Site Contents
- Planning the podcast
- Recording the podcast
- Editing the podcast
- Publishing the podcast
- More support and information
Audio production is a conversation. The problem is that one side of the conversation is your audience, and you can't talk to them directly.
In order for you and your audience to have a great conversation (ie. the audience enjoys listening to your audio recording), you have to plan carefully and create the conversation all on your end. By breaking this creation process down into a series of steps, you will be able to create engaging and interesting recordings.
- Plan the conversation - Choose your topic, research it, consider what your audience wants or needs to hear, write and edit questions for interviews, etc.
- Create the conversation - Select the best available equipment, find a location, gather your guests, record.
- Edit the conversation - Utilize computer tools to improve the sound, add music and sound effects, export the final file, etc.
Below are more in-depth discussions of these three stages, as well as links to resources and more information to help you through this process.
Example student podcasts
- Power of Words by Mark Neff (Best in Show for the 2023-24 Cardinals Create Showcase)
- Queer Histories: The Pink Triangle by Sam Hutchins (Top Work for the 2023-24 Cardinals Create Showcase)
- Louisville's Light Rail History by Chelsea Sharma (Top Work for the 2023-24 Cardinals Create Showcase)
- Not Your Lotus Flower - The Harms of Asian Hypersexualization by Camille Moore, Annie King, Kilara Scanlon,Mikaela Smith, Lucy Stewart
Planning the podcast
In the planning stage of creating your audio, you decide what on the topics and how to address them, draft questions for people you're interviewing, draft a script, choose the equipment you will need, etc.
Outlining and scripting
- Improvising is probably not the best option. Write, practice, and read from a script or outline to ensure you stay on topic and meet your goals.
- If interviewing someone, prepare them before recording.
Further Resources
Recording the podcast
This is where you create the recordings. At this stage, you can gather your guests, pick up equipment from the DMS or reserve studio time with us, and go record. This may be an awkward and new activity for many of you, and below are some things to keep in mind during this process.
Techniques and Locations
- Place your mic carefully. Most microphones are designed to pick up sound in a full 360 degree sphere around the mic or 180 degree arc in front.
- Place the microphone close to your mouth. By being closer to the mic, you can turn down its sensitivity, which can reduce room and ambient noise.
- Record in a quiet space. If the walls and floors are hard and flat, lay down carpets and hang blankets to reduce noise reflection (echoes). A closet makes an excellent ad hoc audio booth.
- Hear a comparison of some of the microphones offered through the DMS
Further Resources
Recording Tips
- Turn on all your recording devices and silently count to five before speaking. Count to five before you stop the recording. This ensures you capture everything you intend to, as well as recording the room noise.
- Sit comfortably, but with good posture. Slouching or leaning over can cause you to draw short, shallow breathes. Consider standing to ensure good posture.Test all your recordings before you move on to editing. Listen with headphones to hear accurately.
- Test all your recordings before you move on to editing. Listen with headphones to hear accurately.
Digital Media Suite resources
The DMS Podcast Studio is dedicated for audio recording and production. This space provides support for the creation of audio recordings. This includes podcasts, video voiceover, narration, etc.
In this space you will find the following equipment:
- Four high-quality podcasting microphones
- Mac computer with the full Adobe Creative Cloud suite installed
- multiple tables and chairs for project collaboration
Editing the podcast
Now you are ready to bring it all together. Editing is done using apps on a computer or mobile device. All the Digital Media Suite computers come equipped with Audition, which is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud (Adobe CC).
Possible tools
- Adobe Podcast - This web-based recording and editing tool is still in testing, so be aware of possible issues. Adobe is providing this tool that utilizes a variety of AI powered features to enhance your recordings. Record with other people easily through the website, receive an AI-generated transcript to edit with, and find stock assets to include in your podcast.
- Adobe Audition - Audition provides professional audio recording and editing capability with many pre-build effects and options. It allows for easy visualization of the audio for improved editing and enhancement, and its multitrack editing interface provides guidance for your creation process.
Important info about editing:
- On average, people spend about 1 hour editing at a computer for every 2 minutes of final produced audio.
- Keep all your recordings in the same folder on an external drive.
- Normalize your audio before you export. This creates a constant volume for your video.
- Wear headphones while editing to hear your audio clearly.
- Do not submit your Audition or Audacity project file. You have to export an audio file (mp3 or wav) or your instructor will not be able to listen to it.
Further Resources
Publishing the podcast
There are a variety of ways to publish and share your podcast. The first step is to host your podcast (the place where it is saved online). Then you publish a podcast feed to a directory, such as Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, etc.
A free option is to use the University's Panopto audio-video storage and streaming service.
Other options include some free or paid services.
Further Resources
More Support and Information
Resources on campus
Resources online
- How to make a podcast with Adobe Audition
- How to make a podcast - Buzzsprout
- Producing professional podcasts - A Linkedin Learning course
Credits:
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