Can You Podcast With a Phone Microphone? Yes – Here's How

Some of the most popular podcasts launched with a single phone on a desk. Modern phone microphones, combined with a decent recording chain, are good enough for a first season – and the money you save can go into hosting and promotion.

Why phone audio is better than you think

Phone manufacturers tune microphones for intelligible speech in noisy conditions. In a quiet, soft-furnished room, a phone recording is often indistinguishable from a budget dynamic microphone after processing.

The recording chain

Use WO Mic to route the phone into your PC, then record in Audacity or OBS. Apply a high-pass filter at 80 Hz, light compression at 3:1, and normalize to -16 LUFS for podcast platforms.

• High-pass filter 80 Hz
• Compressor 3:1, attack 10 ms, release 100 ms
• De-esser if sibilance is harsh
• Normalize to -16 LUFS

Room treatment on a budget

A closet full of clothes or a blanket fort beats a bare room. Record in the smallest soft-furnished space available and keep the phone 20-30 cm from your mouth at a slight angle to reduce plosives.

When to upgrade

If the show grows to the point where guests and sponsors care about production quality, invest in a dynamic USB microphone. Until then, the phone plus processing is a legitimate setup – many listeners will never know.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is phone audio acceptable for Spotify and Apple Podcasts?

Yes. Platforms do not reject episodes based on microphone type. Loudness normalization matters more.

Can I record two hosts on one phone?

Not well. Use two phones and a two-track recorder, or upgrade to a dedicated interface.

Learn more about the app at womic.org.