Recording interviews
An interview is the recording with the most things that can go wrong: two or more voices, sometimes hundreds of miles apart, and no chance to repeat what was said. With good preparation and separate tracks, almost anything can be saved.
The golden rule: one person, one mic, one track
Recording two people with a single microphone in the middle of the table seems practical, but there's a catch: both voices end up far away, with lots of room sound, and mixed together forever. If one speaks louder or coughs over the other, there's no way to fix it.
With one microphone per person recorded on separate tracks you can adjust each voice's level, cut a cough without touching the other person, clean the noise on each track and fix moments when people talk over each other. For that you need an interface or recorder with as many inputs as voices that records in multitrack, not just a stereo mix.
| Situation | Minimum setup | Recommended setup |
|---|---|---|
| Two people in the same room | Two lavalier mics on two phones or recorders | Two XLR dynamics into an interface or multitrack recorder |
| Three or four people in the room | One mic per person into a recorder with enough inputs | A multitrack podcast recorder with headphones for everyone |
| Remote interview | A video call recorded with the platform's recording feature | A platform with local recording for each participant + a backup |
| Outdoor interview | One lavalier on the guest and another on you | Wireless lavaliers with internal recording turned on |
In person: facing each other
When you're in the same room, each microphone also picks up the other person's voice (this is called crosstalk or bleed). You can't avoid it completely, but you can reduce it a lot:
- Sit facing each other or at an angle, so the back of each cardioid microphone points at the other person, where it picks up least.
- Use dynamic microphones a couple of inches from each mouth: they pick up plenty of their own voice and little of the other's.
- Keep the chairs at least three feet apart and avoid facing a bare wall.
- Ask the guest to keep their distance: many drift away from the mic after five minutes. Mention it kindly at the start and, if needed, during the conversation.
A chair that doesn't swivel or creak and a microphone on a boom arm adjusted to their height make the guest move around less. You're used to the microphone; they aren't.
Remote: local recording
Recording a normal video call has a problem: the guest's audio arrives compressed over the internet, with dropouts and glitches when the connection fails. Platforms designed for podcasts (such as Riverside, Zencastr or Cleanfeed, among others; their features and plans change over time) solve this with local recording:
- Each participant records their own voice on their computer or phone, in full quality, while you talk over the normal connection.
- When you finish, the files are uploaded to the platform and reach you as separate tracks.
- If the connection drops for a moment, the local recording usually stays intact.
Ask the guest to use a computer on a wired connection or good Wi-Fi, the browser the platform recommends and, if they have one, an external microphone. And not to close the tab when you finish until the upload reaches 100%.
A backup recording
An interview can't be repeated. That's why you should always record twice, in different ways:
- In person: the recorder or computer as the main recording and, at the same time, the wireless mics' internal recording or a phone nearby as a backup.
- Remote: as well as the platform, record your own track locally with your audio software. If the guest can, have them also record their voice with their phone or computer software.
- Check there's plenty of battery and storage on every device.
Before starting, tell the guest the conversation is being recorded and what it will be used for, and get their consent. It's a matter of respect and of legality too. Many podcasts capture this on the recording at the start of the session.
Headphones and echo
If someone listens to the conversation through speakers, their microphone picks up the other person's voice again with a delay: you hear an annoying echo and their track is contaminated. The fix is simple: headphones for everyone, ideally closed-back or earbuds, and no speakers.
In person, if everyone has headphones plugged into the recorder, you'll hear what the recording really sounds like and can fix a rubbing cable or a mic that's too far away in time.
The sync clap
When each voice is recorded on a different device, the files don't start at the same instant and have to be lined up in editing. An old and effective trick: at the start, have all participants give one clear clap together, or have one person count “three, two, one” and clap while everyone is recording.
In editing, that peak is visible in the waveform of every track and you just line it up. Some programs sync by waveform automatically. On very long recordings across different devices, the clocks can drift slightly: a second clap at the end lets you check.
Checklist before you start
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| One track per person and multitrack recording turned on | So you can edit each voice separately |
| A level check for each voice (peaks between −12 and −6 dBFS) | Everyone speaks at a different intensity |
| WAV format, 48 kHz, 24 bits | Full quality and headroom for editing |
| Headphones for everyone | Avoids echo and lets you hear problems |
| Phones on silent or airplane mode, notifications off | Vibrations and alerts sneak into the recording |
| Battery, storage and backup recording running | So you don't lose the interview |
| A clap at the start and 30 seconds of room silence | Sync, and a reference noise sample for cleanup |
- One microphone and one track per person.
- In person, dynamic mics up close and facing each other; remotely, local recording.
- Always record in two different ways.
- Headphones for everyone and a clap to sync.
- Run through the checklist and get consent before you start.
Your turn: a test interview
Record a five-minute interview with a friend, first in person and then remotely, following the full checklist.
- Set up one mic and one track per person, or two phones if you don't have more gear.
- Do the level check and the clap, and record five minutes with a backup recording.
- Import the tracks, sync them using the clap and note what went wrong so you can fix it next time.
Frequently asked questions
How do you record a podcast with remote guests?
The most reliable option is a platform with local recording, which saves each participant's voice on their own device in full quality. Add a backup by also recording your own track yourself.
Can you record a two-person podcast with one microphone?
You can, but the voices will sound distant, with more echo, and mixed together with no way to adjust them separately. With one microphone per person on separate tracks, the result improves enormously.
What's the clap at the start of a recording for?
It creates a visible peak on every track at the same moment, so in editing you can line up files recorded on different devices.