by Ryan Irelan
A handful of companies are hard at work developing podcast (define) creation tools that require only a web-browser and an internet connection (assuming you have built-in microphone). In-browser tools finally offer non-technical people the ability to record podcasts with ease and, ideally, simplicity.
In this article, I will be looking at three browser-based podcast creation tools, ClickCaster, Odeo and Podomatic. It should be noted that all three are still in beta, and therefore not full-featured. As new features are added and any issues fixed, I will update this article accordingly.
Features |
Odeo |
ClickCaster |
PodOmatic |
In-Browser Recording |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
Effects Processor |
|
|
Bumper music (intro/outro) |
|
|
♦ |
Play uploaded audio clips/songs |
♦ |
|
|
Preview podcast before saving |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
Auto post to podcast feed |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
Upload existing audio |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
Create podcast from phone |
♦ |
|
|
Unlimited recording |
* |
♦ |
♦ |
Cross platform/cross browser |
♦ |
†|
♦ |
Community/podcast directory |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
Record to server |
♦ |
|
♦ |
Public betas available |
♦ |
♦ |
♦ |
* Odeo allows up to one hour of recording time.
†ClickCaster warns that Safari should be considered unsupported. I used it successfully, however.
ClickCaster
I first heard about ClickCaster after receiving an email from them to check it out. At first, I was a little skeptical when I made my first pass on the site. It didn’t have the whiz-bang WOW! grade A design that I was familiar with on Odeo. It wasn’t until I dug in that I started to see just how nice ClickCaster is.
Unlike the other two tools I’ll be writing about here, ClickCaster’s podcast “studio” - where you record your podcast - is a Java applet, not Flash. For the casual user this should present no problem, unless your browser complains about not having the proper plugin. However, and additionally, for the non-technical user, your podcast recording experience should be very smooth with ClickCaster.
From the chart above, you’ll see that ClickCaster records your podcast locally (in a temporary file, I assume) and then encodes it into a standard mp3 and uploads it to ClickCast. All automated and very nice. After you’re finished recording, sit back and watch the work be done for you. With ClickCast it was a pleasure to record the podcast and I wasn’t constrained by bandwidth problems, like I am with other tools.
(With ClickCaster you could record with a dial-up connection. This is not true of Odeo or Podomatic because they record over the internet and onto their remote server.)
All in all, ClickCaster is a solid in-browser podcasting tool. It doesn’t have a high profile flashy design, but it does what it is supposed to and doesn’t get in the way.
Check out my ClickCast podcast Click it Good.
Odeo
Definitely the most well-known, Odeo is the cool kid on the block. With it’s appealing design and slick interface, Odeo is fun to use and look at. It is definitely the best designed of the three.
My favorite thing about Odeo is how easy it is to be part of the community. Podcasters can see who is subscribing to their podcasts, click on the names and then in turn see who their subscribers are listening to. It is the nicely woven web that really makes it feel small and personal. So, while they do have a podcasting directory, it is much more interactive and community driven and a fresh take on the dozens of podcast directories that are already out there.
As I mentioned earlier, Odeo records over the internet and directly onto their remote server. This requires a lot of bandwidth (a “fast” internet connection). During my initial testing of Odeo Studio, I encountered a lot of problems with recording quality and found that it was due to the fact that I was using my wireless network. Once I hooked into the internet with a cable, the recording was much more stable and the quality a lot higher. One helpful thing with Odeo is that they warn you if your bandwidth is dipping below the minimum required. This warning should be a signal to you that your recording may not turn out perfectly.
The best feature of Odeo Studio is the Clip Library. You can upload your own mp3s and play them in your podcast. Each mp3 has its own player widget, where you can play, pause, rewind and control the volume. Also, your mp3s are there when you log in to record your podcast, so you can keep you r standard podcast music all there, at your fingertips. Very handy!
Phonecasting - Previously, I wrote that the phone-in podcast feature of Odeo is going to be its killer feature.
The way the feature works is that Odeo provides the user with a phone number to call. Using your phone number and PIN that you set up on the Odeo website, you log in and begin phonecasting, i.e. talking into the phone the same way you’d leave a voicemail. After you’re done, hang up and the phonecast will be automatically added to the podcast feed you’ve set up on Odeo.
Even if you don’t choose Odeo to create podcasts, you should definitely sign up and join the community. It’s a great way to discover new podcasts and expose yours to a larger group of listeners.
(Odeo Studio - the podcast creation tool - is still in private beta. Hopefully, they’ll be opening it up to the public soon.)
Podomatic
I didn’t learn about Podomatic until recently but when I got into their “Mix0matic” section, where you create podcasts, I was surprised by the fun stuff they had there to play with. I had a great time creating my podcast.
Podomatic is the only tool that offers you prepared intro/outro music to spice up your podcast. And it automatically adds the music to the beginning and end of your recording. With six different music “scenes” to choose from, it’s fun to record a short podcast and hear it with the music.
Podomatic also records directly to their remote server and unfortunately in my testing of the tool, the audio quality of the recording was less than good. Since they are still actively developing Podomatic, I do plan to go back and test again. Hopefully, the recording quality will increase significantly. [Later: Brian Woods of Podomatic was nice enough to write in and point out that the poor audio quality was most likely due to clipping. I will go back and try it again. Thanks for the info, Brian.]
Podomatic lets you send podcasts via email (!) and also gives you a nice URL to send people to, so they can access your podcast homepage. For example, mine is http://ryanirelan.podomatic.com/. It’s set up similar to popular blogging tools, like Blogger.com.
Update: Thanks to the folks from Podomatic and ClickCaster for stopping by and commenting on this entry. They’ve raised some important points and made corrections/clarifications.
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