Podcast - Recording, editing and mixing

I've worked on podcasts since the mid-2000s (yes, before they were a thing!), and I'd say that they now make up most of my regular work. Some of my regular podcasts have gone on to win awards, and I'm proud and honoured to have worked on many of them since the beginning.

I have 25 years' experience in studios working mostly on radio and podcast work, and can provide the complete job of recording, editing and mixing your podcast, or any of those services individually. Some clients book me for just the recording side, others for their post-production - I'm very flexible.

Recording

I have the ability to record podcasts and discussions on location, with up to five people on separate studio condenser mics. I use an eight-input recorder, and each mic has its own table stand and pop shield. It's essentially a mobile radio studio, and can achieve excellent results if used in a quiet room (hear the showreel below). Having people on separate mic channels means more flexibility when it comes to the final mix - in a nutshell it will sound much better than people sharing just one or two mics. I would confidently say that the podcasts I make are of broadcast quality, if recorded by me using my own microphones.

I also have a handheld stereo recorder for outdoor and roving recording. Ideal for recording on the move, or where a sense of place is an important element.

Remote recording is also possible. During the pandemic I used Cleanfeed for most of my work, and I have clients who regularly send me their own recordings they've done using Zencastr and Riverside.

Live show recording

For a couple of clients I record regular live theatre shows which are then turned into podcasts. I will liaise with the venue sound technicians on the night to get the best recording, and also use my own stereo X-Y mic rig to record the audience reactions (vital in a live show - it sounds dead with no audience!). In my experience I'd say that most venues don't provide ambient recording, and the on-stage mics barely pick up any audience sound. Again I'll use my eight-track recorder to keep elements separate for later balancing.

Editing and mixing

Once the discussion is recorded, I will usually send the client a copy of the raw recording so they can choose which bits to cut. Once I've made the requested edits, I'll then do a clean-up edit, where I remove 'ums', fluffs, mistakes, repetitions and pauses etc. so that it flows nicely. This is vital to keep the podcast engaging. Unedited podcasts are pretty dreadful, and (at least to me) become unlistenable within a few minutes.

I'll then do a speech mix, where I balance each mic channel in real-time. This gives it a much tighter and less 'roomy' sound, as you'll only really be hearing one mic at a time. I also use de-noise software to remove or reduce any noise on location, such as air-con etc., and loudness metering to adhere to any loudness or LUFS requirements clients' platforms may have. After the speech mix I can then add and mix any music or other elements you may require.

Finally, I'll generate a master file (usually an mp3), ready for upload to the client's preferred hosting platform.

I use Pro Tools for all of my podcast work, as well as Adobe Audition for final file conversion or mastering.

Please note, as this is a podcast service I do not film or edit video. You are of course welcome to do your own filming!

I generally record in the London area only. I'm totally happy to travel further afield, but this will affect the price. I've previously recorded around the UK and abroad, and hold a British passport and a full manual driving licence and car.

Podcast showreel

The extracts are all location recordings by me in various places including a front room, an office, an old library, and a bookshop in St. Andrews. All extracts were recorded using my mics, except the live shows where the venue mics (normally the ubiquitous Shure SM58s) were used, in conjunction with my stereo X-Y mic rig for audience recording

To keep things simple for people I tend to quote on a per episode basis rather than by the hour, and the price will be affected by whether it's recorded on location by me, how many voices, duration and various other factors. To give you a rough idea, editing and mixing for a single voice podcast can be as little as £100, whereas recording, editing and mixing a two-voice podcast would be around £250. Bear in mind, a full edit and mix of a multi-voice podcast will take most of a day to do properly. I try to keep costs low for my clients so I'm always happy to work towards a decent price.

You may well be starting out on your podcasting journey, so do feel free to get in touch and I can answer any technical questions you may have!

Contact:

chrisjsharp@gmail.com

Some recent podcast work