What is Bleed (Mic Bleed)?
Bleed occurs when a microphone picks up sound from a source it wasn't intended to capture, such as a guest's voice entering the host's microphone.
Why Bleed (Mic Bleed) Matters for Podcasters
Mic bleed (or leakage) happens in multi-person recording setups when the sound of one person's voice travels into another person's microphone. For example, if you and a guest are sitting close together, your mic might pick up their voice faintly in the background. This creates a 'phasey' or hollow sound when the two tracks are mixed together and makes editing difficult—you can't easily cut out a cough from the guest if that cough also 'bled' into your microphone. Bleed is minimized by using directional (cardioid) microphones, spacing guests further apart, using sound-absorbing barriers between speakers, or ensuring everyone wears closed-back headphones so the headphone audio doesn't leak into the mic.
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