Phone Lines Are Open: What Do You Want To Know?

March 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I want to have an open post on Fridays, and give the weekend over to your thoughts.  And at some point soon, I want to put them in podcast form.  I even got a phone number just for this blog, and down the road, you will be able to call in and leave your thoughts.

But for now, we will keep it here. And the thing I want to know is:

 

What do you want to know?

What questions about podcasting do you have?  Do you want to know about gear or audio?  Do you need to know how to post your podcasts? Encoding? Promoting your show?

What would you like to see on this site, and what would help you?

Let me know in the comments.

Posted on March 11, 2011 Leave a Comment
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Getting Those Files Around, Part 1

March 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The other day, The Unofficial Apple Weblog pointed me to an article from Macworld about was to move your files from one Mac to another.  A few of the solutions were Mac specific (iChat, Time Machine shared disk), but most of them were not.  A few were good for smaller files (email, for example), but I wanted to talk about two of the easier to use, and the two I use the most.

Sneakernet:

This is probably the least convenient, but most secure and simple to manage. Sneakernet means using something like a USB drive to copy and paste your files between two computers.  There are a few obvious disadvantages to this system:

  • You have to be in physical contact with the machines, so no internet.
  • You have to keep the USB drive around (I have misplaced them, but found them later)
  • The files in question don’t automatically sync
  • You are limited in file size to the size of your USB drive.

But the other side of the coin is very enticing:

  • It’s fast.
  • It’s easy.
  • It doesn’t rely on any network connection.
  • It can work as a backup as well (leaving the old files you just moved on the USB drive while modifying the newly copied ones may save your work some day).
  • It’s secure, unless you lose your USB drive on the bus.

There are very few systems as easy to use as Sneakernet.  For your home file-moving needs, give it a shot.  As obvious as it seems, it’s still one of the best solutions.

But if you have to give your files to someone else, out in the world?  For internet savvy friends, I would set up an FTP space on my hosting for them, one only them and I could access. It was fast, but it wasn’t convenient.  I never liked it as a solution.

Then I started using Dropbox for my file moving needs.  And all my worries went away.

For a while (and still, until things get a too hectic and crazy), I was offering hockey podcasters free intros/ outros for their shows.  I have a decent podcasting setup, one that goes beyond what most of the podcasters out there have in terms of quality, and wanted to help out their shows a little bit with adding a different voice to their show.  Sending the mp3 files via email would have been cumbersome and inconvenient, but Dropbox made it easy.  I could create a new folder (just like creating any folder on my computer), drop the files in I wanted to send, then share that folder with the other party (via the Dropbox website).

Dropbox gives you 2GB of storage for free, and has paid upgrades available for more storage.  You also can get more storage free as more people sign up for Dropbox via your folder sharing.

This is a screen cap of my toolbar:

Toolbar with Dropbox

The blue box is Dropbox, always there when you need it. (the others are Twitter, Divvy for window resizing, and Pomodoro, which is a great way to focus on one task).

Dropbox Menu

That’s the Dropbox menu.  It tells you how much space you have left, as well as giving you other options.

On the plus side of Dropbox:

  • It’s as easy to use as a folder on your computer.
  • It’s easy to share.
  • No FTP.
  • There’s an iPhone app for Dropbox.

On the downside:

  • You have limited space (but some easy file management can keep that from being a problem).
  • File sharing is managed via the Dropbox website.
  • The iPhone app doesn’t do a lot.
  • Ummm…. It’s internet dependent (but so is FTP).

So there are a few options for you to move files around.

What do you use for file sharing?  What would you recommend for other people to use?

 

Posted on March 10, 2011 Leave a Comment
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Blubrry Updates PowerPress Plugin to Version 2.0

March 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I use WordPress for just about all of my sites. I’m really comfortable with it, and since I have a solid hosting plan that I am happy with, which has unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth, using a self-hosted WordPress install makes sense for me.

For my podcasting needs, I use Blubrry’s WordPress plugin, PowerPress.  I plan on doing a few tutorials on setting up PowerPress (and partially because I think their documentation and explanations stink), but in the meantime, it’s notable that they have updated their plugin to version 2.0.  From the Blubrry site, the latest features added to the plugin:

PowerPress 2.0 now provides all the following options:
* HTML5 video player
* HTML5 audio player
* Embed Episode feature
* WebM video support
* Ogg audio/video support improved
* MP4+WebM (for mp4/m4v video, a new alternative WebM URL field has been added. This is ideal for supporting all browser based HTML5 video players)
* Flow Player Classic can now play m4a audio and mp4/m4v video
* New video player settings page added
* Settings pages enhanced with new options such as location, frequency and TV options
* Episode Entry box enhanced with new ‘isHD’ option when video entered into Media URL box
* Episode Entry box now includes option to configure video player width/height on a per-episode basis
* Upload image option added to supplement the video poster image field. Images are uploaded to the built-in image gallery in WordPress.

If you are just starting out podcasting, or have been for a while and thinking about moving to a self-hosted site, I recommend Blubrry and their plugin.

I’ll talk about this more later.  For now, check them out.

Posted on March 9, 2011 Leave a Comment
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Splitting Stereo Audio in Audacity

March 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In the last tutorial, I showed you how to record a Skype call using Audio Hijack Pro.  There are several programs out there for recording call, but AHP is the one I use.

After you have recorded your conversation, you will want to split your recording into the two separate tracks available to you, one side of the conversation on the left channel, and the other on the right. If you are talking to multiple people, you are still restricted to two tracks, you and them (this is just how Skype works).  This function is one of the only things I use Audacity for, as it is a fairly straight forward process.  I do all of my podcast editing in Logic, and it has the ability to do the same thing, but Audacity is very easy to do this in, and many podcasters use it.  I’ll do a tutorial on how to do this in Logic a little later.

We are going to start out with the Skype conversation as it was recorded, with me on one channel (bottom / right), and the lovely Skype Test Call on the other (top / left):

Skype Stereo

From the drop down menu to the left of the track (the down arrow), select Split Stereo Track:

Split Stereo Track menu

We now have two seperate tracks, but one is on the left channel, and one is on the right channel.  Go back to the drop down menu for each track, and select Mono:

Make Mono

From that same drop down menu, you can then rename each track to something more descriptive.

rename split track

If you are using a different DAW to edit your audio, export the tracks (File > Export Multiple) to whatever folder you want.  This will create two new tracks, while keeping the old one.  You can export to mp3, wav, or any supported Audacity format.

Export Multiple

 

That should do it. Enjoy your editing. :)

Posted on March 8, 2011 Leave a Comment
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RTFM (or don’t)

March 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I was going to look up a few things in the Apple Logic (Logic Studio? Logic Audio?) manual the other day, so I downloaded a copy .  While it was downloading, I thought to myself, I should just read the whole thing.  Get myself a real grip on the program.  There are a lot of bells and whistles, and while I probably won’t use them all,some of them would be nice to add to the bag of tricks.

Then I looked at the manual, and thought better.

1342 pages.  That’s how long the manual is.

That’s a hefty read.  Add to that the 266 pages in the Studio Effects manual (most of which I want to use at some point), and the 561 pages of the Studio Instruments manual.  That’s a grand total of 2,169 pages to read.  That’s a lot.

And it’s a lot when what you really want to do is get on with making your podcast, or your project.  Logic is a deep program, and it isn’t necessary to use it to make podcasts.  I’m a bit of an audio geek (really), so I wanted the effects and tools that came with Logic Pro (I used Logic Express when I started podcasting, and upgraded soon after).

I’m sure I will get around to reading some of the manual, but for now, it waits, staring at me from it’s virtual shelf on my hard drive.  It isn’t happy with me.

RTFM (Read The F’ing Manual)

Posted on March 7, 2011 Leave a Comment
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iPad and Garageband: We Will See

March 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Apple announced the iPad 2 this week, with a spec upgrade, two cameras, and a thinner and lighter form factor.  And it comes in white.

But along with the announcement came news that Apple was releasing a version of Garageband for iPad.  On the surface, this looks great: a portable recording studio, with touch editing, touch instrument playing, and (hopefully) everything you need to produce music and podcasts.

Garageband for iPad

My only issue is the lack of available inputs.  Right now, you can plug a camera kit into the iPad, and use a USB microphone to record a single input.  And there are a few guitar inputs out there (the iRig, for example, or Apogee’s new JAM).  But any more than that, and you’re out of luck.  And until you can plug in more than one input, it doesn’t seem like much more than a toy.  Someone, at some point, will come out with an audio in/out box that connects to the iPad.

The other thing is there is already multitrack software in the App Store for iPhone and iPad.  How much use have those gotten?  Have you ever used one? I have one of these on my iPhone (MultiTrack), but it hasn’t done anything other than be a novelty.  The big difference is that this is an Apple release, and Apple doesn’t do a poor job with their software releases.  Their programs work.

Mind you, the iPad was misunderstood at the beginning, and all the naysayers were eventually proven wrong.  Until it comes out, and I can put my hands on it, I’m going to reserve my judgement.  I’m sure that at some point, I will be proven wrong about all of this.  I look forward to that, so we can see some real use for what could be another game changer for the independent producer.  I would love to see better tools that are more intuitive (and Garageband for Mac isn’t know for it’s intuitive use).

For now, I’m sticking with my regular studio: a laptop.

Podcasting News has the specs for what Garageband for iPad has to offer.  No mention of podcasting features, like the podcast track in Garageband for Mac.

Features:

  • Musical instruments designed for Multi-Touch.
  • 70 synth presets
  • Arpeggiator
  • “Smart instrument” features
  • 8-track recording
  • Guitar amp simulator
  • Stomp box effects
  • Track sharing via email or iTunes
  • Tracks can be opened in GarageBand on the Mac
Posted on March 4, 2011 Leave a Comment
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Recording Skype with Audio Hijack Pro

March 4, 2011 By 10 Comments

I tend to travel a lot.  It’s a major part of my job, so I don’t get to have a regular podcast studio setup.  So I record almost all of my podcsats over Skype.  I love Skype for what it is (and I will talk about what it is – and isn’t – at a later time), and without it, I would have a much harder time recording my shows.

For my initial recordings, I use a program called Audio Hijack Pro.  I can’t say enough about AHP, and they people who make it have some really useful programs.  Audio Hijack Pro allows you to record the audio output of any program or source on your computer.  From the Rogue Amoeba site:

Record any audio – three simple words to explain Audio Hijack Pro. Record from applications like iTunes, Skype or DVD Player. Record from microphones, Radiosharks and other hardware. If you hear it, you can record it.

They aren’t kidding.  Audio Hijack Pro can record straight off your browser, into many different formats.  And at $32 US, it’s dirt cheap for such a helpful program.  But for our purposes here, we are recording a Skype call.

First, you want to set up AHP to record your Skype call on two separate channels of your audio file.  This will give you your audio on one side of the stereo file you wind up with, and the caller audio on the other.  Skype mixes all incoming calls together, so there is no way to break out separate incoming calls into individual tracks.

You can see on the image below that I have the Skype recording area open, and the input tab selected at the top of the window.  Click on the ‘Advanced….’ button, and you will be presented with a dialogue box:

Audio Hijack Pro Settings

Go ahead and set it up as shown, with the output on the left channel, and the input on the right channel.  If you would prefer to have your audio on the left channel and the caller audio on the right, just swap which channel the input and the output is on.

Now you can record your session. Clicking record will launch Skype (even though AHP can hijack the audio if Skype is already running, it is best to launch AHP first, and let AHP open Skype). Recording will start when the Skype call starts, and stop when the call ends.  If you want to start recording a new file, you can stop recording and start again, or push Split, and AHP will start a new recording in a new file.

I tend to watch the meters in the Effects tab of AHP, just to see what the volume looks like.  You can always edit the files later to adjust each individual track.

Skype Being Recorded

After the recording, you will be able to find your new file in the Recording Bin. I have a lot of files in there right now, and should really clean them out.

Audio Hijack Pro Bin

There are several other tools for recording Skype calls out there, but this is the one I use (partly because it does so much more as well).  If you use something else, can you leave a comment below?  I will try to do a round up of tools available soon.

Next tutorial, I will show you how to split this new file into two separate tracks, so you can edit it individually.  Hope this helps!

Posted on March 4, 2011 10 Comments
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Making Better Podcasts

March 3, 2011 By 2 Comments

I’m looking across the table at my microphone, and all the gear spread out in front of me.  It’s looking back and asking me what I’m going to do.  It knows me, a little too well.

I want to make better podcasts, and more podcasts.  And I hope you do to.

Looking at the podcasting sites out there, they don’t seem to be much help beyond pure promotion.  There aren’t many places to go to find out how to record a podcast, how to make it sound good, and the tools available to podcasters – ones that are actually helpful to them.  Most of the tutorials are several years old, and the tools we use have grown up a bit.  There are also gaps in the knowledge of podcasters, or new, better and different techniques you or I haven’t considered.

We are in a fun place with podcasting.  It was deemed to be the next big thing, but instead, it has simply become a thing.  Those that were looking for a get rich quick scheme have moved on, and the ones who stuck around are more interested in growing the medium, and making good shows.  People have more access to content, and the tools to make content.  Better still, they can create content that is just as good as what you get from broadcast and mainstream outlets.  The tools today are much better than the ones we had when I was working in radio in the mid-90s.  We were still cutting tape and using 8-track reel to reel recorders. Now there are people making podcasts who have never seen a reel of tape in person. On the hard drive of my laptop, I have a multitrack studio, live performance space, samplers, synths, high quality studio effects, and playback tools that would have made radio studio techs drool a few years ago.  It’s more than I know what to do with.

Even with all of this power at our disposal, it’s hard to make our own shows.  Sometimes, our knowledge, time, and budget (I know, I brought up money, but don’t run away) runs out, and we get frustrated, or worse yet, pod-fade.  I know people who were ready to give up because they were having a hard time with the tools, and were tired of the quality of the shows they were producing.  I don’t want that to happen.  Unlike the zero-sum game of broadcast, there is a lot of room out there for good podcasts, and if we are going to create podcasts, why not create really good ones.

I want to make shows that I’m proud of, and would like to help others create shows they are proud of as well.  If I can help a few people out there, maybe give someone a new toolkit or a boost in their creativity, their inspiration, then I feel like I’ve done something.  Maybe I can give a little back to people making the very thing I love to listen to, love to produce.

I want to put up tutorials with the podcaster in mind, and start pointing to  other great tutorials, content, news, and more designed to help other podcasters.  My main direction is to help other podcasters, and maybe help make the medium a little better.

Hi, I’m James.  Let’s make something awesome.

 

Posted on March 3, 2011 2 Comments
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