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.

It is the rare individual who takes to podcasting immediately. Sometimes the best way to ease into a new skill is to ask for a little company. Add some alcohol into the mix and what you have is cool and fun way of podcasting that will surely be entertaining and spontaneous.

Beercasts are gaining a lot of fans in the podcasting community because it is a lot of fun and a relatively easy way of making a podcast. the setup for a beercast is quite simple. All one needs is a few microphones, a Behringer mixer and an MP3 recorder.

A beercast is actually  round table discussion. A topic is presented to the participants and the discussions begin. It’s an easy setup and when it gets going, it is so much fun. A discussion like this will be energetic, free-flowing and, if the participants are witty and eloquent, quite a great show of verbal repartee. Of course, introducing some alcohol into the mix could result in even more free spirited discussions.

Beercasting is a great way to get your feet wet in the world of podcasting simply because conversations come naturally, unlike a monologue. A podcaster is more likely to feel more comfortable when he’s talking with other people rather than just talking on his own while on the microphone. Conversations will allow you to actually think about what you will say next when the other participants in the beercast are talking. Beercasts and multiple host types of podcast are so popular and more engaging to audiences that you will notice that in any ranking of podcasts, there’s more multiple-host formats in the list.

If you’re interested in trying out a podcast, try to read the excellent resource Podcasting Hacks.

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.

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.

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 →

Being one of the many contenders for podcasts, Microsoft’s Zune should be a target for your podcasts as well as the all-present iPod. The Zune is a portable digital music player that has an added wireless feature with a whopping 80 GB or memory with a specific and continuously expanding market as the iPod. With the Zune selling as of latest figures, over a million units, the market is truly an enticing target for your podcasts should you want to expand your audience. There are some pre-requisites to setting up Zune to market your podcasts More →

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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