The Five-Minute Pre-Record Checklist Every Host Should Pin Above Their Desk

Ask any long-running host about their worst episode and the story rarely starts with a bad guest. It starts with a mic that was muted, a fridge humming in the next room, or a recorder that quietly stopped after twenty minutes. None of those are talent problems. They are checklist problems.

1. Levels, with your real voice

Say your intro exactly as you will on air, at the volume you will actually use. Aim for peaks around -12 dB. "Testing, testing" is quieter than you think, and you will clip the moment you laugh.

2. Listen to the room

Put the headphones on and stay silent for ten seconds. Air conditioning, a ticking clock, traffic, a laptop fan — the mic hears all of it. Switch off what you can and close the door.

3. Start the backup first

Hit record on your backup before your main recorder. A phone in airplane mode on the desk is enough. The one day you need it, it will feel like the best decision you ever made.

4. Three notes, not a script

Write the three things the episode must cover on a single card. Scripts make you sound like you are reading; three notes keep you honest and on track.

5. Record and play back a 15-second clip

Record, stop, listen. It takes fifteen seconds and catches the wrong input, the wrong sample rate and the guest who is "fine" but actually on their laptop mic.

Print it, pin it, and run it every single time — especially on the days you feel too experienced to need it.

Share your own version of the checklist in the forum. The best ones from the community end up in our next guide.