Tuesday, Jan. 24: Podcasting Workshop

In today's workshop you'll learn how to record, narrate and publish an audio Podcast. Although we'll discuss many technical options, we'll primarily focus on using the latest v3 of Apple's GarageBand, which features new Podcasting and publishing tools. We'll also discuss ways to effectively "perform" you narration and provide additional musical formatting, scoring and advanced features like implementing links within the podcast, visual images, and chapter marks.

If you have further questions, be sure to check our Notebook section on Podcasting.

By today you should have installed your stand-alone RSS newsreader and have subscribed to the feeds for the "Blogs To Start Your Newsreader," along, of course, with the feed for our own class blog and all of the blogs from others in our class.

Due: One week from today, Jan. 31, have completed and posted to your blog a short Podcast whose subject is a brief "pitch" or description of your major class project. Not only should this reflect your technical proficiency and demonstrated a proficient "read" of your material. The pitch should include both the topic of the project and something about why it's important and/or how it will be executed. Students working in groups should each make an individual pitch.

Ten suggestions for making a great podcast:

1. Assume that your audience is an "intelligent layman" who has a good general understanding of the world, but no particular knowledge about your topic. You're not speaking to classmates or your professor.

2. Write using short, declarative sentences. Where possible, use everyday language. If you use technical or topic-specific terms, be sure to define them. Remember, people often listen to audio while doing other things, so keep it clear.

3. Be concrete: if possible, write about actual events or experiences that illustrate your topic. Speak to your listeners' ears, but bring their visual imagination alive. This is a key to effective audio.

4. Beginnings and endings: be sure to write or make a compelling "hook" for your listener in the first 20 seconds, and bring your essay to a thoughtful, definitive conclusion.

5. Think of your recording as a "vocal performance" rather than just an exercise in reading into a microphone. Modulate your voice. Imagine yourself having a conversation with your listeners. Don't read your copy; perform it.

6. Before you record, exercise your voice by reading your copy in an exaggerated manner, articulating every syllable. Then when it's showtime, make every syllable as clear as possible. The last thing you want to do is mumble in a monotone, or speed-read to the end.

7. Ninety percent of getting good audio comes from following one rule: stay close to the microphone. For most vocal mics this is about 6 to 9 inches. Try a test recording first and listen for recording problems. Listen for hum in your system. Listen for pops—where letters like "p" seem to overload the mic. Listen for sibilance—where your "s's" seem to blur. Listen for background noise—like the hum of the computer you are recording with, or the lighting or refrigerator. Then do whatever you can to fix them. [But please remember to plug the refer back in.]

If you record using headphones you'll naturally hear these problems and fix them. Learn to listen like an audio engineer: ignore the content and listen to the recording itself, trying to find as many problems as possible. Then fixing them, of course. When you're a highly discriminating listener, you'll have "ears."

8. A long podcast may require that you record sections progressively. Pros can read a long text without mistakes, but most of us can't. Thank goodness for audio editors. Keep recording individual "takes" until you read one that you like, then edit the good ones together for your final podcast. You have one goal: making this as good as you possibly can. "That's good enough" isn't good enough.

9. Many pros suggest that you read standing up. This gets air into your chest and encourages you to breath deeply and "open up." Give it a try, but remember the mic still has to be close to your mouth.

10. Ask a friend to listen to and critique your recording. Be sure an tell them that you want to hear about absolutely everything that could be improved. [Friends usually want to say nice things, which is no real help.] You particularly want two categories of comment: on your performance and its legibility; and on elements of content or structure that were unclear to your listener.

Good luck!