Enrichment · Arts and Creativity

Get the sound right
before you hit record.

Most audio problems cannot be fixed in editing: a clipped laugh, a buzzing phone, a guest who never signed a release. Run the same checks every session: the room, the mics, a test recording with its loudest peak, music permissions, then backups and timestamps after. The checklist flags levels that will clip and voices you cannot publish yet.

Log a recordingWhat you get

Recordings

The worked example is made up: a student podcast interview with a test peak at −2 dBFS, one guest release missing and the raw files in only one place, and a clean solo episode before it. Records save on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · Arts & CreativityFree

What you finish with
A record per recording with show, episode, title, date, format and room; each voice with role, microphone and release; seven checks before recording, the loudest test peak in dBFS, four checks after, minutes recorded and timestamps; flags for peaks too hot or too quiet, guests without releases and any check not done; total minutes across sessions.
Who it is for
Student podcasters, journalism and media classes, club advisers and anyone starting a podcast.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per recording. Prints a session sheet, every recording as a table or a blank checklist to tape by the mic; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Arts & Creativity space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Set up in the softest room you can find.
  2. Add each voice and get guest releases signed.
  3. Record a 30-second test with everyone talking, and note the loudest peak.
  4. Adjust the gain until peaks sit around −12 to −6 dBFS, then record.
  5. Back up the raw files to two places and note the timestamps.

Log a recording

Levels

Where the meter should sit-60-24-12-6-30aimToo quietbelow −24: hiss rises when you turn it upAim herepeaks around −12 to −6 dBFSClipping riskabove −3: a loud laugh distorts for goodWhere the meter should sit-60-24-120aimToo quietbelow −24: hiss rises when you turn it upAim herepeaks around −12 to −6 dBFSClipping riskabove −3: a loud laugh distorts for good
A common target for spoken-word recording; the final loudness is set later, in editing. Test with your loudest guest laughing.

Releases and music

A guest’s voice and words in a published episode need their permission, and a parent or guardian’s for a guest under 18; schools often have their own release form. Music and clips are protected by copyright: use your own, buy a license, or use music marked free for that use, and keep the license with the episode files.

Why a soft room

Hard walls bounce sound back into the mic, which makes voices hollow and is hard to remove later. Rugs, curtains, a closet full of clothes or even blankets on chairs absorb the echo. A dynamic microphone close to the mouth picks up less of the room than a condenser farther away.

Sources

  1. U.S. Copyright Office. Copyright Basics (Circular 1) and Fair Use Index (copyright.gov).
  2. Student Press Law Center. Guidance on recording, consent and publishing for student media (splc.org).
  3. European Broadcasting Union. EBU R 128: loudness normalization, the basis for setting final loudness after recording (ebu.ch).
  4. Library of Congress. Sustainability of Digital Formats: WAV and preserving raw audio (loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats).

The worked example is made up. Follow your school’s media and release policies. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.