Pagan Podcasting

The cool folks over at Vimeo have put together a way for everyone from beginners like me to more experienced vidcasters in the PPP to learn more about making quality video.

For those that don’t know, Vimeo is like YouTube, but without the file size, time and quality limitations for individual videos. As a result, it is preferred by vidcasters that want to produce a professional video podcast that may be longer than the 15 minutes YouTube allows. It also allows you to avoid Google, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Visit Vimeo Video School at http://vimeo.com/videoschool

…and still want to work on a podcast?

Use Dropbox and Spoon to make your files available anywhere you have access to the net (Dropbox) and work on them with Audacity via a cloud-based service (Spoon).

Dropbox is a service that provides file syncing across the internet, You can get a 2 Gb account for free. Just keep your working podcast files in your My Dropbox folder (Windows) so that you have access to them from any internet-connected computer (fast connection, obviously). Then download them from Dropbox to the computer you are working on. You can upload the modified files back to the net when you are done.

Spoon is an app that provides “…virtualization [which] lets you run desktop apps anywhere with no installs – at work, at home, or on the road.”

And that includes Audacity!  (AND they were smart enough to include the LAME mp3 encoder in the app.)  Just go to Spoon and fire up the Audacity cloud-based app.

If you listen to a podcast whose host doesn’t have a pop filter, you’ll know in the first 5 minutes… or can you?  I’ve recently had my world turned upside down by the mundane task of RTFM.  In the technical field, RTFM just means reading the manual… not sure what the F is supposed to stand for, maybe it means “fun” .

Earlier this year, I showed you how to build your own pop filter on the cheap.  Now here’s a secret, I’ve been recording the Pagan Centered Podcast since mid-September and none of our hosts have used pop filters.  How have we avoided the “popping” sound that comes with the letter P in a show called PCP without pop filters?

Well, here’s where the manual on my microphone came in handy.  I, like many podcasters, use a condenser microphone.  While this does work best with a condenser microphone, this works with any microphone.  The microphone manual will say something geeky like “for maximum clarity, orate into the microphone off-axis.”  That just means, don’t point the microphone at your mouth.

Head spinning yet?  Here’s why this works.  When you blow a burst of air that creates the pop in recordings, it’s because that air is hitting the microphone.  Just position the microphone so when you say “P”, that burst of air doesn’t hit the microphone while keeping the microphone close enough to pick you up.  This does take some experimentation if you don’t want to get into math, but when you’re done you can proudly proclaim “I’m a Proud Pagan Podcaster” and there be no pop in your recording.

All that popping is gone and you didn’t even have to spend a dime for additional materials.

Quite a while ago, my friend Mary Robinette Kowal posted some useful info on narrating into a microphone. You can find it here.

Mary is a professional puppeteer, a novelist and short story writer, and all-around original.

If you are interested in doing your own podcasting, here’s what I use:

• Operating System: Windows 7 (ugh! but I have to use it)
• Audio recording/editing/mixing software: Audacity
• Supporting software: LAME, Behringer drivers
• Audio recording hardware: Behringer XENYX 502 Podcasting Kit w/ UCA-200 USB interface – http://tinyurl.com/28okx64

But here’s what I recommend:

• Audio recording/editing/mixing software: Audacity – free – download from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/
• Supporting software: LAME- free – download from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/
• Audio recording hardware: Soundcard – http://tinyurl.com/24kvtdt
• Headphone Mic – http://tinyurl.com/27dw82w

Audacity and LAME are also available for Mac and Linux. In fact, the
USB soundcard I recommend above also works in Mac and Linux.

Here’s why I do not recommend the Behringer Podcasting Kit for beginners:

1. You can get good quality using my recommendations for about $90 less.
2. I tested the Behringer Kit against my recommendation, and the results were stunningly similar. Certainly better than some podcasts I have heard (none here).

Yes, if you use a Behringer Kit or other dedicated podcasting kit you will have more flexibility and control, but it might be wise to start by spending less and saving your money for when you are more experienced.