Earbuds Rubbing

Some earbud microphones can sound OK but most don’t sound that good. If a guest doesn’t have a real microphone, then we have to accept their earbuds as the best option.

But we CAN coach them so that they don’t make one of the cardinal mistakes with earbuds – letting the microphone flap around and rub against their shirt, their hair, etc.

Why is it vital to avoid this mistake? Because removing that annoying rubbing sound in post-production is nearly impossible, though the De-rustle module in RX 7 usually can help quite a bit.

During soundcheck I always ask the guest to hold the wire with the mic on it about 4-6 inches away from their body. And I ask them to hold that wire in front of them for the entire interview! Of course some people let go midway through and the mic starts flapping around (and that nasty rubbing noise starts) and so we have to stop the interview to remind them to hold the wire.

Note: This rubbing sound doesn’t happen with all people or all earbuds. I’ve recorded lots of folks who don’t hold the wire and there is no rubbing noise.

Want to receive the Daily Goody in your email, daily or weekly? Subscribe free here.

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.”

.