In this article, we will discuss the benefits of wearing headphones when recording a podcast. We will also provide some tips on how to choose the best headphones for podcasting.
Wearing Headphones Will Make You A Better Podcast Presenter
Why do podcasters wear headphones? The only way you’ve heard yourself is via your cheekbones if you’ve never recorded your voice or worked in radio or podcasting. Furthermore, because everyone is in front of you when you speak, you never hear yourself as others do. Unless you use headphones.
With headphones, you can hear exactly how you sound to others by moving your ears from the side of your head to just in front of your lips.
This is a crucial tool for podcast presenters since it provides you with a great deal of flexibility when it comes to changing your voice and delivery on the fly.
Your brain analyses what it hears through the headphones as you speak into the microphone, giving you the opportunity to evaluate your performance and make small adjustments. This is clearly done quickly and can involve adjusting your tone, volume, or any of the countless other factors you can change while giving a presentation.
If you haven’t done any audio recording before, this might not seem like a big deal, but believe me, it has a tremendous impact on how you perform and sound in the end.
Wearing Headphones Improves Your Mic Technique
You and your guest are equally accountable for this.
Wearing headphones will assist you in modifying how you’re currently using the microphone if you can hear that you’re off-mic, too loud, or that you pop every time you utter a word beginning with a harsh consonant (‘p,’ ‘b,’ or ‘k’).
Long-term, your mic technique will be improved the more experience you have with this rapid feedback.
Editing Your Podcast Will Be Simpler If You Wear Headphones
The more you can do during recording to speed up the editing process, the better because it takes a lot of time. And listening to the audio as you record is one of the greatest ways to manage it.
More sound is picked up by microphones than the human ear can hear. You need to hear these sounds when you’re recording so you can make the required modifications. A mild breeze, the buzz of a vending machine, or the sound of an air conditioner are all captured on tape.
The last thing you want is for your edits to be so visible due to background noise or poor audio.
If you don’t keep an eye on things while you’re recording your podcast through your headphones, you might discover afterward that the problem is unfixable. Or to spend hours fixing a problem that may have been completely avoided.
If you’re recording with a guest, this is especially more important because you never want to call someone and ask, “Can we do that again? There was an audio problem?”
Asking someone to re-record is not only impolite, but it’s also nearly hard to recreate your genuine response to their suggestions, anecdotes, or jokes.
Being forced to act as though you are having each discussion for the first time makes it more difficult to ensure that it is as natural a feeling as possible.
Wearing Headphones Means You Won’t Have To Micro-Manage Your Podcast Guest
Wearing headphones will be helpful even for visitors who have never used a microphone because they will be able to tell if they are on-mic or not and whether their voice is too loud or mild.
You’ll probably have to interrupt them every two seconds to ask them to get closer if they can’t hear themselves or are paying little or no attention to the microphone. Or “Just be careful not to get too close to the microphone.”
Nobody wants to be reminded that they are bad at talking all the time, and it is a certain way to make your guest feel awkward and self-conscious. Additionally, it will stifle conversational flow, preventing you from getting the most out of them.
They will be more inclined to self-regulate if they are wearing headphones, so you may continue to show interest in what they have to say.
Wearing Headphones Can Save Your Podcast
Wearing headphones can protect you from a lot of the methods that can spoil your presentation while it is being recorded, such as…
Unacceptably high levels
When recording, it’s crucial to monitor your levels to ensure that they never fall below a certain point, but typically, you’ll test this out beforehand.
In theory, it makes sense to look at them during an interview, but in practice, you’ll probably be too preoccupied with the conversation to notice. You can use your headphones to help with that.
If you listen to it while you record, you’ll be able to tell if you’re too high or low and make adjustments as you go. When it comes time to edit, this will be beneficial because you won’t need to laboriously go through each area, decreasing and boosting levels, which is tedious and time-consuming.
Make sure the levels never reach the red, whatever you decide to do. Although the volume of audio can always be raised in post-production, if it “blows out” or becomes excessively loud, there is nothing you can do but send it to the audio graveyard.
Popping
We refer to the harsh noises made by words that begin with hard consonants, such as “pop” or “kettle,” as “popping.” When someone speaks too close to the microphone, they frequently hear this popping sound.
While much of this can be avoided by utilizing a pop guard or by speaking slightly across the mic rather than directly down the barrel, occasionally, you’ll still pop even with perfect mic technique.
One of those things that are incredibly annoying to correct and impossible to identify without headphones.
Although various editing software effects can reduce this pop, if the pop is really loud, the adjustments may sound overdone and, therefore, noticeable.
You can also manually remove the problematic pops. However, that is a tedious process that can make a 30-minute edit last all night.
Background noise
The worst offender among the several ambient noises that affect the sound of your presentation is wind. The problem is that without headphones on, it’s quite difficult to hear how negatively it’s impacting your recording.
Consider a time when you spoke on the phone with someone who sounded like they were in a cyclone. Frequently, not much wind is required to produce such an effect. If you’ve ever been on the windy end of the phone, you may not even be aware of it until the other person asks, “Are you in a wind tunnel?”
It’s quite annoying and frequently impossible to hear what is being said when listening to a discussion when there is a lot of wind noise. Wearing headphones will ensure that you don’t have to throw out your audio due to mother nature because it’s also tough to correct in post-production.
Here are my recommendations on why headphones should be your new greatest audio friend, podcasters.
And one more bit of advice: make sure the volume is cranked up loud when utilizing them. That also applies to the edit. You must be able to hear every last detail of your podcast if you want complete control over it.
When Can You Listen to Podcasts Without Headphones?
As you are undoubtedly already aware, headphones are just as crucial as a good microphone when it comes to producing a high-quality, professional podcast. However, there are some circumstances in which using headphones when producing a podcast is preferable (or just not practical).
You’re doing an interview outside of your studio
It is simply not practical to be using headphones when conducting interviews for your podcast while you are out and about. But that doesn’t mean that the crucial factors I previously highlighted, like lowering background noise and paying attention to your presentation, are irrelevant.
Even though you have much less control over this type of recording, you can still take steps to produce a high-quality recording. Talking at a modest volume and recording in a quiet environment will reduce the likelihood of audio difficulties like clipping or popping and make editing and cleanup easier.
You don’t want to interrupt the conversation’s flow
For the majority of podcasters and their guests, this shouldn’t be a major issue, but it does occur occasionally. As a result, your perfectly constructed talk swiftly devolves into awkward gaps that no audience member would ever want to listen to! Some guests may find wearing headphones disruptive.
Even while it’s still advised to wear headphones whenever recording audio for your podcast if you or your guest are unable to for some reason, take additional measures to ensure the audio quality is still good.
Set up and monitor your audio levels properly, record in a calm environment, switch off your speakers and pay attention to your delivery (avoid speaking too loudly or too softly).
You listen to the audio of your podcast using speakers
Since so many people these days listen to podcasts on headphones, I have mentioned how crucial it is to test how your podcast sounds on them. But it doesn’t imply you should disregard the audience members using speakers!
To get the truest impression of how your podcast sounds, it’s ideal for listening to it through your speakers. So what to do if you don’t have headphones? I would also strongly advise using smartphone speakers to test the audio quality of your podcast.
This is due to the fact that the audio quality from computer speakers and car stereo speakers might differ greatly, and you want to make sure that your podcast is optimized for everything.
What Features Should A Headphone Have for Podcasting?
It’s time to select a pair of headphones now that you are aware of their significance for podcasting. Not every pair of headphones will be of high enough quality or have the functionality you require.
Check out our suggestions for what to look for in a pair of podcasting headphones to help you shop intelligently.
Select Closed-Back Earbuds
There are many various kinds of headphones for recording podcast, but closed-back models are ideal when it comes to podcasting. They are ideal for both recording and editing the audio for your podcast since they effectively filter out all background noise.
Additionally, since closed-back headphones almost eliminate noise leakage, they won’t interfere with your audio tracks by adding too much background noise.
Purchase Quality Headphones
A higher-quality podcast will be produced using higher-quality headphones. For this reason, it’s worthwhile to spend money on a pair of headphones from a reputed manufacturer like Sony, Sennheiser, or Beyerdynamic.
Additionally, higher-quality headphones will last longer, so you’ll end up saving money over time by making this initial investment.
Make Certain They Are At Ease
I can’t emphasize enough how crucial it is to get cozy headphones. The last thing you want is to experience discomfort when wearing these items for hours on end!
Padding on good closed-back headphones keeps them from hurting after extended use. For a touch of luxury, you may even get headphones with cushioning coated in opulent fabrics like velvet.
Read Also:
- Why Won’t my Bluetooth Device Connect
- Why Do My Headphones Say “This Accessory May Not Be Supported”?
FAQs
Can you listen to podcasts using wireless headphones?
Due to their higher latency than wired headphones, wireless headphones aren’t the greatest option for podcasting, recording, and editing. The latency is the interval between pressing the play button on your computer and starting to hear sound through your headphones.
Can a podcast be recorded without a microphone?
If you want to start a podcast, a microphone is a must-have. To be more specific, you’ll require one for each speaker on your show. Unfortunately, unless you want it to sound like you’re broadcasting from a toilet, your computer’s built-in microphone won’t cut it.
Why are noise-canceling headphones necessary when listening to a podcast?
A good set of headphones with noise cancellation will cancel out distracting low-level noises like traffic, fans, and other environmental noise. Additionally, as it could result in echoes or feedback through your microphone, you don’t want your headphones to leak audio when you’re recording.
Can I make a podcast on my phone?
Here are the top Android podcast recording applications. Interested in starting a podcast on the go? Regardless of whether you’re using a tablet or a smartphone, Android is the ideal mobile platform for podcasting.
Conclusion
When recording a podcast, it is important to wear headphones in order to hear the audio clearly and avoid feedback. Feedback can occur when the microphone picks up sound from the speakers, which can create an echo effect. Wearing headphones will help you avoid this problem and ensure that your podcast sounds clear and professional.
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