The latest technology for high fidelity podcast recording
Live recording setup
Live studio (home studio) recordings provide the absolute best recording quality. A multi-channel audio recorder allows you to adjust levels individual in post production for the ultimate in clarity and consistency.
My favorite setup for recording these types of live interviews is:
- Zoom H6 (Podcasting Bundle)
- Zoom XYH-6 X/Y Capsule for broad recording of both speakers for redundancy
- Movo LV-6 XLR Lavalier Microphones for individual speaker channels
With this setup I have redundant channels since the X/Y microphone should record the whole conversation while the individual lavalieres provide dedicated channels to each speaker.
A quiet studio setting is ideal, but a reasonably quiet setting will suffice and Adobe Audition can do a good job of filtering out background noise in post production.
VOIP recording solutions
If recording your podcast interview live is not an option the solutions in the past have revolved around VOIP applications like skype or recording a phone conversation on a mobile phone with various Android and iOS apps.
None of these options recorded in high-fidelity and often resulted in audio glitches or calls dropping due to bandwidth or reception.
Today there are three new cloud-based solutions (Zencastr, Ringr, and Cast) on the market that provide double-ender recording. That is they record both sides of the conversation locally and then combine them after to provide a much better recording quality.
These solutions allow remote podcast recordings that are less dependent on connection bandwidth at both ends. These solutions also make it far easier for your guests to work with you.
One idea to take it a step further is to have a recording setup with a microphone and instructions to ship to your guests to ensure consistent quality across your show’s episodes.
Widely recommended microphone for VOIP recording: Blue Yeti X USB Microphone
Pros and Cons of Zencastr, Ringr, and Cast
Zencaster Pros
Streams recording room Dropbox with local backup for redundancy
No guest limit on recordings
Free tier with up to 8 hours of monthly recording
Zencaster Cons
No current support for mobile phone recording.
Ringr Pros
One month free trial
Mobile phone compatible for participants on the go (Android and iOS)
Affordable monthly pricing: $7.99 (Basic) and $18.99 (Premium)
Ringr Cons
Separate track recording only available on premium plan
Supports a maximum of two participants
Cast Pros
One month free trial
Up to four participants in each recording
On or offline editing of audio tracks
Audio uploads to the cloud in real-time
Affordable monthly pricing: $10 (Hobby) and $30 (Pro)
Pre-scheduled recordings and invitations
Good informational blog on podcasting
Cast Cons
No current support for mobile phone recording.
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