Podcasting Advisor

Oh RSS feed, how I love thee (not, very not). I answer a couple of questions today that involve feeds - and a really juicy one about retro-fitting a Feedburner feed - all good stuff. Here’s the Redirect plugin for WordPress

In a rather short show today I go into the scintillating world of audio post production - and specifically normalisation. So don your propeller hats and prepare to enter the world of the audiophile. It’ll be worth it though - because this is laying the foundation for the other post production stuff we need to cover such as audio compression - more of that in a later episode… In other news - here’s Julia’s podcasts.

In today’s show I chat with Cliff Ravenscraft, of PodcastAnswerMan.com. Cliff shares his story of how he took a leap of faith and went from a career in insurance to a full time podcaster and then podcasting coach. A great interview and some terrific tips from Cliff. Also: Listener Joe Dale pointed me to the Audacity to Podcast show with Daniel Lewis, and The Podcasting Emporium with James Williams and Dave Gray. Submitting podcasts to the new Blackberry Podcast Catalogue - here is where to go - you’ll need to sign up first (pretty painless).

Today I delve into the whole area of tracks in audio podcast production and where to find music. Some places to find music for your podcast: Magnatune Music Alley Music Bakery Opuzz Ioda Promonet

Today I cover the essence of audio editing, what it is and how it’s best done. In other news, RIM announce the new Blackberry Podcast Catalogue and Podcast app that allow the user to subscribe to and download show on the move! Thanks to Cliff Ravenscraft of Podcast Answer Man for bringing this to my attention. Here’s the where to submit your podcasts to the Blackberry Podcast Catalogue .

In this week’s episode I talk with Skipper Wise of Blue Microphones. It was a fascinating chat and I really got an insight to the ethos of Blue. Skipper loves the combination of art and engineering. I asked him first about his musical beginnings and how Blue got started.

In today’s show I talk about a few portable audio recorders I’m familiar with. I was introduced to a new web based podcasting platform yesterday - ipadio.com. Only had a quick look but it looks very interesting and I’ll cover it in a later show. Blue Mikey - an external stereo microphone for the iPhone and iPods - nice review here iPhone App - Blue FiRe that goes with the Mikey The Zoom H4n - what you get these days in place of the H4. A nice page about the new Zoom H1

I was delighted to spend some time yesterday morning talking with Dave Jackson of the School of Podcasting. Dave gave some interesting stories and insights into podcasting: A simple way of explaining what a podcast is How podcasting can help you get a job How podcasting doesn’t have to be about making money How to evaluate the best content for a podcast What made Dave start podcasting A simple explanation of RSS using a popcorn analogy The steps forward for those hesitating with podcasting Top tips when starting a podcast

Audacity is a free, open source program that allows you to record, edit, process and mix audio. In today’s show I go over the basics of what it is, how to install the LAME MP3 encoder, how to record, and how to save and export an MP3 file.

After a rough, sleepless, windy night, followed by an afternoon power nap, I discuss the oft-asked topic of recording conversations from Skype. We start the show with a voice question from Kathryn Colas of Simply Hormones - she’s starting the Simply Hormones Podcast. Software mentioned: Audio Hijack Pro Pamela Pretty May

How to stop that annoying popping sound on your spoken audio. Links to YouTube videos where I review some mics: Shure SM58 (you can see the pop filter in front of the mic) Samson C01U condenser mic You can get pop filters at many electronics and music outlets - for online options look at Dolphin Music (UK). This pop filter by Rode from Dolphin Music (UK) has a small clamp which should be well suited to the Blue Snowball

Podcasting is all about honesty and authenticity. it’s important to be able to speak from the heart. But this is not always as easy as it sounds. Here are 5 easy tips to get you on your way to speaking with conviction, authenticity and passion.

I think interviews are one of the best things you can do on your podcast. In today’s show, I brain dump all I have learned about the best way to interview your guests in my 4 years of podcasting.

It’s time to get started in podcasting. I start off talking about headsets in general - Plantronics do nice ones. DISCLOSURE: Most of the links to purchase are AFFILIATE LINKS. I’ll get a commission if you end up buying the product. This helps me to feed my children. If you don’t want his to happen just use Google. For a good condenser microphone – take a look at the Samson C01U. Get it from Dolphin Music (UK). The Blue Snowball is another condenser microphone worth considering. You can buy this from Apple Store (UK), Dolphin Music (UK). Both these mics plug straight into your computer via USB. I talk about the Shure SM58 - this is a popular, robust dynamic microphone (It’s the one I use on this podcast). Bear in mind with this mic that you’ll need something to plug it into - it has an XLR plug that won’t plug directly into your computer. You’ll need an XLR to USB interface, a mixer or a separate audio recorder with XLR inputs such as the Zoom H4. Purchase the SM58 from Dolphin Music (UK).

Where is it best to host your podcast files? What sort of website should your podcast be? What is an RSS feed? I was prompted to answer these questions when my friend Paul asked about hosting companies. In this episode I paint a picture of the ideal podcast distribution setup.