Mailing Microphones to Podcast Guests

To ensure good quality audio from their guests, some podcast hosts/shows actually mail each guest a microphone or headset to use during recording. This strategy solves some issues but can create additional issues. And the host still has to do a full soundcheck on each and every guest.

Pros:

• The guest doesn’t have to own or buy a microphone
• The guests audio recording will sound good (as long as their computer’s settings are set correctly)

Cons:

• Helping each guest set up the microphone properly and adjust their computers audio settings can sometimes be a major task
• What about a stand for the microphone? Will the host/show ship this as well?
• If the guest is in a bad sounding room then their audio will not sound great even with a good microphone
• The host/show will have to keep careful notes about who has their microphone(s) and if/when they have been shipped and received, etc.
• The guest will have to go through the trouble of mailing the microphone back to the host/show
• Shipping costs
• Audio equipment can be damaged in the shipping process

I’ve never mailed microphones to guests but I know some people who do.

Have you ever done this? Have your results been good?

Can you add any more pros or cons in the comments?

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