creating a killer podcast

a Firehose Project Lightning Talk⚡by Eric Andrade

Summary/Outline

• The Hardware

• The Software

• Capturing the Audio

• Building the Show

• Distributing the Content

The Hardware

• Zoom H4n Digital Recorder Amazing.

• Lavalier Mics (2) - Countryman Isomax

• Sony Dynamic Stereo Headphones (Studio Headphones)

The Hardware

• Samson Handheld, uni-directional super-cardioid mics

• XLR cables sold separately

• Both mic options are great with the hand-held digital recorder, because it’s all very portable, and you can record anywhere.

The Software

• Audacity Your main project file and editor. Free!

• The Levelator Compressor, normalizer, and limiter all in one. Cleans up the clip. Free!

• Podclear Remote guest records. Better audio quality than Skype. Starts at $8 for four sessions.

• ID3 Editor (Mac) & EasyTag (PC/Linux) for meta data for your podcast files (Name, artist, etc. ). Free!

Capturing the Audio

• Get a quiet or relatively quiet spot to talk

• In person is always better, because the conversation is more dynamic. You can hear the personal connections.

• Prep lots of questions, but don’t be too rigid.

• Record more material than you need.

• Take notes if you can while recording.

Building the Show

• Dealing with Raw files

• Writing Intros/outros

• Think about transitions

• Writing show notes

• Licensing (theme music)

• Give yourself time to get the edit right

• Show length: 30 - 45 minutes feels about right

• If you get big, you will get sponsors; may get picked up by a “network” (e.g., 5by5 Studios)

Distributing the Content

Hosting Distribution

Hosting & Distribution82% of all

podcast downloads

Streaming. Radio format. App on iOS and Android.

Embeddable and social.

Links & QuestionsClose On Episodes • Ep. 3 - Dan Chichester - Comic book writer (Marvel

Comics): https://soundcloud.com/buddhaplex/episode-3-dan-chichester • recorded at On The Rocks: http://

www.yelp.com/biz/on-the-rocks-new-york-2 • Ep 4 - Bruce Henderson - Musician (live show

included in episode): https://soundcloud.com/buddhaplex/close-on-episode-4-bruce-henderson

Recording & Editing Software • Audacity: http://audacityteam.org/ • Levelator: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/

23594/the-levelator • ID3 Editor: http://www.pa-software.com/id3editor/ • Easy Tag: https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/EasyTAG • Podclear: https://podclear.com/#/

Hosting & Distribution • Libsyn: https://www.libsyn.com/ • Simplecast: https://simplecast.fm/ • Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/