Where will podcasts go next?

Today, many podcasts sound like simple ‘hand-held’ interviews, where the  rougher the recording, the more authentic the story.

If the sound dialog really contains everything that is important in a podcast, then the intelligibility of the words is the only thing that  matters.  And therefore, using lower bit rates and mono files for ‘voice-casts’ are just fine.  They also have the advantage of being smaller files that's perfect for download speed and storage.

But if that's all, we're missing an important opportunity in this exploding world of podcasts! 

Think about it for a minute.  Most podcasts are  listened to on headphones or earbuds.  That's creates a different medium. 

Headphone listening offers the possibility of amazing stereo imaging, full frequency response, detailed dynamics.  Listening in stereo makes the sound world come alive. It can create the illusion of being there.  New tools, like Dolby Headphone encoding, are becoming available for surround sound as well.

So, good stereo recording technique can capture both ambience and spatial imagery in a conversation.  Like quality radio production of the past, (and not so past) the podcast offers a new creative format that can combine dialog, music, background ambiences, sound effects, for a more engrossing and entertaining experience.

Perhaps, podcast purists will protest post-production, but virtually every recording can be improved by editing.  Even the most articulate speakers cough, sneeze, pause overly long or just need to stop for a  drink of water.  Interruptions like a phone ringing, an unexpected visitor butting-in or an airplane fly-by are typical of podcast  recording locations at the moment.

Good editing makes the material sound like it is not edited. 

The biggest challenge for podcasters right now is to take podcasting to another level by improving the overall listening  experience without sounding over-produced.  Taking advantage of the stereo headphone experience should make that challenge even more fun.