A podcast on the mats: good stories, good sound and a little improvisation
A little while ago, I took my mobile podcast setup to the jiu jitsu academy where I train and coach. We recorded a special episode of Jiu Jitsu Fieldnotes with Paul Busby, marking 30 years of coaching martial arts.
Callum hosted the conversation, while I handled the production. Paul’s story takes in kickboxing, taking a huge chance on opening a gym, bringing Brazilian jiu jitsu to the academy and building a community that means a great deal to a lot of people. There are also some wonderfully odd martial arts memories along the way.
Recording at the academy felt right for this one. It’s Paul’s place, and there’s an ease to talking where the stories happened. It also gave me the usual challenge of recording away from a controlled studio: making sure the conversation sounded clear while working with the room we had.
Watch the episode on YouTube
The room is part of the recording kit
When people think about podcast sound, they usually think about microphones. The room matters just as much. Hard surfaces can make voices sound distant and echoey; a busy space can add all sorts of noises you only notice when you put headphones on.
Before recording, I listen to the room. Is there a fan or air conditioner running? Can we hear people in the next space? Would moving the table a few feet give us a better result? Small changes before you press record can save a surprising amount of editing later.
For mobile sessions, I mostly use RØDE podcast equipment and microphones. It’s a practical setup to take on location, but the gear still needs a bit of help from the people using it. Keeping each mic close to the speaker, at a comfortable and fairly consistent distance, does more for clarity than trying to rescue a voice that was recorded from across the room.
A quick sound check is never wasted time
I ask everyone to talk at their normal volume before we start. That gives me a chance to set the levels, check each microphone and listen for anything unexpected. People often get louder when they laugh or tell an exciting story, so I leave room for those moments rather than setting the recording right on the edge.
Headphones are useful here. A level meter can tell you that sound is coming in; listening tells you what is coming in. A cable brushing against a table or a quiet background hum is much easier to fix before an hour-long conversation than afterwards.
Then there’s the least glamorous but most valuable habit in podcasting: make sure it’s actually recording. Future you will be grateful.
Leave space for the conversation
Once the technical side is settled, I want the people talking to forget about it. A good podcast is allowed to wander a little. Paul and Callum had room to get into the bigger decisions behind the academy, as well as the funny details you probably wouldn’t think to ask about in a formal interview.
That’s the balance I enjoy with location recording. You prepare carefully so the conversation can feel relaxed. The end result should sound like you’re sitting there with them, even if there’s a producer just out of shot keeping an eye on the levels.
If you’re planning to record your own podcast away from a studio, my advice is simple: choose the quietest workable space, get the microphones close, listen on headphones, record a short test and keep a backup where you can. You don’t need a perfect room to make a good episode. You do need a story worth hearing and audio that lets people enjoy it.
Watch our conversation with Paul on YouTube, or find Jiu Jitsu Fieldnotes on Spotify.
If you have a story that would sound better in the place it happened, that’s exactly the sort of podcast I like helping people make.
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