Contents
What is Podcasting?
How to Listen to Podcasts
How to Build a Podcasting Studio
How to Plan a Podcast
How to Record a Podcast
How to Edit Your Podcast
How to Publish Your Podcast
How to Promote Your Podcast
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How to Build a Podcasting Studio
You don’t need to sink thousands of dollars into buying equipment in order to podcast.
Podcasting Hardware
To get started podcasting, you need only a computer, microphone, and headphones. You can buy everything you need at electronics or computer stores, as well as through online retailers such as www.amazon.com.
Computer
You can podcast using either a PC or a Mac. In general, any Mac G3 or above can be used to make podcasts. If you’re using a PC, it should be a Pentium 4 PC (2 GHz or faster) with at least 512 MB of RAM and an on-board sound card. Since audio files are large, you should also have a hard drive with at least 1 GB (gigabyte) of free space. You also might want to invest in an external hard drive.
Microphones
The sound quality of your podcast is determined primarily by the quality of the microphone you use to record it. Though you can use the microphone that’s built into your computer to record podcasts, most podcasters (and listeners) consider those mics insufficient. You’re better off working with a basic microphone that plugs directly into your computer via USB cable. A unidirectional mic picks up only direct sound and filters out background noise. Two good mic options for first-time podcasters are:
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Plantronics® DSP-500 USB: A headset mic that costs $40–45.
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Samson® C01U: A freestanding mic that costs about $80. If you get this mic, you might also want to buy a shock mount ($30), a stand that minimizes the effects of bumping the mic during recording.
If you get a freestanding mic, you might also consider getting a pop
filter to protect the mic and prevent the sharp pops that can occur when someone speaking into a mic makes a “B” or “P” sound.
How to Record a Telephone Interview
If you want to use telephone interviews in your podcasts, you’ll need a way to capture the audio from the phone onto your computer. A telephone audio tap connects a phone to your computer’s sound card and uses your regular recording software to capture both sides of a phone conversation. The most respected maker of telephone audio taps is JK AudioTM (www.jkaudio.com), and its most popular audio tap for podcasters is the THAT-2.
Be aware that in most states it’s illegal to record telephone conversations without the permission of the people participating in the call. Before you begin your phone or live interview, remind the interviewee that this interview will be part of your podcast, and get a verbal agreement so that you have a recorded acknowledgement of your terms. You can make a copy of this file for your records and edit the acknowledgement out of the final podcast.
Headphones
In podcasting, headphones serve as monitors: they allow podcasters to hear their program exactly as it will sound to listeners. You can use any headphones for this purpose, including the earbud headphones that come with mp3 players. You’ll get the best sense of the sound of your podcast if you use earmuff-style isolation headphones. AKG K141 Studio headphones cost about $100.
Additional Hardware
As you get deeper into podcasting, you may also want to invest in an audio mixer or a portable recorder.
Audio Mixers
Audio mixers (also called
mixing boards) allow you to take multiple sound sources, such as mics and sound files, and mix them into a single sound source. If, for example, you’re interviewing a panel with three participants, you could give each panelist his or her own microphone and combine the three channels together into one audio file. The mixer allows you to adjust the sound levels for each microphone separately. You can find a basic mixer that allows you to mix four to six mics, such as the Tapco Mix-60®, for $100 or less.
Portable Recorders
Portable digital recorders allow you to conduct interviews in the field that you can later edit for use in your podcasts.
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Digital pocket recorders: The most
affordable field recording option ($75–300). Most of these recorders have poor sound quality but allow you to transfer digital files easily to your computer via USB cable. With the addition of an external mic, some mp3 players, including iPods, can be used as pocket recorders.
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MiniDisc recorders: More expensive
than pocket recorders ($300–600) but feature much better sound quality. To take full advantage of a MiniDisc recorder, you’ll probably need to use an external mic, since most recorders’ built-in microphones are subpar.
No matter what type of recorder you’re using, if your podcast is going to involve a lot of outdoor recording, look into getting a windscreen for your microphone. Most windscreens cost less than $10.
Podcasting Software
To record audio files, edit the files into a single podcast file, and post the podcast to the internet, you’ll need recording and editing software.
Free Recording and Editing Software
The most popular free software package for sound recording and editing is Audacity®, which you can download for Mac or PC at audacity.sourceforge.net. There’s one minor complication: for legal reasons, the Audacity software cannot create mp3 files. To solve this problem, you can download what’s known as a LAME mp3 encoder, which enables Audacity to make mp3s. To download a LAME encoder:
- Go to the Audacity FAQ page (audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq).
- Search for the FAQ about downloading and installing the LAME mp3 encoder.
- Follow the directions on the FAQ answer page for your Mac or PC.
Commercial Recording and Editing Software
Some podcasters find commercial recording and editing software easier to use than free software. Commercial software also usually includes more advanced features than free software. The top commercial recording and editing software differs for Macs and PCs:
- Macs: Apple’s GarageBand® is easy to use and works seamlessly with iTunes. Since it’s designed originally for musicians, it may contain more features than you actually need. GarageBand is included as a standard part of the iLife package, which comes preinstalled on many Macs. If it’s not installed on yours, you can buy GarageBand (and the entire iLife package) for $79 at www.apple.com/ilife.
- PCs: The top commercial recording and editing package for Windows is Propaganda®, an audio recording and editing program designed exclusively for creating podcasts. You can buy Propaganda for $49.95 at www.makepropaganda.com/buy.html.
Setting Up Your Studio
If you begin podcasting with a mic that plugs into your computer via USB and headphones, setting up your studio will be easy. The headphones and most mics are plug and play, which means that they should work as soon as they’re plugged into your computer. All you have to do is install your recording and editing software, and you’re ready to start your podcast.
| Acknowledgments & Disclaimer |
