An In-Person Recording Studio Could Harm Your Podcast

Many podcasters believe they need a fancy studio to record a high-quality show, but that’s a myth! In fact, relying on a studio can actually limit the quality of your podcast. Here’s why:

Limiting Your Guest Pool

If you need guests to come in person to your studio, you’re restricted to those in your city. That might work if you’re in NY or LA, but for most cities, the best guests are often elsewhere. Why settle for guests who are within commuting distance of your fancy little setup when you could speak to anyone in the world? The question you should always be asking is, "Who is the absolute best person to speak on this topic?" Not, "Who is the best person among people with a transit pass or parking permit?"

For example, imagine you’re hosting a podcast about finance. The top expert might be in London, while you're based in Ottawa. Restricting yourself to local guests means missing out on valuable insights and compelling conversations that could make your podcast world class.

The Time Factor

Even if the best guest is in your city, asking them to come into a studio means asking them to take about 2 hours out of their day. The best guests are usually very busy people—this is a big ask. If you can record them remotely from their home or office, you’ve greatly reduced the primary obstacle to booking the best guest: time.

Consider this: an hour-long interview in a studio could require an additional hour of travel time for your guest. Busy professionals and high-profile individuals might decline simply because they can't afford to lose that much time. Remote recording, however, allows them to participate with minimal disruption to their schedules.

Expanding Host Options

The same constraints apply to hosts. If you’re limited to potential hosts in your city, your options are restricted. But what if you could have the best person in the world host your podcast? I’m definitely not the best host in the world, but I did host a podcast we produced for the University of Liverpool. I was in Ottawa, much of the production team was in Amsterdam, and the guests were in Liverpool. The production was so seamless that guests were shocked to discover I was not on location. To the audience, it sounded like we were all together in the same studio. Audio magic!

Remote recording opens up opportunities to collaborate with top-notch hosts and producers, regardless of their location. This flexibility can significantly enhance the quality and appeal of your podcast.

Overcoming Audio Quality Challenges

Remote recording brings challenges with audio quality, but it’s perfectly possible to get studio-quality sound from guests or hosts located anywhere in the world. I detailed how you can do this in a previous blog post. There’s no excuse for low-quality audio. Recording a Zoom call is no longer acceptable.

With the right tools and techniques, you can achieve professional sound quality. Invest in good microphones, use dedicated recording platforms like Riverside or Squadcast, and ensure your guests have a quiet, echo-free environment and teach them proper microphone technique. Or hire a local producer to record your guest directly. These steps can help you produce a podcast that sounds as though everyone is in the same room.

Conclusion

Having access to a studio in your city might seem like a great idea, but it can actually get in the way of creating the best possible content for your podcast. You want the best hosts, the best guests, and studio-quality audio—and you can have it all with professional remote recordings.

Embrace remote recording and the world is your podcast!