You can record a podcast on GarageBand using the preset Voice Template or by creating a new project and using a microphone setting. You will get better sound quality if you use an external microphone rather than the built-in mics on your Mac or iPhone.
I’m Donovan, and I’ve been working with music creation and audio production tools for years. I have a lot of experience with GarageBand and have been involved in helping create a few podcasts.
This post will show you how to record a podcast on GarageBand. I’ll walk you through the basic steps of getting started with a podcast project and provide some general tips to help you make the best podcast possible.
Let’s start recording.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- The easiest way to start recording a podcast is to use the built-in voice templates in GarageBand. These are available on the Mac and iOS versions of the app.
- An external microphone will give you much better audio quality than the built-in mics on your Mac or iPhone, but you can still make a podcast without a proper mic.
- The basic settings for podcast recording are simple, but you should learn about tools such as EQ and compression to improve your recordings.
Initial Thoughts
Recording a podcast is typically easier than recording an entire musical composition. This is because a podcast won’t always have as many tracks or elements to record and mix. So you don’t need a lot of technical recording experience to start.
However, having a good external microphone will help improve your podcast quality, and I recommend getting one if you plan on doing podcasts often. A good mic will plug into your Mac or iPhone and allow your podcasts to shine.
There is no one way to record a podcast on GarageBand or any other music production app. The basic elements of a voice and some effects are standard, but you can get as complex with the recording as you want from there.
How to Record a Podcast on GarageBand iPhone
Recording a podcast on GarageBand with your iPhone is a convenient way to go about it. You can take your phone anywhere with you and record it in basically any type of situation. And the GarageBand app for iOS helps a lot with the production end of things.
Follow these steps to record a podcast on GarageBand with your iPhone:
1. If you are using an external microphone, connect it to your iPhone using the proper cables.
2. Open the GarageBand app.
3. If the app doesn’t take you to the preset instruments window, go to My Songs and tap the + button to open up a new project.
4. Swipe until you see the Audio Recorder option.
5. Tap More Sounds in the right corner of the Audio Recorder view. This will open up the audio recorder options where you can choose different styles of microphones.
6. Tap the Narrator option to start a new project using this mic. This is the most natural-sounding microphone that I think works best for podcasts in GarageBand on your iPhone, but you can explore other options if you want to.
7. Hit the Record button to start recording your podcast.
8. Press Stop whenever you are done.
9. If you want to do any post-production work like adding another track or sound, press the + button to open another track. Position the playhead where you want to make the addition and hit the Record button again.
Remember that you can make any changes to your project settings when you want to tweak the sound of the podcast.
It’s a good idea to do a practice run to check levels and sounds before you start recording the actual podcast. To do this, simply hit record and talk as if you are doing the podcast for a minute or two, and then hit stop.
Then play back the track and make sure it sounds ok before continuing to the rest of the recording.
How to Record a Podcast on GarageBand Mac
Recording a podcast on GarageBand with your Mac gives you a bit more control over everything than what your iPhone can do. The macOS version of the app has more tools and features you can use when recording a podcast.
Follow these steps to record a podcast on GarageBand for your Mac:
1. Connect your external microphone to your computer using the proper cables or an audio interface. (If you are using an external microphone)
2. Open the GarageBand app.
3. Select the Voice option from the new project window and then Choose. This will bring up a project template you can use to start working on your podcast with several different microphone tracks and settings already in place.
4. In the top track, select the Narration or Natural microphone options from the list of available mics. These are the two that sound the best for podcasts within GarageBand. You can play around with the other options if you want to.
5. If you use an external mic, select that microphone as the input source from the Track window with Smart Controls turned on. You can make other adjustments to the microphone sound or track here.
6. Hit Record to start recording your podcast. Hit Stop whenever you are done.
7. Add more tracks to the project if you want to include any other music or sounds. Make sure to position the playhead at the right section of the track you want to record.
You can also record a podcast on your Mac in GarageBand without using the Voice project template. If you start an empty project, you can set things up however you want, but I still recommend using the Narration or Natural vocal setting.
Best GarageBand Settings for Podcast
There are a lot of different settings you should consider when recording a podcast on GarageBand. Check out my other post dedicated to this subject for an in-depth look at everything you should keep in mind as you start recording.
Microphone placement is important, even if you don’t have a proper microphone and just use the built-in mics on your Mac or iPhone. Getting the mic too close to your voice can cause distortion and ruin the recording.
Other settings such as EQ and compression can be adjusted right in the track settings of your podcast project. These will tweak how the vocals sound, and the adjustments just depend on what you are looking for in your finished track.
Again, my post on the Best GarageBand Settings will give you much more information on everything with that in mind.
Conclusion
Recording a podcast on GarageBand is simple if you use the voice project template on a Mac or the Audio Recorder on your iPhone. You don’t need a lot of experience to get started, and you can start recording a podcast in minutes.
If you are serious about becoming a podcaster, you should invest in a good microphone to help you capture better audio recordings. There are a lot of mics that will be much better than the built-in ones on your computer or phone.
Have you recorded a podcast? What was it about, and do you have any tips for other people who are trying to record their own? Let me know in the comments below.
