Podcasting+Tips

A podcast is an audio or video file which can be subscribed to and automatically downloaded from the Internet to a computer. The end user may listen to the podcast on the computer or can transfer the podcast to an MP3 player or iPod for listening at a later time.
 * What is a Podcast?**

Listen to one of the [|American Experience] podcasts. Observe how the professionals speak. How do they hold your interest? How is the topic introduced and developed? Pay attention to the use of music and other sound effects. Now go to Itunes, select Podcasts and listen critically to some of the podcasts there.


 * Software**
 * On the computers in Lab 218 there is software, Audacity, which is the free software used to create and edit the audio file, and Lame, a free encoder which permits you to convert audio files to an MP3 format for the podcast for you to use in creating your podcasts.
 * In the library Audacity and Lame are installed on selected laptops.
 * To work at home you will need to download [|Audacity] __.__ You will also need to download [|Lame]. Create a file on your computer called Podcasting. In the Podcasting file, create another file called Lame and download Lame into that file. You must keep track of where you download Lame because you will have to navigate there the first time that you export to MP3.
 * You may also use Garageband if you have a Mac. If you download another sound recorder, make sure you can convert files to MP3 format.


 * Tutorials**

Watch the **[|Audacity tutorials]**: Recording Setup, Editing Tools, Basic Editing and Trimming, Adjusting level, Adding Music, Saving and Exporting to MP3. Now open Audacity on your computer and try recording. Remember that you can always refer back to the tutorials if you need some help. For Mac users, here are some links to Garageband tutorials:
 * Apple http://www.apple.com/support/garageband/gettingstarted/
 * Apple http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/garageband/
 * Atomic Learning http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/garageband/


 * Podcasting Tips**
 * Plan your podcast. Know your purpose and keep it in mind as you create your transcript. Develop an outline of the content that you want to include. Have an introduction, the body and a conclusion in which you sum up your information. Write out a complete transcript and edit it carefully. Podcasts are short so every word must count.


 * Use a conversational style when you podcast. Speak clearly and with enthusiasm so that people will want to listen to you.


 * Practice your podcast several times before you record. Time the podcast and edit the transcript if necessary.


 * Add music and other sound effects. These should enhance your podcast and not interfere with the delivery of the basic information that you want to provide. It’s easy to get carried away. Remember to cite your music and sound effect
 * To set Preferences in Audacity go to Edit then Preferences. Under the Audio tab select 2 channels. Under Quality select Sample Rate 48000hz (48khz). and under File Format encode your MP3 files at 128k. Also under File Format select 16 bit.


 * To set the ID3 tags in Audacity go to Project and select ID3 tags. This is where you will identify the title and authors of the project and select the genre.


 * Limit your podcast to four minutes maximum.


 * When you record, you’ll want to watch for “pops” or puffs of air that are blown into the microphone when you are speaking, for example when you say a “t” or “p”. To avoid this, keep the microphone to the side of your face and around an inch from the corner of your mouth. If moving the microphone does not eliminate the pops, then bend a coat hanger and put a stocking over it. Place the stocking between your mouth and the microphone when you are recording.


 * Watch for the hissing sounds that sometimes occur when you say the letter “s”. The coathanger and stocking trick will help here too.


 * Be aware of background noise. If you get your microphone too close to the computer, you will pick of the sound of the CPU, monitor and printer.


 * Music and Sound Effects**

It’s important to consider copyright when downloading music and sound files. Since we are going to post your podcasts on the web, you may not just use any music that you find. Some artists license their music in new ways (see an explanation of [|Creative Commons] in Wikipedia) to permit more flexibility. For this project try some of these sites. Incompetech http://www.incompetech.com/
 * A1Free Sound Effects http://www.a1freesoundeffects.com/noflash.htm
 * Absolute Sound Effects http://www.grsites.com/sounds/
 * ccMixter http://ccmixter.org/
 * Creatvie Commons http://creativecommons.org/audio/
 * Open Sound Resource Pool http://www.opsound.org/music/
 * Open Source Audio http://www.archive.org/details/opensource_audio
 * SFX Free Sound Effects http://www.pacdv.com/sounds/index.html
 * PodSafe Audio http://www.podsafeaudio.com/
 * The Free Sound Project http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/