Doctors Orders

Imagine that you are laying on a hospital operating table, just about to be put under when the Surgeon leans over to you and says "There is nothing for you to worry about, just relax." with that he turns around and picks up a children's plastic Doctor Bag and starts placing tiny little plastic operating instruments on the tray beside you.... ?

You would probably want him to use professional equipment, hopefully that had been sterilised and that he knew what to do with... but hey, you are fast asleep now!

So it does seem odd to me, as a professional Podcast Editor that if you were doing the same job you would use a piece of free software or something designed for Journalists or similar?

I can understand a Host using free software, like the very good and capable Audacity, but if you are describing yourself as a professional editor it would be better to use industry recognised software DAWS like Pro Tools, Adobe Audition even Logic Pro - to create the very best sound for your client?

The right tools for the job as the proverb goes.  To find out about Podcast Editing from $35 an hour/episode - click here

My first Podcast

Hooray and hurrah you finally recorded that first Podcast, you faced deathly challenges..well you mastered recording and editing. Took perilous journeys ..well you learnt how to upload to Libsyn.  And the final mountain was climbed ..submitting your Podcast to Apple and passing. Champagne all round.

Now my challenge to you, is to keep doing it and do it well.  Most Podcasts fizzle out at about the seventh episode.  There are more discarded Podcasts on the net than fish in the sea (yes I know in a few years time I probably will not be able to use that analogy)

Why are there so many abandoned Podcasts?  Well a good idea,  has to be a good idea that keeps on giving.  I do remember the misery of Producing a Saturday night radio Show, when everyone who had a life was out partying.  We invented a fab feature called the A to Z of Vodka cocktails - it gave us plenty of material; literally freshened up every week, and also meant that we were all pretty smashed by the end of the show, hooray and hurrah.

So plan longevity into your show, map out 20 episodes, if you can't come up with content for each Podcast... you might be looking at the seven episode fizzle out! To find out about Podcast Editing from $35 an hour/episode - click here

Techie Tips

Six little techie tips to help your Podcast:

Tip One: Practice - practice recording, practice your microphone technique, make sure you can make work the software you are using and know how to record.

Tip Two: Ambience and background noise can all be part of the recording, so long as it is not intrusive, so pick your venue with care.  For live interviews, the more carpets and curtains (drapes) the better.  For down the line interviews try and get them to go to their bedroom, or if at work a small meeting room.

Tip Three:  Microphones are sensitive little creatures, try to be close to them, but not too close.  Cardioid (directional) mics are good to cut background noise, omni-directional to include some of that ambience.  Mics like the Blue Yeti have various settings to suit your kind of Podcast.

Tip Four:  LEVELS - after echoey rooms, screwing up the levels is the thing that will ruin a podcast, under-recording can usually be fixed, over-recording cannot.  Recording engineers say sh*t in sh*t out.  Most software programs, mixing desks (panels) have a level meter - like a nuclear reactor - keep it away from red.

Tip Five: MONITOR wear headphones, one ear on, one ear off if you want.  Get the guest to do the same, or if they don't have a professional set-up, it can be better if they put some ear buds on with a chin wire mic, that will often sound better than the laptop built in mic. (The exception would be say a Skype call to a normal mobile (cell) phone, then the phone's mic and noise cancelling is often better.

Tip Six: DON'T MENTION THE FURNITURE, stuff will go wrong, you might forget to switch your mic on, start to record the Podcast .. try not to make a drama out of it, it will put your guest off and you too.