Podcasting Q&A

How to get clean audio from almost any microphone

December 28, 2023 Buzzsprout
Podcasting Q&A
How to get clean audio from almost any microphone
Show Notes Transcript

Unless you know how to use proper mic technique, that new $400 microphone isn't going to do you any good.

In this episode, we'll teach you the four (plus one bonus) techniques you can utilize to get high-quality audio out of almost any microphone.

Need some help with your podcast? Join the Buzzsprout Podcast Community on Facebook to get the help you need from podcasters just like you.

Travis:

Today on five minute Monday, I'll teach you how to get clean audio out of almost any microphone. Welcome to five minute Monday where we bring you the best tips and strategies for building your podcast in five minutes or less. So if you're new here, consider subscribing. Now when it comes to getting good audio, there's only so much improvement that money can by picking up a$400 microphone does you? No good if you don't know how to use it. But if you do know how to use proper mic technique, you can make even a$50 microphone sound professional. So in this episode I'm going to teach you four things that you need to do to get clean audio. Now the number one thing that you should do is get a pop filter or foam cover. Most microphones hiccup, harsh plosives, which can detract from the quality of your podcast. Those are those peas and those ss that just come through extra harsh on a microphone that you don't necessarily notice in normal conversation. Now if you're watching this on youtube and you say, Hey Travis, your microphone doesn't have a phone cover just because of the microphone I'm using, actually has one built into it, but most microphones do not. And if you want to get an extra filter on your speech to really clean up your audio, even if your microphone has a pop filter built in, you can add a pop filter and that'll help as well. Now the number two things that you want to do to get clean audio is to speak past the microphone. Now what does this mean? So most people when they pick up a microphone, they put it right in front of their face and start talking into it. But instead of speaking directly into the microphone, if you aim it towards the side of your mouth at an angle and speak, pass the microphone, you actually get a better audio quality. You'll notice the difference. Like right now I'm speaking directly into the microphone right now, I'm speaking. Pass the microphone and you can immediately tell the difference just by changing my posture in relation to the microphone. So you want to put the microphone off to the side a little bit. Not, not a lot, but a little bit, and then angle it towards your mouth so that you're speaking past it. Does that make sense? So that's number two. Number three, you want to set your gain appropriately. Now if you crank your gain up all the way, you're gonna get what's called too hot. It's too hot, the microphone is too hot, and that's gonna pick up breathing. It's gonna pick up unnecessary background noise, not to mention clipping, which is where the wave forms in your audio recording software extend beyond the limits and it distorts your audio and makes it sound really, really bad. You don't want clipping. Clipping is the enemy of podcasters, but you also don't want your game to be set too low, too quietly, because then you're going to have to crank the gain up in post to be able to hear the audio that you captured. And by adding gain artificially, it's going to distort the audio. So you don't want it too loud, you don't want it to quiet. You want it right in the middle. Just right, just like goldilocks and the three bears and what's you're looking for to know that you're in that sweet spot is you want a nice wave form that you can see in your recording software without clipping. So you should be able to tell where certain words start in ends without going all the way to the extreme of hitting the top and the bottom of that nice little bar that you have in your track in whatever audio software that you're using. Now the fourth thing that you need to do is be close to the microphone dynamic microphones like the one that I'm speaking into work best when you're right up on them and there is a drastic difference between being about an inch or two away and being about a foot away. I'm, I'm only a foot away from the microphone. And right there you can tell an immediate difference in the audio quality. So if you can, you want to get the microphone close to your mouth with a decent table stand or a boom arm, which is what I'm using if you're watching this on youtube. Now, bonus number five. Want to throw this in there? Do not hold the microphone with your hands. All right? That's another reason you want to get a table stand or a boom arm, because when you're holding your microphone in your hands, you're going to be adjusting it. You're gonna be holding it, you're gonna be swapping it back and forth. And so by taking out of your hands, it's going to reduce jostling and adjusting, which kills your audio quality because it makes it sound like you're recording in the back of a jeep on a dirt road, right? It's not great. It's very distracting. So you want to invest in a stand or a boom arm so you can get the microphone out of your hands and just focus on speaking. But if you incorporate those five things, you do not need to spend hundreds of dollars on gear to get great audio. Just use these techniques and you can get clean audio out of almost any microphone. That's it for today. If you're new here, make sure to subscribe to the channel. If you're watching this on youtube or subscribe to the five minute Monday's podcast and your favorite app to squeeze more podcast related content into your life. Thanks for listening and as always, keep podcasting.