Category: podcasting

Podcasting basics for the first timer.

Preparing for Your Podcast

To prepare for your podcast we recommend you:

Plan: Review the assignment notes and brainstorm your concept. Discuss who your audience is, this will help to choose your genre. Some common genres are: comedy, education, drama. Choose your style, will you perform an interview, have a conversation or tell a story? Also consider if you will share your podcast outside of the classroom, perhaps you will make more than one episode!

Write it down: Prepare a script, break the script into paragraphs and label who will read what!

Jason: The basic element of an Audacity project is the track

Jamie: A track is any audio recording or sound clip that you either record using a microphone into Audacity itself, or import into the program from an already existing file on your computer.

Jason: This tour will walk through the basics tools to work with your track.

Setup your studio: Choose a space and gather your gear. Anywhere you plan to make your recordings, whether it’s your classroom or living room, is your studio. Watch this video for some tips to set your space. We include a support email at the end of the video, you are welcome to email for help with your podcast! When choosing you location be aware of noise in the space. Ie does the fridge make noise? Can you hear cars or kids outside. Sit and listen in the space to make sure it is quiet.

Gather your gear: Figuring out what gear you will have access to is next. Consider a few options including, a mobile device and a computer, or (for the adventurous), a full podcasting toolkit.

• Mobile devices: Most folks will have access to one of these and the built in recording features are the most accessible ways to record yourself. Look for “Voice Memos” on the iPhone
• Computer: Most Windows or Mac desktops or laptops will be able to record and or edit audio using a variety of programs. You may already be familiar with GarageBand on iOS for eg. We will cover editing using Audacity, a free, cross platform application, renowned for both recording and editing audio.
• Podcasting toolkit: There are few options for shared resources at TRU to make podcasts. The Library and Makerspace is where we recommend you look for equipment loans.

Creating and Editing Your Podcast (Audio File)

There are many ways you can go about creating and editing your audio file. If you have access to a microphone and other recording equipment the odds are you are good to go. The instructions below are for those who are just starting out and have no equipment and no budget!

Now that you have your script prepared you can start recording audio. The simplest way is to use the built in voice recorder app on your mobile device. If you want to take it up a notch and have a microphone for your mobile device then use it! If your mobile device does not have a voice recorder app then download and install Audacity onto your desktop or laptop and use the built in microphone or an external microphone if you have one.

We recommend creating a voice recording for each snippet of your script that you are reading and naming the files accordingly so you can combine them easily and quickly to make one file!

Check out this video tutorial which highlights Jason and Jamie using our mobile devices to record our audio files and combining them into one file using Audacity. We also cover how to edit the ums, ahs and stammers out so you end up with a professional sounding audio file.

Reminder: You will need to decide how to gather and organize your audio files, consider a naming convention and a place to store them so both partners have access to them!

Audacity Instructions

Please note that these instructions only cover the basics. Audacity is a powerful program that has many bells and whistles! If you want to do/learn more you will find a complete set of instructions at: https://manual.audacityteam.org/

1. Import existing audio files by selecting File -> Import -> Audio. Then browse to the existing audio file(s) on your computer that you wish to use and hit Ok. You can select all the files to import them in one step or select one and repeat until all files are imported.
   
   or
   
   With Audacity open and a microphone plugged in and ready to go, click on the red Record button on the Playback Control toolbar.
   

2. Next save your project by selecting File -> Save Project -> Save Project as. We recommend saving your changes often by clicking “ctrl + s” or “cmd + s” or selecting File -> Save Project -> Save Project.
3. To move a track to the end of the proceeding track so they play in the correct order for your conversation select the Time Shift Tool then click and drag the track to where you want it.

Audacity Project Before Ordering Tracks

Audacity Project After Ordering Tracks

3. To remove dead space at the beginning and end of your audio file select the track by clicking Select located on the left then select Edit -> Remove Special -> Trim Audio
4. To remove errors, ums and ahs along with dead space click into the track at the appropriate spot and drag the play head accordingly then click the “cut” button (scissors) or or click “ctrl + x” or “cmd + x”. If you made a mistake you can click the undo button or click “ctrl + z” or “cmd + z” to reverse an edit!

5. Once all the edits are made and you are happy with the end results you can export your file by selecting File -> Export -> MP3. Please note that there are other options but nearly all players are compatible with the MP3 audio format which is why we recommend it!
   
   Note: You will be prompted to fill in metadata to learn more about the Metadata Tags Editor check out: https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/metadata_editor.html

Take a listen to our before and after audio files to hear the difference a few edits make!

Jason – Track 1

Jamie – Track 1

Jason – Track 2

Jason & Jamie – Final Track

Note: Audacity is not the only software available to use for creating and editing audio files. If you already have a preferred software we recommend you use that software.

Suggested iOS app for recording and editing on your iPhone: Voice Recorder.

1a: Listening Journal

Please note due to the ongoing COVID Pandemic items are currently not available at this time.

Rode Podcaster USB Mic rode.com

This is a simple USB microphone that connects directly to your laptop or desktop.  Almost all software you use to record audio will recognize this mic.  Just don’t forget to select it in the settings. It does have a headphone jack on the body of the mic for monitoring the microphone.

Zoom H5  zoom-na.com

The ZoomH5 is a multitrack portable record, this means that it will record each microphone or microphone input onto a separate track which you can edit separately in your audio editor. The top part is an X/Y microphone that

Rode SC6 Mobile Interview Kit www.rode.com

This two microphone kit allows you to record directly into your phone.  It also has a headphone jack built in so that you can monitor what is being picked up by the microphone.  This adapter splits the audio into left and right channels so that you can edit independently.

RodeCasterPro rode.com

This is full podcasting production studio in a box.  4 high quality XLR microphone inputs. Ability to input phone audio for call in participants. 8 bank prerecorded sound effects with the ability to add more. High quality audio processing transforms your voice. To book time please email learningtech@tru.ca

Other gear you could purchase on your own:

• Rode NT-USB
• BlueYeti

Podcasts make great collaborative and capstone projects for students. Some great examples:

• Using podcasting to teach audience and research skills in composition class (including a compilation of the students’ favourite resources).
• Using podcasting to get ecology students to connect with how ecology stories are reported on in the news.
• Educause has collected some great podcast stories, including students using podcasting to report on study abroad experiences, connect as peer mentors, and as study tools for language learners.

But podcasting can also be used for smaller, one-off assignments, thanks to lightweight podcasting tools like our own SPLOT Box, which makes it possible for students to create and upload podcasts on-the-fly, without needing much technical know-how (in fact, you can see how easy the form is to fill in by checking it out here).

(Podcasting can also be a useful tool for content delivery to students in a flipped classroom setting, and some research shows real benefits in student motivation.)

Is podcasting right for your project? To determine that, you need to think about the following questions:

• Can you communicate your research in a meaningful way to a broad general audience?
• Who is your ideal audience? Are you interested in their feedback?
• Are there specific communities you would like to reach? Are you interested in collaborating with those communities?
• Where does the podcast fit in with your larger knowledge mobilization plans?
• How will you share your podcast with relevant audiences?
• Do you have time to commit to a podcast?

It is also worth thinking through the structure and frequency of your podcast. To build audience, podcasts need to be consistent. Consider the schedule you will commit to for podcast releases, and the duration of your intended run.

Podcasting is a distinct medium, and it’s a good idea to listen to a lot of podcasts to figure out what you do and don’t like, what you want to emulate and what you want to do differently. But, in general, podcasting is…

Intimate. Podcasts meet people in their most intimate and domestic moments. I listen to podcasts when I’m walking alone, when I can’t sleep, when I’m doing chores around the house. You’re placing your message inside someone’s ears. Don’t be surprised when they become attached to it, or feel some ownership over it. Which brings us to…

Collaborative. Podcast audiences are attentive and engaged. They want to contribute to the conversation. Think about how to engage listeners and how to collect feedback, and what you plan to do with it when you get it. And if the thought of public engagement gives you hives, this may not be the mobilization medium for you.

Punk rock. Okay, I’m editorializing. But despite corporate encroachment into this space, podcasting is still a very low-barrier DIY mode of creation. We want to provide people with the best possible sound experience, but we don’t want to lose the ethos of independence that is central to the sound of podcasting. What makes your project unique, and how can you capture that with the audio signature of your show?

Scholarly podcasts can take a range of forms, from casual knowledge mobilization to peer-reviewed projects to science-based advocacy. Here are some examples of the range of opportunities available in this field.

Secret Feminist Agenda is a peer-reviewed podcast about feminist issues made by Hannah MacGregor, an assistant professor of publishing at Simon Fraser University.

Crackdown is a SSHRC-funded podcast documenting the war on drugs from the perspective of drug user journalists.

Métis in Space is a podcast by Indigenous academics Molly Swain and Chelsea Vowell, critiquing Indigenous representations in popular culture (especially sci-fi and fantasy).

The UK Edition of The Conversation makes a podcast called In Depth Out Loud, where researchers talk about their latest work in 15-20 minute segments.

Our own CELT makes a podcast about teaching and learning called Adventures in Teaching.

The Canadian Medical Association Journal produces a podcast for medical professionals and academic researchers.

Secrets of Mathematics is an Oxford University podcast that shares classroom conversations and public lectures on selected topics in mathematics.

Podcasts are easily accessible for anyone with an internet connection and typically offered for free, which makes them particularly popular for mobilizing knowledge. While most listeners use a smartphone, they can also be accessed via desktop computer or downloaded to a media player. They’re also relatively easy to make with only a very small investment in equipment (if a large investment in time). This makes them a low-barrier medium for both creators and consumers.

There are now an estimated 660,000 podcasts in production (that’s a real number, not some comically inflated figure I invented to communicate “a lot”), offering up roughly 28 million individual episodes for your listening enjoyment (again, a real number; yes, someone counted).

– Vulture

Podcasts also provide on-demand entertainment and information in niche areas of interest. I listen to podcasts about Canadian politics, feminism in academia, health policy, historical crime, old Hollywood, and a seemingly endless range of other topics. Podcasting is a medium that particularly fits the interest-driven, highly portable way we like to enjoy media now.

Podcasts are essentially radio on the installment plan, a return to the intimacy, wombed shadows, and pregnant implications of words, sounds, and silences in the theater of the mind.

– Vanity Fair