Creating a Podcast: Recording Your Podcast

Having identified your selected areas of research and discussion, you will need to find the right space in which to record.

An undisturbed and quiet environment in which you can talk without being disturbed is essential for the production of a clear, high quality audio recording. Plan ahead to identify a space and time that might best suit the recording of your podcast.

Perhaps (if recording your podcast at your workplace) you’ll need to identify a closed office space which you can use outside of normal working hours to record undisturbed - early in the morning or at the end of the day.  Be aware of and try to mitigate any disturbances which may impact on you the day of your recording, though remain adaptable to change as needs be.

Remember that a less than pristine recording is better than none, as done is better than perfect!

It is advisable to secure to some dedicated recording equipment for the purposes of recording your podcast, but remember to keep your setup simple when first starting out.

A Zoom H4n Audio Recorder can be purchased online for approximately €200 and is a good quality (and easy to use!) audio recorder. Apart from a recorder, you will likely also need an SD card with several GB worth of memory, onto which you can store your recording before transferring it to your computer.

Be sure to familiarise yourself with the basic operations of the recorder, so as to avoid confusion or delay on the day of your recording - the more familiar you are with your recording device, the more comfortable you will be in conducting your recording!

A checklist at the outset of the podcast can assist in reminding you that all is in order. For example:

Are there new batteries in the recorder?
Is your SD card in the recorder?
Is there enough free space on the SD card to record your podcast?

Ensuring that the little details are covered will allow you to focus on the grand topics to hand!