HOW TO PODCAST July 2020: Perfecting the art of remote-recording
This post is from the HOW TO PODCAST newsletter
Over the last couple of months, everyone has had to adapt to new ways to live their lives, do their work, and survive different degrees (and ‘levels’) of quarantine and social distancing. At Volume we had to take it a step further than just surviving: we had to innovate!
We have been more productive than ever, it seems, because we’ve been perfecting the art of remote-recording even before #LockdownSA started. By the end of June, we’ve become experts in different forms and styles of remote-recording; from WhatsApp voice-note interviews to conference-call round-table discussions. So we thought we might share some things with you that we’ve learned along the way .
Some things we’ve learned about remote-recording:
- When recording at home, use the reverb-absorbing recording-booth that you already own: a closet full of clothes.
- Interviewees might not be comfortable sitting in their closets, though. So we recommend a more dignified alternative: Sit in a parked car and let the upholstery dampen the noisy reverb.
- Modern smartphones actually have pretty good microphones, so don’t be afraid to use them.
- When recording on your phone, keep it next to your ear like you are on a phone call, instead of speaking into it at a distance. This will keep the levels stable.
- There are plenty of innovative software available for doing remote conference-call recordings. Zencastr, for example, lets you record over a web-browser.
- Technology always seems to fail at the most important moments, so be prepared for that by prepping participants on how to use the digital tools. Having a fallback plan when things go awry is also always a good idea.
You can read Paul McNally’s blog post below for more nuggets of remote-recording wisdom.
New Shows & Episodes
All our new shows and episodes released over the last few months have been remote-recorded using different techniques.
Webber Wentzel Legal Insights
Legal Insight is the Volume produced podcast of one of SA’s most reputable law firms, Webber Wentzel.
The panel-discussion show deals with a number of fascinating topics, such as the rights of tenants vs landlords during the lockdown, legal penalties for spreading misinformation, as well as cyber-crime!
Because the show takes on a panel-discussion format, we’ve been recording most of the 14 episodes released so far through a web-based podcasting conference-call app.
➡️Read more
➡️Spotify
➡️Apple podcasts
➡️Google podcasts
CCIJ: Transparency Talks & Waterless
The newest partner podcasts from Volume are Transparency Talks & Waterless. Both podcasts from the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ’s).
Transparency Talks is the CCIJ’s organizational podcast, focusing on issues of truth, transparency, trust and the people within the CCIJ community.
➡️Read more
➡️Spotify
➡️Apple podcasts
Waterless follows seasoned investigative journalists report on the growing global water-crisis from different angles, telling stories that expose the reality of this growing crisis.
➡️Read more
➡️Spotify
➡️Apple podcasts
News from the Frontline
News from the Frontline is Tekano’s Atlantic Fellowship podcast produced by Volume.
In this podcast different Tekano fellows report on news from the frontlines of local communities, focusing on how South African lives are affected by certain social issues.
The Tekano fellows are interviewed over VOIP software that allows us to record their stories remotely, as well as voice-notes sent in by the fellows over WhatsApp.
➡️Read more
➡️Spotify
➡️Apple podcasts
➡️Google podcasts
Volume Resources
Which innovations are taking podcasting into the future?
Adriaan Odendaal
There are some creators that are still pushing podcasting as a creative medium into exciting unexplored terrain.
How to Create a Branded Podcast During COVID-19
Paul McNally
What do you do when no one can come to the studio?
NPR launches an afternoon news podcast to complement its morning one, and it hopes you’ll listen to both
Nicholas Quah, Niemanlab
Podcast listenership had continued to grow at a steady and dependable pace. According to the latest Infinite Dial report, an estimated 104 million Americans over the age of 12 now identify as monthly listeners.
Podcasts for the Next Billion
Thomas Barrasso
Designing a podcast client for KaiOS smart feature phones
