Podcast glossary

All 119 words from the course, each explained in one sentence. In the lessons they're highlighted in color: tap them to read the definition.

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3

3-2-1 rule: Backup rule: three copies, on two different media, with one off-site.

A

Acoustic treatment: Treating a room with soft materials to reduce reflections and reverb; it does not stop outside noise from getting in.
Airplane mode: Phone setting that blocks calls and notifications so they don't interrupt or add noise to the recording.
Amplitude: The height of a sound wave; the greater it is, the louder the sound is perceived.
Apple Podcasts: Apple's podcast app and directory, one of the most important alongside Spotify.
Artifact: A strange, metallic or bubbly sound that appears when audio is over-processed, especially by noise reduction.
Assembly edit: The stage of ordering and joining the recorded pieces to build the episode.
Attack: How long a compressor takes to start working once the signal goes over the threshold.
Audacity: Free, open-source audio editor, widely used to edit podcasts.
Audio interface: Device that connects XLR microphones to the computer, amplifies them and converts their signal to digital.

B

Background noise: Constant unwanted sound in a recording, such as a fan, a fridge or traffic.
Bidirectional: Polar pattern that picks up from the front and back and rejects the sides. Also called figure-8.
Bit depth: Number of bits used to store each audio sample; 24 bits gives more headroom than 16.
Bitrate: Amount of data per second in a compressed audio file, in kbps; the higher the bitrate, the better the quality and the bigger the file.
Boom arm: Articulated stand that holds the microphone next to the desk so you can place it at just the right distance.

C

Call to action: A specific request to the listener, such as subscribing, rating the podcast or visiting a website.
Cardioid: Heart-shaped polar pattern: it mainly picks up what's in front and rejects what's behind. The most common in podcasting.
Channel: Each independent audio path in a recording or mixer: mono has one, stereo has two.
Chapters: Timestamps with titles inside an episode that let listeners jump to each part from the app.
Cleanfeed: Web platform for recording remote interviews with good audio quality.
Clip: A short excerpt from an episode, usually vertical video with captions, to share on social media.
Clipping: Distortion that happens when the signal goes over 0 dBFS, gets cut off and sounds distorted beyond repair.
Closed-back headphones: Headphones that isolate you from the outside and don't leak sound into the microphone; the right kind for recording.
Compressor: Processor that turns down the loudest parts of the voice to even out its volume and make it easier to understand.
Condenser: Very sensitive, detailed type of microphone that needs power; it also picks up a lot of the room.
Cover art: The square image that represents the podcast on the platforms; it has to read well at small sizes.
Crossfade: One sound fades out while the next fades in, joining two pieces without a jump.

D

dB SPL: Decibels of sound pressure level: they measure how loud something is in the air, in the real world.
dBFS: Decibels relative to digital full scale; 0 dBFS is the ceiling and everything else is a negative value.
dBTP: Decibels true peak; used to set the ceiling of the master, for example −1 dBTP.
De-esser: Processor that softens harsh S sounds and other overly bright sibilants in the voice.
Decibel: Logarithmic unit for measuring sound or signal levels; its symbol is dB.
Double-ender: Remote interview technique in which each participant records their own voice locally and the tracks are combined afterwards.
Downloads: How many times an episode is downloaded or played from the feed; the basic podcast metric.
Ducking: Automatically lowering the music every time the voice comes in.
Dynamic: Rugged, less sensitive type of microphone that picks up little of the room; highly recommended for untreated rooms.

E

Echo: A clear, separate repetition of a sound bouncing off a distant surface.
Episode zero: An introductory first episode where you explain what the podcast is about and who it's for.
Equalization: Adjusting the volume of different frequency bands to correct or improve the sound. Abbreviated EQ.

F

Fade: A gradual increase or decrease in volume at the start or end of a sound.
Fairlight: DaVinci Resolve's free audio page, with full editing and mixing tools.
Filler word: A word or sound repeated without adding anything, like “um”, “like” or “you know”.
Frequency: Number of vibrations per second of a wave; it determines whether a sound is low or high. Measured in hertz.
Fundamental: The lowest frequency of a sound, which sets its pitch; in the voice it's usually between 85 and 255 Hz.

G

Gain: Amplification of the microphone signal at the input; you set it before recording and it's not the same as volume.

H

Handling noise: Bumps and rubs the microphone picks up when you touch it or its stand.
Harmonics: Frequencies that are multiples of the fundamental, sounding at the same time and giving each voice its own timbre.
Headroom: The free margin between the signal's highest level and 0 dBFS, which protects against clipping.
Hertz: Unit of frequency: one cycle per second. Its symbol is Hz, and a thousand hertz is a kilohertz (kHz).
High-pass filter: Filter that removes the lows below a frequency (for example, 80–100 Hz) and lets the rest through.
Hook: A line or moment in the first few seconds that sparks curiosity and keeps people listening.

I

ID3: Tags inside the MP3 with the title, author, cover art and other episode details.
Integrated LUFS: The average loudness of the whole episode, the figure compared against the platforms' targets.
iVoox: Spanish podcast platform with a large audience in Spain and Latin America.

K

kbps: Kilobits per second: the unit of an audio file's bitrate.

L

Lavalier microphone: A small microphone clipped to clothing near the chest; useful with a phone and for video.
Limiter: An extreme compressor that stops the signal from going over a set ceiling; used at the end of the mix.
Local recording: A recording made on each participant's own device rather than over the internet, with much higher quality.
Loudness: Volume as perceived by the ear, which is not the same as peak level; measured in LUFS.
LUFS: Loudness Units relative to Full Scale: they measure volume the way the ear perceives it.

M

Make-up gain: Volume boost applied after the compressor to recover the lost level.
Master: The final version of the audio, with the loudness set and ready to export.
Mix: The stage where voices, music and effects are balanced so everything sounds clear together.
Mono: Audio with a single channel; the norm for voice in podcasts.
MP3: Lossy compressed audio format, the standard for publishing podcasts.
Multicam editing: Video editing with several synced cameras where you choose which shot is shown at each moment.
Multitrack: A recording or project with several independent tracks, for example one per person.
Multitrack recorder: A device that records several tracks at once without a computer, like podcast mixers.
Music bed: Background music at low volume that sits under the voice during part of an episode.

N

Niche: The specific audience and topic a podcast is aimed at.
Noise gate: Processor that mutes the signal when it drops below a threshold, to remove noise between sentences.
Noise reduction: Process that attenuates the constant background noise in a recording using a sample of that noise.
Normalization: Adjusting an audio file's volume to a target peak or loudness level; platforms apply it too.

O

Omnidirectional: Polar pattern that picks up equally from every direction.
Outline: A segment-by-segment plan of the episode's topics, timings and transitions, without writing every sentence. Also called a run sheet or rundown.

P

Panel show: Podcast format with several voices talking about or giving opinions on one or more topics.
Peak: The highest point the signal reaches at any instant; measured in dBFS.
Phantom power: 48 V current that the interface or mixer sends down the XLR cable to power a condenser microphone. Also called +48V.
Platform: App or service where people listen to podcasts, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube.
Plosive: A consonant like p or b that throws a burst of air at the microphone and makes a “pop”.
Podcast host: The service where you upload your episodes and that generates the RSS feed to distribute them to the platforms.
Polar pattern: How a microphone picks up sound depending on the direction it comes from.
Pop filter: Fabric or mesh screen placed in front of the microphone to stop the bursts of air from plosives.
Pre-interview: A short conversation with the guest beforehand to get to know them, agree on topics and answer questions.
Presence: The 2–5 kHz frequency range that gives the voice clarity and intelligibility.
Proximity effect: The bass boost you get when you move your mouth close to a directional microphone.

R

Ratio: How much the compressor reduces the signal above the threshold; at 4:1, 4 dB over becomes 1.
Release: How long the compressor takes to stop working once the signal drops below the threshold.
Release schedule: How often episodes are published: weekly, every two weeks, monthly…
Retention: The percentage of an episode people listen to before dropping off; it shows where you lose your audience.
Reverb: The sound lingering from many reflections in a room, dying away gradually.
Riverside: Platform for recording remote interviews with local audio and video recording for each participant.
Room tone: A recording of the room's silence; used as a noise profile and to fill gaps.
RSS feed: File generated by your host with the list of episodes and their details; platforms read it to display your podcast.

S

Sample rate: Number of measurements per second used to digitize audio; for podcasts, 44.1 or 48 kHz.
Script: The full text of everything that will be said in the episode, word for word.
Sibilance: Excess treble on S sounds, roughly between 5 and 8 kHz.
Soundproofing: Measures that stop sound from getting into or out of a room; expensive and different from acoustic treatment.
Spectrum: A display of how much energy a sound has at each frequency, from lows to highs.
Spotify: Music and podcast platform, one of the most used for listening to podcasts, including video.
Stereo: Audio with two channels, left and right, that gives a sense of space.
Stinger: A short sound piece that separates segments or sections within an episode.
Subtractive EQ: A way of equalizing that prioritizes cutting problem frequencies over boosting others.
Sync: Lining up several audio or video tracks so they match exactly in time.

T

Theme music: The signature music that identifies the podcast, usually at the start and end.
Threshold: The level at which a compressor or noise gate starts to act.
Timbre: The quality that lets you tell two voices or instruments apart even when they play the same note; it depends on the harmonics.
Track: Each of the independent audio lanes in a project or recording.
Trailer: A short piece that introduces the podcast to attract listeners before or after launch.
Transcript: The text of everything said in the episode; some editors let you cut the audio by editing that text.
True peak: The maximum level the signal reaches once converted to analog, which can exceed the digital peak. Measured in dBTP.

U

USB microphone: A microphone that plugs straight into the computer without an interface; the easiest way to start.

V

Video podcast: A podcast that is also filmed and published as video, usually on YouTube.

W

WAV: Uncompressed audio format with maximum quality; the right one for recording and editing.
Waveform: A picture of the audio over time showing the peaks and silences in the recording.

X

XLR: Professional three-pin microphone connector that plugs into an interface or mixer.

Y

YouTube: Video platform that also works as a major platform for podcasts and video podcasts.

Z

Zencastr: Web platform for recording podcasts remotely with local recording for each participant.
Zero crossing: The point where the waveform crosses the zero line; cutting there avoids clicks.