How to make high quality podcast doing interviews?

July 13, 2011 12:40 PM

I'm starting a podcast where I will likely be interviewing people in their offices with different acoustic environments. I have a Zoom H2. Keeping it as simple as possible, exactly what techniques and software (on OS X) do I need to get the interview at a high level of audio quality, and make a high quality podcast out of it?
posted by shivohum to computers & internet (13 answers total)

Are you going to be in the same room with them, or are you recording remotely?
posted by bryanjbusch at 12:50 PM on July 13, 2011

I'd recommend you start by taking a look at Dan Benjamin's Podcasting Equipment Guide. He runs the excellent 5by5 podcast network. His guide is primarily about his podcasting hardware and software recommendations (for OS X), but you can also glean a few hints regarding techniques from it as well.
posted by RichardP at 12:53 PM on July 13, 2011

If at all possible record in person. There are many fantastic intervie podcasts with interesting guests (like for example: the marketplace of ideas) that suffer from highly variable Skype audio quality. The biggest service you can do your guests is to get them speaking into a decent mike like your h2 - no amount of post processing will hide that. Second, do not be afraid to retake a question to produce a smoother recording, guests will tangle their words and um and errr - and making allowance for that in your interview time will do you better than any post processing.
posted by Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory at 1:01 PM on July 13, 2011

Get a wired lapel(s). Spend a little money on it, and you'll be pleased with the quality you get from them. Definitely do some audio tests before recording the actual interview. Depending on the speaker's breathing/speaking habits, you'll have to double-check your placement to avoid boomy audio or breathy sounds.
posted by chrisfromthelc at 1:06 PM on July 13, 2011

I use a zoom h2 for quite a few things, but just about everything I work on get a run through Levelator before I anything else with it. It helps smooth out the levels in an audio track, meaning that you get a much nicer sounding mix - especially if your recording is just of a couple of people talking at various distances from the Zoom. It doesn't work for everything or under all conditions, sometimes you can't even tell if it's made a difference or not, but other times it's like magic.
posted by elroyel1327 at 2:57 PM on July 13, 2011

Thanks for the answers so far. To clarify, we'll be in the same room together.
posted by shivohum at 3:11 PM on July 13, 2011

2nding chrisfromthelc. People are not familiar with mics and will move away from a stationary mic no matter how many times you tell them otherwise. Lapel mics avoid this problem big time.

Have them wear headphones also so they'll be conscious of when they're moving away from even the lapel mic.
posted by fantasticninety at 3:34 PM on July 13, 2011

Radio journalist here.

While recording:

1. Monitor the recording with headphones. This way, you know the quality of the recording you're getting.
2. Record in .wav format, not .mp3.
3. Before the interview begins, record about a minute of room tone. This is the base sound of the room without your interviewee talking. You will use this later under the edits you make.
4. If there's a computer or something that's noticeably distracting, don't feel shy about asking if you can turn it off during the interview. If you can't turn it off, ask if you can go somewhere else.
5. I haven't used the Zoom H2, but just from looking at pictures of it, I'd be wary of handling noise.
6. Don't use the Auto Gain Control. Do a level check before the interview begins. The standard level check question is, "What did you have for breakfast?" You want the levels to consistently reach around -6 dB. If there is excessive clipping, lower the gain.
7. Bring extra batteries.

For more on recording/interviewing, Transom is the go-to online source.

As for editing software on Mac, Reaper is cheap and has an unlimited trial period. Other popular editors are ProTools and Adobe Audition (now on Mac). GarageBand could also do the trick if you're looking for a cheap and easy solution.

Transom has info on editing as well.

Finally, listen to the sound quality of podcasts that you like. Compare how they sound to yours after you're finished. What did they do differently?

MeMail me if you have any more specific questions.
posted by Dalton at 3:36 PM on July 13, 2011 [3 favorites]

Seconding the suggestions of some reasonable lapel mics, and use of Levelator. Also, set your recorder to record in 24 bit mode so you can take advantage of the additional headroom / lower noise floor. The usual suggestion in 24 bit is to set levels to Peak at -12 dB.
posted by dirm at 3:55 PM on July 13, 2011

Next on my project list is to build a portable sound booth. Then, I won't care about the characteristics of the room and will be able to collapse the booth and carry it in my laptop bag.

Maybe this might help you.
posted by phoebus at 6:14 PM on July 13, 2011

I have used the Zoom H2 in all sorts of environments. It is extremely good at providing a noise-free audio recording if you use the screw-in stand and don't mess with any papers or things too close to the mic. I really like this recorder, as it picks up voices so well.
If you are just recording someone's voice (rather than recording both sides of the conversation), you can always use a battery-powered lapel mic with the H2. This one by Audio-Technica is a good one. You could always edit your side of the conversation into the recording later ...
posted by Susurration at 7:41 PM on July 13, 2011

I should have noted that the mic I linked to was a mono mic. You'll have to set the recording to mono, for this to work with the Zoom H2.
posted by Susurration at 9:01 PM on July 13, 2011

As Dalton notes upthread, handling noise is easily produced on the H2. Use the mike clip in the box for handheld, or put it on its little feet on a table.
posted by Wolof at 2:16 AM on July 16, 2011