Podcaster Tips

The PodcaStudio Firewire Kit is an innovative podcasting gear that allows you to create professional podcast shows, music productions and digital home recording studio.

The PodcaStudio which is designed by Behringer Germany features the following:

• High-resolution 24-bit/96 kHz, 2 In / 2 Out FireWire audio interface includes the BEHRINGER Edition of Ableton Live Lite 4 music production software for PC and Mac computers;
• Professional 8-input 2-bus mixer with premium mic preamps and 3-band EQs;
• Professional large-diaphragm studio condenser microphone;
• High-performance studio headphones with ultra-wide frequency response;
• Table microphone stand, microphone windscreen and cable, four 1/4″ jack cables and two FireWire cables;
• Powerful DAW software (Ableton Live Lite 4 BEHRINGER Edition, Kristal Audio Engine, Audacity);
• Illustrated quick-start guide “How to Podcast”;
• High-quality components and exceptionally rugged construction

PodcaStudio is indeed all you need to make high-quality podcasts and digital recordings at home. The average price of this equipment in the United States is 299.99 USD; 206.00 GBP in United Kingdom; and 242.00 EUR in Germany.

One of the most recommended podcasting books that is available in the market is the 384 pages book entitled
Tricks of the Podcasting Masters which can be bough in Amazon at around $22.49. The book is authored by Mur Lafferty and Rob Walch  who are both successful podcast hosts and producers until now.

The content  is basically arranged in 3 parts that is about podcasting basics (history of podcasting, podcast ratings and genres; Necessary podcaster skills and attributes; and podcast marketing and promotion (which also includes turning your podcast into business,  generating income and using podcasts to market other products and services).

Aside from basic guide about producing a podcast and a thorough discussion about networks and hosting options; the Tricks of the Podcasting Masters Book contains valuable information that podcasters need to take their podcast into the next level. The book includes topics about developing listener interaction, necessary interview skills and how to attract sponsors to your podcast. There is even an appendix covering Creative Commons, microphone and voice tips.

This book is indeed worth buying and one of the best podcasting books because it tackles from basic podcast producing, the technical aspects of podcasting as well the things that podcasters should do to make their podcasts run for years to come.

There is a new podcasting tool that is out in the market today: the hybrid all-in-one conference calling - podcasting - syndicating machine developed by WYDE Voice and Persony.  This is a high-end podcasting tool that combines Podference’s automated podcasting software and WYDE Voice’s scalable conferencing bridge.

The all-in-one conference calling - podcasting - syndicating machine is not only for producing premium podcast content but can be also utilized for distance education settings, collaborative creative project settings, virtual meetings, and even holding shareholder calls or corporate training sessions. Unlike ordinary podcast distribution platform that can be accessed by the general public, podcast episodes or series created using this new device are distributed to specified group of audience.

The cost of WYDE Voice’s all-in-one conference calling - podcasting - syndicating machine however, may not be as cheap as other solution but with its powerful features and capability to provide unparalleled audio quality and integration, this can be a cost-effective investment to have an easy-to-use and fully integrated web conferencing solution.

This device is capable to accommodate 500 to 7,000 concurrent regular callers or up to 3,000 HD Voice callers. It can also support an extensive list of narrowband codecs and Hi-Fidelity Voice codecs such as G.722.2 AMR-WB and iSAC from Global IP Sound.

There are two available models of all-in-one conference calling - podcasting - syndicating machine. The first is the VM1000 that supports up to 1000 concurrent users and the other one is VM3000 which can accommodate up to 14 DSP boards in its chassis providing from 1000 to 13,000 channels.

Companies who are planning to set-up their own podcasting studio that can produce professional and high standard podcasts, may want to inquire in the “Business Podcasting Studio-in-a Box“ of BOT International. This company will visit your office location and will physically be there for your company to set up a podcasting studio; teach your company how to podcast and help you produce various business and marketing podcasts.

Didn’t have a chance to attend the previous Podcast Expo? Why not grab some free Podcast Expo recordings?  Paul Colligan is giving away three of his previous presentations from the New Media Expo and these are available to anyone who wants to see them!

Click here to access the videos. Check them out as soon as possible because I am not sure until when they will offer these stuffs for free.

And aside from these recordings by Paul Colligan, you may likewise avail of his free webinars about Web 2.0 marketing. Simply send him a blank email to get an access to his free webinars.

Another good podcasting book that is recommended for those who want to learn producing and publishing their own podcast is the Podcasting: Do It Yourself Guide. This book is created last 2005 by seasoned podcaster who is also the owner of Geek News Central weblog, Todd Cochrane.

Podcasting: Do It Yourself Guide Book will teach you how to create podcasts using just your PC and will even guide you in building your own professional studio for recording podcasts. It also talks about the copyright issues, music ownership and provide helpful tutorial in RSS, XML and Enclosures.

Podcasting: Do It Yourself Guide Book has 5 sections:

Part I: Listening to the Podcast Revolution – which gives readers an overview about podcast and podcasting in general.

Part II: Joining the Revolution: Your Own Podcast – covers the basics of podcast creation from podcasting ideas to estimating the bandwidth you will need for your podcast.

Part III: Recording Your Podcast and Performing Postproduction Tasks – This is the section that details the process of recording your own podcast.

Part IV: Hosting and Preparing to Publish Your Podcast – which discusses the things that you need to know to publish and distribute your podcasts.

Part V: It’s Show Time – The section that will teach you to promote or spread the word about your podcast and what to do next now that you just created and published you show.

This book is available in Amazon can be bought in paperback, ebook and even in Kindle edition.  It has a pretty impressive review that makes this book as one of the recommended podcasting books that are available in the market.

Ever heard of a podcasting university? Well, there is but it is not a typical university or college but an online site where aspiring podcasters can learn like a pro! Podcasting University is created by Jason Van Orden, a podcasting and social media consultant and author.

Podcasting University offers video tutorials and articles from top podcasting experts and consultants that introduce students to the whole process of podcasting . Among the things that students can learn from Podcasting University includes:

* What is a podcast
* Planning your podcast
* Creating content that keeps your audience coming back again and again
* Recording and editing your podcast
* Publishing your podcast online
* Promoting your podcast

The monthly charge for enrolling at Podcasting University is $14.95 per month (can be cancelled anytime)but interested individuals can access the university for FREE within seven days. This allows potential student to explore and access the tutorials at no cost. To avail the 7-day free access in Podcasting University, please click here.

Kindle is Amazon’s revolutionary wireless reading device or electronic book reader. It looks like the size of a book but weighs around 10 ounces only. Without any memory card, Kindle is already capable of holding up 200 books. Kindle used similar technology to that of mobile phones, so wherever you are; with or without wi-fi, you can definitely access or read something from your kindle.

Kindle can be used to browse blogs and other select materials from the internet. It is also capable to browse Wikipedia and has a built in dictionary that you can consult anytime and anywhere. But aside from its uses as reading device, did you know that you can listen to your favorite podcast through Kindle?

This is because Kindle is capable of playing audiobooks that makes it possible to become a podcast or MP3 player too.  All you need to do to load your podcasts in Kindle is to transfer the shows in MP3 format to Kindle’s Audible folder.

And because the Kindle treats the podcasts as audiobook, you can then pause, rewind or fast forward the podcast show as you listen for up to 30 seconds. Cool, isn’t it? No wonder, Oprah liked and endorsed Kindle.

But of course, you can not subscribe podcasts from Kindle. You can only transfer podcast from your PC to Kindle by using the USB connection. For other extra features of Kindle like how to find a nearby cell tower, a gas station or a restaurant or even how to play Minesweeper, click here.

I stumbled upon another source of free audio samples that can be used by podcasters in their show. The free soundpack is provided by Beatsuite, one of the web’s finest production of music library.

This free audio is actually a promotional audio pack for beginners and professionals in podcasting because it contains essential audio files like Cafe Quarter Sting, Energize Sting, Night Metropolis Sting, Urban Tribe Sting, Constellations Loop, Eko Loop, Sci High Loop and Wave Movement Loop which can be utilized in podcast productions.

The only condition for using the said soundpack is to credit Beatsuite for providing this free music. You can download the free soundpack through Apple’s Download Section. And although it is stated there that the required operating system is Mac OS X, the WAV files in the download will work just as easily for Linux and Windows users.

So check this out this great free music download here. For other soundtrack requirements for your podcast productions, you may want to see Beatsuite’s premium music products.

Some podcasters, especially those who are novices in show recording usually get some irritating popping sounds every time they speak into a microphone (an example is the annoying p and b sounds). The solution to this problem is to use a pop filter in your mic. A pop filter is something like a screen that blocks the popping sound.

You may create an improvised pop filter by using 6″ Embroidery Hoop, Generic Pantyhose, Split Flex Tubing, Wire and Black zip ties. This will cost you less than $10. For details on how to create an effective homemade pop filter, read the detailed instructions here.

But if you don’t have time to assemble your own pop filter screen, there are lots of pop filter that is available in the market for around $20. Some example of commercially available pop filters are those that can be seen at ZZounds and Pro-audio.