Time for another ‘gear roundup post’. Or perhaps I should categorize this as a ‘getting started post’? Whatever you call it I thought it was time for another one of those. I’ve decided to split it up into two posts. This first one will as the name suggests deal with what you need to start out podcasting if you’re not looking to spend any larger amounts of money. The second part in this serious will deal with more ‘high-end podcasting’ if such a term exists.
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The interview is a bit more complicated than your normal, personal, off the mill podcast especially if you will be conferencing over the internet or live even, face to face. First, study the set up and get down to planning a few setup’s trying to figure out what works best. For teleconferencing, you can record the questions and answers separately, editing them together with your editing software later. Background noise is a killer so search and silence all noisy stuff, equipment (if you love to use your computer, you’re sure to have more fans that the store bought PC casing so use something else and shut it off, the hum of the fans are louder that you think) More →

One of the problems of podcasting is noise. During the recording process, noise would usually creep into the finished product. Ambient noise from many different sources that you will find in the environment can find its way into your recording and it can be irritating to hear distracting noises while listening to a podcast.

Unfortunately, even if you record your podcast in a studio, noise can still creep into your podcast if you do not take care about how the recording is set up. For example, background noise can be caused by something as small as the computer fan.In fact, it’s the most common source of background noise in podcasts — almost 20 percent of podcasts suffer from computer fan background noise. The solution for this is as simple as moving the microphone away from the computer. A distance of six feet is sufficient enough to prevent the microphone from picking up computer fan noise. Another good tip is to use a directional mic and then point it away from the computer so that it won’t pick up any sound or noise that the PC produces. Of course, the most radical solution is to use fan-less computers or laptops. If you’re planning to upgrade your hardware then you can go this route to eliminate noise while recording your podcasts.

An integral part of making content for your podcast is sourcing information from various sources. This often means interviewing people. An interview face to face while recording your podcast is a great way of making your podcast very interesting. But unfortunately, sometimes this is not possible. The only way to do the interview would be to do it over the phone.

You can still use the phone interview if you like by recording your phone call. Unfortunately, phone call interviews can be hard because you have to be constantly vigilant to keep your interview focused. After this you have to edit the conversation to reduce the amount of gaps.

One of the simplest ways of recording is to just record the speakerphone using your mic. It may sound crude but surprisingly, the quality can be quite good. Take note to mute the speaker of your computer in order to reduce or eliminate feedback.

One thing that distinguishes a really good podcast from the one that is ho-hum is how smoothly the podcast flows in terms of how the people talk. Nothing’s stilted, there are no awkward pauses, no unsure lulls in the conversation and no grasping for what will happen next.

How do you ensure that what you’ll make a podcast where you sound sure of yourself? Simple. Make the right preparations.

The secret to an effective podcast is preparation. Don’t go recording your podcast with just a general outline in your head. All of the great podcasters prepare notes for their show way before they start recording. The notes give them a roadmap of how the show will go. They can easily look at what topics to discuss and the information they want to impart for each topic. One thing that you should is that being a podcaster will not come naturally to a lot of people. Most of you will really have to work to make yourselves good podcasters and preparation is one tool you can use to improve your performance.

When it comes to notes, a general outline of information is usually better than actually preparing a script. Using a script is a sure way your podcast will sound stiff. You will find it hard to resist just reading the script and because you’re reading it, the natural cadence of speech will be lost.

Talking is an art and hosting a podcast is an extension of that art. To make an effective podcast there are some things that you should remember when recording.

One of the most common pitfalls of beginner podcasters is talking too quickly. You should watch how you pace your talk when you do your podcast. Talking at a fast pace usually happens when you’ve done a run through of your material a few times. The familiarity with what you’re going to say may result in you trying to “breeze” through the whole show. Slow down. Give yourself the opportunity to actually take a breath and check how fast you’re going.

You will also have a tendency to speed up when you are tense. The whole podcasting setup with the microphone, headphones and hearing yourself talk is quite a strange experience that not everyone will be immediately used to. Try to do relaxation exercises before recording. Avoid caffeine which can make you more tense. You will also usually get tense when you put such high expectations on your performance. Remember that practice makes perfect and it is the rare person who takes to podcasting like duck to water. Take comfort in the fact that there is also a learning curve here and that you will continually improve as long as you take note of what aspects you should improve on.

In the previous post on microphones I kind of assumed that you would all sit in the safety of your home while recording your podcast. Funny, it didn’t really struck me until today that some of you might be recording in a lot of different places that are far from ideal. So here you go, a post on special situations.
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