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Podcasting Blog
Audacity Updated
5/09/2008
The very popular among podcasters audio recording application, Audacity has received an update. Podcasting News has a full rundown of the changes, including many bug fixes. It is nice to see some interface fixes, too, as I’ve felt Audacity has always suffered on the UI side.
Got a Podcaster Birthday Coming Up?
2/14/2008
Don’t forget that I’ve put together the finest collection of gifts for your favorite podcasting friend, family member, neighbor, or stranger! This isn’t just a list for holiday gifts, but great to find something to buy for a birthday gift or something for yourself, too. Filled with books, hardware and more, the store is broken out into … Continue reading »
Greg Cangialosi on B2B Podcasting
2/13/2008
While on business and conference-going on the west coast, my co-author of The Business Podcasting Book Greg Cangialosi was interviewed today for the City Biz List about B2B podcasting. After a short introduction Greg gets right to the point about why podcasting matters to business:
Simply put, podcasting presents yet another opportunity for an … Continue reading »
Hardware Recommendations
- Kustom KM4 Mic with Cable
- Behringer XM8500 Microphone
- Shure SM58 Mic
- MXL MXL V63MBP Computer Desktop Recording Kit
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Contact
Ryan Irelan, Editor - listen@podcastfreeamerica.com
Setting Up Your Podcast Workflow Environment
Getting started refining your process.
In the last article I talked about some examples of podcast workflow tools. If you already have your tools, podcasting hardware, software and other needed items, than it’s time to think about how to set up your podcast workflow environment.
The highest goal to keep in mind when thinking about and setting up a podcast workflow is that you want to make podcasting as easy as possible. You want to remove unnecessary steps, repetitions and, for the more advanced, automate anything that can be done by a computer. These steps are what I used to streamline my podcast workflow and still use to keep it a refined and tight process.
Eliminate Distractions
The best way to podcast workflow success is to eliminate distractions and unneeded tools or software. I have a separate user account on my computer that is used specifically for producing podcasts. I only open applications that are necessary for creating my podcast. I don’t turn on email, instant messaging or any other distractions, unless it is needed for the podcast.
Even better than a separate user account is to have an entire computer dedicated just to podcasting. This will allow you to fine tune it for podcasting and make the task of recording, editing and publishing your podcast go faster because everything will already be set up.
Pick a time and place to record your podcast when you won’t be interrupted by other people. Also, turn off the ringer on all phones. Let anyone else in your house or apartment know that you’ll be busy for the next hour or more recording your podcast and that you’re not to be bothered.
Learn Your Tools
Learning your audio or video software and hardware will take some work, but making that effort is important to setting up a reliable podcast workflow. You have to know your tools. What about a new piece of software I just purchased? you might ask. That’s true, there will always been some learning when you get something new. That’s to be expected. The point is that you should be the master of your tools. You will be the most effective at producing your podcast if you know your podcast tools inside and out.
Some of this learning will come from trial and error, some of it from reading the manuals, some from reading online tutorials and some from taking more structured classes. Many stores that sell quality audio and video recording gear will also offer classes on how to use it. These may be offered free or for a small fee.
Refine Your Process
In the first article in this series I talked about taking stock of your podcast production steps and looking for ways to automate or improve.
As you produce your podcasts, think about the steps you take, write them down and try to improve, streamline and, if possible, automate your workflow. Sometimes it just takes recognizing repeated tasks to make your podcast workflow go from difficult and time-consuming to more fun in less time.
Part of refining your process is automation. Make your computer do the repetitive work for you. But that’s not for this article. Stay tuned for more on podcast workflows.
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