The Audio 101 Show (Part 1)

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. Support the show Subscribe To Weekly Newsletter: AI Unplugged Connect With Me 🌐 Website 📧 Newsletter 🎥 YouTube 🐦 X 💼 LinkedIn Comments, Questions & Feedback: [email protected]