Podcast audio: the 5 quickest wins

If your podcast sounds cheap, listeners won’t stick around — even when the content’s strong. The good news: the biggest upgrades are simple and free.

The 5 quickest wins

1. Mic technique. Keep a consistent distance and angle slightly off-axis to reduce plosives. A pop shield costs less than a coffee.
2. Record clean. Set gain conservatively — distortion can’t be fully repaired. A little headroom is free; clipping is expensive.
3. Room control. Soft furnishings reduce reverb more than any plugin. Record in a wardrobe if you have to.
4. Keep the signal chain simple. Avoid heavy processing on the way in. Fix it in post, where you have full control.
5. Standardise loudness. Aim for −16 LUFS across all episodes so listeners don’t ride the volume control.

Want the studio sound without a studio? We handle dialogue cleanup, EQ, dynamics, and loudness normalisation — plus optional show notes and production add-ons.

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