How To Create A Podcast Studio At Home

Many of us podcasters simply don’t have the luxury of a dedicated recording studio. It’s often too expensive to rent one, or too impractical to build your own from the ground up. But what if we told you that it’s possible to create a podcast studio from the comfort of your own home? A little skeptical? Stay tuned to find out how.

✴ Choose the right space

Before purchasing any equipment, you need to find the most suitable recording space in your home. Ideally, this will be a smaller room that is minimally affected by external noise. Rooms that back on to a busy street, for example, are a poor choice. Avoid any unnecessary internal noise too, such as a loud boiler or a washing machine in the room next door. You’ll also need to choose a room that is well furnished with soft materials like carpets, curtains, and rugs to name a few. This helps to minimize echo even before purchasing sound-proofing accessories.

✴ Echo and Reverb

Echo and reverb negatively affect audio quality. Larger open spaces and hard materials such as glass or tiles are the main cause of both.

When you invest in a good podcast microphone, it will pick up everything. Even if you think a room sounds suitable in person, the audio feedback from your mic might suggest otherwise.

✴ Improvise and Adapt

For those of you who don’t have an empty spare room, there’s still hope. If you’re really struggling for space, consider using makeshift soundproofing material like duvets and pillows. This will absorb at least some ambient noise. Those days of making pillow forts have come in handy after all. When all else fails, your small closet – as a last resort – can also get the job done.

✴ Soundproof your room

Once you’re happy with your chosen space, it’s time to soundproof your room for the best audio possible. Soundproof foam panels are the most common material used by podcasters. These can be attached to your walls or ceiling to absorb echo and reverb.

Nonetheless, soundproof foam panels cannot completely erase background noise – that’s why it’s essential to choose a strategic recording space beforehand if at all possible.

✴ Purchase your equipment

The amount of audio equipment you purchase is entirely up to you. Below are some of the most useful items to include on your list.

✴ Microphones

There are two main types of microphones to consider. Dynamic microphones are often the best choice for home studio setups as they pick up less ambient noise. They tend to be the cheaper option of the two. Condenser microphones, on the other hand, are more sensitive to ambient noise and offer top tier audio quality.

There are also two connector types to consider – USB and XLR microphones. USB microphones plug directly into your computer and are the easiest to use. On the flip side, XLR microphones must be connected to a mixer that is hooked up to your computer.

XLR microphones are the better choice when you have multiple hosts and guests. Alternatively, the number of USB ports available on your computer can limit the use of USB microphones

✴ Headphones

Headphones are a good addition to your home studio setup. They allow you to closely monitor your audio so that you can cancel out any unnecessary background noise. Without a good pair of headphones, poor quality audio will go unnoticed. This could lead to audio that is simply too damaged to edit, meaning you’ll need to record the relevant episode again.

✴ Audio Interfaces and Mixers

If you’ve purchased an XLR microphone, you’ll need an audio interface to digitalize the analog input. Mixers will also do the same. The only difference is that mixers allow you to alter the audio of each individual input. For example, you might have a guest that is naturally louder than everyone else. A mixer will allow you to lower the volume of their input channel so that the sound is consistent throughout for your listeners.

✴ Recording and Editing Software

Most software programs will allow you to record and edit all in one place. Here you can fine-tune your audio as well as edit out any irrelevant sections such as awkward silences, glaring mistakes, and so on. You can also add sound effects and music.

There are many software programs to choose from, it’s just about selecting the one that best suits your needs. As a beginner, you’re best off with easy to use programs like Audacity or Garageband. Once you become more confident in your skills, you can upgrade to more advanced programs that provide more features, such as Adobe Audition.

✴ Do I need any other equipment?

Whilst we’ve covered the basics, there are other pieces of audio equipment to consider purchasing for your home studio setup. These include:

Pop filters
Mic stands (often included with your microphone)
Shock mounts
Headphone amps

These pieces of equipment will improve the quality of your setup, but they’re not essential – especially if you’re a beginner. As your podcast grows you can begin adding to your home studio to take your show to the next level.

✴ Time to start recording

As you can see, it’s not that difficult to create a podcast studio at home. Start by seeking the most suitable recording space your home has to offer. If need be, purchase soundproofing materials to enhance the quality of your audio. Once that’s locked down, invest in some good equipment, starting with the essentials only if you need to keep a close eye on your expenses. From there, you can begin recording and spread your message with the world – all from the comfort of your own home studio.

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