Writing and recording a podcast can be a great creative outlet or an amazing way to promote your product or service. By giving people relevant information or simply a great story to listen to, people can connect with you come along for your journey. In this article we are looking at where you can record your podcast if you live in Melbourne and the cost of this process.
Scattered all over Melbourne are several podcast studios of varying size and quality. So what should you be looking for before booking in a session?
How acoustically treated is the space?
The first thing to look for is if it is a dedicated recording space or just an office with a few mics. Many of the so called podcast studios out there have no acoustic treatment and are not even soundproof so your recording may turn out to be a nightmare in the editing stage as there will be lot's of background noise to remove and you may even find that some parts are unusable. If you book a podcast recording studio in Melbourne, you not only have an acoustically treated room but you have an experienced audio engineer to help with any technical problems you might have.
What's the recording gear like?
The next thing to consider is what is the quality of the gear they have. I have seen quite a few podcast studios that have gear that will not leave you with a good recording and may not even be reliable. The recording path can be very noisy leaving you with lots of work in editing. Some podcast mics cost $59 and some cost $700 so you can always ask the studio before booking.
Is there an engineer/producer included in the price?
Lot's of the podcast studios out there look like they are a super good deal. Some of them are as low as $50 per hour to rent the space. But check the fine-print in the pricing before you book. Some of these cheaper studios have no support on site at all to help you with the setup and recording process. this means that if you run into problems, you are stuffed. Then there are some that offer you an engineer but at a massive cost. I've seen one Melbourne podcast studio that is only $60 per hour to book but it you want an engineer it's another $130 per hour!
Do they offer video and podcast editing services?
One thing you may not have considered is the option that you may want to video record the podcast. This means you could potentially upload it to Youtube and reach a whole other market of people. If the podcast studio you are looking at offers video, check out what their gear is like. Make sure it's not just a GoPro stuck on the wall. At Beat Tank Podcast studio we have a Cannon M50 mirrorless camera with multiple lenses, studio lighting and broadcast studio microphones so we can capture anything you might come up with.
With editing, some people who are tech-savvy will want to edit their own podcast. This is a great way of saving money but just check that you know what you are doing before trying as if your podcast doesn't sound great and is the wrong loudness for release, you could be left with a bug waste of time....
How much will it cost me to record a podcast episode in a Melbourne Studio?
The big question is, how much is it going to cost me? Well this is an interesting question. the studios I've looked at range from $50 per hour to $150 per hour without a producer or engineer. Most of the non-recording studio spaces will charge you a fortune to have an engineer there as they are not there all of the time and will have to come in especially for your session. If you choose a recording studio that does podcasts like Beat Tank, we offer an engineer for a very low fee of $40 per hour extra and sometimes will help you out for free.
Editing prices will also vary quite a lot but just remember, if you use someone experienced, it will sound better and also take them much less time to complete. So what looks like a cheap deal initially, may end up sounding not much better that what you could do at home. Here at Beat Tank we mix the sound for film and television on a regular basis so the tools and experience we have will have your podcast sounding like a professional TV show or radio spot. We also record, edit and master audiobooks in out Melbourne studio.
If you have any questions about recording your podcast or the recording or editing process, don't hesitate to contact Ben our engineer and podcast producer anytime.