Monitoring and Isolation

The vast majority of producers, engineers, and/or “editors” working with typical spoken word Podcast audio are not using calibrated reference monitors in quiet work spaces with optimized acoustics.

That said, there’s some chatter out there referring to producing and mixing Podcasts solely through fancy near field monitors.

Consider this: what about efficiently dealing with inherent audio clip attributes that require isolation as well as the subjective processing tasks/optimizations typically applied at the pre-mixing stage?

Without proper isolation – it would be difficult to:

(A) Establish audible awareness of (low-level) noise floor nuances

(B) Accurately capture noise profiles

(C) Evaluate S/N

(D) Execute intricate/seamless dialogue edits

(E) Recognize and eliminate subtle mouth noises

(F) Optimize breaths

(G) Replicate typical consumption methods and environments

In my view the sole use of near field monitors for Podcast post production is not your best option. Closed back headphones OTOH are paramount. They are absolutely vital for this type of audio post throughout various stages of your workflow.

Note it is certainly fine to check and/or monitor a MIX through (various types of) near field monitors *after* all of the above variables have been addressed.

And don’t forget to maintain awareness of typical consumption methods and devices, such as laptop speakers, trendy headphones, smart phones, earbuds, and vehicles.

-paul.

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