What do you need for a podcast recording in a studio?

Renting a studio for your podcast solves the biggest problem straight away: a quiet room. But what you bring and how you set it up decides whether you sound like a radio conversation or a phone call. This is the kit you can get away with, plus the things you only miss when they are not there.

First check what the studio has. A proper podcast studio often has microphones, a mixer and headphones ready. If you rent a photo or film studio and build your own podcast set, as you could at Studio Big Time in Almere, which lists podcasts as a use, you bring nearly everything yourself. Also read renting a podcast studio: what to check.

Still looking for a place? Under Podcast studios you can see per studio how many people fit at the table and whether there are cameras and a technician.

Microphones: one per person

The main rule: every speaker gets their own microphone on their own track. Then in the edit you can turn someone down, remove a cough or fix an overlap without the rest suffering.

Dynamic microphones are the safe choice for most podcasts. They mainly pick up what is right in front of them and less of the room. Condenser microphones sound more detailed but hear everything: the air conditioning, the creaky chair, the guest tapping the table. In a well treated studio that can sound great. In a big, hard room it is asking for trouble.

Put the mic on an arm or stand, not on the table. Otherwise every tap on the table goes straight into your recording. A pop filter or foam windscreen helps against popping p's and b's.

Recording: recorder or interface

With an audio interface and a laptop you record several mics separately in your recording software. A standalone multitrack recorder is sturdier: no laptop deciding to update in the middle of an episode. Whatever you pick, always record a backup. Many recorders can make a second, quieter safety track for when someone suddenly laughs out loud.

Headphones for everyone

Everyone at the table wears closed-back headphones. You hear yourself the way the listener will, you naturally stay at the right distance from the mic, and no sound leaks back into the microphones. Bring a headphone amp or splitter if your recorder has only one output.

If you film as well

A video podcast needs three extra things:

Cameras. One wide shot and a close-up per speaker is the standard. Make sure they can record long enough without stopping and do not overheat. Bring mains adapters, not just batteries.

Light. Soft light from the front, something from behind to separate people from the background. See what the studio has: Studio Big Time includes RGB ceiling lights, and the Desmet Green Key studio mentions soft light.

A background you can live with. You will look at it for dozens of episodes. A few books, a plant, a lamp. Or a clean set that fits your brand.

Which small things save a session?

These are the things that save a session:

• Spare XLR cables. A broken cable sounds like crackling and is hard to trace.
• Batteries or chargers for anything wireless.
• Gaffer tape to fix cables down so nobody trips.
• Still water for everyone. You can hear the fizz.
• A printed outline with topics and guest names, pronounced correctly.
• A slate, or one clap at the start, so you can sync audio and video later.

What do you do before you start?

Do a sound check with everyone in their seat, sitting the way they will talk. Have everyone say a few sentences at normal volume and laugh once. Set levels so the loudest moment does not distort. Record thirty seconds of silence: you can use it in the edit to clean up background noise.

Put phones in airplane mode. Not silent, airplane mode. A phone searching for signal can buzz into your audio.

More on sound on set in sound in a rented film studio. In English you will also see studio time for podcasts called podcast studio hire; the checklist is the same.