How do you ensure high-quality audio recordings when working with remote guests on your podcast?

To ensure high-quality audio recordings with remote guests, it's important to prepare before the recording, as well as do a soundcheck during the session. Here are a few steps I normally take: 

• Send the guest a recording briefing, with information about what they should look out for when picking a room to record from (small rooms, carpets & curtains, no background noise), as well as the equipment they will need (headphones, microphone, PC with enough storage and the right browser) 
• If possible send the guess a USB microphone for the recording - one that is easy to send, set up and record with. 
• Do a soundcheck before the recording: Make sure the guest has selected the correct microphone in his video-call settings, is using headphones to avoid echo, has the correct gain levels set for the microphone, and knows what distance to keep to the microphone when speaking. 
• Use platforms that are specifically made to record high-quality audio over videocalls, like Riverside or Zencastr. These apps will record audio locally and thereby avoid an slip-ups when the guests internet connection gets unstable

There are now AI tools you can mix with DSP to achieve better quality outputs from recorded conversations.

I personally use Adobe’s Enhance feature, which works wonders in cleaning up vocal audio. Then, I add in some of my favorite DSP plugins to give it that professional polish.

But, let’s be real—input = output.

The best results come from ensuring that the audio being recorded is of the highest quality from the start.

So make sure your remote guests have solid mics, quiet environments, and stable internet connections for that crisp sound!

Every participant needs a good enough microphone, and they NEED TO WEAR HEADPHONES. The headphones are crucial because otherwise, they are likely to be listening on the computer speakers, and the sound is going to feedback into the microphone causing echoes and unpleasant sounds. This can severely affect the quality of a podcast, and sometimes ruin whole episodes.

TLDR: a decent microphone (don't use a built in laptop mic if it can be avoided) and coach all participants on using headphones. Otherwise things can go awry very quickly.

To keep audio quality high with remote guests, I make sure they’re using a decent mic (or at least good headphones) and recording in a quiet space. But it's rare for me. I'm more used to recording whole podcast in my studio.

To ensure high-quality audio with remote guests, I use reliable recording software and guide them in setting up their microphones and recording environment. I also do a sound check before we start and ask guests to use good microphones and headphones. Recording each person’s audio separately helps improve the final sound quality during editing.