Interviewing non-podcasters presents many challenges, so here's my advice to ensure you get the best sound quality possible from your podcast guests.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This has been one of the most-requested topics. More recently requested by Max Flight, Onai, Jeremy Jackson, Candice Jones, and Mike Rapin.

We podcasters can tend to obsess over audio quality. It's certainly important to ensure your audience can hear and understand you, but remember that nearly no one subscribes to a podcast solely because of its audio quality. (Though a lack of good audio quality is certainly a reason people unsubscribe.)

Thus, the following tips will help you find a balance of audio quality and other factors so that you can deliver the best podcast reasonably possible.

Make it easy for your guest

Your guest is doing you a favor by being on your show. They're already taking time out of their busy schedules to spend it with you, often times knowing that they may not get much value in return. So why make it difficult for them?

Shipping microphones, using multi-ender recording tools, and more can be great ways to ensure the utmost audio quality from your guest. But using any of these could be a bit too much for your guest, especially when it requires installing apps, creating accounts, connecting equipment, and such.

For some guests, even getting Skype could be too much to ask!

So work with what you can. If your guest has a smartphone, that may be the easiest option that also returns the best results.

Installing and using apps—Skype, FaceTime, Ringer, or anything else—may be easier than on a computer. Plus, most smartphones have really good microphones, so you only need an app to use that good microphone. Thus, having your guest use a voice over IP (VoIP) app on their device, but holding their device as if they were making a phone call puts that high-quality microphone near their voice.

Using the handset also reduces the chances of rustling noises, filtering, and other issues that can negatively affect the audio quality through any kind of headset or earpiece.

If this isn't possible, compromise and accept a standard phone call.

What's more important: that all your guests have great audio quality but you can't get the guests you really want, or that you get the guests you want but with lower audio quality?

Focus on the message

Your audience consumes your podcast because of the messages you share, not because of the audio quality and maybe not even because of the guest themselves. Thus, it's far more important for you to bring those messages to the world than to obsess over getting pristine audio quality.

Yes, try to get the best results you can. But don't sacrifice a great message simply because the audio isn't studio-quality. As long as your audience can hear and understand your guest and their message, the audio quality is acceptable.

Maintain your own audio quality

It's okay if you can't get the best audio quality from your guest, but your own audio needs to be its usual best. This is because you are your podcast's “constant.”

We're actually quite used to this kind of mismatch. In radio and television, it's quite common for special guests to be joining through a simple phone call.

So however you record your guest's audio, I recommend you record your own with your normal means—even if your call-recorder is also recording you. This will ensure your own audio is consistent. This also reduces the chances of your call-recorder's capturing your voice in a lower audio quality. And such differences usually are noticeable.

Encourage good mic technique and environment

In many ways, technique and environment affect audio quality more than the gear itself.

Please don't overwhelm your guest with pages of instructions; remember that they're doing you a favor. But here are some quick points you're welcome to copy the section relevant to your connection method.

So you'll sound the best and my audience can hear your message, please follow these recommendations:

[For VoIP]

1. Stay 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) from your microphone.
2. Wear headphones.
3. Go somewhere quiet. If you hear something, the microphone probably can, too.
4. Turn off notification sounds or set to DND.
5. Try to stay still.
6. Don't worry if something goes wrong.

[For telephone]

1. Don't use speakerphone.
2. Go somewhere quiet. If you hear something, the phone probably can, too.
3. Turn off notification sounds or set to DND.
4. Try to stay still.
5. Don't worry if something goes wrong.

I recommend giving them only the set of recommendations relevant to them. That will keep it the most simple.

For your benefit, here's why I suggest those recommendations.

• Stay 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) from your microphone—Reverb and room noise increase with distance from the microphone.
• Wear headphones—This eliminates potential echo and audio feedback.
• Don't use speakerphone—Not only is speakerphone usually used to allow distance from the mic, it also usually creates audio feedback and over-amplifies the microphone.
• Go somewhere quiet. If you hear something, the microphone probably can, too—You don't have to educate them on acoustics. “Quiet” is good enough.
• Turn off notification sounds or set to DND—Skype, Slack, email, calendar events, and more notifications can create a distracting background noise, especially if the device making the noise is the same as what's capturing their voice.
• Try to stay still—This reduces the chances of rustling noise if they're wearing or holding the “microphone,” and reduces the chances of bumping the mic if it's detached.
• Don't worry if something goes wrong—This can help assure them things don't have to be perfect and they don't have to apologize for minor distractions.

It can take skill, but it's possible to handle or even integrate distractions into the message. Consider how Professor Robert Kelly's interviewed on BBC News could have gone better:

BONUS! I ran across this funny parody:

You may still have a guest who ignores or didn't read your recommendations. when you're connected. In such a case, focus on the smallest things you can do to return the best results.

If your guest is a fellow podcaster, you can hold them to a higher standard and inform them when their audio may not be working as expected (such as having the wrong microphone selected).

Separate guest and studio audio

Multitrack covers a multitude of sins. If your guest's audio can be recorded into its own track, then you have a whole lot more flexibility to fix and improve the audio in your postproduction:

• Fix volume differences
• Reduce background noise
• Edit out crosstalk or overly active listening
• Apply separate compression and EQ for improved quality

For more information about recording in multitrack, listen to these past episodes:

• Why and Why Not to Record Podcasts in Multitrack
• How to Record Podcasts in Multitrack

Match loudness

Your audience will accept lower audio quality as long as they can still hear and understand the guest. The most common fault I hear in interviews is mismatched loudness between the host and guest.

This is much easier to fix if you've recorded your voice and your guest's separately.

What I love about loudness normalization standards is that we finally have a way to measure and ensure consistent volume levels within and across episodes.

This is more than “peak normalization.” It ensures the perceived loudness is consistent.

The simplest way to match loudness is with Auphonic (online or desktop app). You can also normalize the loudness with your editing software.

Usually, the process involves:

• Compression—to reduce the loudness range
• Limiting—to ensure the audio peaks never distort by going beyond a limit
• Target amplification—to raise or lower the results to match a target loudness standard (for podcasts, -16 LUFS stereo, -19 LUFS mono)

Tools to help you record podcast guests

(Updated May 9, 2017.)

• Skype, Hangouts (or Hangouts on Air), Zoom, Facetime (macOS and iOS)—These are the most popular VoIP tools for connecting with others in higher quality audio.
• Ringr, Zencastr, and Cast—These multi-ender VoIP tools handle the conference call and record each participant into separate tracks at the local source. Thus, there's almost no risk of bandwidth problems distorting the quality. They run through a browser or iOS/Android app.
• Ecamm Call Recorder for Skype (macOS), Ecamm Call Recorder for Facetime (macOS), MP3 Skype Recorder (Windows), Pamela for Skype (Windows)—These are single-app call recorders that do their jobs well, but are limited to specific apps. Also, because they integrate directly with the VoIP apps, any update has the potential to break the integration.
• Loopback (macOS), Audio Hijack (macOS), Voicemeeter (Windows), Virtual Audio Cable (Windows)—These apps can record or virtually reroute from any source on your PC. Because they're standalone, you can use them with any VoIP tool.
• JK Audio CellTap 4C Wireless Phone Audio Tap—This device connects to any mobile device's 3.5 mm TRRS audio jack (or adapter) and splits the audio into left and right channels to output to a stereo recorder via 3.5 mm TRS. Learn more in my video from NAB Show 2015.
• Skype Out / Skype In, Google Voice, UberConference, Anchor—These tools allow you to make or receive telephone calls. They may have recording capabilities, but they're using recording both sides at telephone quality and mixed into a single track.
• Sound Recorder (Windows), Windows Voice Recorder (Windows), and QuickTime (macOS)—These preinstalled (or officially free) apps could be the easiest way for a guest to record audio from their own PC, if you want to do it that way.

Need personalized podcasting help?

I no longer offer one-on-one consulting outside of Podcasters' Society, but request a consultant here and I'll connect you with someone I trust to help you launch or improve your podcast.

Ask your questions or share your feedback

• Comment on the shownotes
• Leave a voicemail at (903) 231-2221
• Email feedback@TheAudacitytoPodcast.com (audio files welcome)

Connect with me

• Subscribe to The Audacity to Podcast on Apple Podcasts or on Android.
• Join the Facebook Page and watch live podcasting Q&A on Mondays at 2pm (ET)
• Subscribe on YouTube for video reviews, Q&A, and more
• Follow @theDanielJLewis

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.

Related Content

6 Tips for Picking a Good Domain for Your Podcast or Website

Kicked from Apple Podcasts? What Happens When You Keyword-Stuff Podcast Tags

100 amazing podcasting tips from successful podcasters