Studio 017 Podcasting Quickstart Guide

A step by step guide to using the Studio 017 space properly.

Organizing your team into the seats
1. The microphones are organized as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
2. Whomever is comfortable with controlling the recording software should sit at the iMac with Mic 1.
3. If you have 6 or more teammates:
  1. Two people should be placed at Microphone 5 (at the end of the table), then two people at Microphone 4 if needed.
  2. Have the louder person sit further away from the microphone.
You should be able to sit comfortably and talk normally.
1. You should never have to lean forward into the microphone or speak louder than you’re comfortable doing. Adjust your microphone to your needs.
2. All teammates should record at a similar volume. Adjust the gain knobs as needed, but keep in mind that they will cause distortion (buzzing, strange vocal issues) if set too loudly. See the graphic below for ideal gain settings:
Record Tracks on Audacity
1. Run a test take! Have each person introduce themselves, and listen to their volume after to make sure everyone is recorded at a similar volume. Remember: your recording levels should be between -18 and -12 ideally. If it’s higher, you may have distortion.
  
  You can always turn your voice’s volume up, but you can rarely fix distortion.
2. To record:
  
  Use the Red Circle button to RECORD
  
  Use PAUSE to take breaks mid-recording
  
  Use STOP to stop recording that track (or that set of tracks).
3. See the Audacity guide [Audacity: Information] for more help and information on using Audacity, including a brief tutorial video.