Renting a podcast studio: what to check

Recording a podcast in your living room works fine until you play it back. Echo off a bare wall, a fridge kicking in, the neighbours deciding today is drilling day. That is when renting a studio starts to make sense. The catch: not every room called a "podcast studio" was actually built for it. Here is what to check before you book.

First: audio only, or video too?

This question shapes everything else. A lot of podcasts now also go out on YouTube or as short clips on social. In that case you are really renting a small video studio with good audio. Suddenly things matter that make no difference for a pure audio recording: what the table looks like, whether the background still works after three episodes, how many cameras there are and whether someone switches between shots while you record.

For audio only, the bar is different. Then it is about silence, acoustics and decent microphones. A nice sofa adds nothing.

All the podcast studios we know of are together under Podcast studios, with seats, cameras and whether a technician is included.

Acoustics matter more than gear

An expensive microphone in an echoey room sounds worse than an ordinary microphone in a treated one. So do not just ask which microphones they have, ask how the room is treated. Are there absorption panels on the walls? An acoustic ceiling? Can you hear traffic or air conditioning?

A quick test if you can visit: stand in the room, clap once and listen. If you hear a long tail, you will hear it on your recording too. If you cannot visit, ask for a short raw recording made in the studio, with no processing.

Studios that are also used for film have often already worked on sound. Mirage3D in The Hague, for example, mentions an acoustic ceiling, a soundproofing wall and soundproof doors. It is a green screen studio, not a podcast room, but it shows you what to ask about.

How many people at the table?

A studio that is perfect for two gets cramped with four. Look beyond the chairs to microphones and channels: can every guest get their own mic, and is every voice recorded on its own track? That saves you a lot of editing when people talk over each other.

Some studios just tell you. According to the studio, the Desmet Green Key studio in Amsterdam suits recordings with up to two people. Great for an interview, too small for a panel.

Cameras, and who runs them

If you want video, ask how many cameras there are and whether they record in sync. Three cameras (one wide and two close-ups) is a common setup for conversations. More important: who operates them? At some studios you only rent the room and bring your own crew. Others provide a technician or director who mixes and switches during the recording.

Besides a bare room rental, Desmet also offers a full package with crew and equipment, and according to the studio there is also a TV studio and a webinar studio at the same address. Spot TV Studios in Groningen describes itself as a photo, video, podcast and voice-over studio. Its rates are not online, so asking is the only way.

A photo studio as a podcast set

You can also rent a small film or photo studio and bring your own podcast setup. That gives you freedom with the look. Studio Big Time in Almere lists podcasts as a use, has 85 m², a white infinity wall, RGB ceiling lights and props, and charges €300 per half day or €500 per day. In a room like that, pay extra attention to sound: a big white cyc looks great on camera but is a hard surface for audio. Bring some damping or ask whether the studio has any.

What does the price include?

Podcast studio prices vary a lot, because one studio rents an empty room with two mics and another sells a complete recording with a technician and editing. So ask exactly what you get:

• How many microphones and headphones, and which brand.
• Whether you get the separate audio tracks or only a stereo mix.
• Whether editing or a first mix is included.
• How you receive the files and how long the studio keeps them.
• What setup and teardown cost if you need to get in earlier.

Also read what is usually included when you rent a studio and what to ask the studio. In English you will also see this called podcast studio hire; it is the same thing.

Should you do a test recording?

For a regular show in a regular studio, a short test session pays off. Fifteen minutes of talking, play it back, check that the light works on camera. Then you know everything is right before the first real episode, and you do not find out halfway through a season that the air conditioning hums.