Author: Chris Curran

Sibilance refers to overly accentuated frequencies in the human voice typically between 5-10 kHz. The overly accentuated sound of S’s, Sh’s, T’s, Z’s, etc. can be extremely harsh, annoying and even painful.

NOTE: Each individual human voice is different — some individuals naturally have harsh sibilance while others don’t, and of course every shade in between.

NOTE 2: Particular microphones can exacerbate the sibilance of particular individuals, but it’s NOT solely due to any particular microphones, it’s due to the COMBINATION of a particular persons voice being recorded through a particular microphone. The combination of the frequency curve of a particular person’s voice being captured through the frequency curve of a particular microphone creates a unique resulting sound.

How to remove harsh sibilance from audio? Use a de-esser, but don’t overdo it because the resulting audio will sound like the person has a lisp! You don’t want to remove too much clarity from the sound, you just want to tame those sharp, painful frequencies.

Good de-essers:

• Scheps Omni Channel Plugin from Waves — an excellent channel strip plugin that actually has 2 de-essers built-in!
• soothe2 — My favorite de-esser; it’s a huge step up from traditional de-essers.
• Fabfilter Pro-DS — My favorite traditional de-esser; an amazing de-esser.

If a person’s recorded voice has extreme sibilance I will often use two de-essers in series 😉

How do you handle sibilance? Comment below!

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In my experience most lavalier microphone recordings are a bit dark, muddy and/or lacking clarity. This happens because the microphone is below the person’s mouth and not in front of their mouth, which means the mic doesn’t capture as much mid and high frequencies because those frequencies are more directional and are mostly projected forward in the direction they are speaking as opposed to down and into the lavalier microphone. I apologize for that horrible Frankenstein sentence 🙁

Here’s how I usually EQ lavalier microphones in post-production:

• Typically to remove 1-4 dB of low-mid muddiness using a bell curve centered around 200-350 Hz with a Q between 1-2.
• Typically I add 1-4 dB of high shelving EQ starting around 2-5 kHz.
• Sometimes I remove 1-2 dB of nasally-ness (is that a word??) using a bell curve centered around 700-800 Hz with a Q between 1-2.

How do you handle lavalier recordings in post? Comment below!

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Exceptional new microphone just released! It’s a new version of the RØDE NT1 (originally released in 1991).

The RODE NT1 5th Generation Large-Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser XLR/USB Microphone ($249) was unveiled a few days ago and Allan Tépper has written a very good “first look and a first listen” article on it.

Highlights:

• It’s a “hybrid” microphone having analog XLR and digital USB-C outputs
• It’s the first to offer true 32-bit floating with its built-in A-to-D (analog to digital converter)
• It’s the first to have a USB connection inside of an XLR connector
• and more

I own and LOVE my NT1 so I expect this new version to be excellent as well.

Check out Allan’s article for more information.

What are your thoughts on the new features and specifications? Comment below. The 32-bit float definitely excites me 🙂

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

PLEASE NOTE:

1. By compressors I’m referring to traditional compressors like CLA-2A, CLA-76, etc., as well as compressors found within channel strip plugins like the Scheps Omni Channel, SSL G-Channel, etc.
2. By levelers I’m referring to leveler plugins like Vocal Rider, etc. (See full definition below)

Both compressors and levelers reduce/compress the dynamic range of audio but they accomplish this in different ways.

When to use a compressor:

When the raw audio has a fairly consistent level with occasional loud peaks/outbursts, AND the level never gets extremely quiet due to the participant mumbling or trailing off at the end of sentences, etc. I would say this describes about 80% of raw podcast audio.

When to use a leveler:

When the raw audio has a HUGE dynamic range due to occasional loud peaks/outbursts AND occasional extremely quiet mumbling or trailing off at the end of sentences, etc. I would say this describes about 20% of raw podcast audio. FYI, with extremely dynamic audio like this I usually use both a compressor and a leveler, usually compressor first then leveler, also making sure not to use either one too aggressively.

A good definition of a leveler:

A leveler acts a little bit like a compressor in that it changes the level of audio signals it is processing. Unlike a compressor which typically only lowers the level of signals above its threshold, a leveler acts as a sort of automatic level control and will increase or decrease the level of program material to maintain a consistent volume over time. Sometimes levelers are referred to as automatic gain controls (AGC). These devices do not usually need to generate rapid changes in a signal like a compressor or limiter, but will change the material gradually over a specified period of time in order to achieve a near constant output level. As such, peaks of a short duration will get through as though no device was in line so it may also be necessary to use a compressor or limiter in conjunction with a leveler.

What is your experience with these processors? Comment below!

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

A spectrogram is a visual display of how loud audio events are at different frequencies. This means you can use your eyes (in addition to your ears) to help identify various audio phenomena including sibilance, plosives, etc.

Not all applications have a spectral display but iZotope RX and Adobe Audition do, among other smaller lesser-known apps.

To help you dial in the settings of a de-esser, you can first look at the spectral display of a recording and see the precise frequency range where the sibilance is. Then set your de-esser accordingly.

Have you ever used a spectrogram display like this? Comment below.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

I just updated iZotope RX 10, Audio Hijack, and various plugins including True Iron, BB N105, Aquamarine 4, Trackspacer, and a few others.

I sometimes forget to check for updates for weeks/months but every so often I go through all my plugins and look for updates and update them.

How do you handle app and plugin updates? Comment below!

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

I recently spoke with the creator of Podcastpage.io and it seems to be an excellent way for podcasters to easily have and maintain a robust website for their podcast.

I don’t use their service yet but if/when I start a new podcast I’m going to carefully consider Podcastpage.io. A Podcastpage.io website is definitely easier to manage than a WordPress site, and it’s definitely more feature rich than the websites offered by the biggest podcast media hosting companies like Libsyn and Blubrry.

More info from their website:

Podcastpage.io is a website building platform that is dedicated for podcasters. You can create a full website for your show, include custom pages, blog posts, and easily connect your podcast to import all existing (and future) episodes as well. It comes with built-in podcasting features right out of the box, so it’ll make your life easier when creating a website for your show. You can easily add an audio player, add your podcast subscribe/follow buttons, import transcripts, and make it easier and more fun to listen to your episodes and share the website.

Podcastpage comes with a drag & drop page builder, so creating your pages and layouts (without compromising on design) is as easy as it gets. There are several podcast website templates you can choose from, and an easy site-wide customizer for your global styles. It comes with built-in SEO, and you won’t have to deal with plugins, maintenance, updates or any other headache. It’s a full “No Code” platform so you don’t have to be an expert or a web designer to get started and launch your website.

There are many included integrations you can use to take your site to the next level, for example connect your YouTube channels or playlist and import new videos continuously. Add your latest Instagram posts to the website, or connect your Twitter account to auto-tweet new episodes as those are released.

Do you use Podcastpage.io? Comment below!

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

I briefly tried out the new and free Adobe Podcast Speech Enhancement algorithm. It’s a web page where you can upload your audio, the algorithm will process it, and then you can download the processed audio.

The algorithm removes background noise, room reverb, plosives and microphone handling noise, among other things. It also makes voices sound closer (proximity) if they were originally recorded further away from a microphone.

My first test, which was a bit unfair, I uploaded an obscenely and disgustingly bad piece of audio which the algorithm cleaned up considerably, but the resulting audio sounded pretty bad and kind of destroyed (which is also normal with all other de-noise plugins when trying to fix incredibly bad audio).

Then I watched several YouTube videos of other people testing the speech enhancement, including this one which was helpful.

My Simple Initial Conclusions:

When removing a small or moderate amount of noise and reverb, etc., the algorithm works well; it can definitely save mildly-bad recordings.

When removing a large or extreme amount of noise and reverb, etc., the algorithm simply can’t make it sound good — actually, no current algorithm can. That’s just too difficult of a job for these algorithms.

In the YouTube video I watched, the host processed his normal microphone sound which was already excellent quality, and the algorithm significantly worsened the quality of the audio. It removed lots of clarity.

A Bit of Audio Wisdom:

DO NOT rely on any plugins or processors to make your audio sound good. When recording podcasts capture high quality audio that is free from significant background noise, reverb, plosives, etc. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure 😉

Have you tried Adobe Podcast Speech Enhancement yet? Comment below!

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

Just announced from Libsyn:

Introducing easy, high-quality remote recording with Libsyn Connect Beta. With Connect, you won’t need third-party services like Zoom, Squadcast, Riverside or Zencastr for remote audio recording. Connect provides a way to invite your co-host or guest(s) and get high-quality audio recordings within your Libsyn workflow.

Libsyn Connect Beta is available with All Plans for a limited time through February 7th. Upgrade your Libsyn plan to a $20+ plan for continued access to Connect after February 7th, 2023.

Connect Beta Remote Recording Features:

• Schedule a call recording for later or start one now
• Invite guests with just a 1-click link (no accounts needed)
• See all calls — completed and scheduled
• Set start time & duration
• Share call notes
• Chat window for collaboration during a call
• Record separate tracks
• Get superior, high-quality audio (always)
• Download for post-production editing
• Access recordings from your Media Library
• Store your Connect recordings for FREE
• Compatible with popular browsers – Safari too!

Are you going to try Libsyn Connect Beta? I am, because I already use Libsyn. Comment below.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

Auphonic’s new AutoEQ automatically analyzes and optimizes the frequency spectrum of a voice recording, to remove sibilance (De-esser) and to create a clear, warm, and pleasant sound.

Listen to the audio examples and read more HERE.

Will you try this new feature soon? Comment below.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

One of the big benefits of running your own podcast production business working from home for remote clients is that you can have significant time flexibility. Need to pick up your child from school? No problem. Need to quit early on Friday to leave for a fun weekend? No problem. Juggling life and family obligations is easier when you have flexibility with your work schedule.

I’ll address part-time as well as full time:

Part-time independent podcast producers who work from home usually have a full-time day job as well, so they have to produce podcasts on evenings and/or weekends. Typically their clients will send recorded episode audio to be produced within a certain number of days, and the producer can decide which day/time they want to actually produce that audio. Sometimes clients will ask for “rush jobs” because they recorded an episode last minute, but editors can easily train their clients not to rely on rush jobs.

Full-time independent podcast editors/producers who work from home usually work normal business hours but they also have the flexibility to take days off or half-days off depending on their workload, deadlines and client activity. Alternatively, some producers choose to work less than 40 hours per week so they can focus more of their attention on other projects or hobbies, etc. What a glorious lifestyle!

Add your thoughts in the comments below.

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

The Kazrog True 252 equalizer plugin ($39.99) sounds SO good. It’s a 7-band graphic equalizer, and graphic EQ’s are the simplest kind of EQ’s to use. It can add warmth (low end) and clarity (high end) that sound extremely clean and pleasant.

How do graphic EQ’s work? Graphic equalizers have multiple bands with preset frequency centers which the user can boost or cut (see image of the True 252 above). The user simply boosts or cuts the gain of each preset frequency band to enhance the sound.

The frequency centers of the True 252 are 50 Hz, 130 Hz, 320 Hz, 800 Hz, 2000 Hz, 5000 Hz and 12500 Hz. Each band is specifically chosen to affect an important area of the frequency spectrum.

I’m in the honeymoon phase with this plugin so of course I want to add it to every track! HA

Have you ever used a graphic equalizer? Comment below!

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

Wow, I’m getting desperate for things to write about HA! FYI, this is post #801 of my Daily Goody podcast production tips, tricks and info which you can sign up to receive HERE. Or you can simply browse all the posts HERE. 801!!!

Regarding spiders, no, they won’t chew through cables or bother your studio setup in any way, except for scaring you from time to time! But if you’re curious what spiders can actually bite through, check out this article.

Regarding APRIL 4 — that’s when the next cohort of Podcast Engineering School starts! You probably know 10 people who would love to develop an in-demand professional skill, work from home, earn really good money, and always be in-demand. Please tell them about Podcast Engineering School.

Also don’t miss all the videos I’m putting out on our PES YouTube channel.

What do you fear more than spiders? Anything? COMMENT BELOW!

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

First question you may have is: How do people process audio using only their eyes? Example 1: By only looking at an EQ’s frequency curve analysis and making EQ adjustments based solely on that visual information, instead of listening to how the EQ is affecting the sound. Example 2: By only looking at a compressor’s gain reduction meter and making compressor adjustments based solely on that visual information, instead of listening to how the compressor is affecting the sound. There are many more examples.

The practice of ONLY using your eyes when producing audio is HIGHLY NOT recommended because what you see visually is a TERRIBLY incomplete representation of how the audio sounds.

Of course there are many helpful ways in which using visual information when producing audio can be extremely helpful, but visual information should never be the only information you use.

Tattoo this on your chest: Your ears should always be the final judge when producing audio. Period.

Furthermore, using only your eyes to EQ audio is not always perfectly reliable because, regardless of the raw recording’s frequency curve, each individual human voice has a unique timbre (tone color) and each different microphone has a unique timbre. This means you will NOT want every recording’s EQ curve to be identical. For instance, some microphones sound better with accentuated lower frequencies BECAUSE the microphone itself does an exceptional job of representing the clarity and articulation of the mid/higher frequencies, so “seeing” accentuated low end with your eyes doesn’t always mean you should reduce the level of those low frequencies.

Does any of this make sense to you? LOL

Let me know what you think in the comments 🙂

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

Why exactly do listeners get frustrated with bad sounding audio and angrily turn off the offending podcast? Because it makes listeners do work instead of simply enjoying the content!

Here are the audio issues that annoy listeners the most:

• One or more participants sound very distant and difficult to understand. This happens because their microphone is not close enough to their mouth and/or their recording space is ultra-reverberant.
• One or more participants is making annoying extraneous sounds like banging on their desk, clicking a pen, tapping their foot, moving their microphone around unnecessarily, rearranging their desk mid-interview, etc.
• One or more participants is drifting on- and off-mic, which means at times they are loud as hell (very close to their mic) and other times they are dreadfully quiet (very far from their mic). These folks need to learn good mic technique, or use significant compression in post-production.
• Some participants audio is mixed way louder or way softer than others. This causes the listener to “ride their volume knob”, which means constantly alternating between turning down the loud person and turning up the quiet person.
• Intro/outro music is WAY TOO LOUD and the listener gets blasted with loud volume, causing them to “ride their volume knob” (see definition just above).
• One or more participants has nasty jarring plosives.
• One or more participants has nasty irritating sibilance.
• One or more participants has significantly loud background noise like air ducts, air conditioners, the road outside the window, family members in the next room, the computer fan, etc.

Did I miss any?

Have you ever turned off a podcast due to horrible sound? Comment below!

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And please keep in mind, the Daily Goody is only a tiny little tip, fact or lesson everyday. Please don’t expect any of these posts to be long, earth-shattering masterpieces that instantly answer every single question you can think of and completely transform you into a world class podcast engineer. “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”