Create your own podcast

Step 1: Break into podcasting

Forget blogging: the hot topic right now is podcasting. If you've ever fantasised about hosting your own talk show, this is your chance.

Podcasts are recordings distributed across the Internet as downloadable MP3 files. Looking for a way to download recorded interviews to his iPod, former MTV VJ Adam Curry created a little application he called iPodder. But you don't have to have Apple's popular player to create or listen to podcasts.

All you need to start your own is a microphone, some software, and the gift of gab. In fact, most podcasts are home-brewed, even though large organisations such as the ABC are offering them.

Step 2: Tools for podcasting

Before you even get started with this project, we recommend that you have the following:

• A headset with a noise-cancelling microphone
• A portable MP3 voice recorder
• Podcasting software (such as Audacity or iPodcast Producer)

Step 3: How to plan a podcast

Sennheiser's PC 150 headset connects to a PC or laptop and has a noise-cancelling microphone.

A podcast can be anything: your political views, mock interviews with your pets, or something practical like a "live" trade-show report to share with coworkers.

Before you pick up the microphone, though, you should do some planning, especially if you're not used to speaking extemporaneously.

• Listen to some of the more popular podcasts to get a feel for style and content. A good place to start is Podcast Alley or iTunes.
• Write an outline to help you avoid long, awkward silences in your show.

Once you have a sense of what a good podcast should be and have narrowed down your topic, you can focus on hardware.

Other than a computer, the only hardware you need is a microphone; the better the model, the more professional your recordings will sound. You can use the mic that came with your PC, but for better recording quality, you should invest in a PC headset such as the Sennheiser PC 150, which offers a built-in microphone and noise-cancellation circuitry.

Some of the best podcasts are "road diaries." If you're on the go, don't forget to pack a portable recorder.

Many of the latest MP3 players have line-in jacks so that you can plug in an external microphone. (No, the iPod doesn't have one, but the iRiver H320 does.) Just make sure yours can record at a decent sampling rate -- at least 32Kbps for MP3 and 44.1KHz for WAV.

Tip: If you're parked in front of a PC and don't have headphones plugged in, be sure to mute your speakers. Otherwise, feedback could ruin your recording.

Step 4: Podcast-recording software

Technophobes can rely on programs such as iPodcast Creator to facilitate the podcasting process.

You can use a program as simple as Windows' Sound Recorder to capture your podcast, but something a bit more sophisticated would be better.

One popular podcast tool is Audacity, an open-source audio editor and recorder. It's available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and it includes a number of useful features and plug-ins.

If you want something even more podcast-friendly, check out Industrial Audio Software's aptly named iPodcast Producer. This start-to-finish solution lets you record and edit podcasts, create Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, and upload the finished product via a built-in FTP client. It's priced at US$249.95, but at press time the company was set to unveil a more consumer-oriented version, iPodcast Creator, for US$89.95.

Tip: If you decide to use Audacity, download and install the LAME MP3 encoder so that you can save your recordings as MP3 files, the preferred format for podcasts.

Step 5: Record your podcast

Technical glitches can ruin an otherwise perfect podcast, so start with a few sample recordings to test the software, adjust volume levels, and make sure everything works.

Next, set the sample rates for your recording. In Audacity, for instance, click File > Preferences, then click the Quality tab. If you're just recording voice, anything higher than 44.1KHz and 16-bit sampling is overkill for most noncommercial purposes. If music factors heavily into your podcast, however, consider higher rates, but keep in mind the resulting file will be larger.

Try to keep your show casual, conversational, and continuous. Remember, if you make mistakes, you can always edit them out later.

Tip: Some audio-recording programs, such as iPodcast Producer, let you add intro music, sound effects, and other audio in real time. That's usually easier and less time-consuming than adding it later. It goes without saying that if you include music in your podcast, you should respect copyright laws.

Make sure to select the right audio settings before you begin recording.

Step 6: Edit and save podcasts

After you've finished your show, save it as a WAV file. That will give you a "master" file to work from and a backup in case you have a problem exporting to MP3.

Now it's time to edit. In most cases, that means cutting out mistakes and long stretches of silence. In Audacity, as in most audio editors, you can find and remove silent patches easily. Just look for areas where the waveform becomes an almost straight line. Select that area (much the same way you select text in a word processor) and hit Delete.

Ideally, you should now save your recording as an MP3 file, preferably using a 32Kbps to 64Kbps bit rate. In Audacity, with the LAME MP3 encoder installed, this is also the chance to add ID3-tag info: your name, the name of the podcast, and so on. Without this, listeners won't be able to find your show on their MP3 players.

Tip: Make your podcast jazzier and more professional by adding loops, snippets of music used for everything from opening the show to introducing specific segments. Find thousands of freely available loops at Flash Kit.

Prevent awkward moments by deleting stretches of silence in your podcast.

Step 7: Publish your podcast

Now it's time to get your podcast out there.

If you have access to an FTP server, just create a new folder and upload your MP3. If you don't have an FTP server, you'll need to find a site that will host your podcast. A good place to start is Ourmedia.org. For now, it's free and doesn't limit file bandwidth, but the site screens all podcasts and will remove any content it deems inappropriate.

Some fee-based sites, such as Audioblog.com and Liberated Syndication, charge monthly fees starting at US$5. They may also impose monthly data-transfer limits, so if too many people download your podcast, you could face additional charges.

The last thing you need to do is upload a podcast feed, an RSS file that includes a description of your podcast, a link to the corresponding MP3, and other information. You can create this file in a number of ways. The free ways are to do it yourself (you'll need to know XML, though), to use the free podcast RSS-feed generator at TD Scripts.com, or to use the generator available to Ourmedia users. Generators are also part of third-party software apps such as iPodcast Producer, as well as some fee-based hosting services.

Step 8: Test your podcast feed

Before you announce your podcast to the world, use a validation service such as the free RSS Validator to ensure your RSS feed is in proper working order. If it reports an error, you'll have to go back into the RSS file, correct it, and upload it again.

Tip: To help attract an audience to your podcast, submit your link to podcast directories such as iPodder.org, or promote it on sites such as Podcast Alley and the Podcast Directory. Such sites include links for downloading your podcast.

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