Episode Summary: Part 1 of the Audio 101 series — the fundamental audio terms and concepts for the pre-production and recording stage that make podcasting far less intimidating once they click.
What You'll Learn
- Mono vs. stereo, and why mono is right for almost every podcast
- Gain, levels, and decibels explained without the jargon
- Why headroom (-18dB to -9dB) matters when setting recording levels
- 4 real people/channels to learn audio engineering from
Goal of this series: simplify the audio engineering side of podcasting that overwhelms so many new podcasters — the stuff worth understanding clearly from day one. Part 2 covers post-production and editing.
This Week's Toolkit
The Cloudlifter CL1-A Mic Activator. Adds 25+dB of clean gain via phantom power to a dynamic microphone, so the mixer's preamps don't have to work as hard.
Audio 101: Part 1 vs. Part 2
Part 1 (this episode) covers pre-editing basics. Part 2 covers editing and final export.
The Basics at the Recording Phase
Tip: keep iPhones and iPads away from speakers and the recording interface — they can introduce RF interference and static that's easy to miss live but maddening on playback.
Mono vs. Stereo
Mono means a single sound channel — left and right speakers play identical audio. If recording from one microphone, mono is all that's needed. Stereo has separate left/right channels, useful when capturing multiple sound sources (a band, for instance). Unless a podcast leans heavily on music or effects — like an audio drama — mono is the right export choice in nearly every case. File settings used here: mono, 44.1kHz, 32-bit float.
Gain, Levels & dB
Gain is the input level set on a mixer or interface. Levels are the bouncing meter lights (green/yellow/red) shown while recording or playing back — mostly green, with louder moments hitting yellow, is the target. Red means clipping or peaking, which is bad and should always be avoided. Decibels (dB) measure where those levels sit — 0dB is where clipping begins, so anything positive is unusable. Tip: aim for input levels between -18dB and -9dB to leave headroom — the cushion between -9dB and 0dB that gives room to edit and add effects. Finished audio might land closer to -3 or -1.5dB, but headroom during recording makes that possible.
Audition keyboard shortcuts: Option+I to view levels, Shift+Spacebar to start recording.
Waveforms
The mountain-range-shaped green lines seen in any audio editor — a visual representation of the audio itself, useful for reading loudness and dynamic range at a glance.
Resources for Learning
Mike Russell / Music Radio Creative — by far the best Audition tutorials available. Paul Figgiani fro…
Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.
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