Quick and dirty podcasting
Recently a friend asked me how I record our podcast, so I told her I would write it up so she could use that as a guide. There are some initial concepts that you all will have to deal with and those are as follows:
- I believe in cheap or free alternatives.
- I am not into a whole lot of hassle, so the easiest is usually the best.
- I like to be up and running in about 30 minutes or less.
Ok, with those three stipulations, I went out on a mission to find the tools to record the WhackArnolds Podcast. The first thing I needed was a means to talk to my partner in crime, and quite frankly the only way to VOIP from a PC is Skype. There are other utilities out there, but Skype is free for Skype to Skype calls and it’s easy to set up. Did I mention that it was free??
Next, we needed a way to record the audio. Whichever solution I chose had to be decent quality, allow for audio manipulation, and easy to use without a whole lot of configuration. After several installs and a few angry moans, screams, and curses I landed on two options. The first one was HotRecorder which worked fairly well, but there were some problems. Unfortunately, the newer version of Skype added some new codecs that cause the audio to really degrade. So, unless you are going to be using a late version of Skype, you probably don’t want this option.
The other option is Pamela, and this is the software that we are currently using to record the show. Pamela, has been very easy to use and it allows us to adjust vocal levels and pause recordings. The audio quality is pretty good as well, but if we needed to we could adjust more than just the levels. Bottom line, get Pamela. The only bad thing about the Pamela option is that it costs money, but for the ease of use it’s worth it.
So, what’s next? We have to adjust the recording and cut sections out if needed. We need an audio editor and not one that is going to cripple your pocket. Well, thanks to sourceforge.net and the open source revolution we have Audacity. Audacity is free, of course, and it is fricken great! Not only can you import the mp3 files that Pamela spits out, but it also allows me to add the intro tracks and outro tracks. There are quite a few effects as well, including fade-in and fade-out. This is an awesome find for podcasting on a budget.
Alright, we have the podcast recorded but we need to host it somewhere so others can view it. Here is where it gets tricky. One of the easiest ways to do this, and this is the way we handle it, is to use WordPress and set up a blog. There is a wonderful podcast plugin for WordPress called PowerPress, which allows you to set up the RSS feed for your podcast. You should also have a blog so that you can write up what the the podcast is about and it can be found via Google, Yahoo, MSN, and other search engines. You don’t have to pay for this, WordPress offers free options, but you won’t be able to use extensions. So, you most likely will have to get some hosting plans. If you need some hosting let me know. That is not the only option for hosting a podcast of course, here are some other options:
- Liberated Syndication: $5, $10, $20, $30 hosting.
- Switchpod: Free, $5, $10, $30 hosting plans.
- PodBean: Free with some business solutions.
So there you are, the basics of podcasting on a budget. Of course if you decide to get on iTunes you will need to create an account, go to the iTunes store via iTunes, and click on the submit podcast link on the left navigation. So, you should be able to set up a podcast from this outline and the rest comes from experience. Happy podcasting!
Tags: Computer Help
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