Turning PowerPoint or Keynote into Podcasts

At the '08 New Media Expo, Richard Harrington talks to David Chmura about

Profcast

, which allows you to capture your presentations to create advanced podcasts.

Two Great Tools for Blogs

Just a quick post.... there are two pieces of tech I’ve been using on my blogs (both are free).

Lijit

adds a great search engine to your site. You can create your own search network including multiple blogs, facebook, youtube, linkedin, flickr, and more. This is really useful.

Widgetbox

lets you turn your RSS feed into a blog widget that can be posted to numerous social sites. Very clean and will help extend your reach.

Be sure to try both out....

Microsoft Zune

Author and video podcaster Richard Harrington speaks to Microsoft Zune podcasting guru Rob Greenlee at the 2008 New Media Expo.

New Media Expo Coming Soon

Just a reminder that I'll be speaking at this year's

New Media Expo

in Las Vegas. The event runs August 14-16 and I hope you can come out. My class is called:

Producing Video Podcasts with Multiple Cameras

Want to cut down editing time and give your show more polish? Learn how to create video podcasts using multiple cameras. Join veteran podcaster Richard Harrington as he shows how to harness multiple angles to improve your show. From concerts and live events to demos and interviews, multiple cameras will help you tell your story. Learn how to setup and match your cameras as well as essential editing techniques. This workshop will make multi-camera productions a snap.

Interesting Video to Explain Podcasting

M-Audio Recorder

Author and video podcaster Richard Harrington demonstrates the M-Audio (

http://www.m-audio.com/

) recorder and explains how you can use it in your video podcasts.

Testing the Feed

F

E

E

D

Validator

There are lots of things that can break an RSS feed. A misplaced character, a misformed date, the list goes on. Fortunately testing a feed is easy. Once you have your feed and media available online, you’ll want to test it. The easiest way is to visit

http://www.feedvalidator.org/

where you can enter the adress for your feed. If there are errors in your feed, they are clearly identified. The website also offers suggestions and links to more information on how to fix common problems. This website is invaluable and shoot be a part of your testing process.

Recording Techniques for Podcasting

How to Record A Great Sounding Podcast

I learned some valuable tips for recording podcasts from professional podcaster, John McJunkin of Avalon Podcasting.

John identified three problem areas for sound:

• Distractions, such as mouth noises.
• Masking–hiss buzz, music, sound effects, and acoustical blurring from the room.
• Distortion–that you add electronically, e.g., the by-products of sound editing.

He says podcasters should understand that there are elements of sound production that they can control, and ones that you have to live with. For example, you can control

• How you prepare for your podcast and the way you speak.
• The equipment you use, such as good quality microphones.
• The sound editing equipment you use, such as compression.
• The digital encoding rate and other features you employ.

But you can’t control how the listener accesses the podcast. For example, you can't control

• the quality of their computer and the speed of their download.
• the quality of their MP3 player.
• the quality of their ear buds or head phones.

It may seem obvious, but it’s good to remember what you can control for in sound production.

Here are some tips he mentioned, along with some of my own comments.

Finding a Podcast-Friendly Space for Recording

John McJunkin says that the recorded ambiance–or noise from within the room–cannot be removed in editing. It can be adjusted with the noise reduction feature in sound editing, but that feature can cause its own challenges in altering the sound of the recording. I know this is true, because I have tried it. For example, once I recorded a podcast on a road trip. It was good material, but it was hard to take out the engine sound, even with noise reduction.

Of course, there are times when ambient noise adds something to the podcast. Tee Morris (the author of "Podcasting for Dummies") has mentioned the example of when you may be recording interviews at a conference and you want a certain amount of background hub-bub to give the listener a sense of excitement of that environment.

John recommends record in a small, innermost room with absorbent elements, such as draperies or furniture. The standard is to use Auralex foam. If foam isn't handy, you can use heavy rugs and draperies (or even blankets and quilts). Cover up anything hard that will reflect the sound. I've even heard tell of people who podcast in walk-in closets! The clothing provides good sound insulation.

If that kind of preparation just sounds like too much trouble for you, at least try to avoid recording directly in front of your computer monitor, e.g., with a USB mic. Sure, I've done it. But the sound bounces back from the hard surface of your screen. The podcasts that I've recorded in my living room with soft furnishings and drapes sound better.

Correcting for Environmental Noise

If you're going to be really serious about it, John proposes recording the environment before you podcast. That way you can identify the sounds you may otherwise miss. Examples of sounds that you may not notice until you record them include environmental sounds such as cars on the street, a computer fan, air conditioning, cellphones (do not put on vibrate), jingling jewelry, change in your pockets, and even squeaky chairs. John also advises not to wear headphones while you podcast; let a friend do that.

What to Do About Notes

One of the most distracting sounds in a podcast can be the noise that comes from turning the pages of your script or notes as you speak and record. It’s hard to record a podcast without a script or outline at hand, but the papers do create audible noise. To minimize this, put your papers and notes on a music stand covered with a carpet remnant and arrange them so you don’t have to shuffle them.

Using Levelator

For those of you who may be new to podcasting, I wanted to tell you about

Levelator

– created by the effervescently charming Bruce Sharpe! which is a free tool you can download to even out the volume of your recording.You can find Levelator at

http://www.conversationsnetwork.org/levelator

.

After you have downloaded Levelator, drag a .wav file (recorded audio file)into the Levelator window on your desktop. Like magic, within the duration of a few seconds, it creates another .wav file with smoother levels of volume in the recording (less peaks and valleys of volume).

This is especially useful for recorded conversations in which one speaker has a soft voice (like mine) and the other has a more powerful voice (like my friend’s voice). The Levelator brings those volumes closer together, and the result is a recording that is more pleasing to listen to.

You may still have to do some additional sound editing to make your podcast sound its best, but Levelator is fun and easy to try.

Podcasting & New Media Conferences at NAB

Looking for some great training on post production, podcasting, or new media? I'll be speaking at several conferences located at this year's NAB conference.

Choose the training you need at NAB Show 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada:

Podcasting Summit

    April 11 - 13
This is a can’t miss conference for podcasting professionals and anyone interested in diving into this evolving content delivery method.

New Media 2.0 - Creating and Delivering New Media to New Audiences  

  April 14 - 15
This new conference is designed for content creators looking to harness the power of the Internet for increased distribution and new audiences.

Post|Production World Conference

    April 11 - 16
The largest event of its kind anywhere, this conference delivers high-level training on the latest production and post-production techniques and software.

Producer | Director Workshop

    April 11 - 13
This new conference is designed for those content creators who are charged with managing and developing content. Learn new techniques for planning and managing successful video and new media projects.

Creating A Logo for Your Podcast

The First Impression Is The Most Important One

Your podcast's logo is part of your podcast's "brand" and is the first impression you make on potential subscribers, since the logo for your podcast will appear as the "album art" on iTunes and in other podcast directories. Importantly, iTunes considers the attractiveness of your logo as one consideration when deciding whether to prominently feature your podcast. So, it's worthwhile to create a simple and appealing logo.

Good Logo Design

When designing your logo, select an image and/or type face that works well in a variety of sizes, and that is legible when reproduced in a small size (it will be appear quite small if it is featured in iTunes and in embeddable podcast players). It should also look well when expanded. iTunes prefers square .jpg images that are 600 x 600 pixels (my logo isn't square, but it still was accepted, thank goodness!).

Logo Symbolism

Your podcast logo should reflect the tone and content of your podcast, as well as the preferences of your audience. The symbolism associated with the logo may be personally meaningful for you, and may subtly convey characteristics about your podcast to your subscribers.

For example, the logo for my podcast "Living Well With Autism" features a "Brady Bunch"-style font that suggested "family" to me. I made the words "Living Well" larger than "with Autism" because I want my subscribers to understand that having a child with autism doesn't preclude a good quality of life. I made the words slightly askew to suggest a child-like playfulness--which my podcast advises as an approach to engage children with autism.

Selecting Logo Colors

Your colors of your podcast's logo can be especially meaningful. For simplicity, you may want to select one or two colors. For my logo, I chose two upbeat, friendly shades--lime green and citrus orange--because those colors are popular on the web right now, are associated with health, and convey the positive tone of my podcast's content. The color orange is also associated with RSS feeds.

Creating Your Logo

So, now that you know about logos, how do you go about creating one? If you aren't the artistic type, you can hire a professional graphic designer to create a logo for you. The price for a professionally designed logo starts at about $1,000. If that's out of your budget, you can create your own logo for about $50 using Logo Maker (http://www.logomaker.com).

Uploading and associating the logo image you create (in .jpg format) is pretty straightforward if you use a program like GarageBand (for Macintosh) or a podcast host such as Podomatic. iTunes also has online instructions for podcasters who can do programming.

And don't forget...you can put your logo on t-shirts and blog posts!

Your Podcast "To-Do" List

Planning A Podcast

Producing a podcast can be fun and rewarding, but it is also a lot of work. You can avoid "pod-fading" (losing interest in producing episodes) by letting your passion for your topic fuel your motivation, and taking these preliminary steps to get organized.

After you have identified the objectives, audience, format, and content for your content, put these items on your podcast planning "to-do list."

• Brainstorm podcast topics and alternative format ideas.
• Write podcast outlines or scripts and show notes.
• Research and purchase equipment (microphones, computer, editing software, etc.)
• Select pod-safe music.
• Create graphics and collect images and assets, such as your podcast logo/album art, down-loadable handouts, web links, and photographs.
• Schedule your episodes; plan for production and editing time.
• Select a host for your podcast.
• Promote your show on podcast directories, web sites, blogs, and advertisements.

Choosing a Microphone: The Basics

Which Microphone is Right For You?

Remember when Harry Potter wanted to choose his first wand at Olivander’s, and was told that the wand would choose him? You know, it’s not so different with microphones. You have to experiment to find the one that's right for your voice. Many microphones aren’t returnable, however. Sometimes you can try out different ones at a music store.

Microphones are available in a wide range of prices and types. There are small mics that you can clip onto the lapel of a speaker. Another small mic made by Micromemo plugs into your iPod and turns it into a voice recorder (about $60). I've seen round "snowball" mics, which I understand can be useful for group interviews, and I've considered wireless mics for people who just can't sit still (like kids!) At the low end, you can purchase a USB microphone that records right into your computer for about $30, while other more expensive mics require special cables, digital recording devices, or external power sources.

Dynamic microphones are relatively inexpensive, produce a punchy sound (warm, round, and full), and are forgiving about extraneous noise. Condenser mics (such as in the picture, left) are more expensive but they can produce wonderful sound.

Nearly as important as the quality of the microphone is how you use it. I've been told you should never hold a microphone and speak directly into it. Use a good quality microphone stand, instead. Angle the microphone stand so that the microphone is aimed down at a 45 degree angle, to pick up resonance from your chest. Instead of speaking directly into the microphone, speak “across” the microphone and slightly off to one side. You have to play with this a bit to see what works for you.

When my friend and I record my voice, we have to use a little creativity with mics. He directs one mic at my chest and another mic near my mouth. It's a little more trouble, but I admit my voice does sound better that way. We also add more dimension to my recorded voice in sound editing.

Use a shock mount on the microphone (most good quality mics come with a shock mount) and a pop filter (they're not expensive). The pop filter protects the mic and helps to eliminate the “popping” sound that can be recoding when people say words with the “p” or “b” sound in them.

Podcast Planning: Target Audiences

Planning A Podcast: Identifying Your Podcast's Target Audience

With a little advance planning, you can create an outstanding podcast that is meaningful for your subscribers. But first, you have to know who they are!

Think about your podcast's audience in terms of real people. Which magazines do they read? Which websites do they visit? What kinds of music do they listen to? Where do they shop for clothes? Examine those magazines and websites for podcast episode ideas and inspiration for graphics. Visit the places where they shop to see what appeals to them, marketing-wise. You might even develop a profile of whom you imagine your typical listener to be.

Who is the

target

audience for this podcast? This can be as detailed as you like. You may elect to research and identify their age, gender, occupation, location, buying behavior, preferences and podcast experience level.

Keep in mind that downloading a podcast is a deliberate and decisive act; much more difficult than just passively watching a television program. For this reason, your podcast's content has to be especially compelling. Think about the reasons why your target audience would want to take the time to tune into the podcast. What's in it for them? What needs does the target audience have that the podcast would help meet? What would they expect when they tune in? What do they want to hear? How can you make it easy for them to find and subscribe to your podcast?

Thinking about your podcast's target audiences will help you set an appropriate tone for the podcast; select images, music, and other assets that they will like; and plan episode topics that will be meaningful for those audiences.

Planning Your Podcast: First Steps

Planning for Podcasting: First Steps

Like relationships, the best podcasts start with passion. If you are planning to podcast about something that is important to you, and you have a burning desire to share that knowledge or viewpoint with the world, then you are on the right track for creating a dynamic podcast.

But, just as with relationships, podcasts can't endure on passion alone. Before you hit "record," take the time to identify the objectives, target audience, and desired characteristics of your podcast.

First Step: Answer "What is the Big Idea?"

The first step is to define the podcast’s key message for your audience. The key message is the whole reason-for-being for your podcast. It should describe how you think the podcast will benefit the people who may tune in. The key message may be stated in your show's description and it will be the foundation for all the episodes of your podcast. For example, I produce a podcast for parents of children with autism. My key message is that parents of children with autism have the ability to improve the quality of life for themselves and their children by taking the time to learn free (or low-cost), fun, and easy strategies.

Next Step: Identify Objectives for the Podcast

This step takes your big idea a little further. Why do you want to produce this podcast? Who are you trying to help, inform, or entertain, and why? What results should the podcast accomplish? Identify the specific personal, business, or organizational objectives associated with this podcast. Think about what the podcast will persuade the audience to believe or do.

Stay tuned for more ideas on planning your podcast.

Podcasting Forum at Creative Cow

If you are looking for an online forum about podcasting, then be sure to check out

Creative COW

. The Creative COW forums (Communities of the World) offer support for lots of different technical tools for video professionals. You can search past posts for answers or ask your own questions. Their

podcasting forum

is new... but has a lot of useful forum hosts who will try and help.

Creative Cow Podcasting Forum

If you want a local answer... be sure to also use the

DCPA Message Boards.

New Apple Books Touch on Podcasting

DCPA member Rich Harrington has recently finished two new books for Apple iLife and iWork. Each books has a chapter on podcasting (as well as lots of other information on iWork and iLife). You can find the books at Apple stores as well as many other online and traditional retailers.

Apple Training Series: iWork 08

The second generation of Apple's iWork productivity suite is poised to allow Mac users to create, present and publish their work with style! iWork '08 features three powerful applications for creating everything from newsletters to business presentations. With Pages you can quickly create a wide variety of stunning documents, with Numbers you can make great-looking spreadsheets with ease and with Keynote you can produce quality presentations and more.

To Order

Apple Training Series: iLife 08

In the only Apple-certified guide to iLife '08, the authors have you working miracles with iLife within the first few pages. Featuring footage and images from around the world, this book/DVD combo uses real-life material and practical lessons that you can apply immediately to your own projects. Focused lessons take you step by step through all aspects of iLife '08--everything from organizing and sharing your photo library to creating polished video and soundtracks. Along the way, you’ll produce podcasts, websites, blogs, video blogs, and custom DVDs.

To Order