A podcast studio session runs in five clear stages: you book the studio and tell us how you want it set up, you arrive at a studio that is already prepared, you record each voice on its own track, you leave with your files, and you add editing if you want finished episodes rather than raw footage.
We have run more than 10,000 sessions at Outset since 2018, so what follows is how a professional session actually flows, not the theory.
Booking takes a couple of minutes online. You choose your studio, date, time and format, audio from £84 per hour or video from £108 per hour, with a one-hour minimum. If you would prefer to pay by invoice, you can contact the team to arrange it.
The booking form does the job that a pre-session brief would. It asks how you want the studio set up, how many people are recording, whether anyone is joining remotely, and how you plan to take your files away. There is a free-text notes field for anything specific: a particular seating layout, a branded set, or a running order that requires a specific camera framing.
Every booking includes the studio, the equipment, and a full setup walkthrough; from there, most clients run the session themselves. That is the self-service model, and it is why no experience is needed.
If you would prefer not to touch the technical side at all, you can add a sound engineer or a videographer to your booking. They stay with you throughout, manage levels and framing, and let you focus entirely on the conversation. The room and the walkthrough are the same either way. The only question is how hands-on you want to be.
Wherever possible, the studio is set up and ready before you walk in. You can arrive up to 10 minutes before your start time to settle in.
A studio assistant meets you, shows you the room, fits you with microphones and headphones, sets your video framing, and walks you through levels and how to start recording. If your needs on the day differ from what you booked, a different layout, an extra guest, or a custom set, reconfiguring takes 15 to 30 minutes. Flagging those changes in your booking notes rather than on arrival keeps that time to a minimum.
Every microphone records to its own track, alongside a mixdown of all microphones together. That separation matters: your editor can level, clean and adjust each voice independently later, rather than being stuck with everyone baked into a single file. Your audio is also synced with the cameras, giving you a second copy of the audio as a safeguard. Each Outset studio records up to six people.
Plan your time realistically. For a finished 60-minute episode, we recommend booking a 90-minute session. That covers settling in, sound checks, the occasional reset and pickups at the end, without the clock forcing you to rush the conversation.
Every video session is captured in 4K across multiple cameras, with professional film lighting and a graded look straight out of the room. We apply an Outset custom LUT at all our studios, so your footage carries a consistent, broadcast-ready colour profile from the first frame rather than looking flat and untreated.
If your team grades in post, you can opt for Slog capture at any of our studios, which preserves the widest dynamic range for colour work. London Bridge Studio A goes furthest, recording in Slog for full RAW 4K files.
You always retain ownership of your raw audio and video. If you bring your own SD card, hard drive or laptop, you can transfer your files on the day and walk out with everything. If you would rather we handle it, we will securely deliver your files to the cloud after the session.
Bring an SD card, hard drive or laptop if you want to leave with your raw files the same day. Without your own storage, files follow securely by cloud after the session.
Studio hire gives you raw footage. If you want finished content, you can add editing to any booking. That ranges from a simple edit with multi-camera cuts to full post-production, social clips, trailers, and reels. Typical turnaround is up to seven working days. You can see the full range on our podcast editing services page.
The teams that get the most from a session treat the booked block as production time, not just recording time. A few habits make the difference:
Ready to record? Check availability in London or Manchester, or get a quick price estimate for your session.
Ready to record your next episode?
Check availabilityFor a finished 60-minute episode, we recommend booking a 90-minute session. That leaves time for setup, a sound check, the occasional reset and any pickups at the end, so the conversation never feels rushed.
Bring yourselves, your running order and any notes you want to reference. If you want to take your raw files away on the day, bring an SD card, hard drive or laptop to transfer them to. Otherwise, we securely deliver to the cloud after the session.
No. Every session starts with a full walkthrough covering microphones, headphones, levels and camera framing, and the studios are built to be self-service once you are set up. If you would prefer hands-on support throughout, you can add a sound engineer or videographer to your booking.
Yes. All our studios support remote contributors via Riverside, Zoom or similar platforms. Let us know when you book, and we will have it configured in advance.
You can transfer your raw audio and video on the day if you bring your own storage, or we can deliver them via the cloud after the session. If you add editing, finished content follows within up to seven working days.
Yes. Allowing about 90 minutes per finished hour, two to three episodes per day are very manageable. Tell us your format and guest schedule, and we will help structure the day around it.
EXPRESSION MATTERS.
Professional podcast recording studios in London Bridge, Shoreditch, and Manchester Northern Quarter. Trusted by creators, brands, and agencies since 2018.
