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A church (or podcaster) doesn’t need expensive equipment or an audio engineering degree in order to produce high-quality sound.
Obviously, no post-production can work miracles. If the original recording is bad enough, there may not be much you can do. However, improving the quality of most recordings can easily be accomplished.
3 ways to record your sermons
There are more than three ways to record a sermon and even more if you’re recording a podcast. But here are a few of the easiest options.
1) Use a digital recorder with or without a separate microphone.
Using a digital recorder might be the most convenient way to record a sermon. But it also requires you purchase the equipment.
The Roland R-05 Wave/MP3 recorder is about the best you can get. You can even record your sermons without an external microphone. Simply have the recorder near you on the lectern.
You could use any digital recorder but it’s recommended you purchase one capable of recording in WAV format.
An external microphone is optional. If you do buy a microphone, consider a wireless lapel microphone. Traditional podcasters should consider the ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone.
Update: Mike Phillips recommended the Olympus ME-15 lapel microphone for recording sermons.
Your church may already have a microphone and sound system. If so, a digital recorder can be connected. An additional mic isn’t necessary.
2) Use your phone or other mobile device.
If you have a smartphone or some other mobile device capable of recording, it’s not a terrible option. Hit record and lay it on the lectern.
3) Use a USB microphone and laptop.
This is how I record my own sermons and podcasts. I am using the ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone which plugs directly into my MacBook Pro.
Whatever you choose, be sure the mic or recorder is close enough but not too close. Podcasters, consider a flexible boom arm and shock mount to avoid “desk” noise. Preachers, avoid bumping the lectern.
7 steps to edit and process your audio
There is a FREE audio editing program available on both Windows and Mac called Audacity. First, you’ll need to download it. Second, download and install Chris’s Dynamic Compressor plugin.
Thank you, Daniel J. Lewis of The Audacity to Podcast, for your help in learning the Audacity software and many of the following tips.
1) Open your audio file and edit the start and end.
Remove any long silence or unnecessary recording time at the start and end of your sermon. Highlight the waveform and hit Delete.
2) Remove long pauses and unnecessary silence.
This will make your sermon or podcast shorter by automatically removing dead air. It makes for a better listening experience.
Highlight your entire sermon or select that track and choose Truncate Silence from the Effect menu.
My typical settings (test and adjust):
- Min silence duration: 200
- Max silence duration: 1000
- Silence compression: 4
- Threshold for silence: -30 dB
3) Optional: Equalize your sermon.
This allows you to adjust the tone of your recording. For instance, you may want to increase the bass (left side) or the treble (right side).
Highlight your entire sermon or select that track and choose Equalization from the Effect menu. I never do much equalization so you’ll have to test and adjust on your own.
4) Compress your sermon.
This brings the louder and quieter parts of your audio to the same level. With noise gate compression, you can remove some background noise.
Highlight your entire sermon or select that track and choose Compress dynamic (not Compressor) from the Effect menu.
My typical settings (test and adjust):
- Compress ratio: 0.8
- Compression hardness: 0.8
- Floor: -18
- Noise gate falloff: 2 (I use “4″ on podcasts)
- Maximum amplitude: 0.99
5) Optional: Add intro music or other audio.
If you want music at the start or end of your sermon/podcast, you’ll need to import it in the File menu. Move your sermon or recorded voice so that it begins at your desired point.
You’ll also want to move that track above your sermon track and apply Auto Duck (to the music) from the Effect menu. This will decrease the volume of the music once the talking starts.
My typical settings (test and adjust):
- Duck amount: -6.0
- Outer fade down length: 0.5
- Inner fade down length: 0.0
- Maximum pause: 1.0
- Outer fade up length: 0.5
- Inner fade up length: 0.0
- Threshold: -30.0
6) Normalize all tracks.
Select every track in your project and choose Normalize from the Effect. This will ensure a consistent volume level.
All boxes should be checked in the settings and the Normalize maximum amplitude option should be set at -1.0 dB.
7) Export your sermon in WAV form.
Do not worry about filling in any track information. This will be done after you’ve converted the file to MP3.
3 steps to convert your audio to MP3
Even though you may not be an iTunes user, you will need it to convert your WAV file to MP3. iTunes uses the appropriate MP3 encoder.
Download iTunes, install, and go to Preferences. This only needs to be done once. Change your Import Settings to MP3 Encoder at 128 kbps.
1) Open your processed sermon in iTunes.
This is the WAV file you exported from Audacity. Select Add to library from the File menu.
2) Convert the file to MP3 format.
Select your file from the Music list in iTunes. Right-click and select Create MP3 version from the drop-down menu.
3) Locate and move the new MP3 file to your desired location.
iTunes will save the new MP3 version of your sermon or podcast in your Music –> iTunes –> iTunes Media –> Music –> Unknown Artist –> Unknown Album folder. Move it and rename the file.
Add ID3 tags to your MP3
This is an important but often forgotten element of audio. ID3 tags add information to your audio file about your sermon or podcast which is then displayed in iTunes or other MP3 players.
Download MP3tag (for Windows) or ID3 Editor (for Mac). Open your file in one of these programs and add your information.
The important ID3 tags:
- Title (episode/sermon title)
- Artist (host or preacher’s name)
- Album (name of the podcast, URL, etc.)
- Year (year episode/sermon was recorded)
- Track (episode or sermon number)
- Genre (enter “Podcast”)
- Artwork (must be 1400 x 1400 pixels)
Save, upload to your media host, and publish to the world.
