You’ve been planning your podcast for weeks, and now it’s time to grab a glass of water, warm up that voice and get recording! In this article we’ll look at how to go about recording your podcast, including scripting and how to set up your recording space.

To Script or not to Script?

This is the question asked by every would-be podcaster, and one of the most debated areas of podcasting prep. Should you write a full script?

Fortunately, the answer is easy, if not very helpful – it depends on what you’re comfortable with!

I know a number of podcasters that hardly write anything down. They know their subject back to front and they just go into the recording with a broad outline of what they’ll talk about. They might have 4 or 5 bullet points, and they come across great on air – smooth and friendly. The spontaneous and unplanned nature of this approach makes the podcast sound really personal and engaging, and, if done well, it can sound great. Also, it takes very little prep. You can create a podcast very quickly using this method.

The downside of this approach is that, without a script, expert or not, you’ll often stumble over your words, run out of things to say, or simply forget to cover everything you planned to. It’s very hard to do a 20 minute podcast with just a very broad outline.

Alternatively, I also know podcasters that write everything down, word for word, even having done it for years. They’ll have a full script and read it out slowly and surely, sounding very articulate and expert. Everything will be perfect, no points missed, and the podcast will go exactly as you plan.

The downside of this is that it takes a long time to prepare. You’re carrying out two tasks – writing an essay on your subject, and then speaking it out. Added to that, when reading a script, you can often sound pretty un-spontaneous, flat and even robotic. It can be less engaging than off-the-cuff speech and definitely less friendly.

In reality, a blend is often best.

You can write a script with bullet pointed, but with a fair bit of detail. Don’t write it down word for word, but have a prompt for each paragraph so that you know where you’re going. This way you won’t miss anything, but you’ll hopefully avoid the monotone reading-voice problem.

Your Environment

Even though we’ve talked about the quality offered by recording equipment, microphones and software, one of the biggest factors in how your recording will sound is your environment. Thinking about where you do your recordings is really important for good quality sound.

Here are a few things to think about when choosing where to do your recording.

Background noise is far more obvious on a recording. Watch out for:

• Corridors with people walking by often
• Windows close by with a busy road outside
• Computers or other equipment running in the background
• Large lights making a buzzing sound

Echoes can really reduce the quality of your recording:

• Try to record in a large room, not facing the wall
• Or try to record in a room with soft walls – wood or wallpaper

Things to think about when doing your recording

The presenters themselves are often the biggest cause of noise:

• Rustling of paper or jangling of keys by presenters or guests
• Coughing, sniffing and heavy breathing
• Fumbling the microphone, or moving the recorder

The main thing is to be aware that any noise is very easily picked up by the microphone. You want the room you choose to be as quiet as possible, and you want the others in the room to be as careful as they can not to make unnecessary noise.