Live Events
Radio listening may have started out as a communal activity, with the family gathered around the HiFi, listening to radio drama and variety shows. But in recent years, listening to the radio, or podcasts, has tended to be a more private activity, a solo experience during a commute, sequestered from others by earbuds, or by the insulating confines of one’s car. It’s a little surprising that many broadcasts have come full circle, and more often are again becoming social events. More and more radio programs, even podcasts, are performed in front of a live audience, and interplay with the people in attendance becomes part of the production.
Recording an event in front of a live audience so that it still sounds good to the folks listening on earbuds, or in their cars, or at home on their stereos, is a challenging balancing act.
I recently had an opportunity to record a few live spoken-word events for broadcast or podcast, and learned some lessons along the way….
