020 Shit In is Shit Out

There is no delicate way to say this. When it comes to recording, shit in, is shit out - if you record your podcast with peaking, hot levels it’s going to sound like shit and there is nothing you can do to fix it.

I see this question come up all the time in the podcaster Facebook groups and forums. Podcasters desperately seeking a solution to that buzzing and hard to listen to sound that sounded so nice coming out of their mouth. And every time, they have to face facts. You can’t fix it. You can’t unmodulate an overmodulated track. Sure, you’ll see all kinds of helpful folks suggesting programs that can reduce the it to some extent but it’s still going to sound like crap. And that is, say it with me folks, shit in is shit out.

How do you avoid this? Step one don’t record crappy audio. And, there you go. That’s it. Oh, you want more details. Well I go into greater detail in my podcast, which you should listen to if you haven’t already - it’s only 5 minutes! But here’s another little tip. Use your eyeballs as well as your earballs (you’re wearing headphones - right?). Watch your levels. If you see red that means stop! Stop recording and re-adjust. I don’t care how uncomfortable it might be or how much of a pain in the ass it is. And if you guest suddenly gets animated and they raise their voice and their levels start peaking all over the place. You must stop and reset your levels or else you WILL record shit. And, what does Coach Tim say? That’s right - shit in is shit out. Ain’t nobody want to produce (or listen to) shit.

Thanks and yes, I did just put $20 in the swear jar.