Podcasting 101 - The Basics

Ever wanted to create your own radio show?  Podcasting is the answer.  Record your own show from home.  Its easy.  This article gets you started.

Podcasting has the promise of letting anyone produce their own 'Home Grown Radio Show' and getting a huge international audience. Clearly its all about the quality and presentation of the content, which is why those that came from a background in broadcast radio are finding Podcasting to be easier to succeed in than most.

But it doesn't mean that it should be hard for anyone with no background in radio or broadcasting to succeed as well. Its really about what you have to say and offer that makes all the difference.

Now with that all said, a successful radio host typically always has an engineer nearby. They almost become the 'sidekicks' of the show and handle all the technical trickery of making sure the show works. But keep in mind that live radio is all about live reaction and spontaneity. Podcasting takes a lot of the pressure off the recording process because you have all the time in the world to put a great show together.

It is, however, a double-edged sword. Sure you don't need to do 'live' recording. But most podcasters don't have an engineer handy either. They have to double both as the host and the engineer and for those that don't have a background in audio recording, it can be difficult. But its not impossible and too hard to master, as this article will explain.

The process of recording your podcast involves recording your voice for dialog, inserting content (such as audio clips, music, advertising, intros, outtros, etc.) into the show and then producing it all up into one MP3 file that is ready for distribution. The distribution part of it is easy with hosts like CyberEars.com but the recording of the show is left up to you.

So what do you need to get started? Typically the first thing is a decent computer. Not that you have to have the latest, greatest, fastest most powerful system on the planet. Any average home PC will be fine. But as you are going to be dealing with digital audio, keep in mind that it is often memory and hard disk hungry, so don't skimp on RAM or disk storage. I'd suggest having 1-2GB of RAM in your rig, and at least a 120GB hard drive handy. You won't use it all up initially. But as you start to collect your recordings, its best not to be running out of disk space. It'll just slow down your system and turn what should be an enjoyable experience in putting your podcast together into a chore.

You'll need some recording software on the computer. There are free programs out there such as Audacity or you may also find that investing in a commercial program will pay dividends. I like Industrial Audio's ePodcast Creator because it makes the whole process work the way that a Podcast host would want it to work. Their software is available in different 'sizes' to suit the budget and feature needs of customers. Starting at under $100 you can have a program that will not only make the recording process simple, but will allow you real time insertion of audio clips, etc. while you are recording the show (just like how its done on radio) and a full editing suite afterwards to put the MP3 file together.

OK, so we have the computer side of this under control. Now what about the recording part? Well there are plenty of good quality microphones out there that you can use. The problem, however, is that most computers have a low grade MIC IN connector that isn't going to be 'studio quality'. The sound cards that are installed in or on most PCs these days were never designed for professional recording, so you'll find quickly that the audio quality of recordings made directly into the computer is less than desirable. Most people will purchase a high grade microphone and some sort of audio interface designed for high fidelity recording. Those that don't do this have noticeably lower quality podcast recordings.

We would recommend using one of the range of Alesis Podcasting Kits for this. Alesis have bundled all of these items together into kits that comprise of microphones & headphones, microphones, headphones and mixers, etc. to cater for the different needs of different hosts. If, for example, its just you doing the show, the basic Alesis Podcasting Kit product consisting of a microphone, headphone and audio interface (USB) will be fine. However if you intend on doing the show with a partner host, or frequently having guests on your show then you will likely need a mixing board to keep all levels of recordings consistent. Alesis have that covered to with their USB and Firewire Podcasting kits including a 8 or 12 channel mixing board. This might sound like some > $1000 purchase, but its not. Alesis Podcasting Kits start at under $100 for the basic kit, and typically don't exceed $500 for the top of the line system. They are available from most musical instrument retailers or online at places like Sweetwater Sound or Musicians Friend.

As you start to dabble in the art of audio recording, you will encounter a bunch of dials, faders and buttons with strange names on them. Don't be alarmed. But be prepared. Visit your local book store, or Amazon.com to find any books on basic recording techniques and you should be well on your way to recording your podcast.

Once you have all the source material recorded, then you need to 'produce' the show. This means simply putting all the audio clips, recordings and tracks together in such a way where it all flows together. A multi-track editing system such as Audacity is best here. You can overlap and transition from piece to piece to keep the recording lively and interesting for the listener. Then you simply mix (or bounce) it down to a stereo track for the final production.

You are not quite out of the woods yet. The digital audio that you are recording is going to be huge in size. You need to compress it down so that its easily downloadable to an iPod or any other MP3 player. This process is called 'encoding' the audio, but it really means compressing it. The computer will do all the work for you here,but you need to tell it what format file you want. You will need a 44.1khz Sample Rate file (CD Quality). If your audio is more than 1 hour in length, you might want to consider releasing more shows of smaller sizes, or you can compress it even further. The more you compress, the lower the audio quality will be however. And you should always compress to a size that is evenly divisible by 11.025 khz. Why? Because players that will play it, particularly those on the Internet, expect it that way and if you don't they'll try and convert it to a sample rate they can handle normally meaning that your audio will end up sounding like the chipmunks.

Once done, you will have a MP3 file. Then its time to login to your CyberEars.com account, Upload the audio and that's it. It will be automatically syndicated to all of your fans, and available for anyone browsing audio to hear it directly from the CyberEars.com site.

Now this is a basic explanation of the journey from idea to recording that isn't rocket science. But you should expect to invest in some tools, gear and books to make sure you understand what is going on. There is so much material available on the Internet to read that you can't really go wrong. And don't be afraid to ask someone who knows more about this how to do things you don't understand. The podcasting community is just that - a community. Its all about free and open audio for everyone without a lot of radio stations limiting what content can be freely distributed.

Enjoy!

How Is The Audio Craze Sounding?

Sound effects sell. It's just one type of audio that has joined the race on the information superhighway to fulfill its promise, which some of us have been asking for and using for well over a decade now: The ability to send sound effects from a web site to a client at a moment's notice.

Knowing that kind of thing sometimes makes it hard to believe that there was a time when sound effects discs took weeks to arrive! Weeks! And, when they did ar- rive, occasionally they wer...

Sound effects sell. It's just one type of audio that has joined the race on the information superhighway to fulfill its promise, which some of us have been asking for and using for well over a decade now: The ability to send sound effects from a web site to a client at a moment's notice.

Knowing that kind of thing sometimes makes it hard to believe that there was a time when sound effects discs took weeks to arrive! Weeks! And, when they did ar- rive, occasionally they were of pretty shoddy quality, requiring us to take hours to sort through the "sound catalog" and make functional.

All self-professed "audio geeks" and sound engineers alike are relieved, to say the very least, that those days have passed. Today, companies are looking for better and easier ways to make their audio libraries accessible to a greater number of users, while making sure their files are at higher resolution and ready to pop in to an already-running production.

That said, the latest craze of downloadable single files or entire libraries has been hampered by a bevy of issues. Not only is the Internet's increasingly narrow bottleneck a concern, but so are any number of software compatibility problems and the high cost of putting those files on the Internet. Though most com- panies "audition" sounds on the Web, and a quick per- usal of home pages allows for more specific searches, the overwhelming feeling is that the compact disc method of distribution will not disappear any time soon.

The Internet has, however, allowed these audio post houses to offer their own libraries online. In fact, one quick search for "audio: sound effects" generates nearly 1 million links to some of the more established companies as well as to some of the more obscure ones.

One thing is for sure. As the number of general sound effects catalogs have grown over the years, demand seems to be decreasing. So, some companies are turning more and more to specialized discs. Maybe there are a lot of general libraries out there, and people don't need another general library. However, more special- ized libraries are coming to the marketplace, People are considering more "niche" categories of sounds and just going out, recording them, and posting them on their web site.

It's as simple as that, but it's also very, very com- petitive among big business as well as audio entrepre- neurs or enthusiasts.

For example, any high-end automobile TV ad campaign is going to go directly to these kinds of links to locate the best "sound quality" for their ad. For ex- ample, that secure sound of the door shutting on a brand-new car in a TV commercial takes hours and hours of research. And that sound comes from one of these audio posts, which means someone just made a lot of money.

Sound sells. It sells more than you'd think, and it's one of those "I've never thought about it," kinds of subconscious realities we "hear" every day.

So the next time you see a luxury car commercial on TV, really listen.

Home Audio Recording For Everyone

I'm not really sure how old I was when I got the gift for Christmas, but I remember thinking it was a pretty impressive piece of electronic hardware. It was really cool looking (technologically speaking), and I was awfully proud to own it. It certainly made for lots of fun times.

What was this high-tech gift, you ask? Why, it was a tape recorder! It was a monographic, reel to reel tape deck that came with it’s own plug-in microphone. I could hold that mic up to my transist...
I'm not really sure how old I was when I got the gift for Christmas, but I remember thinking it was a pretty impressive piece of electronic hardware. It was really cool looking (technologically speaking), and I was awfully proud to own it. It certainly made for lots of fun times.

What was this high-tech gift, you ask? Why, it was a tape recorder! It was a monographic, reel to reel tape deck that came with it’s own plug-in microphone. I could hold that mic up to my transistor radio’s speaker and record songs onto tape. I could also play the guitar and sing and record every second of it. I could even hide and record conversations from unsuspecting family members. I was in recording heaven!

Years later I owned an 8 track stereo recording deck (ok, that was a mistake). At another point in time I had a stereo cassette recording deck that would physically flip the tape over when one side was finished recording or playing. Now I own a more conventional stereo dual cassette deck, but I no longer use it for recording or much of anything else for that matter.

All my recording is now done on my computer. The audio and midi software available today for computer recording is quite amazing. You can record multiple tracks, edit the recordings and add special effects as desired. Many of the audio recording programs come with their own native special effects such as reverb, compression, flanger, and chorus, to name a few. Some of the recording software can also accept third party effects such as vocal removers, tube amp effects and many more.

Multitrack recording software allows for recording various live instruments, vocals, etc, onto individual tracks. After recording one track, you can play it back while recording another. Once finished, you can mix all the individual tracks down into one stereo track. Some recording software will import and record both audio and MIDI, some audio only. If you have a MIDI keyboard or other MIDI instrument, be sure to pick software that handles both formats.

Creating a simple home audio recording studio is easy. In addition to software, an audio and/or midi interface will allow you to plug all kinds of audio components, microphones and instruments into your computer for live recording, recording from tape or even from your old vinyl lp’s. You can also use a home stereo system as an interface for audio components by running cables to it from your computer’s sound card. A laptop with recording software and a USB interface can serve as a totally portable recording studio. And again, if you have MIDI instruments, be sure to get an interface that will allow connecting them in additon to audio components and instruments.

The digital revolution has made music recording easily available to anyone with a computer. If you enjoy music and want to do more than just download mp3’s from the Internet, get some multitrack recording software and start your own home sound studio.