In short: A microphone records your room as faithfully as it records your voice. If the room is hard and noisy, a better microphone records a better version of that echo. Test it yourself: record 30 seconds in the room you use, then in a softer space with rugs, curtains and coats, same microphone, same distance, same gain. Compare them on headphones.
Most people who buy a better microphone for podcasting end up with the same problem: a hollow or echoey voice. The microphone was not the cause. The room was, and a short test shows it.
Why the room matters
A microphone hears everything in front of it. Your voice arrives directly, then again after bouncing off the walls, the floor, the ceiling and the desk. Those reflections are what makes a voice sound as though it is in a bathroom. A dynamic microphone such as the Shure SM7B is designed to be used close to the mouth, which keeps more of your voice and less of the room. Close use helps, but it does not fix a hard room.
Room noise matters too. A fridge, a computer fan, a road outside or a heater all sit under your voice, and the more gain you add, the more of them you hear.
The ten-minute test
- Record 30 seconds of reading a paragraph in the room you usually use, with the microphone at your normal distance and gain.
- Clap once and listen for how long the sound rings. A long ring means a hard, reflective room.
- Add soft things between you and the nearest hard surface: a rug under the desk, curtains or a thick duvet on the wall behind you, cushions on a shelf.
- Record the same 30 seconds at the same distance and the same gain.
- Listen to both on headphones. Compare the echo and the background noise. Change one thing at a time, so you know which change did the work.
What a treated room needs
Treatment is about absorbing reflections, not about making a room silent. Absorbent material on the walls near you and behind the microphone helps most, because that is where the first reflections come from. Curtains and rugs help a little. A proper acoustic panel helps more. A wardrobe full of coats works better than a bare room, though it is not a studio.
A worked example
A host records in a bedroom with bare plaster walls and a laminate floor. Her first recording has a bright slap after each sentence. She adds a rug, hangs curtains on the wall behind her and puts a thick throw over the chair. The second recording sounds closer and drier, and she has not touched the gain.
Common mistakes
- Buying a better microphone before testing the room.
- Raising the gain to make up for sitting too far away. It also raises the hiss and the room noise.
- Recording beside the fridge, a computer fan or a road.
- Sitting with your back to a bare wall.
- Judging the sound on laptop speakers. Headphones show the echo more clearly.
If you would rather not treat a room at home, our Podcast Studio is one acoustically treated room, set up for interview, panel, solo and production recordings. Once the room is right, mic technique for podcasts explains how to sit in front of the microphone.
Related guides
- Mic technique for podcasts: distance, angle, plosives
- Recording a remote guest properly
- What to bring to a podcast recording
- All guides and tools
The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.
Questions we get asked
Why does my podcast sound echoey?
Sound bounces off hard surfaces such as bare walls, a glass desk and a laminate floor, and the microphone picks up those reflections with your voice. Softer surfaces near you and behind the microphone reduce them.
Is a better microphone the answer to podcast sound?
Usually not first. A better microphone helps once the room is quiet and soft enough for it to hear your voice clearly. Fix the room first, then decide on the microphone.
How can I test my room for podcasting?
Record thirty seconds of reading in your usual spot, clap once and listen for the ring. Add soft materials near you, record the same passage again at the same distance and gain, and compare the two on headphones.
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