Podcasting Guide | PoducateMe

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that it points directly at the sound source (mouth). Figure 25 illustrates the microphone’s

position (A) in relation to Leslie (B).

Figure 25: Microphone position used to record CareerChat.

With this setup, sound travels just past the microphone, rather than straight into it, and

helps curtail issues such as sibilant noise and plosives. In addition, moving the

microphone to the side allows Leslie to better see her guest, and vice versa.

A friend of mine who was new to podcasting once complained to me that the sound he

was getting from his microphone was “hollow” and that he was having trouble achieving

adequate volume with his setup. I went out and had a look at what he was doing and the

problem was immediately obvious. My buddy had positioned his mic so that the he was

speaking into the top of the microphone. This would be fine if he was using a “top

address” mic, in which sound is picked up from the top of the microphone, but he was

using a “side address” mic, in which sound is collected from the side of the instrument.

Always confirm the sensitive area of the mic before attempting to orient it. Side address

microphones typically place the manufacturer’s logo on the “hot” side of the mic.

Remember, bidirectional microphones are sensitive on both sides of the instrument.

As discussed previously, the closer you place the microphone to the speaker, the more

bass in the voice will be exaggerated (this is known as the proximity effect). Don’t be

afraid to move the microphone around to find the “sweet spot,” or placement that delivers

the best sound. Every recording situation is different, so it pays to experiment.

Setting Levels

Now that guest, interviewer and microphones are in place, it’s time to set your recording

levels. Remember what you learned from the discussion on dynamic range—for clean

and accurate sound reproduction, you want to record your audio as loud as possible

while keeping your levels from exceeding 0db. Going beyond 0db will induce clipping.