilet podcast.

Donna Eade: 14:58

If you leave that echo in, then the other is a poor mic technique. So with a microphone you do have to be careful of keeping distance, like I said, keeping the right kind of distance between you and the mic, but then also noting how your S's and P's sound. So there can be a lot of plosive sounds with microphones. If your P's and B's pop too much because you're too close to the microphone, your S's, your sibilance, can sound quite bad as well. So that is something to look at. There is a de-esser that you can use in most editing softwares to reduce the sibilance, because that's not something that you can necessarily, you know, eek out of your vocal, naturally, but you can use a de-esser to reduce the sibilance. Popping is a lot harder to do. There is a way to reduce it, but you have to do it for every individual pop and that would take an absolute nightmare of a time, which is why I suggest not using a gaming customer service style headset for podcasting, because the microphone sits too close to the mouth and it's too easy to create those plosive sounds.

Donna Eade: 16:17

I had to re-record a guest episode because a guest was wearing one of those and I didn't notice it while we were recording, because I had visual as well. So it wasn't, you know, as heightened, but when I listened back and I only had audio to listen, it was really bad and we had to re-record because of it. So save yourself some time and save your guests some time by making sure that your microphone technique is good. So how can we improve our audio quality? So I've already given you quite a lot of tips throughout the episode of things that you can do, but you can invest in equipment.

Donna Eade: 16:54

So, like I said, I use a microphone now. I used to use my headset, my Apple headset, because that has a mic. You know it doesn't sit too close to the mouth. It works quite well. However, it is not a recording quality microphone, so it's not the best and it doesn't work in the same way as a recording microphone where you know you can help the echo and whatnot, because you can't really sit right with it. I mean, I used to literally sit with my duvet over my head, with my laptop on my mattress, sat on the floor to do it when I was wearing that, because it was the only way I could help the sound quality. So you can do that. But having a microphone that is a recording microphone, a dynamic microphone, is really really good, and in my resource section on my website, if you go to DonnaEdecom and go to the resource section, you'll find my mic there. It's under £100 off Amazon. It is a really good quality mic for podcast recording, absolutely perfect for beginners, and I'm nearly five years in and I still use it, so I highly recommend it. I've not had any issues with it at all.

Donna Eade: 18:06

The other thing that you can do is if you find that you are having those oppressive sounds from your microphone, you can get a pop sock, which, if you've ever like, watched music videos where they're in studios and stuff, you will have seen them. They're kind of shields or circles that sit over the mic that have kind of nylon tight type material over the top of them. They just help to reduce the P sounds. The issue with using one of those is it reduces the overall sound. So you're going to have to be a bit better at projecting your voice to make sure that you are actually getting the volume through it as well as reducing those P's. So you could get pop socks and they're not too expensive either. So you know you could give it a go, see if it helps, see if you can work out how to adjust your voice enough to make it work for you and see how that goes.

Donna Eade: 19:03

You can also invest in windshields, which help. They are the you know the foam that people put over their soundproof booths. It is and you will have seen these in music videos as well If the singer is in a booth and they are stood with a microphone and then in front of them they've kind of got this curved wall of foam or gauze, usually made of like nylon-y stuff. It is to absorb the sound. So you can get those.

Donna Eade: 19:30

I would say that pillows work even better. So I have my two big sofa cushions either side of my microphone and I have a normal fluffy cushion underneath my microphone. That works much better than me getting my windshield out, because if I get the windshield out it's great for the straight ahead sounds if I can get my microphone in the right position. But the underneath is still a hard surface. External to it is all a hard surface and it's not big enough to make a big difference in an office type environment. If you're already in a sound booth, I think it would be perfectly OK, but I don't think it works so well for at home and they can be pricey. So I think use your cushions, it's a cheaper alternative.

Donna Eade: 20:18

So the other thing, obviously opposed to equipment is the environment, so making sure that you are recording in the best environment you can. So if you're doing solo shows and the reason that I do all of mine in my office now is because I can get a more equal quality sound across my podcast I don't want somebody to listen to a guest episode and then listen to a solo episode and there'd be a vast difference in the sound quality, because if I wanted really, really good quality sound, I would probably go upstairs, open my wardrobe, sit down in my wardrobe and record in there and know that I'm going to get really good sound quality because of all the soft clothing in there that's going to absorb my voice. But I know that I'm not going to get the same sort of quality if I'm recording in here with a guest and of course I'm not going to be calling a guest from my wardrobe. So you've got to sort of judge it for yourself and find the best quality you can get in the space that you can do all of the types of recording that you want to do. So I do mine in my office. I do put a bit of extra padding around when I'm doing a solo episode, because I can. There's a little bit less when I'm doing a guest episode, but I don't mind that because the guest usually isn't in a room that's set up perfectly either. So it balances out our audio, although I do tell my guests to bring in soft furnishings and I'm always appreciative when they actually follow the instructions. So that is a really good one as well. Then, learning the basics of your editing, learning how to balance levels and making sure that you and your guests are on the same sort of level will really help to increase that listener experience and make sure that you know you're bringing up a quiet guest so that they are more in line with you if you're louder, etc.

Donna Eade: 22:16

Because that can be quite off-putting if and that's one of the reasons I had to stop listening to one of the podcasts I absolutely love I couldn't listen to it in the car because he was in a studio with a good studio mic and his quality was excellent and his guests were phoning it in on zoom and their quality was terrible, in some cases really bad, and I wouldn't be able to hear his guests when I was on the road. So his episodes were quite long. So I would do it when I'm on my car journey. You know when I was going up to Nottingham once a month, that's quite a journey for me in the car, so his episodes would get me there almost a journey for me in the car, so his episodes would get me there almost. So I would listen in the car. But when his guest started speaking I wouldn't even be able to like I'd be max volume and I wouldn't be able to hear his guests properly. So it wasn't a great experience. So fortunately for me in that instance he had it on YouTube so I could watch it at home on YouTube, but it wasn't a great podcast for that.

Donna Eade: 23:21

So be careful with that and make sure you're balancing and learning to balance those audio files and then try and create that consistency, like I said, between your guest episodes and your solo episodes. You want to make sure that it is as similar as possible so that the quality is what your listeners are going to expect from week to week, so that they're not coming in and going, whoa, this is awful, and then going off and not realizing that next week you're going to be on your own and the sound's going to be fine. You want to create that consistency across all of the different types of recordings that you do so that your listeners know what to expect from you. So what's the ROI of great audio? Let me tell you for a start. It's going to help you when you're attracting guests and sponsorships to your podcast, because nobody wants to sponsor a podcast that has bad audio.

Donna Eade: 24:13

So when you are looking to get a sponsor or to get a guest, having them obviously sending them your podcast so they can have a listen to it. You want them to know that it's the right kind of show for them to go on, but you also want them to hear that it is a good show to go on, so you want the quality to be there so that they go oh, this, this is a professional podcast, this is something that I would like to be featured on. So audio quality is going to help you to snag those guests and get that sponsorship. It's also going to help you retain your listeners and get found and discovered by more listeners, because the more people who listen to you and enjoy it, the more they stay around, the more the podcast algorithms not that there are algorithms, but the more it really is a case of the more people that are listening to you, the more likely it is that you're going to get discovered by other people as well, because you'll become the go-to authority. Just like if you did a blog post, for example, on the reason why Red Soul shoes are the best shoes in the world, if you are the best blog on that that have been read the most, then you're going to appear at the top of the search. It's the same with podcasts if you create good, value content that has what people are looking for and they start listening to it and they stay because the audio quality is good and they can understand it. Then you're going to appear higher than other podcasts on the same topic. So that is it.

Donna Eade: 25:47

That is my whistle stop tour on podcast audio. I hope you found that interesting and helpful. I would say that, yes, I know that. You know done is better than perfect, and what I always say to people is start with what you've got and make gradual improvements. This isn't like you don't need a podcast studio to do a podcast, but you do need to create the best audio quality you can with what you have. So I'm not asking you to go out and pad your room out with foam. I am not asking you to go out and pad your room out with foam. I am not asking you to go out and buy a £300 microphone. I am not asking you to get an audio engineer to edit your podcast episodes. I am asking you to listen back to this episode, take on board the tips, listen to that test again, see the difference and take that on board. So that is it for this week, guys.

Donna Eade: 26:40

If you are listening to this when it came out, you will know that I am running a new webinar, a new web class, on the 12th of December. It's called the five power pillars of podcasting. So if you are considering starting a podcast, then come and join me for that webinar masterclass. I am going to be offering a limited time replay for this one because I know that December can be hard for people to show up live to things because Christmas starts getting in the way of everything. But I am going to be doing it live. If you want to come and ask questions, please do, and please come live if you can, because it is nice to actually have other people in the room when I'm talking. So come and join me for that.

Donna Eade: 27:23

If you can't make it, sign up, you can get the replay. It will be limited time, so do make make an hour in your diary for you to listen to it and you could probably get it done in 45 minutes or less if you speed me up a little bit, which is perfectly okay to do. I do it all the time, so yeah, so you will have that opportunity if you want to come and listen. I also have one that I am going to be doing on books and podcasting. So if you are an author or thinking about writing a book, or you already have a book out there. That one is for you if you're wanting to know how podcasting can help you with your book slash and your business. So that is it for me today, guys. I hope you enjoyed and I will see you in the next one. Bye for now, thank you.