Recording
The Basics
First, you do need an audio recording program and mic before all else. At the very least, you need the audio recording program to edit the podcast before it goes live on the web. I recommend Audacity, a free recording program that's simple and highly comprehensive. I'm trained on ProTools and when my DigiDesign infrastructure crashed, I started using Audacity. I haven't switched back. Also, Audacity can run on the major three platforms: Mac, PC, and Linux/Unix.Most new computers (especially laptops) have built-in microphones that will get the job done just fine. For some computers, using an external microphone can create more problems if you're not accustomed to editing the sound settings on your machine. On a desktop PC (and even most laptops now), you'll find that it's an industry standard to have a mic input on the back. Most computer mics / webcams / computer headsets should work fine for recording. On Macs, you'll need to get a USB mic (which, of course, is an option for PCs as well).
Once you've installed your recording program, you should definitely play around with it. Get used to the tools and set your preferences. Most recording software, by default, should simply record your voice as soon as you plug in your mic (that is, if you're not just using a built in mic) and hit record. If you have any troubles getting audio signal or even levels, Mac users should head to the Sound tab in System Preferences. Windows users will find their Microphone input level controls by hitting the Advanced tab on the Volume controls (almost always located in the bottom right System Tray) OR select the Sounds option from their Control Panel menu and make sure that their desired microphone is currently selected.
The Podcasters
Ideally, you want all of your podcasters to be together in the same place at the same time for recording. This way, you don't have to worry about wearing headphones or mixing any audio later. But this is rarely the case. In fact, due to the very nature of an online talkshow, it's extremely common for podcasters on the same show to live cities and even states away, if not countries away.If you need to have multiple microphones in the same room, you'll need a mixer. I'm not going to get too into that. Suffice to say, you plug a few mics into a small soundboard that sends out one mixed signal.
If you're recording people in different towns / states / countries, there are a plethora of tools available that allow you to have your podcast conversation and record it at the same time. Skype is probably the best of all these options, allowing free international calls from computer to computer.
I use Skype for my weekly podcast, the AudioShocker. Initially, I used Call Recorder to record the conversation on Skype. But Skype would get a little choppy on me and sometimes the convo would cut in and out. I still use Skype to have the conversation nowadays, but I record my end of the audio into Audacity instead of thru Skype. My podcast partner does the same, and he puts an .aiff file of his end up on our webspace after we finish recording the show (I'll get into how to edit this a bit later).
If you're using Skype, you may just want to buy a cheap program (like Call Recorder) to record the audio of the convo directly from a unified Skype feed (just do a Google search for "record Skype" -- there are a ton of options). If you want to do it for free on a Mac, you can try out Soundflower. This program redirects the audio inputs and outputs on your computer. For me, this option just didn't work very well. But I know some podcasters swear by it.
If you don't mind reduced audio quality, you can also use GrandCentral. This will allow you to use your phone to record the podcast conversation (all you have to do is hit the 4 on the keypad and it starts recording a file that gets saved online). Aside from being an awesome free call recording tool, GrandCentral is my preferred way to do podcast interviews. However, the audio quality is extremely low so there is a compromise. Plus, depending on the type of phones being used in the conversation, there is a lot of post-production needed to get the audio levels even.
Fine Tuning
Okay, you've got your recording software. You've got your mic. You've got a way for your podcasters to talk. You've even figured out the best way to record the convo. But there are a few things you should think about before you just leap right into your first show.First off, be aware of things that could create background noise during your conversation. Especially if you're using a built-in mic on your computer, you may pick up lots of extra noise when you record -- including heavy static even from your computer itself. I use my Mac's built-in mic, and, while I really like the sound, it is necessary for me to reduce all background noises while recording and edit out some static in post.
Be aware of your cellphone! Certain cellphones interfere with speakers (I'm looking at you, AT&T / Cingular and T-Mobile). They can also create blips on your recording depending on your mic method and headphones setup.
Make sure that you have your audio recording settings right. If you have your audio recording software set to record at low levels (not volume, but quality), the sound of your podcast will reflect that. You want your recording settings to be at least 44100Hz 16-bit -- NO QUESTIONS ASKED! This can be reduced at a later stage, but it should not be compromised while recording. Lots of people think 48000Hz is better quality, but it's not. It should only be used for video, not for an audio podcast (or music for that matter, unless it's going to be put in a video). You can use 24-bit and 32-bit, but those are much higher than necessary; your file size will go up but you won't hear a difference.
I recommend you save your raw audio files as .wav or .aiff as opposed to .mp3. Your final product will be .mp3, but the recording files should be higher quality (audio files can get pretty large, so make sure that you have a decent amount of free space on your hard drive -- I suggest at least 5 gigs, just to be safe). I think that recording your voice in mono should suffice. The final podcast product should be in stereo (especially if you have music in there), but the spoken part needs not be stereo. Without giving a grand dissertation on the physics of audio recording, just trust me on all these recording settings. You'll be glad you did in the long run.
Don't forget that you probably need headphones for anyone in the conversation. If you're in the same room, you don't necessarily need them. If you have a headset mic, you don't need them. But for every other recording method, you should have some headphones on while recording. If you don't use headphones, you risk the chance of recording your podcasting partners on your end of the conversation. That's a nightmare when you move into post-production (imagine an annoying echo that's nearly impossible to remove).
If you've got more than one person recording at the same location, you need a headphone splitter or a mixer so that each person can hear the other end of the conversation. A mixer creates a whole other set of concerns, especially when it comes to having the right audio cables. I have at least one of just about every adapter and cable you can imagine, and there's still a cord I'm always missing. Splitters, 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch adapters, 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch adapters, and other products such as these are always good to have around if you're recording audio.
Editing
Basic Post-Production
So let's say you've worked out the logistics. You've got all your software running right and you've even gotten into fine tuning your audio on the recording end (which, by the way, is ALWAYS the best place to fine tune the audio -- leaving problems to be eliminated in post-production is never the right solution if you can fix them in the recording stage). Now you need to edit your show.First off, create a personalized file structure for your podcast audio files. The last thing you want to do is give your podcast episodes sloppy file names and then get them all mixed up. Create a system and stick to it. I chose to just use numbers, starting with "001" -- the reason I went with "001" instead of "1" is so my computer will list the files in the correct order is when I move into the double digits and the hundreds.
Make sure you understand how the editing tools on your audio software work. Do this before you record your show! Play around with a sample recording before your conversation. You should learn how to delete sections of the audio, "split" the audio (instead of deleting, just separating sections), and how to drag audio clips around (basically re-ordering sections of audio). At the very least, you'll probably find yourself wanting to trim the beginning and end of your raw recorded conversation. Also learn how to "import" audio into your software, which is normally just as easy as dragging and dropping the audio file onto your open project.
Intermediate Post
If you've opted to record more than one piece of audio for your podcast, you've got to combine these together to make the full conversation. I've chosen to record my audio separate from my podcasting partner so I can have greater control over the quality. That means I have to line up our conversation by dragging the audio files around until they playback like a natural dialogue. This is not easy, but it's not rocket science either. Let the visual sound waves be your guide in this process.If you've the recorded the audio as one single file and you like the way it sounds, more power to you. You've made your life easier... sort of. Supposing that your audio levels are all even for the different people speaking on the show, you should be good to go. If you want to add in an opening and closing theme, this should be just as easy as I mentioned before by importing the music into your project. Drag it into place and you're done.
Just make sure your levels sound good. You may have to manually change the levels here and there. Especially if you shift between spoken words and music, you don't want the shift to be too jarring. Most music will have to be turned down, unless it was recorded softer.
Don't let your conversation play back at uneven levels. If one person is always significantly louder than another, it will drop down the quality of the listening experience. Adjust these levels by turning up the volume for the entire track. If that doesn't do the trick, highlight certain sections and adjust the sound with a "Gain" or "Amplify" tool. For Windows users running Audacity, the "Hard Limiter" tool is a blessing - it will lower any excessively loud sounds down to your desired decibel level (however, over-using this effect will have negative ramifications for the quality of your audio).
Remember that your own ears are the best tool you have. Don't overwork them -- if you listen too much to changing levels without a break, your ears will start playing tricks on you. Remember that most people will hear your show through headphones, so try and make it listenable for that medium of playback.
Advanced Post
Okay, you've edited the show, you've lined everything up, and you've done all you can do by manually adjusting the levels. But you still have some issues. You need to use filters and tools to scrub the track clean.If you have a problem with static, try using a "Gate" filter. This will allows you to silence all the noise that occurs when no one is speaking. It literally acts as an audio gate -- it opens to let the sound thru, and completely shuts off the sound when there's not enough volume. This is a filter I use for my audio every episode. Use this filter before others, by the way. And be careful because too much gate can trim off parts of your conversation. (For Mac users running Audacity, check out this noise removal blog post for some specific pointers on how to remove static and room noise from your recordings.)
"Compression" is an extremely useful editing tool. It takes all levels of the audio file and compresses them into a smaller wave. Not only does it shrink down parts where the audio gets too loud, but it can also elevate hushed parts of the conversation. All this depends on the right settings, of course. There is no magic bullet for compression. Test the default settings on the filter first to see if you like what they do. If you don't like the results, then play around with the setting until it levels out the sound waves.
You also may want to boost the volume of the entire audio file to even out the speech. In Audacity, the "Leveller" is your best bet. But watch out for clipping. Clipping is when your audio has been over compressed and boosted, causing digital distortion. These sort of tools are often powerful and only worth it once you've compressed, normalized, and gated everything else.
Remember that speech sound waves should look more bumpy than music sound waves. Bigger peaks and drops are okay. Music tends to be more continuous, hence a more patterned and consistent sound wave.
Saving
Exporting Your File
This is really personal preference. There is no right answer here. Once you've recorded your podcast and edited it, you've got to export it. I prefer to export the show from my recording software as an uncompressed 41000Hz 16-bit stereo .aiff file. This way, I save all my file compression (which is different than the "Compression" in post-production) for the final stage.Compressing to .mp3 Format
I like to use iTunes for .mp3 file compression. Not only does iTunes have an excellent converter, but it also allows me to add in my ID3 tag at the same time. However, there are many solid programs that allow you to compress your file size. Whatever you do, please don't use .wma as your final codec. Not only is .mp3 the accepted podcast standard, but .wma is not compatible with all music players.The bit rate and final size of your .mp3 file is another personal preference sort of thing. It's also greatly dependent upon the length of your podcast. Music typically gets converted from 128kbps to 320kbps. That's all well and good if your podcast is five minutes long. But what if you have a half hour or an hour long podcast? That could leave you with a huge file size. Some people swear by formatting their podcast as mono. It's extremely complicated to explain how this works, but suffice to say that I suggest you go with stereo for a number of different reasons.
I use 64kbps compressions for my podcasts. My shows typically run from 45:00-70:00 minutes long. The iTunes converter automatically bumps me down to 22050Hz when I set my conversion at 64kbps, which is fine. You're going to lose some quality when you convert into an .mp3 file. That's just the name of the game. My file sizes end up running anywhere from 18MB to 35MB. That's not too bad. You can safely go lower or higher, so just play around with the different kbps setting on your .mp3 converter until you find a sound and file size you like. Avoid dropping down to 8-bit. I also recommend selecting "Joint Stereo" when doing this type of file compression.
Adding in Your File Info
Remember that ID3 tag I mentioned before? That's a tag that travels with your .mp3 podcast file no matter where it goes. It can contain the episode title, podcast name, year, genre, and much more. ID3 tags are mostly used for music, so the name of you podcast / blog should be the "Artist" and your "Title" should be the actual name of your episode. I like to add in extra info somewhere in the tag with my website URL to send listeners back to my main site for more.
You can also ad an image to your .mp3 podcast file depending on what software you use to create your ID3 tag. I like to put a .jpg of our show logo into every ID3 tag for a bit of visual flair. And after that, you're done.
Of course, I've skipped over anything related to hosting, webspace, promotion, and content. But that's enough for a whole other "how to" article. If you follow the steps I've laid out here (and frequently use Google to find out more about anything I've said that doesn't make sense), you should be on the right track. To hear a sample of exported podcast audio, check out one of my podcast episodes at http://www.audioshocker.com.
You can also ad an image to your .mp3 podcast file depending on what software you use to create your ID3 tag. I like to put a .jpg of our show logo into every ID3 tag for a bit of visual flair. And after that, you're done.
Of course, I've skipped over anything related to hosting, webspace, promotion, and content. But that's enough for a whole other "how to" article. If you follow the steps I've laid out here (and frequently use Google to find out more about anything I've said that doesn't make sense), you should be on the right track. To hear a sample of exported podcast audio, check out one of my podcast episodes at http://www.audioshocker.com.
Nick Marino
Made a Few Updates
Titanic Economics
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using a USB mike with Apple
many, many helpful observations found here. One can get a usb mike to record voice on an Apple -- I know that feeds into GarageBand nicely and I suspect it would feed into Audacity as well altho Garageband's integration with Apple Preferences might be more automatic than it would be with Audacity. Thank you Nick for writing on this topic -- I'll be coming back for help often.
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Angela
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This is truly
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kangsna kim
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Thanks~~!!
Anonymous
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Recording a Podcast from a PA
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Nick Marino
Thanks Sudie!
Sudie Hiller
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Simply Said Well
Nick Marino
Thanks!
Chuck Bartok
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I am learning.
Ordan
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THANKS
Chaggi Ordan