Garage band, Apple’s music recording software package, can be a powerful tool for putting together great podcasts. Here are some tips on doing just that:
Make Session Templates
Session templates are general parameters that define certain elements of a Garage Band recording session. These types of templates are found in many audio editors and are time savers because they allow someone using the program to skip setting routine session attributes that they use regularly. This will save you a lot of time in setting up your podcasts so make use of it.
You can either set these parameters as a template in and of itself and open this template to begin the podcast recording or editing session or you can simply open a previous podcast and delete the audio. In the latter case all the parameters will have been saved with the session, just as they would be with a template, so you can just delete the audio that has been recorded and change any other parameters you wish in order to begin your new session. Bear in mind though that if you take the time to create a basic template you won’t have the minimal extra effort of deleting the audio tracks.
Get a Display you are Comfortable With
There are various zooms and other screen viewing parameters that can be customized in Garage Band. For optimum work convenience, choose a zoom and general screen view that works for you and stick with that. You want to have a decent amount of visual information on the screen while at the same time being able to see things clearly. The better you can see various elements on the screen, the easier it will be to work on your session effectively and efficiently.
Podcast Track
The podcast track shows your artwork and various other “meta-data” that is associated with the podcast. This is a newly added feature designed especially for podcasts. Make use of this tool to make sure that all the elements of your podcast other than the audio itself are in good order, editing them as needed from podcast to podcast.
Use Ducking
Ducking refers you assigning certain tracks greater preference than others in the overall sound scape. You can, for instance, set a basic sonic background of music and have the music get softer when people are speaking. This will save you have to go through and painstakingly bring volume levels down on the background track when there is voice data. It will also mean you don’t have to set the background track to an overall lower level throughout the podcast which is something you may not wish to do.
How to Edit Levels
There are some tips that make editing levels easier. You will want, for instance, the voices of everyone on the podcast to be set at the same level. It’s important to do this after a break when you haven’t been listening to things for too long and become habituated to the sound. Standing further from the speakers is also a good idea. This will help you discern which sounds are louder and which ones are softer.
About Guest Author:
Ross loves writing, when free you can find him working at office, doing online faxing, fixing other fax machines, and other work related to fax. He has been in fax industry for 8 years and loves every minute of his job.
Originally posted on October 23, 2011 @ 5:30 pm