Podcasters: Why Headphones are Needed for Best Audio

It is amazing how some professional broadcasters rarely make errors in their podcasts while disheartening that some amateurs always have one complaint or another about their podcasts. Even worse, some never want to find out what it takes to produce the best audios. 

Be you a novice or a pro, your expectations when recording your podcast are usually the same. You want a recording that is not only interesting but also sounds excellent. Headphones can assist you in accomplishing this goal. Why do you need headphones for a podcast? This is the question we shall be answering in this article.

It will be easier to edit your podcast if you wear headphones. Because editing takes a long time, the more you can do during the recording stage to speed up the process, the better. One of the most efficient methods to manage audio is to listen to it while recording, which is with headphones. So, if you hope to make the best podcast, this article provides you with all you need. Read on to learn more.

Why do You Need Headphones for a Podcast?

The last thing you will not expect is for your audio to be unusable or for your modifications to be obvious due to background noise. It’s not unusual to discover later that things are impossible to correct if you’re not monitoring while recording your podcast through headphones.

Furthermore, you could spend hours repairing something that you could avoid entirely.

If you’re recording with a guest, this is even more important because you never want to call someone and request a repeat or complain there is an issue with the audio.

Not only is it impolite to ask someone to re-record, but it’s nearly impossible to recreate your true reaction to the experience you shared during the first recording (their advice, anecdotes, or jokes).

Read on to find out the reasons why you need headphones for a podcast.

Headphones help you avoid unpleasant surprises.

It will be devastating for a podcaster to realize that traffic or other ambient noise has ruined one hour of recording. Wearing headphones might assist in eliminating any strange background noise.

Additionally, wearing headphones while recording aids in the microphone technique. You have complete control over your sound by hearing what you capture as it happens. You withdraw away from the microphone if it sounds muffled, or you draw closer if it seems too far.

Have you noticed how both of these factors can significantly impact your audio quality? However, some novices feel it is the microphone’s fault when it is simply a matter of poor microphone technique (which they can remedy with a pair of headphones).

Accurate editing.

If you ask a podcaster to choose between accurate editing or easy editing, a professional podcaster will unarguably choose accurate editing. While it’s easy to edit using computer speakers, it is ineffective and unpleasant.

Built-in computer speakers are at best low quality, and they surely don’t accurately portray what you record. You won’t hear any strange noises. However, if a listener listens to your most recent episode with headphones, they will hear all of these unskilful flaws.

Another issue with editing audio through speakers is that it might be difficult to tell what noise is in the recording from what noise is in the editing environment. You can imagine the type of internal debate in your mind to decipher the origin of such a noise. 

Good headphones, particularly closed-ear headphones (not earbuds), can assist in resolving the two difficulties described above. The headphones send the sound directly into your ear canal, so you only hear the recording. This frees you to concentrate on editing the noises or audio segments you want to get rid of.

You can easily Monitor Your Audio Levels with headphones.

You did a background audio check when planning to record the most recent series of your podcast to be sure your audio levels are perfect. The preliminary check is important because ignoring it will only make your audio suffer clipping.

Clipping occurs when the volume levels of your audio podcast become too high for the microphone to record. Rather than recording your smart talk, it records an unpleasantly loud noise.

Therefore, since it’s much easier to keep track of your audio levels when you’re recording with headphones, audio clipping will have a considerably lower chance.

You can make changes during recording to avoid going back and recording everything all over.

Remote recording software can be used to record a podcast.

Everyone you interview for your podcast would be in your recording studio with you in an ideal world, but this isn’t always possible.

Remote recording software has made things much easier now, and podcasters can reach many more people at their convenience. Many podcasters use apps like Skype or Zoom to communicate with their guests.

You and your guest must both wear headphones if you’re recording audio this way. You should not rely on your speakers to pick them up! Otherwise, you’ll have a lot of bleeding issues.

Headphones are guest-friendly.

Furthermore, headphones are not just for fancy, so they are not just for you, the host, to put them on while recording a podcast.

Your guests should also be wearing them because everything discussed so far in this post applies to them, including ensuring certain audio levels are proper and hearing how your voice sounds.

Also, they must hear themselves clearly while speaking to make any necessary adjustments. You probably don’t want to get to the editing level and find out that your guest’s audio track is not up to par or, even worse, totally useless.

Conclusion

Headphones are equally as vital as a good microphone when producing a high-quality, professional podcast. However, when recording a podcast, there are times when it is preferable or not practical to use headphones.

It’s simply not practical to wear headphones while conducting interviews for your podcast while out of your studio. This doesn’t, however, render the points discussed above useless.

While you have far less control over this type of recording, there are still actions that can improve your recording quality. Try to record in a calm space and speak at a moderate volume, so there are fewer audio issues like clipping or popping.