Music on Your Podcast - The Rules
Music makes you feel something. Whether a church service, a funeral, or the hot bar of Whole Foods, music sets the mood.
At the same time … people are listening to your podcast to hear from you. And you want to make sure the music you use doesn’t overpower what you say.
Some general “rules” to consider …
Non-distractive: Music without lyrics is less likely to divert the listener's attention from spoken content.
Mood Match: Music, whether it's upbeat, contemplative, or energetic, needs to match the mood of the content and host—don’t play “circus music” at a funeral, even if the guy who died is a clown.
Volume Balance: The volume of the background music should be significantly lower than that of the speaking voice. The music should be just audible enough to be noticed without straining, but not so loud as to compete with the voice.
Dynamic Range Compression: Applying compression to background music can reduce its dynamic range, making softer parts louder and loud parts softer, which helps in maintaining a consistent volume level that won’t distract from spoken content.
When to use music …
Marking Segments: Music can serve as an auditory cue to mark different segments or topics within your content, helping to organize it and make it more digestible.
Creating Flow: Transition music can smooth out jumps between segments, maintaining the flow of your content.
Enhancing Engagement: Well-chosen transition music can keep the audience engaged, especially during switches from one topic to another or during breaks in speaking.
Technical considerations …
Fade In/Out: Gradually fading music in at the beginning and out at the end of segments can make transitions smoother and less jarring.
Length and Timing: Keep transition music, including intro music, brief; it should be long enough to establish a break, but not so long that it detracts from the main content.
Watch the Volume on Transitions: Similar to background music levels, ensure that transition music is not overpowering. It should complement, not overshadow, spoken content.
In conclusion, be thoughtful. Music should make your spoken content more powerful, not distract from it.
