I'm pretty lucky when it comes to podcasting. My husband, the Chainmail Ninja, is a hobbyist podcaster and professional book narrator so we have quite a recording setup in our home office. He worked in radio for 10+ years so he does the production side of things as well as the recording.
I've tossed around the idea of contributing on his podcasts, which are mostly about geek culture and hobbies, but haven't had time to put this plan in action. But for today's blog post, I went ahead and made some time to create a podcast using our equipment.
There are three main steps to creating a podcast. First, is the planning stage. Some podcasters prepare using various methods. Some research their topics, but don't do any other prep and speak mostly off the cuff. Many podcasters create a notes page to make sure they hit all the points they want to. Others create detailed scripts for their podcasts.
The second step is recording the podcast. This can be done using the internal microphone on a laptop, tablet or phone. These options will usually result in lower sound quality, but are cheap and accessible both by adults and students. If podcasting is something you really want to invest in, a quality mic and sound board can be fairly affordable. You also need to consider ambient noise and the acoustical properties of your recording space. Many hobbyist podcasters record in closets because the small space and fabric clothing absorbs the sound, keeping the audio from sounding too "live" or echoey. Our recording space is a large office, so we have set up a cardboard room divider covered in 1x1' foam panels purchased on Amazon. We also have a foam cover and surround on the mic. Basically, hard surfaces are going to have an effect on your recording so you want to minimize how much hard surface is surrounding your recording space.
The third step is the production or editing of your podcast. This can be done with various types of software. I highly recommend Audacity. It is a free audio editor that takes a little bit of time to learn, but once you do it is simple to use and has so many great editing options. I've been using it in my music classroom to adjust pitch and tempo on accompaniments for performances for the past 10 years. Note - if you need to be able to export your final podcast as an MP3, you will need to download an addition piece to audacity. The audacity website has instructions for this and it isn't hard to do. Many narrators and some podcasters use a pay service for the production side of their audio. Once again, this something you can consider, but if you are looking to keep costs down, it isn't very hard to do the production yourself and come up with a fairly good quality end product. You won't be as fast as a producer would, but you'll save money.
If audacity seems a little too daunting, there are a few free podcasting programs out there that are pretty decent.
Soundcloud - A highly accessible web based sound social platform. Soundcloud is easy to register and use, but the free accounts are limited to 180 minutes of sound. This means if you are interested in using Soundcloud as your podcasting home base, you'll need to purchase the paid version.
AudioBoom - Similar to Soundcloud, AudioBoom allows your to connect to others worldwide with sound clips. Previously known as AudioBoo, which is the app for the iphone. The app is easy to use but the web version isn't as easy as Soundcloud.
PodOMatic - I really like PodOMatic. Super simple interface means if I was going to podcast with students, I'd look at using PodOMatic.
The real usefulness for the above websites is for hosting. Once you finish your podcast, if you don't have a place to host it, you'll want to use one of these services. You can use audacity to record and edit your podcast, then upload it to PodOMatic or Soundcloud to share it.
Finally, here's my mini example podcast I created about using the Bechdel test with books in the library to evaluate how representative your collection is of different groups. Apparently, I had too much coffee, so I apologize for how quickly I'm talking in it!
Here's the link!
I've tossed around the idea of contributing on his podcasts, which are mostly about geek culture and hobbies, but haven't had time to put this plan in action. But for today's blog post, I went ahead and made some time to create a podcast using our equipment.
There are three main steps to creating a podcast. First, is the planning stage. Some podcasters prepare using various methods. Some research their topics, but don't do any other prep and speak mostly off the cuff. Many podcasters create a notes page to make sure they hit all the points they want to. Others create detailed scripts for their podcasts.
The second step is recording the podcast. This can be done using the internal microphone on a laptop, tablet or phone. These options will usually result in lower sound quality, but are cheap and accessible both by adults and students. If podcasting is something you really want to invest in, a quality mic and sound board can be fairly affordable. You also need to consider ambient noise and the acoustical properties of your recording space. Many hobbyist podcasters record in closets because the small space and fabric clothing absorbs the sound, keeping the audio from sounding too "live" or echoey. Our recording space is a large office, so we have set up a cardboard room divider covered in 1x1' foam panels purchased on Amazon. We also have a foam cover and surround on the mic. Basically, hard surfaces are going to have an effect on your recording so you want to minimize how much hard surface is surrounding your recording space.
The third step is the production or editing of your podcast. This can be done with various types of software. I highly recommend Audacity. It is a free audio editor that takes a little bit of time to learn, but once you do it is simple to use and has so many great editing options. I've been using it in my music classroom to adjust pitch and tempo on accompaniments for performances for the past 10 years. Note - if you need to be able to export your final podcast as an MP3, you will need to download an addition piece to audacity. The audacity website has instructions for this and it isn't hard to do. Many narrators and some podcasters use a pay service for the production side of their audio. Once again, this something you can consider, but if you are looking to keep costs down, it isn't very hard to do the production yourself and come up with a fairly good quality end product. You won't be as fast as a producer would, but you'll save money.
If audacity seems a little too daunting, there are a few free podcasting programs out there that are pretty decent.
Soundcloud - A highly accessible web based sound social platform. Soundcloud is easy to register and use, but the free accounts are limited to 180 minutes of sound. This means if you are interested in using Soundcloud as your podcasting home base, you'll need to purchase the paid version.
AudioBoom - Similar to Soundcloud, AudioBoom allows your to connect to others worldwide with sound clips. Previously known as AudioBoo, which is the app for the iphone. The app is easy to use but the web version isn't as easy as Soundcloud.
PodOMatic - I really like PodOMatic. Super simple interface means if I was going to podcast with students, I'd look at using PodOMatic.
The real usefulness for the above websites is for hosting. Once you finish your podcast, if you don't have a place to host it, you'll want to use one of these services. You can use audacity to record and edit your podcast, then upload it to PodOMatic or Soundcloud to share it.
Finally, here's my mini example podcast I created about using the Bechdel test with books in the library to evaluate how representative your collection is of different groups. Apparently, I had too much coffee, so I apologize for how quickly I'm talking in it!
Here's the link!
I already enjoy listening to podcasts and will certainly check out your hubby's! I also look forward to spreading the podcast love with my students in the future. You have a great resource on your hands!!
ReplyDeleteHe does a lot of work with the Anomaly Girls podcast - a women in geek culture podcast.
DeleteI really enjoy the editing option due to the convenience of recording in parts or simple adding information/ words to certain parts. Audacity does that so well. As an add on I like to play classical music very softly in the background to add suspense or action to my recordings. It's great of how common podcasting is in your home. I'm sure you are a PRO!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this! Nice critique! The Bechdel test is great for collection development as well!
ReplyDelete