Producing The Best Podcast

Podcasting is a very exciting form of delivering audio.
Podcasting has many possibilities and gives listeners
who download your podcasts the ability to become
a "program director of one."
Listening to what they want, when they want.

Podcasting has the opportunity to change the delivery of audio
content, as much as the Web Browser changed the internet.


So lets get podcasting.

Okay you have a computer, microphone, and you've
heard about podcasting, and say to yourself,
I can do that. Well before you jump into the
podcast pool, and tell the world you have a podcast,
lets cover some basics.

1. What will your content be ?
Will you ramble on about your day, does anyone
really care about your day ?

Everybody has a life and they might not have the time or desire to
 hear about yours, and face it, it  might not be that interesting.

2. How often will you produce a podcast ?

Pick a schedule and stick to it. If you produce
a weekly podcast, make sure it is released on time
each week.

3. Can my sever or web host handle the bandwidth required
for downloading my podcast should it become popular ? Or will
I end up going over my bandwidth limit and have a huge unexpected
bandwidth bill.

Podcasts are large files, find out how much bandwidth you have
allotted in your web host package.

4. What bit rate should I save my mp3's ?

I cannot stress enough how important this is.
People are use to high quality audio, don't let them down.

Yes bandwidth can be an issue, but do not, I repeat do not
sacrifice saving bandwidth over quality, in the end it will
bite you if you do.

 I listen to hundreds of podcasts every
week and I hear so many poor quality podcast saved at
a compression factor of 32kpbs/11 or 22 kzh. In my opinion this  is an
 unacceptable compression ratio due to the poor quality.

I would suggest no lower than 96kpbs/44kzh and
if you really want a high quality podcast, 128 kpbs / 44 kzh
is the lowest setting that should be used, with 160 kpbs / 44 kzh
a setting that should  be used for music, but even iTunes only
gives its users 128 / 44 even though they shoud go for higher quality.

In the end it is your bandwidth and podcast, but if you want
to have a successful podcast, I truly believe that  the podcasts
that will be around in a year, are the high quality and of course
podcasts with interesting content.

For more info on mp3 compression and conversion
click the link below.
http://www.mp3-converter.com/bitrates.htm

5. Does my audio quality match those of podcast
that I've heard and enjoyed ?

These are just several of the items you should consider
before "going on the air" or releasing your podcast.

Who are you to tell me what I should do ?

I was in radio for 15 years  and also started the
very first "internet Only Radio Network" in 1999.
The Sixty Seconds Radio network produced daily content
in the form of News Headlines and World Wide Weather in a 60
second format, which was used on over 250 internet Radio Stations
around the world.
See more about The Sixty Seconds Radio Network on
the "about" page on our site, and download a montage
if you would like. (Click Here)


 
Consider this when you start podcasting.
Where do I plan to  take this podcast ?
Do I want to someday have sponsors ?
Or will this just be a hobby.

As I review podcast for listings for The Podcast Bunker, the very
first thing I do, is listen to the podcast for the quality of audio,
and is the content interesting.

The reason I started The Podcast Bunker was to find
the best podcast on the net, and list those
that have high quality content and audio.

Remember listeners are listening to your podcast on high quality players.
Listeners ears are adjusted  to hearing high quality audio, without hum, without hiss
and the other nasties that can find its way into your audio chain.

One of the most noticed things I find when reviewing podcast is poor microphone technique.

This is one the most often and glaring mistakes I hear on podcast. Many are too far from the microphone and others are too close, over driving the audio and creating distortion.

Popping P's is one of my biggest "Pet Peeves", say that 3 times fast !

Popping P's is one of the mistakes made by beginners as well as some pros in the business,
and there is really no excuse for it. I suggest you use headphones when recording your podcast, that will allow you to monitor your output, and  help your learn good microphone technique.

Right this minute you can do a POP TEST,
hold your hand 6 inches away from your mouth and say a few P'words,
podcasting, podcast, Plumber. Feel that rush of air on your hand,
that is what causes the "x-plosives" on your microphone and audio.
Overload distortions occur when vocal levels exceed the operating limits of the microphone’s diaphragm or preamplifier.

There are a couple of ways to prevent those "x-plosions",
having good microphone placement, and turning your head slightly when
you use a word with a "P" in it. There are also Pop Filters,
or you can make your own. Roll your own Windscreen .

Audio levels need to be maintained, digital audio clips
and when it clips it is worse than analog audio.
Here (Click Here) is a great place for more information on audio levels.

I suggest you practice and record a few podcast before releasing them.
Listen to the audio, listen for pops, hum, noise.
Find the problems with your audio and make the adjustments
needed to have a high quality podcast.

It doesn't take thousands of dollars of audio equipment to produce high quality audio,
but it does take some effort and thought to make
and produce a podcast that you will have high quality audio.
One listeners will enjoy listening to.