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Why your podcast needs a trailer episode.

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Why your podcast needs a trailer episode.

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Before you can submit your podcast to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc, you'll need to have at least one episode published in your feed. We recommend that you publish a trailer episode right away so you can submit it to all the apps, and start building anticipation (and subscribers) for your podcast. You should do this well ahead of your podcast's official launch!

What is a podcast trailer?

A podcast trailer (sometimes called a "teaser") is a short, promotional episode meant to quickly give potential listeners a preview of your show, and what they can expect.

Trailer episodes are typically short (30 seconds - 5 minutes long), and often include clips from upcoming episodes. In many listening apps (like Apple Podcasts and Spotify) they are highlighted on your podcast's profile page.

Here's an example of a trailer episode:

Why do I need a trailer episode for my podcast?

Here are three reasons to publish a trailer as early as possible:

1. You need at least one episode published in your feed. A trailer is a perfect "coming soon" episode.

2. It can take 8+ days for Apple to manually review your podcast submission. If you publish a trailer to your feed right away, you'll be able to submit your podcast to Apple well in advance of your first official episode.

3. Once you've submitted your podcast to Apple, Spotify, etc, you can start building anticipation for your podcast's official launch.

How do I create a podcast trailer?

First, prepare a script for your podcast trailer. Be sure to answer these questions:

Here is a sample script:

Once your trailer is published, be sure to submit your podcast to the various apps (Spotify, Apple Podcasts) and directories.

Examples of good podcast trailers

Here are some of our favorite podcast trailer episodes you can use as inspiration:

Published on May 10th, 2022

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Why your podcast needs a trailer episode

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Before you can submit your podcast to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc, you'll need to have at least one episode published in your feed. We recommend that you publish a trailer episode right away so you can submit it to all the apps, and start building anticipation (and subscribers) for your podcast.

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Not all trailers are the same.

Podcast trailers are created with different goals in mind. Check out a few of the types of visual or audio trailers you can make.

Coming soon trailer. A coming soon trailer is used to tease a brand-new show before it launches or to get listeners excited about a new season or series.

Show trailer. Think of the show trailer as your podcast's highlight reel, featuring your most exciting content, sound bites, and quotes. Show trailers appear wherever you need to introduce your show, like on your social media channels and your website. These trailers can help people decide if they want to commit their time to your podcast.

Teaser trailer. Similar to TV, podcast teaser trailers are usually played at the end of your show to promote the next episode. Give your listeners a reason to come back by previewing a few captivating moments from the next episode.

Write your show trailer.

It can be hard to narrow down the best moments of your show, but keep your trailers to two minutes or less. Start an outline to help you stay within the time limit. Take a look at a standard outline for a show trailer.
1. Introduce your show.
Start off by introducing your show and hosts to let people know what and who they're listening to. Then provide a brief explanation of what your show is about. If you need inspiration, think back to the tagline you wrote while developing how to present your podcast.
2. Share the highlights.
Find the moments from your show that define what the listening experience is like. If you interview guests, include your favorite quotes. If you tell stories, lead with details that help establish your narrative.
3. Make them want more.
Near the end of your highlights, build some tension or curiosity by introducing the problem in a story, providing a sudden twist, or leaving them with an unanswered question by a guest.
4. Give them a call to action.
Last but not least, give your audience a clear next step to take. Make sure listeners know when they can find new episodes, and don't forget to mention they should subscribe.

Here are two examples of trailers that hook listeners right away.
Serve up your sound.

Think about what sounds your listeners associate with your show. If you have recurring background music, make sure to include it. If you have an infectious laugh or a unique catchphrase, include it. Using sounds your listeners connect with can help you connect with new listeners as well.

Get your trailer out there.

Once you have a trailer, use it wisely. If you're launching a new podcast or starting a new season, use your trailer to build hype on social media. Share links that ask your followers to listen to your trailer or to post it directly on social media themselves. You can even embed your trailer on your or someone else's website.

If you want to reach new audiences, consider cross-promoting your trailer. Find podcasters to partner with, and share each other's trailers on your respective shows to boost the number of ears your trailer can reach.

Add some video.

If you're looking to get some eyes on your trailer, consider adding visuals. Visual trailers help grab the audience's attention and play well on social media. Keep in mind that you'll need different formats for different platforms and types of posts. For instance, a square-cropped video may work best for your Instagram feed, but you'll need a vertical video to post for Instagram Stories.

Now that you've got a grasp on podcast trailers, learn about marketing features to help you grow.
Learn how to elevate your marketing assets

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Make the next great podcast trailer - Apple Podcasts for Creators

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Podcast trailers are created with different goals in mind. Check out a few of the types of visual or audio trailers you can make. Coming soon trailer. A coming soon trailer is used to tease a brand-new show before it launches or to get listeners excited about a new season or series.

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Seamless guest experiences

We've simplified the entire recording process for your guests so they can focus on what they are there for: to tell their story.

Quickly produce content

Record your podcast in an easily editable format so post-production is faster and publishing is quicker.

Progressive uploads

Content is auto-saved during recording. And in case of a catastrophic event and locally recorded audio & video is unavailable, a cloud backup is available.

Record video

Record studio-quality video with up to 3 guests remotely. Receiving individual files for each participant.

Why video

Leverage video to reach new audiences, expand brand awareness, and create content for different mediums. Easily repurpose content for social media and reach your audience where they spend their time.

Never lose a recording

SquadCast always has your back when it comes to your files. Feel secure knowing your audio & video utilizing Progressive Uploads and offer backups at the click of a button.

Opening doors

Video allows for more marketing opportunities for your show, along with more to come from SquadCast.

Eliminate audio drift

Audio sync problems can cause headaches in the editing stage. Audio drift is a thing of the past thanks to locally recorded and separate audio & video files.

Crystal clear audio

Deliver the best sounding podcast by starting with uncompressed audio. Plus your raw files are continuously uploaded, covering you in case of connection issues.

Stop worrying about connections

With continuous uploads, everything is captured at the source, so even complete power loss won't result in a recording catastrophe.

Record confidently with multiple backups

We support your conversations with cloud backups. In the event of a loss primary file, backup files are always available.

Superior listening experiences

Clean, process or mute sections of each track to easily produce audio your audience will love to listen to. Correct volume levels during editing for adjustment-free listening.

Post-production simplified

Edit as much or as little as you want with multiple editing options. Integrate with your favorite editing software to create great sounding podcasts your listeners will love.

Browser-based

We've simplified your guest's experience with our no download process. They simply click a link and join the podcast.

Prepare in the Green Room

Your guests can adjust their equipment, check their appearance, and mentally prepare to share their stories in our Green Room.

SquadCast

Podcast audio is all we do at SquadCast. That means we've made every effort to ensure it's intuitive, easy to edit, and makes every episode you record sound excellent.

Zoom

Your podcast is not a conference call. With Zoom, all audio is recorded over the internet and not at the source, causing your interview to sound robotic, which leads to listener fatigue.

Skype

Skype, like Zoom, wasn't built for podcasters. Audio processed over the internet leaves you vulnerable to poor connections and background distractions.

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We've simplified the entire recording process for your guests so they can focus on what they are there for: to tell their story. Record your podcast in an easily editable format so post-production is faster and publishing is quicker. Content is auto-saved during recording.

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Teaching Podcasting: A Curriculum Guide for Educators

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Guidance on planning classroom instruction.

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Why Make a Podcast?

Podcasts are EVERYWHERE.

Case in point: YR Media just launched our own, Adult ISH, a first of its kind, culture and advice podcast produced by those who are almost adults. Subscribe!

Podcasts come in all sorts of varieties - comedy, music, journalism, fiction - there are even podcasts about other podcasts! So whether you're a Serial addict, a 2 Dope Queens fan, a proud RadioLab supporter, or none of the above, rest assured there's still something in the podcast world for everyone.

In fact, we're living in what many people are calling a new "Golden Age" for audio. We've already seen that audio CAN go viral (ahem, Serial, S-Town...) in podcast form. And thanks to our cell phones, most of us are carrying around a kind of digital audio player and recorder with us all the time. Today more people than ever are getting creative with podcasting as a form of intimate, engaging storytelling. In other words, people are listening - not just to journalists or comedians, but also to ordinary people who decide to share their stories, expertise, and ideas.

So are you ready to try your hand at podcasting? Get the skills you'll need by checking out the five steps we've laid out for you below.

1. Coming Up With an Idea

First, you should familiarize yourself with the basics of podcasting and practice coming up with a brief pitch for a podcast of your own.

Determine Your Podcast Personality

There are a lot of different types of podcasts out there: comedy, music, how-to, journalism, fiction, to name just a few. To determine what kind of podcast you might like to make, we suggest you start by listening to a variety of different podcasts and get a sense for what you like. You can browse what's popular on iTunes, look for productions by your favorite media personalities, or explore by topic.

We've put together a short list of some of our favorites. If you have the time, take a listen and figure out what kind of podcast you might like to make yourself.
If you're a public radio junkie:

This American Life (WBEZ)

Snap Judgement (WNYC)

99% Invisible (Radiotopia)

Latino USA (NPR)

Nancy (NPR)

If you love a good mystery:

Serial (WBEZ)

Welcome to Night Vale (Welcome To Nightvale Presents)

Criminal (Radiotopia)

Limetown (Two-Up Productions)

My Favorite Murder (Feral Audio)

If you're a proud STEM nerd: If you're a history/language arts buff:

Revisionist History (Panoply/Slate)

Allusionist (Radiotopia)

Stuff You Missed In History Class

Song Exploder (Radiotopia)

LaVar Burton Reads (Stitcher)

If you love comedy/pop culture:

Comedy Bang! Bang! (Earwolf)

2 Dope Queens (WNYC)

Radio Menea

Mystery Show (Gimlet)

The Read (Loud Speakers Network)

Guided Listening - Figuring Out What You Like

Now that you've got a basic idea of what this podcasting thing is all about, you'll need to come up with an idea for one of your own. Use our guided listening questions to come up with a new idea for a podcast

1. What do I personally like to get out of listening to a podcast? (example: I like to be entertained, I like to be informed about new things, I like feeling inspired, etc)

2. What kind of podcast tone appeals to me? (example: light-hearted, serious, scripted, conversational, etc)

3. What kind of podcasting structure do I like best? (example: based on a theme, based on current events, narrative [like a book], 10-minutes or less, released in seasons, etc)

4. What kind of person do I want my podcast appeal to? (example: other teachers, people who are interested in a particular hobby, etc)

5. What elements make up the podcasts I like? (example: interview, musical segment, reported story, scene, etc)

6. What might make my podcast stand out compared to what's already out there? (example: add a new storytelling element, use a different premise or style, cover a topic people want to know about, etc)

Vetting Your Idea

You've got an idea for a great podcast... or at least you think it's a great podcast. How can you tell whether your idea will be a hit or fall flat? We've got some helpful tips, from finding inspiration to vetting your ideas and turning them into brief, punchy pitches.
T.A.G.S. - That's A Good Story
Coming up with a good story (and presenting it well) is harder than it seems! Even experienced journalists and producers often struggle with coming up with fresh ideas that editors (and listeners) will respond to. In general, here are some qualities that set fresh story ideas apart from stale ones:

Twist / trend -
A good podcast takes a familiar idea and adds a new angle to make it fresh.

Adds to / Advances the story -
If your podcast is covering a familiar topic or style, make sure the way you present it takes the listener's understanding to the next level.

Grounded in experience / expertise -
How will you make sure your podcast feels genuine? Start with the things you actually know about, or at least are really curious about.

Surprising -
Your podcast should include new, unexpected information, techniques, or elements that make people sit up and listen (and, of course, share your podcast with all their friends).

Common Pitfalls of Pitching

You're almost there! As you finalize your podcast/story ideas, check out these common pitfalls and try to avoid them!

"The Columbus"

"The Long-Distance Pitch"

"The Aspirational Pitch"

"The Thesis"

"The Stereotype"

"The Fake Trend"

Now that you're pretty sure you have a fresh podcast concept, we'll learn how to turn your idea into a brief pitch.

Pitching Practice: The One-Graf Pitch

A pitch is essentially a paragraph description where you make the case for why your story is awesome and interesting. To practice, you're going to write the pitch for the first episode of your podcast.

When writing your pitch, focus on the essentials - What is your podcast/the episode about, and why will people want to listen? Emphasize the T.A.G.S. (see above) of your story, or why people should be excited about it. And keep it conversational! Write your pitch as if you were talking to a friend. This will keep it from becoming stuffy or formal.

For example, here are a few successful pitches from YR stories:
PITCH: Out of the nearly 900 emoji options available to U.S. teenagers, the pistol emoji is one of the most popular (#75). Teens use it to express boredom (another math test: gun), prompt people to respond faster (are you there? text me: gun), or vent frustration (this line is taking forever!: gun). And most of the time, it seems pretty harmless. But even if the message is benign, the question remains why so many of us feel we have to use violent imagery to express ourselves - often without thinking about it. In this podcast episode, Youth Radio's Tylyn Hardamon tracks the linguistic and technical history and use of the pistol emoji, quizzing young people on how and why they use it. Are Teens More Narcissistic Than Before? (Youth Radio) PITCH: Are teens today more narcissistic than ever before? Some psychologists are pointing to a personality test called the Narcissism Personality Inventory, which seems to indicate that millennials have a historically high sense of self-obsession. But not everyone thinks the test is a great tool to use on teens, who may need an inflated sense of self to protect themselves against the natural pitfalls of puberty. In this week's podcast replay, Youth Radio's teen reporters turn the lens on themselves as they investigate their own narcissism scores, and interview an expert on what this trend might mean for the success of the next generation.
2. Getting to Know Your Equipment

Sound is everywhere. From the moment we wake up to when we go to sleep, our days are filled with noise. Even so-called "silence" is actually full of sound - the hum of an air conditioner, the distant rush of traffic, the whoosh of our own breath. By collecting and weaving together high quality recordings of our interviews and scenes, we can bring the story closer to listeners - their ears and imaginations allowing them to enter entire worlds of sound.

Choosing Your Recorder

When it comes to recording sound, not all equipment is created equal. But even if you can't afford a top-of-the-line audio kit, there is a wide range of devices that you can use to gather sound for your stories. In the end, whether you're using a Zoom H4N or a Fisher Price Cassette Recorder, it's still the audio you gather that truly makes your story compelling.

Smartphone

Most smartphones today have a built-in microphone and recording function (example: iPhone's voice memo), and can be used in a pinch to conduct interviews and gather sound. Here are a few tips for using your phone effectively as a recorder:

Find a quiet room - preferably one with carpet, lots of furniture, etc. - for interviews. Unplug or remove all devices that click, tick, ring, hum or buzz.

Make sure your phone has enough space. You don't want to gather awesome sound only to find out there's nowhere to save it!

Have the person being interviewed hold the device's receiver a few inches away from their mouth. If you want to capture multiple people's voices, ideally each person will have their own phone. If the phone is too far away, their voices will be hard to hear.

Consider investing in an external microphone. If you need to gather higher quality sound, there are many setup options (like this one) that allow you to record and edit via your phone. External microphones can also help if you want to gather characteristic sounds of a particular scene.

Check out some broadcast/recording apps. There are many free or inexpensive mobile apps that allow you to customize the levels and quality of the sounds you record on your phone. Two popular options are Hindenburg and Transom - though new ones are popping up every day!

Can't go there in person? Record your phone calls. "Phoner tape," as it's called in audio editing circles, isn't the highest quality sound - that's why many radio studios use tape syncers (locals with audio equipment who can gather sound in-person) to do remote interviews. But if your source lives far away and you're on a budget, there are still ways to preserve that audio. Check out inexpensive apps like Tape A Call or Recorder. Free options are possible using Skype and Google Voice.
If you're doing a phoner, try asking the person you're interviewing if they have a smartphone. If so, they can record using the voice memo option on their device (using the tips above) and then email you the audio afterwards.

Computer (desktop or laptop)

Built-in computer microphones generally aren't as high quality as the ones in smartphones, but you can always pair them with a good external microphone to get decent sound. Check out Transom's guide to setting up a basic home studio for tips on mics and software. Free audio editing software mainstays like Audacity and Garageband are excellent programs for beginners.

Portable Digital Recorder

Outside of a professional studio, a high quality portable digital recorder is your best bet to get broadcast-quality sound - but expect to shell out a few hundred bucks. Transom has a comparison guide geared toward professional storytellers that may help you make your choice.

Other Equipment

A Sound Dampener - When you're recording narration or an interview, you want to reduce outside sounds and prevent echo. If you've got the $, you could get a vocal shield or set up your own studio. If you're on a budget or just getting started, try recording in your closet (the clothes help to muffle outside noise), or in a carpeted room under a sleeping bag.

Headphones - One great way to know you're getting awesome audio is to LISTEN to it as it comes in. You don't even need pricey headphones - just make sure you can hear what's going on clearly and you ALWAYS wear them when you record.

An External Microphone (Optional but recommended) - It's not that you can't get great sound with the microphones built in to your devices (check out Youth Radio's guide to gathering high quality audio using your phone), but it can be difficult. Built-in microphones are more likely to pick up "handling noise," meaning the sounds your hands make when they make tiny shifts in your grip, gusts of wind, or echos from a room. There are entire sites dedicated to picking a fancy microphone that best fits your needs, but in general you could upgrade your sound game by getting some type of external microphone (one you plug into your recorder).

A windscreen/pop filter for your external microphone - Wind makes noise. And, if you do any of your recording outside, it has a tendency to interrupt the sounds you're trying to capture. A windscreen is a soft, cushy cover for your microphone that helps prevent that dreaded WHOOOSH noise. It also is known as a pop filter, which refers to the normal but gross-sounding noises we make with our mouths when we pronounce certain words. If you're just getting started and you're recording indoors, feel free to skip the filter. Or you can be nerdy and make one yourself (see above).

What Sounds To Gather

So now you have the equipment to start recording. Awesome. But to make a great podcast, what exactly should you be listening for? From interviews to interactions, here's a brief rundown of some of the types of sound you might want to gather.

Scene - In audio, a scene takes you to a place where some sort of action is happening that relates back to the narrative. A scene is comprised of elements such as characteristic sounds, room tone, interaction, and emotion. The goal is an audio soundscape that allows your mind to recreate whatever is going on.

Characteristic Sounds - These are sounds that help transport the listener to a particular place. Examples include the buzz of a drill at a dentist's office, a moo at a cattle ranch, the late bell at a school, the gavel noise of a courtroom. If possible in a scene, any action that creates sound should be recorded closely to bring the listener into the moment.

Room tone (ambient noise) - Even if you think you are recording in a silent space, every room has its own brand of quiet. At the beginning or end of each scene/interview, record between 30 seconds and 1 minute of room tone during which you and your source do not talk.

Stand-up - A stand-up is when a reporter does a brief, live description of what is going on and/or what they are doing in the field. Stand-ups often address the 5 W's or reporting - who, what, where, when and why. They may also include narrative elements, such as how the reporter is feeling or thinking.

Interview - This is when a reporter/interviewer asks a source a series of questions. When recording an interview, you want to try to gather the "cleanest" sound possible, meaning minimal background noises. Seek out a quiet space, even if it means asking someone to turn off music or devices.

Levels - Levels represent the sensitivity of your recording device - in other words, it sets the amplitude of the sound you gather. When setting your levels (which you should do before each interview or scene), you want to make sure the amplitude of your sound stays in the mid-range for your device. If your levels are too low, you will not capture the sound you may need. If your levels are too high ("peaking") the sound will be distorted. For step-by-step instructions on how to set, check out online tutorials like this one.

Skills You Need For Gathering Great Sound
*A note on gathering levels: rather than asking your interviewee to say something artificial like "check check 1 2 3," have them answer a basic descriptive question like "what did you have for breakfast?" This will make sure they're speaking within their normal range of volume.
Before you press record on your actual podcast, you're going to want to make sure you have a couple of basic recording skills down. Gather your equipment together and make sure you're comfortable doing the following:

Complete set up (headphones on, cables and microphone attached)

Turn on recorder

Set recording levels to mid-range*

Proper mic placement (for interviews: fist-width distance from mouth, slightly off to side of mouth)

Start recording

Gather room tone (ambient noise)

Turn off recorder

Complete break down (headphones, cables and device stored properly)

We've also made a one-page checklist and a graphic to help you remember what skills to practice when you go out to record sound on your own.

Recording Practice: Gather the sounds of your room

To practice field recording, you can use your recording set-up to gather three different sounds that help define the room you're in. The goal is to get a sense for how you can use sound to build a portrait of a place.

Take a look/listen around the room you're in currently (or pick one nearby that you can easily access). What are three characteristic noises that help to define the space you're in? For example, if you're in a classroom, you might hear the ring of the school bell, the laughter of students coming in, and the creeeeeeak of the chair as you sit down.

Using your recording equipment, gather no more than ten seconds of each sound. Save each sound file and play it for your friends!

3. Getting Great Interviews

Interviewing is the foundation on which most podcasts are built. Great interviews are conversations that suck the listener in and leave them feeling included, informed, and more connected to the story than before.

Interviewing is more than a skill - it's an art. The order of your questions, the way you phrase them, and the tone of your voice all affect the way a person will respond to you. By carefully crafting your interview questions and paying attention to how your source responds, you'll be more likely to gather compelling, engaging tape for your podcast.
Someone-You-Know Interview
The style of a given interview depends a lot on your relationship to the person you're talking to. If you're interviewing an expert, you'll use different words, tone, even posture than if you are talking to a friend. You'll also use different interviewing strategies depending on the angle of your story - if you feel your source is hiding something, for example.

Types of Interviews

In normal conversations, we "interview" people we know all the time. But casually saying hello to a friend or relative can feel really different than sitting down with them with a goal in mind. You'll want to capitalize on your familiarity with your interviewee to get the best stories and answers as possible, but also keep in mind that your conversation shouldn't be so filled with inside jokes and references that other people won't understand what you're talking about. To set the scene for a strong interview with someone you know, it's a good idea to:

Even though you know the person you're interviewing, you're going to want to spend some time writing questions ahead of time. Check out: YR Tips For Interviewing Someone You Know.
Expert Interview
Listening Example: YR's Maya Escobar interviews her dad about whether or not he thinks he's addicted to his cell phone

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When we think of the word "expert," many of us picture a doctor, lawyer or professor. But an expert can be anyone who has a lot of knowledge or experience that you can to tap into for a particular story. We often interview experts when we need a complicated process explained, or if we need someone to speak about broader trends for a story. When looking for the right expert to talk to, think about someone who is:

Good at explaining things and/or a dynamic storyteller

Acknowledged in the field, meaning he or she has written about the topic or has been recommended by others as a knowledgeable source

Representative of the diversity of the population. For example, women and people of color are often underrepresented in the media as sources of analysis and expertise. You have an opportunity to change that.

Once you find your expert, you're going to want to spend some time researching him or her, and writing questions ahead of time. Check out: YR Tips For Interviewing Experts.
Something-To-Hide Interview
Listening Example: YR's Kasey Saeturn interviews a representative from the Federal Housing Authority, asking him to explain why it's so hard for young adults like her to get public housing

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The phrase "something to hide" makes it sound like we're talking about interviewing a spy or super villain about their plans for world domination. But really, "something to hide" interviews are about getting information that a character may be hesitant to share. This doesn't mean they are good or bad people, but it does mean you should tread carefully when structuring your interview. Examples of "something to hide" interviews include:

While it can feel awkward to probe someone for hidden information, know that it's part of your mission as a journalist to report as accurately and thoroughly as possible. You are doing your readers/listeners a service by asking thorough questions, and getting to the truth is a powerful reward.

Check out: YR Tips For Something-To-Hide Interview.

Listening Example: YR's Malachi Segers interviews a representative from Spirit Halloween about whether some of their costumes are racist

4. Writing Your Script

Now that you have field recording and interviewing down, you're all set to start gathering awesome elements for your podcast. The next step is learning how to put it all together, turning your raw audio into an edited audio piece.

Essential Audio Editing Vocabulary

Tape - even though most of us use digital recorders now, not cassette tapes, most audio nerds still refer to all the sounds/clips/interviews you capture as "tape."

Transcribe Tape - This means you listen to tape and write down everything that you hear. It can be time consuming (you'll probably need to listen multiple times), but it's really useful to have a full transcript of your interviews, scenes, etc. when you are starting to organize and edit your audio files for a podcast.

Log Tape - to "log" tape, means you listen to your raw audio and then select and isolate your favorite cuts. Then, you can transcribe the "best tape."

Actualities (AXX) - Actualities or "AXX" as some people call it, are non-scripted sound clips from interviews or scenes that you've gathered. Think of it like, actualities come from ACTUAL life.

Tracks (TRAX) - Tracks or "TRAX" refer to sound clips that you recorded in the studio from a script. Many podcasts consist of alternating AXX and TRAX.

Ambient Sound/Room Tone - Every room (even the quiet ones) has its own particular sound. Whether it's a slight hum from a studio, or the background sound of traffic from an on-the-street interview, you'll want to capture ambient sound in your recordings and run them under your AXX to help hide your edits.

Scene Tape - Scene tape consists of the characteristic sounds and sequence of noises that help the listener associate the story with a particular place or action. For example, if your podcast is about cooking, you might have "scene tape" audio of a chef preparing a meal. This audio is action-filled, narrative, and tells the story of someone doing something in the moment.

Finding Your Editing Flow - Organize Your Audio

Once you start gathering interviews, scenes, etc. for your podcast, start organizing your tape right away! You want to be listening for tape that sticks out for various reasons (see graphic above).

1. After you gather your audio, immediately download your audio and save it in a safe place. Name each file in such a way that you can quickly identify each file and what it contains (example: DATE_PODCAST_SOURCENAME_INTERVIEW.wav)

2. Before listening back, take a few minutes to write down what you most remember from each scene or interview - those are probably the bites/ acts/ cuts/ tape you want to pull.

3. Now open up your audio files in an audio player or audio editing software such as Audacity and listen back. Make a note of the time codes of your favorite pieces of audio (logging your tape).

4. Transcribe your audio in a separate document, marking the time codes as you go along. If you have time, you can transcribe the whole thing. If you're on more of a deadline, transcribe only your favorite clips.

Structuring Your Podcast

When it comes to arranging your best clips into a script, there's no pre-set format for how to structure a podcast. On the one hand, that's awesome! You get to be creative and experiment with your storytelling! But it can also be intimidating when you're not sure how to get started.

We suggest you start by making an outline:

1. Print out the transcripts of the tape you logged. Cut each clip/AXX (usually a few sentences or less) and clearly label them so you know who is talking.

2. Look over the clips/AXX and ask yourself:

What should the listener hear first? Oftentimes this is your strongest or most scene-driven tape.

What do you want the listener to leave with? Is there a natural ending?

Is there a narrative thread (meaning a natural beginning, middle, and end of the story) that you can reinforce?

Is there information that you feel is missing? If so, write it on a new piece of paper and put it in the place you think it belongs. Consider using narration (tracking) or contacting another interview/source to fill this gap.

3. Line up your clips/AXX in the order you think makes sense. Try it a few different ways to play with the structure.

4. Write your narration/TRAX in-between clips/AXX

Remember, you are the tour guide for the story. Start us out one place, and take us to another.

Tell the story your clips/AXX don't tell.

Describe scenes, introduce speakers, and explain confusing parts.

Note: you may decide to take out clips/AXX, rearrange the order and re-write narration a bunch during this process

5. Write your host lede - meaning the introduction to the story

6. Double-check your facts

7. Edit your script and prepare to record your narration!

Formatting Your Script - An Example

YR Reporter Amber Ly's parents own a donut shop in the Richmond district of San Francisco. She interviewed her mom as part of her feature about "the model minority."

Once you get your outline together, you'll write in and out of the clips you've selected, giving additional information, transitions, context, etc. You'll also want to format your script so that it's easy to read (see our voicing unit).

Check out this script (below) by YR's Amber Ly about how the Asian-American model minority stereotype has affected her experience in the classroom.
How Model Minority Myth Shortchanges Asian-Americans YR's Amber Ly NPR's Here & Now
You can listen along to the final story here.

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INTRO: Today there's news out of the Supreme Court (striking down/upholding) affirmative action. That suit was brought by a white student who claims she was discriminated against. Meanwhile, up north, Ivy League colleges face claims from a coalition of Asian American groups who say Asian-Americans have to score higher on the SATs to get accepted. Youth Radio's Amber Ly (AM-bur LEE) is Asian-American, and she's been thinking a lot about how racial stereotypes affect her experience in the classroom

SCRIPT:

There's a joke that an A minus is an Asian F. It's a play on the idea that all Asians are smart. We get good grades. We work hard.

Jokes like this can be pretty frustrating for Asian teens. For one thing, it makes us sound like a bunch of high-achieving robots.But moreover, it's just not true for everyone. How well immigrants do in the US often corresponds to

MOM: I come here with nothing. I don't have English, no English at all.

That's my mom.

MOM: Our family, it's not like have a good education from the country.

My parents never got a formal education. They came here in the early 1990's from Cambodia to escape the Khmer Rouge.

The dropout rate for Cambodian-American kids like me is actually really high-35 percent. It shouldn't be a newsflash that not all Asian-Americans do well in school, but the model minority stereotype makes the actual problems in these communities invisible.

For the last 19 years now, my parents own a donut shop in San Francisco.

My dad carries flour into the back of our shop in 50 pound bags. Both of my parents labor over heavy machinery and boiling oil. They work hard at keeping their business afloat, and by extension supporting our family.

So they're not exactly tiger parents hovering over my homework. But when I'm at school, my teachers and peers still treat me like I'm supposed to be some kind of genius. And I'm not the only one.

RHEA: I feel like I was always expected to be, like, the top student. I mean in middle school and in elementary school, I worked really hard to meet that standard. Because I felt that was like what everyone expected of me and I didn't want to let them down.

That's 15-year-old Rhea Park. For her, the model minority myth can make it harder to get the help she needs at school.

RHEA: Like even with teachers... Whenever I needed help like, they're like "Oh, it's okay. You can figure it out."

I get this too. The pressure I feel about school doesn't come from my family at all. In fact, my mom doesn't even know the stereotype that's supposed to be about her.

AMBER: Have you ever heard about tiger moms? MOM: No. What's mean tiger mom? AMBER: So yeah, like this is what a tiger mom is. It's like you are super strict. Like, Oh my God you have to go study right now. No playing with your friends. You can't go outside. Like you have to go do-you have to study, play piano, do the violin. Mom: Ohh. I cannot do that. Because I saw you trying to work hard by your homework or your everything, your tests. You always try hard by yourself.

My mom says whenever I talk to her about my grades, I make it sound like I'm failing. I've spent the last four years in high school, feeling ashamed because I'm a B student. And lately, I've come to see that this invisible pressure I feel is the model minority myth at work.
BACK ANNOUNCE: Amber Ly (AM-bur LEE) recently graduated from high school in San Francisco. Her story was produced by YR.
This is how racism operates. It erases our individuality. It tells us how we should act, how we should perform in school. And when we miss the mark, we're failures. That's how even positive sounding racial stereotypes cause damage.

For Here & Now, I'm Amber Ly.

Tips For Writing For Radio

As you start filling in the TRAX between your clips, you'll want to keep your writing style super simple, conversational, and clear. In other words, DO NOT write as if you were composing an essay or academic paper. If you listen to how people actually talk, you'll notice a few trends:

Use small, casual words, not big, formal ones.
For example, say "car," not vehicle. "But" not "however," "said," not "expressed," etc.

Use short words/sentences, not long ones.
This is not Scrabble. Long words do not earn you more points. Short sentences are punchy, clear, and engaging. Even sentence fragments are OK in radio scripting!

Avoid acronyms, long organization names or formal titles, lots of exact numbers, etc. unless you absolutely have to.

Assume everyone's memory is really short.

So if you're introducing a new voice, identify them right away (you might need to break a long clip into smaller pieces to do this).

If it's been awhile since you heard from someone in the piece, re-introduce them when you hear them again (ex: that's Joe again, the guy from the laundromat).

Don't make your AXX and TRAX too repetitive.
It's good to reinforce important points with phrases like "in other words," or "hey did you catch what she said there?" But if your narration just repeats the same core concept as your interview clips, the listener will get bored.

When possible, use the present tense.
Audio is an intimate media format. You are whispering directly in the listener's ear! Using the present tense will make the listener feel like he or she is there in the moment with you.

Practice Editing: The Basics Of Mixing

Once you get a script together, you'll want to line up your tape in an order that matches the script using some type of audio editing software. We suggest checking out Audacity, a free, open source program available for both PC and macs.

In this make, you'll get familiar with the program by recreating Amber Ly's piece that you listened to above, her script and audio files that we provide for you.

1. Download Audacity. You can download the program for free here.

2. Download the YR audio files from Amber's piece. We've put them into three folders: AXX (Amber's narration), TRAX (her interviews with other people), and AMBI (room tone or scene tape). We've named them in the order they appear in the script.

3. Start by importing your audio. There are lots of great tutorials available online that will walk you through how to do this. Here's a good one that goes through a couple of techniques for importing audio, as well as showing you how to record audio directly into audacity (which we'll do during the voicing module).

4. Arrange your audio into the order it appears in your script. Here's another Audacity tutorial on audio editing that will help you with the technical details. Do you best to mimic the pacing of the original piece.

5. Voicing Your Script

You've done the research, you've written your podcast script... now it's time to step up to the mic and read. But if you really want to breathe life into your podcast, you can't just read it- you have to perform it. So what goes into a good vocal performance? How do you sound like you're talking to a friend, when you're actually reading off a paper?

What Is A "Radio Voice?"

Journalist and podcaster Eric Simons is the Editorial Director of Bay Nature Magazine and co-host of The Field Trip Podcast. He's also been featured on the popular science podcast RadioLab. YR reporter Sophie Varon sat down with Eric to ask him how podcast makers can put their best voice forward - from tips for sounding like yourself even when reading a script, to keeping conversations casual while covering complex topics.

Supplies for Voicing

When you record yourself (or someone else) reading a script for a podcast or radio story, it's known in the industry as "tracking." When you track, you'll first want to make sure you have a good location to record. As you learned in the recording module, be sure to have:

A quiet place - that means unplugging any devices that make sound such as clocks, phones, refrigerators, etc.

A sound-dampened environment - to eliminate echo, choose a padded place like a studio, a small room with carpet and lots of furniture, a closet full of clothes that you can sit in with the door closed, or even a quiet corner with a sleeping bag over your head.

Headphones - to hear yourself and make sure the sound quality is good.

A recording device - Try to avoid laptops microphones unless you have an external microphone. You may also choose to use your phone (hold it close to your mouth) or an audio kit.

An external microphone - Ideally you are using an external mic, but if you don't have one, try to minimize handling noise by keeping your hand as still as possible and listening for noise during each take.

A partner/producer - tracking by yourself is hard because you're having to talk and listen to yourself at the same time. It's much better to find a buddy and have them coach you on your read and take notes on your cut sheet (see below).

A copy of your script - unless you have a REALLY good memory... just kidding, you'll need a script no matter what. Make sure it includes not only the parts you are recording but the transcript of any audio you are reading in/out of (such as interview clips, scene tape, etc).

A pen or a pencil - you'll use this to mark up your script with notes, change tricky words, and make notes on which takes you like the best.

A cut sheet - this is a piece of paper where you write down the time codes for your best takes of each section of your script. You can add notes for each cut to help you remember what you liked about each time you read your script.

Mark Up Your Script
/ = breathe or pause here Underline ALL CAPS = really emphasize this word because it is absolutely essential to the meaning of the sentence = pay attention to this word because it is an operative word in the sentence. You may want to draw it out or modulate it with your voice.
Voicing is more than just talking - it's a form of performance. If you simply read your script aloud, chances are it will sound very flat. But the goal of podcast voicing is to sound as if you're not reading at all. To make your voice sound natural and engaging, you're going to have to put a little extra effort into your read. One technique many professionals use is to "mark up" your script. This means you'll add notes to help you know which places to breathe and which words to emphasize, slow down, modulate, etc.

Here are some common symbols for marking up your script:

You may also want to add notes indicating the pace, mood, or tone you think would be appropriate for each part of the script.

Here's an example, from a commentary (a short, first-person opinion piece) by YR Reporter, Billy Cruz. Listen to his commentary as you look over his marked-up script.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Using Your Voice Effectively

Now that you've got your set up, marked up script (and hopefully a partner to help you track), it's time to start talking!

Get at least 3 different takes of each part of the script.

At Youth Radio, we usually have reporters start by reading the script all the way through, then they break it into parts and do each part 3 times, and then they do one last full read-through.

With each take, try different reads. If you're a fast reader, try doing an intentionally slow take. Or if you're a flat reader, try doing an extra dramatic take. It may sound silly to you, but it will improve your read as you find a happy medium.

Pay attention to pacing, pronunciation, emphasis, tone, volume, energy and phrasing -If your partner sounds stiff: ask him or her to try these techniques:

Recite the story as if you're telling it to a friend

Turn over the script and do it from memory

Make eye contact with you

Stand up and see if that position gives the read more energy

Watch for "upspeak," the term used to describe when your voice goes like it does at the end of a question

Make sure people can understand you. It helps to:

Slow down at proper nouns and numbers

Don't rush hard-to-pronounce or long words

Make sure you have enough breath. If you're struggling, consider shortening your sentences

Change hard-to-pronounce words or long sentences as you encounter them. Keep sentences short and words simple for clarity's sake.

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Podcasts are EVERYWHERE. Case in point: YR Media just launched our own, Adult ISH, a first of its kind, culture and advice podcast produced by those who are almost adults. Subscribe! Podcasts come in all sorts of varieties - comedy, music, journalism, fiction - there are even podcasts about other podcasts!

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Homi Bhabha, Storytelling, and Podcasting

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Homi Bhabha, Storytelling, and Podcasting

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JAD: This is Radiolab. I'm Jad Abumrad. Today, a little something different. I was invited to give a TED Talk a few months ago. It's out today. And it's sort of a personal talk for me. It's about my life as a journalist, and I also think it helps explain a little bit of the journey that Radiolab has been on for the last decade or so. So I want to play the audio of that talk here in the podcast. I mean obviously, it is a video in its native format, and you should definitely check out the video because, you know, with COVID there was no TED Conference this year. Which actually meant for me I got to work with this amazing video artist, a friend of mine, Mac Premo, and we sort of re-imagined the entire form of a Ted Talk in that video. He is incredible, so you should -- you should watch the talk. But in the meantime, we're gonna listen to it here because I think it says something about how I personally, and how we as a show are trying to kind of approach this complicated moment. So here it is.

JAD: I want to talk to you about my search for purpose as a journalist, and how Dolly Parton helped me figure it out. So I've been telling audio stories for about 20 years, first on the radio and then in podcasts. And when I started the radio show Radiolab in 2002, here was the quintessential story move we would do. We'd bring on somebody ...

JAD: ... like this guy, mathematician Steve Strogatz. And he would paint a picture.

JAD: So you're in this imaginary canoe with Steve, and in the air all around you are millions of fireflies. And what you see is sort of a randomized starry night effect, because all the fireflies are blinking at different rates. Which is what you'd expect. But according to Steve in this one place, for reasons that no scientist can fully explain ...

JAD: Now it's around this time that I would generally bring in the beautiful music as I just did, and you'd start to get that warm feeling. A feeling that we know from science kind of localizes in your head and chest and spreads through your body. It's that feeling of wonder. From 2002 to 2010 I did hundreds of these stories. Science-y, neuroscience-y, very heady, brainy stories that would always resolve into that feeling of wonder. And I began to see that as my job, to lead people to moments of wonder. And what that sounded like was ...

JAD: But I began to get kind of tired of these stories. I mean, partially it was the repetition. I remember there was a day I was sitting at the computer making the sound of a neuron. You know, take some white noise, chop it up. Very easy sound to make. And I remember thinking, "I have made this sound 25 times." But it was more than that. It was -- there was a familiar path to these stories. You walk the path of truth which is made of science, and you get to wonder. Now I love science, don't get me wrong. My parents emigrated from a war-torn country, came to America. And science for them was, like, more their identity than anything else. And I inherited that from them. But there was something about that simple movement from science to wonder that just started to feel wrong to me. Like, is that the only path a story can take?

JAD: Around 2012, I ran into a bunch of different stories that made me think, no. One story in particular where we interviewed a guy who described chemical weapons being used against him and his fellow villagers in the mountains of Laos. Western scientists went there, measured for chemical weapons, didn't find any. We interviewed the man about this. He said the scientists were wrong. We said, "But they tested." He said, "I don't care. I know what happened to me." And we went back and forth and back and forth, and to make a long story short, the interview ended in tears. And I felt horrible. Like, hammering at a scientific truth when someone has suffered? That wasn't gonna heal anything. And maybe I was relying too much on science to find the truth. And it really did feel at that moment that there were a lot of truths in the room, and we were only looking at one of them. So I thought, "I gotta get better at this."

JAD: And so for the next eight years, I committed myself to doing stories where you heard truths collide. We did stories about the politics of consent, where you heard the perspectives of survivors and perpetrators whose narratives clashed. We did stories about race, how Black men are systematically eliminated from juries, and yet the rules that try and prevent that from happening only make things worse. Stories about counter-terrorism, Guantanamo detainees, stories where everything is disputed, and all you can do is struggle to try and make sense. And the struggle kind of became the point. I began to think, "Maybe that's my job, to lead people to moments of struggle." And here's what that sounded like.

JAD: Now that sigh right there? I wanted to hear that sound in every single story, because that sound is kind of our current moment, right? We live in a world where truth is no longer just a set of facts to be captured. It's become a process. It's gone from being a noun to being a verb. But how do you end that story? Like, what literally kept happening is we'd be, you know, telling a story, cruising along, two viewpoints in conflict, you get to the end and it's just like, "No. Let me see. What do I say at the end?" How do you end that story? You can't just, like, happily-ever-after it, because that doesn't feel real. At the same, if you just leave people in that stuck place, like, why did I just listen to that? Like, it felt like there had to be another move there. Had to be a way beyond the struggle. And this is what brings me to Dolly, or Saint Dolly, as we like to call her in the South.

JAD: I want to tell you about one little glimmer of an epiphany that I had doing a nine-part series called Dolly Parton's America last year. It was a bit of a departure for me, but I just had this intuition that Dolly could help me figure out this ending problem. And here was the basic intuition. You go to a Dolly concert, you see men in trucker hats standing next to men in drag. Democrats standing next to Republicans. Women holding hands. Every different kind of person smashed together, all of these people that we are told should hate each other are there singing together. She somehow carved out this unique space in America, and I wanted to know, how did she do that? So I interviewed Dolly 12 times, two separate continents. She started every interview this way:

JAD: She is undeniably a force of nature, but the problem that I ran into is that I had chosen a conceit for this series that my soul had -- had trouble with. Dolly sings a lot about the South. If you go through her discography, you will hear song after song about Tennessee. Tennessee Mountain Home, Tennessee Mountain Memories. Now I grew up in Tennessee, and I felt no nostalgia for that place. I was the scrawny Arab kid who came from the place that invented suicide bombing. I -- I spent a lot of time in my room. And when I left Nashville, I left. I remember being at Dollywood, standing in front of a replica -- replica -- of her Tennessee mountain home. People all around me were crying. This is a -- this is a set. Why are you crying? I couldn't understand why they were so emotional, especially given my relationship to the South. And I started to honestly have panic attacks about this. Am I not the right person for this project? But then, twist of fate. We meet this guy, Brian Seaver, Dolly's nephew and bodyguard. And on a whim, he drives producer Shima Oliaee and I out of Dollywood, around the backside of the mountains, up the mountains 20 minutes, down a narrow dirt road, through giant wooden gates that looked right out of Game of Thrones, and into the actual Tennessee Mountain Home. But the real place.

JAD: And I'm gonna score this part with Wagner, because you got to understand, in Tennessee lore, this is, like, hallowed ground, the Tennessee Mountain Home. So I remember standing there on the grass, next to the Pigeon River, butterflies doing loop-de-loops in the air, and I had my own moment of wonder. Dolly's Tennessee mountain home looks exactly like my dad's home in the mountains of Lebanon. Her house looks just like the place that he left. And that simple bit of layering led me to have a conversation with him that I'd never had before, about the pain he felt leaving his home and how he hears that in Dolly's music. Then I had a conversation with Dolly, where she described her songs as migration music. Even that classic song, Tennessee Mountain Home, if you listen to it ...
"Sittin' on the front porch on a summer afternoon in a straight-back chair on two legs leaned against the wall."]
JAD: It's about trying to capture a moment that you know is already gone. But if you can paint it vividly, maybe you can freeze it in place, almost like in resin, trapped between past and present. That is the immigrant experience. And that simple thought led me to a million conversations. I started talking to musicologists about country music as a whole, this genre that I've always felt so -- having nothing to do with where I came from, is actually made up of instruments and musical styles that came directly from the Middle East. That, in fact, there were trade routes that ran from what is now Lebanon right up into the mountains of East Tennessee. I can honestly say standing there looking at her home, was the first time I felt like I'm a Tennessean. That is honestly true. And this wasn't a one time thing. I mean, over and over again, she would force me beyond the simple categories I had constructed for the world.

JAD: I remember talking with her about her seven-year partnership with Porter Wagoner. 1967, she joins his band. He is the biggest thing in country music, she is a back-up singer, a nobody. Within a short time, she gets huge, he gets jealous. He then sues her for $3-million when she tries to leave. Now it would be really easy to see Porter Wagoner as, like, a type: classic patriarchal jackass trying to hold her back. But anytime I would suggest that to her, like c'mon ...

JAD: In effect, she kept telling me, don't bring your stupid way of seeing the world into my story, because that's not what it was. Yeah, there was power, but that's not all there was. You can't summarize this. All right, just to zoom out. What do I make of this? Well, I think there's something in here that's a clue, a way forward. As journalists, we love difference, we love to fetishize difference. But increasingly in this confusing world, we need to be the bridge between those differences. But how do you do that? I think for me now, the answer is simple: you interrogate those differences, you hold them for as long as you can until, like up on that mountain, something happens. Something reveals itself. The story cannot end in difference. It's got to end in revelation.

JAD: And coming back from that trip on the mountain, a friend of mine gave me a book that gave this whole idea a name. In psychotherapy there's this idea called The Third, which essentially goes like this: Typically, we think of ourselves as these autonomous units. I do something to you, and you do something to me. But according to this theory, when two people come together and really commit to seeing each other, in that mutual act of recognition, they actually make something new, a new entity that is their relationship. You can think of Dolly's concerts as sort of a cultural third space. The way she sees all the different parts of her audience, the way they see her, creates the spiritual architecture of that space. And I think now that is my calling. That as a journalist, as a storyteller, as just an American living in a country struggling to hold, that every story I tell has got to find the third. That place where the things we hold as different resolve themselves into something new. Thank you.

JAD: So there it is. You can watch the video version of that at Ted.com. The audio was also shared on TED Talks Daily , where they post a new idea every weekday. As I mentioned, the video's worth checking out. It was shot, edited and animated in three very long days by an incredible video artist, Mac Premo. His daughter Frieda was the grip, the dolly grip, which I -- which does not refer to Dolly Parton, it refers to -- it's a technical term for somebody who operates a camera or something. I don't really know. I just work in audio. But she was the only crew on the set, and together they put together a really cool video which you can see at . Definitely check it out. Anyhow, don't go away. I have one more thing to talk to you about after the break.

JAD: Hey, it's Jad, again. This is Radiolab. So okay, what you just heard was my story. That's how I think about my journalism. And in many ways it is the story of how Radiolab has evolved over the years. You guys have heard the show evolve. We have been doing it for 17 years. Crazy to say out loud, but 17 years. And if you've been listening for some of that time, you've heard us do a million stories, stumble sometimes, grow from it, but always strive to do our most ambitious work. And right now, I feel like that is something we all as journalists have to commit to. This is the moment to do the best work of our lives. And that is what we're trying to do here, and we need your help in order to do it.

JAD: And let me make one thing clear: this show is -- is not just me. There is an entire team now of people who work alongside me: Sarah Qari, Rachael Cusick, Bethel Habte, Becca Bressler who makes the trains run on time here. Molly Webster, Tracie Hunte, Simon Adler doing reporting on Covid, Nina Simone, Facebook. Annie McEwen with the story of that octopus at the bottom of the ocean. Matt Kielty, bringing the cataclysm sentences. Arianne Wack, mixing every single piece of dialogue that you hear. Soren, Dylan, Pat, Suzie, Latif -- the other, other Latif. David Gebel, making sure the bills get paid. Bills for studio space, equipment, research, fact-checking. In other words, making this show requires a lot of people and it is not cheap. And that is where we turn to you. We need your support. Radiolab is listener-supported, and we know -- we definitely know times are tough right now, but if you are in a position to give, a position to stand up and declare the things that you want to protect, we hope you will choose us and we hope you'll make a donation. That is directly how we pay for the work that we do here. Please visit Radiolab.org or text the word Radiolab -- no spaces -- to the number 70101. That's Radiolab to 70101. We'll text you right back with a link where you can make a very fast, very easy donation in support of this show. Thank you so much. We'll be back next week with a new episode. I'm Jad Abumrad, signing off.
New York Public Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline, often by contractors. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of New York Public Radio's programming is the audio record. -30-

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The Third. A TED Talk. | Radiolab | WNYC Studios

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JAD: This is Radiolab. I'm Jad Abumrad. Today, a little something different. I was invited to give a TED Talk a few months ago. It's out today. And it's sort of a personal talk for me.

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Minimalist Acoustic Music for Film and Media

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Which mic should I use? (Mics Part 1)

Most audio producers and reporters heading into the field will have the basics: a handheld recorder of some kind, a pair of headphones, and one or two microphones.

This is one of the most common questions about field recording and the decision can be confusing. We usually make the choice based on the pickup pattern - the directions from which the mic captures the most sound. But that's not always the best way! With a little more info we can make a better choice for the job at hand.

Get to know the mics

Different mics allow you to work more effectively in various situations. Understanding the mic you have will allow you to use it more effectively.

Let's start by exploring those pickup patterns to ensure we understand them.

Omnidirectional microphones capture sound from all directions equally. Whether the sound source is behind, in front of, or beside the mic, it's all the same.

Cardioid mics have an upside-down heart-shaped pickup pattern - they capture mostly from the front, not so well from the sides, and reject sound at the rear.

The shotgun microphone narrowly focuses on whatever is directly in front of it (even sounds at a distance), rejecting sounds from the sides and the rear.

As Neil Tevault, longtime NPR broadcast recording technician, explains it:

"Pickup patterns are like the inverse of lights (since light shines out but sound radiates towards a mic). An omnidirectional mic is like a bare light bulb, shining on all things equally. A cardioid mic is a like a flashlight, shining forward in a wide but focused pattern and blocking light behind. The shotgun mic is like a laser, narrowly focused on one spot."

An omnidirectional mic picks up sounds from all directions equally, so you need to hold it close to your subject if there are competing background sounds.

The shotgun mic focuses wherever it is pointed with a narrow and long beam. It can be really helpful if you can't get close to your subject.

The cardioid mic is directional and is good at rejecting noise from behind. However, it can often be quite sensitive to plosives!

There's another factor we need to take into consideration when selecting a microphone. You may have heard the terms and . These two words describe the inner workings of the microphone. (For the curious, dynamic microphones rely on the movement of a coil around a magnet to turn sound into an audio signal, while condenser microphones use a capacitor.)

These descriptors are used in conjunction with the pickup pattern to give a complete picture of how the microphone operates. It is common for reporters to have one of each - a dynamic omnidirectional mic (like the ElectroVoice RE50N/D-B ) and a condenser shotgun (like the Audio Technica AT8035 ) are frequent choices.

So we've got the pickup patterns (omnidirectional, cardioid, and shotgun) and dynamic vs condenser mics. Given all of this, how do you determine which mic to use for field reporting?

Rules of thumb

Here are a few tried-and-true rules of thumb that will achieve reliable results in most reporter-style field situations:
Omnidirectional microphones experience less wind noise and handle p-pops better than cardioids and shotguns.
If you find yourself outside on a windy day without proper wind protection for your shotgun mic, pull out the omni. An omni will fare much better in gusty winds than a shotgun or cardioid mic.
Omnidirectional mics have to be held close to the primary sound - sometimes very close.
Because omni mics pick up sound equally from all directions, any sound in your environment will compete with the primary sound you want to record. Use proximity to your advantage. The closer you are to a sound source, the louder it is, meaning it will be more present in your recording than the sounds from the space around you. If you can't get close...
Shotgun microphones have a long reach, which can be helpful when you have to record at a distance.
This is what shotgun mics are known for - their pickup pattern is long and narrow, allowing the mic to focus on distant sounds and reject extraneous sounds from the sides. This can be really helpful in an environment like a "halls of the capitol building"-style scrum when you can't get close to the voice you need to record or where there is extraneous sound in the environment competing with your source.
Cardioid microphones can be helpful for handheld, back-and-forth style interviewing but lack the advantages of omnis and shotguns.
Most cardioid mics meant for field use are built to alleviate handling noise. Their pickup pattern can also be used to reject sound from behind the mic. This is nice for on-the-street interviews with one microphone, but it lacks the specific advantages of omnis and shots mentioned above. Alternatively...
Shotgun mics (and many other condensers) are susceptible to handling noise.
Shotgun mics aren't built to be held in the hand, but many reporters do it and end up with handling noise on their recordings. The sound of fingers sliding across the surface of the mic or tendons and bones creaking often rears its head at the most inopportune times (like when recording quiet ambience)! Handling noise can be prevented by using a pistol grip with a shock mount, like .
Shotgun mics and other condensers often have a helpful high-pass filter.
The high-pass filter removes unwanted rumble and low-frequency noise. That can help alleviate (but not prevent) p-pops, wind noise, handling noise, and level problems with low frequency sounds (like that of a bus zooming by during an on-the-street interview). The filter is usually turned on via a switch on the side of the microphone. Some audio engineers prefer to leave the filter on at all times unless they are recording something where low frequency is important.
Shotgun mics and other condensers often have wonderful presence but can be sensitive to loud sounds.
Condenser mics are known for their present, clear sound and will usually have a crisper sound than a dynamic mic. This sensitivity, however, can mean that they don't always handle loud sounds well. If you know you will work in a loud area (like in a factory or around loud vehicles) where the voices you want to record will speak very loudly, you may have a hard time managing levels.
Shotgun mics and other condensers require phantom power, which is an extra drain on battery life.
One of the defining characteristics of condenser microphones is that they require phantom power - a small amount of voltage provided by the recorder. This extra draw on a handheld recorder's batteries should be considered when choosing a mic. Some models of condensers (like the AT 8035 mentioned previously) can operate on their own battery, sparing those of the recorder. (Just remember to remove the battery from the mic when it's not in use! They have a habit of corroding and making a mess of the battery compartment.)

And one more very relevant tip. You have to pick the tool that is the most appropriate for the situation, and that can sometimes mean choosing a mic based on its size and not its other characteristics. You may find yourself in an environment where large microphones and recording equipment will attract attention, or it may not be appropriate to put an omnidirectional microphone directly in someone's personal space. That's ok, as long as you are able to use the alternative effectively.

This list may feel like a lot to remember, but odds are you already know much of it from experience and intuition! Keep in mind that mics are simply tools and there isn't a tool that works well in every situation. Each tool has its strengths and weaknesses. Get comfortable with that idea, learn the characteristics outlined above, and you'll be well-suited to capturing great sound no matter the environment.

Have fun out there!
Special thanks to NPR's Neil Tevault, Serri Graslie (@sgraslie), and Evie Stone (@EvaCStone) for help with this article. This post is produced in collaboration with AIR. You can find many wonderful resources for independent producers as well as a talent directory at airmedia.org. This is the first of a two-part series. The second is Which mic do they use?
Rob Byers was a Production Specialist with the NPR Training team, where he focused on audio engineering.

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Most audio producers and reporters heading into the field will have the basics: a handheld recorder of some kind, a pair of headphones, and one or two microphones. This is one of the most common questions about field recording and the decision can be confusing.

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Created by MASC Lab member Azsaneé Truss

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How to mix: 8 steps to master the art of podcast mixing

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How to mix: 8 steps to master the art of podcast mixing

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Podcast mixing - in fact, mixing audio stories of any kind - can be tedious. It's the part of the production process where you create balance, consistency, and clarity with all of the audio elements in your story. But for many, it's the least understood and most overlooked part.

This step-by-step guide outlines a straightforward way to mix podcasts and audio stories. As you explore the process, you can play along:

Download these example audio files to try out the methods in your own audio production software. To use these files, import them into your audio editor and align each file to the top of the session (0:00). The audio is already organized for you.

For a more detailed look at mixing, as well as a list of the tools you'll need, check out The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories. And if you're new to this, check out these posts:

Eight steps to the perfect mix:
Follow this order every time for an efficient workflow.

Step 1: Organize

The first step in mixing is to organize your mixing session. The goal is to create a project that looks organized, is properly labeled and has similar audio grouped on individual tracks.

1. Arrange your tracks in this order:

This is a common layout in audio storytelling, whether it's a 20-minute longform podcast or a 45-second news spot. Using the same layout for every project makes it easier to navigate and collaborate with others. As we'll see later on, it will also make it easier to set levels, EQ and compression.

(If you aren't using a master track , you should! It's used to measure the combined levels of all the tracks in your mix. Learn more in The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories .)
2. Organize the audio clips:
Skim through your clips and ensure that each track includes only clips that are alike. Each clip on an actuality track should be from the same person and interview, each clip on an ambience track should be from the same scene, and so on. If it's a different voice or scene, it gets its own track.

You may have to make more than the five original tracks to accommodate all your clips. Name them appropriately and avoid generic titles like "Track 1" or "Audio 1". Instead, use descriptive names like "Larry," "Jerry ISDN" or "AMBI market."
3. Cascade the tracks:
Once you have named the tracks and grouped together similar clips, organize them visually so that they cascade diagonally from top-to-bottom, left-to-right. If the "Sara phoner" actuality is heard in the story before "Tracie ISDN," then the "Sara phoner" track should be above the "Tracie ISDN" track. Cascading clips like this will make the project much easier to navigate and mix.

When the organization is done, it will look like this:

Or, for a larger session, like this:

A little time invested in this step at the beginning of the project will make the rest of the process go quicker.

Step 2: Rough in levels

Take a moment to adjust the level of your tracks so that every voice track is roughly at the same level. We are about to assess whether any voices need fixing with equalization (commonly called EQ) and compression. To do that, all of the voices need to be at a similar level, because our brains generally perceive louder sounds as "better."

If your organization has a standard level it uses for mixes, use that as your target. If you don't know what it is, stop now and go find out! Many production organizations have a standard target that everyone uses for mixing, and that helps things sound consistent from one piece to another. Most productions use loudness meters when mixing for .

Don't try to get things perfect at this point, and spend only a minute or two on this step. It's ok for transitions and fades to be rough.

From here, we are going to deal with tracks one-by-one, in isolation. You can use the solo button to do this.

A brief note about solo and mute buttons: They achieve similar outcomes and have very different purposes. Solo is intended to temporarily isolate the selected track and quiet all of the other tracks with one button press. Mute is intended to quiet only the selected track. Use the solo button for its intended purpose, not like an "on" button - it can interrupt routing and change the way your audio editor behaves.

Step 3: Determine if you need to EQ

Now we're going to check whether any of the tracks has a tonal issue that can be improved with equalization. If you'd like to know more about EQ, check out The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories .

1. Solo one track and listen
Solo the first track and play it back. Do you hear any unnatural tonal issues like rumble, hollowness, harshness, or sibilance? Are any frequencies jumping out at you?
2. Find and fix the tonal problem
If so, insert an EQ plug-in on the track and follow the steps outlined in to find and reduce the problem frequencies. It's a good idea to preemptively use a hunt for and The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories high-pass filter to clean up useless low-end rumble. You may also need to . reduce a tonal problem
3. Repeat for each track

A note about ambience: Often we record ambience that matches up with voices recorded in the same location, both need to match in tone. So if you adjusted the tone of a voice track with EQ, apply the same change to the accompanying ambience track. Additionally, if there is an environmental issue like rumble or hum in the voice track, it's likely audible in the ambience recording. You can fix it with the same EQ settings.

Remember: A plug-in will process every clip of audio on a track. This is why you organize similar clips from the very beginning.

When you are happy with the results, keep the track soloed and move on to the compression step.

Step 4: Determine if you need compression
If you'd like to know more detail about using a compressor, check out The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories .

1. Assess the presence of the voice
Ask yourself these questions:

Does the person speak in an even and consistent way?

Does the speaker sound strong and present?

If you turn the listening level down halfway, can you still hear and understand every word?

If you answered "yes" to all the above, you can probably get by without compression.

But if the speaker emphasizes certain syllables and words in ways that make them sound inconsistent or "jumpy" in level, you might need it. Consider using compression if a voice doesn't sound strong or if it is layered over music.
2. Add a compressor if you need it
Insert a compression plug-in on the track and follow the method to configure it outlined in The producer's handbook to mixing audio stories .
3. Repeat for each track

A note about ambience: You don't usually need to apply compression to ambience. However, compression can impact the level of voices. If you used compression on a voice track, you may need to adjust the level of the accompanying ambience to match.

Step 5: Check edits and fades

Now do a quick check of all the edits in the piece to ensure they are distraction-free and natural . You want to avoid doubled breaths , unnatural edits and the like.

1. Listen to each edit
Check every edit in the piece. Does the edit sound ? Are words tone or cadence change ? Is there an audible shift in ambience? Take the time to fine-tune these edits as needed.
2. Check for fades on each clip
Make sure the tops and tails (beginnings and ends) of each clip have fades, even if they are very short. It's best practice to place fades at the top and tail of every clip to avoid abrupt entrances . You might not hear an issue now, but it could pop up later in a different listening environment.

This process is easier if you know some of the keyboard shortcuts for your audio editor. Learn the shortcut to jump to the next edit on the track as well as the shortcut to move the playhead back a few seconds. With those two shortcuts, you'll be able to jump from edit-to-edit, back up a couple of seconds and audition the edit relatively quickly. If you don't know those shortcuts, stop right now and go learn them!

Step 6: Fine-tune levels

Fine-tuning levels is called "balancing." Each audio clip needs to match the clip preceding it - not too loud, not too soft. Ambience and music should be audible, but not compete.

To create this balance, you have to have a foundation. We'll use the host/reporter track for that purpose.

In Step 1, you organized the tracks in this order:

This is the order in which you should balance.

Instead of trying to mix all of the tracks at the same time, use the host/reporter track to create a foundation with which to balance all of the other tracks. Your goal is to balance the clips on the host/reporter track to each other and get them close to the mixing target. Then you'll create the rest of the mix by comparing the balance of the other clips and tracks to the host/reporter track (we'll call it the "host track" from here).

To sum it up: Mix each track from the top down.

1. Balance each clip on the first track to the target level
To start this step, mute all the tracks except for the host track. Listen through the first clip of audio. Does it regularly hit the target on your meter and sound consistent to your ear? You quickly roughed in levels in one of the first steps, so the level should be close - but it might need adjusting.

If a sentence or a phrase seems out of balance, apply the level automation tools in your audio editor to that portion. Try to make changes in sentences or phrases .

Once the host track consistently hits the mixing target on your meter and each clip sounds balanced to the clip that precedes it, you are ready to move on to the next track.
2. Balance clips on the next track to the first track
Turn off the mute so you now hear the first actuality/guest track and the host track together. Listen to the last few seconds of the host clip going in to the first actuality clip. Do the two sound balanced? Make the appropriate change to bring the actuality in line with the host track. Now listen through the rest of the clip and determine if a change is necessary. Finally, check the transition out of the clip into the host track to ensure it is balanced.

Repeat this process for all of your guest tracks, un-muting and adjusting one new track at a time. Once you've balanced each clip to the host track, do another pass and listen to all of the transitions. Use this opportunity to double-check balances and make note of transitions and edits that will need to be

Step 7: Balance ambience and music

This is a tricky step! The ambience and music should not compete with the voice tracks, nor should they be so low that it's not audible when listening in a car or noisy environment.

To judge the level of ambience and music, use the "rock and roll" mixing trick . Also, listen to your mix on headphones and speakers - the balance is going to sound a bit different on each. A compromise between the two options will work well in most situations.

This is also a good time to check the fades on ambience and music.

Note: Often, the waveform of music clips looks quite different from voices. Music production involves lots of compression that makes the waveform look small. It will likely sound louder than it looks.

Listen to the entire mix, top to tail, on headphones. Listen for anything unnatural, and pay close attention to transitions and balances of voice over ambience or music.

That's it! You created a well-balanced mix in an organized and efficient way. The first couple times you do it this way, it might take a long time. But don't worry. It will get easier the more you do it.

You can print out a 1-page checklist below:

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How to mix: 8 steps to master the art of mixing audio stories

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This step-by-step guide shows a straightforward method for mixing audio stories, podcasts and more.