introduction to podcasting
TRANSCRIPT
An Introduction to PodcastingArts Council of Ireland / Comhairle Ealaíon na hÉireann
Tuesday 25th November 2008
Cur in aithneConn Ó Muíneacháin, Edgecast Media • Digital Media Production
o Radio, Podcasting, Audio and Video, Web Publishing, Social Media, Consultancy & Training
• An tImeall, 1st podcast as Gaeilge• Intruders.TV, video blog about startups & technology• Digital Media Awards Grand Prix 2007• Irish Blog Awards Winner, now Sponsor• Irish Web Awards Sponsor• Ballynacally, Co. Clare• 2 employees
What is a Podcast?
A Podcast is an audio or video programme, • Available on the Internet (published, uploaded, linked) • Downloadable and Copiable to a mobile device• Subscribeable - the user can subscribe to receive future
episodes automatically
Why Podcast?
Convenience. Whose convenience? Available ... Downloadable ... Copiable ... Subscribeable ...
Not the producers!
For The Listener's convenience ... Media On Demand
To Reach The Audience
The Podcasting Experience
Podcast Reception(The Listener) • Discovering Podcasts• Subscribing to Podcasts• Listening
Podcast Production(Available, Downloadable, Copiable, Subscribeable)
o MP3 Encodingo Uploadingo Hostingo Publishingo Syndicationo Promotion
Discovering Podcasts
• Google (or your search engine of choice)
• Podcast Directory
o iTunes
Subscribing to Podcasts
• Use a "Podcatcher"• iTunes is both a podcast directory and a podcast
subscription tool or "podcatcher"• Subscribe once• Download automatically• Sync with mobile device, iPod, iPhone
• Other Options• MP3 players • "Smartphones"
o Nokia Podcatcher
Listening to Podcasts
• Tetheredo Streaming from web page using embedded playero Downloaded and played on computer
• Free
o MP3 playero iPodo Phoneo Car
Podcast Production
Podcast Production Cascade• Record• Edit• Publish
Audio Production Tools and Techniques• The Underlying Principle
o Try to produce as good a signal as possible at each stage of the process. You can’t improve a poor signal in post -production, so get it right first time.
• The Golden Ruleo Monitor yourself. Listen critically to
your output.
Recording Tools
• PC Sound Card and Microphone•(Headset recommended as it will
position the mic correctly)•Use software such as Audacity to
record (or Garageband on a Mac)• OR Sony Minidisc• OR Solid state devices, e.g. M-Audio
Microtrack 24/96• OR Digital Dictaphone
Recording Technique
• Position the microphone nice and close – but not too close!
• Avoid “distortion”• Avoid “popping”• Remember the Golden Rule –
monitor yourself. Listen to what you record.
Editing Tools
• Audacity (free)oaudacity.sourceforge.com
Audio Compression• Lossless
o WAV, AUPo Large fileso Faithful reprodction
• Lossyo MP3o Small fileso Mostly imperceptible difference in quality
Important!
Because MP3 is "lossy" you should only use it for your final version. Always save intermediate drafts as an Audacity project file (AUP) or as a WAV. Do not repeatedly save changes to an MP3 file - the quality disimproves each time you encode it. (Like a photocopy of a photocopy) Remember:• Save your work as AUP or WAV• When the final version is ready, export it to MP3
Production - MP3 Encoding
In Summary:
Recommended:• 128 kbps MP3 bitrate• 44.1 kHz sample rate
Dynamics Processing (Loudness)• Sound equipment has a limited
dynamic range. There is a maximum loudness.
• If you exceed this (overmodulation) you lose signal information -> distortion
• Keep inside the lines! ☺
Dynamics Processing (Quietness)• If a signal is too quiet, it is
susceptible to noise• Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Publish
• Upload to a server (Hosting)• Get a URL• Publish on a blog• Generate a "Feed"• Submit feed to iTunes and other directories
iTunes• Music store, and Podcatcher!• Users subscribe to the feed - the podcast is automatically
downloaded and copied to a portable device (iPod)
Podcast Hosting
Web Server A computer that stores files (pages, pictures, media) and serves it to other computers (clients) that request it across the internet.
URL (Universal Resource Locator)
A web address
protocol://host/directory/filename.extension
e.g. http://www.rte.ie/rnag/eureka.html
Podcast Hosting
Hosting costs • Storage• Bandwidth (data transfer)
Standard Hosting Providers:
o www.blacknight.como www.myhost.ieo many others
Podcast Hosting
Specialised Podcast Hosting
www.libsyn.com• "all you can eat"• reasonably good service
archive.org• The Internet Archive• Free• Not guaranteed• Good enough for most purposes
Podcast Hosting - FTP
FTP
File Transfer Protocol
Used to upload files from your PC (client) to a remote Server on the internet
Podcast Publishing
After uploading via FTP - you will have a URL
http://hosting.edgecast.ie/media/rnag/eureka/eureka-2008-10-01.mp3
this MP3 can be published using blog software
Podcast Publishing - Blog
Blog hosting providers
• wordpress.com• blogger.com
Podcast Publishing - Syndication
RSS - Really Simple Syndication
An RSS Feed is a stripped down version of your blog content.
RSS Feeds can have "enclosures" - i.e. podcasts
Podcast Publishing - Syndication
You can enhance a feed by putting it through Feedburner
www.feedburner.com
allows for• adding additional descriptions, keywords, etc• specialised elements such as required for podcasting in
iTunes
Podcast Promotion - iTunes Directory
submit your podcast to iTunesmust conform to guidelines on explicit content etc.
Further Information
• Contacto Conn Ó Muíneacháino www.edgecast.ie
• Podcastacademy.com• Podcast411.com• Podcasting.ie• Wikipedia.org
• PodCamp.org