In Person Interviews
 

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The Basics​

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In person recordings offer excellent chemistry.

 

One of the main advantages of recording in the same room as your guest is that there is an intangible chemistry that is hard to match over the internet. However, it can limit the guests you have access to.

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The recording setup is slightly more expensive.​

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Due to the fact that you need two microphones recording into one device, the equipment required is generally slightly more expensive than a remote interview recording setup.​

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Mic placement is absolutely crucial.​

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Where you position your microphones is always a key factor when it comes to sound quality, however with an in person recording it is more important than ever to avoid echos.​

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How Can I Improve?

 

 

Step 1​

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Ensure that your equipment is correctly suited to recording in person. Many podcasters will have a Blue Yeti that they use for their remote interviews and simply use this to record both speakers in person.

 

Whilst this can be ok as a one off, if you plan on recording in person frequently you will need a dedicated setup for it. Check out my recording guides for more information.

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Step 2​

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Familiarise yourself with the equipment way before you think about interviewing someone. Do some experiments with the mic placement and perhaps do a quick test run with someone you know and send it to me for feedback.

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Step 3​

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Place your microphones a decent distance apart from each other. If the microphones are too close then you will end up with both mics picking up both people. Keeping the mics separate will ensure each one only picks up one person.​

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Step 4​

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Mistakes will happen occasionally so it's vital that you know how to mark these properly. If you make an error...

1. Pause in silence for at least 10 seconds​

2. Clap your hands once

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This will ensure that I spot the edit point and fix it cleanly. If you do not mark your mistakes it is very likely that errors will slip through the net.

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Step 5​

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Go through my recording checklists before every single recording.

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Don't Forget...​

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• Make sure your equipment is suitable for in person recording;

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• My checklists are here to help - use them!

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• Mark your mistakes using the pause and clap method;

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• Keep your microphones nice and far apart to avoid echo.