Part 1: What You Need
The equipment podcasters use to record and edit their podcasts can vary greatly, but the list below will give you a general idea of what you'll need to get started. Keep in mind that thereis also a wide range in prices for this equipment. While the more professional your gear is, the more professional your podcast will sound. There is some very good entry and intermediate level equipment listed below that will have you sounding like a pro in no time.
A Computer or Recording Device
For 95% of Podcasters, a desktop or laptop computer is the recording device. You don’t need anything to fancy here. Most current PC’s or Mac’s will allow you to run the software to record andedit sound files. Make sure it has either USB or FireWire ports for connecting peripherals.
If you don’t have a computer, don’tworry. You can still use several types of recording devices, from pro level recorders used in the field to peripheral devices that attach to most current MP3 players. However with most of these recorders, you will still need to edit and upload files to a content provider for podcasting. This is one of the areas where Epikos can help out. The equipment used for recording changes often, so contact us for the most current options that best fit your needs.
A Microphone
Most desktop and laptop computershave internal microphones. These mics are fine for starting out, however the dynamic range and the sound quality do not compare to external microphones.There are many different types of microphone to choose from which range in quality and price.
For recording vocals you will want a unidirectional (cardiod) microphone. These come as three general types of microphones that most podcasters use: digital, analog, and condenser. These differ mainly by how the microphone connects to the computer, and what peripheral devices must be used with it. Digital microphones are the easiest to set up and use. They plug directly into the computer and because they are digital require no audio interface. Plantronics makes a very good USB headset microphone (DSP-500; $50) that plugs directly into the USB port of most computers. This is a great choice for someone starting out who doesn’t want to invest a lot of money, but wants a higher quality sound than what internal mics give. More advanced podcasters also really like the Rode Podcaster ($230). This is a very high quality microphone for podcasters not wanting to learn how audio interfaces, mixers and preamps work (see below).
Analog microphones with XLR connections have much better sound quality than digital mics, but must be used with an audio interface/mixer. Condenser microphones are the gold standard for studios, but also require a preamp to power the microphone in addition to the audio interface/mixer. There are several low to medium cost analog microphones. The Sure SM58 and AKG D880M are both good mics that can be found for less than $100.00. Both of these are dynamic mics, meaning that they do not require a preamp for power. For condenser microphones, the Heil Company makes highly renowned studio mics. However with a $300 price tag for the HeilPR-20, beginner to intermediate level podcasters that wants good performance atan exceptional price will be very happy with the AKG Perception 100 for $100.
When purchasing your microphone, don’t forget to get a desk stand or small boom (Heil Sound SB-2, $60) to keep your hands free and prevent handling noise.
Audio Interface or Mixer
Unless you go with a digital USB microphone, you will need a way to get the analog audio into your computer. This is usually accomplished one of two ways depending on the type of recording you will be performing and the level of control that you want over the recording. The most straightforward way to get audio from an analog microphone into a computer isto use what is called an audio interface (A/I). Think of this devise as an analog to digital conversion box that sits between your mic and your computer. M-Audio makes a pair of really good inexpensive models. The M-Audio Fast Track($100) is an A/I that can be used with a single dynamic microphone such as the Sure SM58 and AKG D880M mentioned above. If you think you will need two microphones, and want the ability to use condenser mics, go with the M-AudioFast Track Pro ($200).
If you want more control over your recordings, you will want to purchase a combined audio interface and mixer. These devices offer the ability to use multiple microphones, preamps to power condenser mics, sound equalizers and a plethora of controls and knobs for adjusting various sound levels. This is also the type of devise you would need if you planed to record Internet phone conference on platforms such as Skype.There is a steep learning curve for these devices; however they can make a tremendous difference in audio quality if used correctly. A fairly inexpensive combination A/I-Mixer is the Alesis MultiMix 8 USB ($150). They also make a FireWire version of this device.
Headphones
Using headphones when recording is amatter of taste. Headphones allow you to monitor the levels of your recording when producing a podcast. You don't want to have the sound coming from a set of speakers while recorded into a microphone. However, most recording software allows for you to visually see the levels of recorded sound, and after a few practice sessions, you get to know the settings for your audio rig. Ideally,using headphones that cover your ears will do the best job of isolating sound in your recording from other audio distractions, but the ear bud headphones that came for your portable music player will work just fine. If you decide to go with headphones, understand that talking while monitoring your voice can be very disorienting, so practice with them first before you record for real.
Recording Software
Audacity is a free, open-source and recorder that is widely used by podcasters. It includes a number of useful features and plug-ins, and has an interface that is intuitive and easy to use. It’s available for both Windows and Macintosh. For Macintosh users however, I would recommend Garage Band, which come free with every Mac. This program comes pre-configured with features and plug-ins that are podcast ready making it extremely easy to start podcasting. Both programs offer multi-track recording, a solid compliment of editing features, and both output MP3 format audio for distributing your podcast. A detailed tutorial on how to use these programs will be covered elsewhere.
A step up from Audacity is RecordForAll. This Windows program was named the best Sound Program at the 2007 Shareware Industry Awards. For experienced podcasters, Audition by Adobe, and Soundtrack Pro by Apple are the premier programs.
Part 2: Recording, Editing & Distribution
The following is only meant to serve as a brief introduction to audio recording, editing, and distribution of podcasts. There are very well written books, as well as websites and podcasts dedicating to teaching the intricacies of using Audacity or GarageBand, and the computer skills required to distribute podcasts. If trying to podcast on your own seems daunting, please give us a call. At Epikos, we offer consultation, training, and turnkey productions to fit your needs.
Recording
For Macintosh users, Garage Band should already be installed on your computer. If you are recording with a PC, download and install Audacity. Set the sample rates for your recording. If you’re just recording voice, 44.1KHz and 16-bit sampling is sufficient for most podcasts. If music factors heavily into your podcast however, consider higher rates, but keep in mind the resulting file will be larger.
Before beginning a recording, take a few minutes to make sure your microphone and audio equipment (audio interface,mixer, headset) are all plugged in and working. Talk into the microphone, or practice reading text at the volume you will be using when you are recording. Make adjustments to the volume until you get a level that bounces between –12 and –6 dB without ever peaking on the far right level indicator (which indicates you are clipping or maxing out the audio). When you’re pleased with the levels, click onthe record button and start talking. If you’re alone, imagine that you’re speaking to someone else in the room and ignore the fact that you’re being recorded. You want to make your Podcast as intimate and conversational aspossible. When you’re done, click on the stop button to stop recording and save your file.
Editing
Once you’ve recorded your show, you might identify some parts that you’d like to remove, like long stretches of silence, or mistakes that you’d like to clean up. Whether you are using Audacity, or GarageBand, both programs have very good editing features. This is also where you can add music and effects to your vocal recording. The next step is to combine your tracks into a final mix. This combines everything you’ve recorded into a single stereo track. Carefully review the balance of your voice and any music or sound effects. This is your one chance to alter the relative levels between your voice and any other audio tracks you’ve added. Generally you will save mix as an uncompressed WAV or AIFF file. This will give you a “master” file to work from and a backup in case you have a problem exporting to MP3.
The last step is to take your final mix and convert it into an MP3 file — the standard format of all podcasts. To do this, open your final mix in your recording software, and export the file as an MP3 using a 64Kbps bit rate. Be sure to add ID3-tag information such as your name and the name of the podcast. This information is important for podcast aggregator sites such as iTunes for directory listing so don’t forget to do it. Finally, save your MP3 file and your ready for distribution.
Note for Audacity users: Due to patent restrictions, Audacity cannot automatically export MP3 files by itself. In order to export your file as an MP3, you’ll have to download a copy of the LAME MP3 encoder and place it in your Audacity folder. The first time you export a file as an MP3, Audacity will ask you to locate your MP3 encoder. Point Audacity to wherever you saved the file (this only needs to be done once, and then will work each time you use the mp3 export) and the encoding will begin.
Note for Macintosh users: In addition to standard podcasts, which are just audio recordings, Apple now includes the ability to create “enhanced podcasts” that contain reference pictures or weblinks that are displayed within the iTunes song artwork viewer. Enhanced podcasts are also able to present chapter markers in an audio file much like a DVD movie can allow users to jump to pre-determined spots in a presentation.This can be helpful for longer audio presentations and audiobooks. The current drawback of enhanced podcasts is that they are not universally supported. As of now only the iTunes player and Apple iPods support enhanced podcast. The reasonfor this is the only authoring software to create enhanced podcasts is ApplesGarageBand (and QuickTime), which can produce AAC files. It is probably only a matter of time before other MP3 players can play enhanced podcasts. However for now if you wish to use this technology, you should create both enhanced and non-enhanced podcasts so that listeners can subscribe to either format.
Distributing
Distribution of your podcast can beby far the most confusing part of podcasting. The reason is because there areso many ways to distribute a podcast, trying to identify the “best” way seems overwhelming. And because the use and technology of podcasting is expanding so rapidly, the number of players involved is also increasing at an incredible rate.
There are four main componentsrequired to distribute your podcast.
Yes this seems like a lot. However there are many services on the Internet to help you set this all up. A summery for each component will follow below, and a more detailed description can befound in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) located in the Epikos Learning Center.
Registering a Domain Name
This is required only if you want tohave your own domain name such as www.myexample.com. It is very inexpensive to register a domain name ($5.00-10.00 per year), however you do need to perform a bit more configuration to use it. Some podcasters use a free service like Blogger or Libsyn for their blog. These services give you a web address that looks like this:
www.myexample.libsyn.com
or
www.myexample.blogspot.com
This works fine, but it’s not the most convenient web address for telling people where to find your podcast. It’sa little harder to remember a URL like that. For marketing and promotion, it’s best to register your own web address that’s easy for people to remember. Fortunately, these services also give you the option of registering your own web address and using it with their service.
Web Hosting
You will need a host to store your audio files, and a website or blog to list your episodes and to provide an area for your listeners to find out more about the podcast. There are several free hosting sites that will provide you with the necessary framework to start podcasting. However, most of these sites are advertising supported or provide minimal features and support. For beginners, we recommend going with one of the more established hosting sites that are fairly simple to set up. LibSyn and GoDaddy both have basic accounts that provide hosting, blogpages, and audio/video storage for a low flat fee (currently less than $10.00/month). Account plans are usually more expensive as your file storage and bandwidth (amount of traffic) increases. Another approach is to use a dedicated blog-hosting account such as TypePad which has more blogging features, and then store the media files on another account like Libsyn. This approach is slightly more money, but you get a more polished look. Professional podcasters eventually migrate to a more complex Web hosting account where they use blogging platforms such as WordPress to produce their podcasts. It is important that whatever platform you decide to go with, that they provide ways of monitoring the number of visitors to your site and howmany listeners are subscribing to your podcast.
Start a Blog
A podcast is basically just a blog with audio. Podcasting uses the same feed technology as many blogs. Your audience receives the audio file through the feed in addition to the text. Usually each blog entry/post is one episode of your podcast. The post consistsof your show notes (an outline of the episode’s contents), links to any related information or sources and probably a link to the MP3 file for the episode. The feed from your blog tells the subscriber’s podcatcher where to download the audio file. There are dozens of ways to create and maintain a blog. Some are free and some cost some money. If you already have a blog, then you can just adapt it to use with your podcast.
Create an RSS Feed
One of the great things aboutlistening to podcasts is that you can subscribe to what’s called an RSS feed. Once you’re subscribed, your podcatcher will check the feed regularly for new episodes. When a new episode is posted, the podcatcher will automatically download the audio file for you to listen to. As a podcaster, you create and update your RSS feed for your listeners to subscribe to. In a blog feed, the RSS feed text file includes a list of the recent posts and information about each one such as title, date, author, etc. An RSS feed for a podcast is the same, except it also includes information about your MP3 file such as its web address and file size. The podcatcher uses this information to find and download the audio file. Each time you post a new podcast episode, you need to update your RSS feed with information about it so your listeners’ podcatcher will detect and download the file. Most of the services described in this tutorial will forward your feed to Podcasting directories such as iTunes. There are actually many more directories, and the numbers are growing weekly. For wider distribution, a service like podsubmitter (http://podsubmitter.com) will send your feed to more than 50 different directories.