Podcasting: Sound Pictures for the Web

By Tim McClellan

Welcome to this evening’s event Setting the scene Differences between amateur (for fun) and

professional (business-centred) podcasts What type of equipment would I need? The skills of professional podcasting in radio/audio

production, especially features (some hints and tips) Putting together a podcast: CIPR ‘Meet the

Professionals’ in February at SSU (step by step) Some technical (computer) considerations Any questions?

Podcasting: Origins of the word! Generally accepted to be a contraction of ‘iPod’ and

‘broadcast(ing)’ ‘Pod’: stems from the Apple iPod as a device to ‘capture’

podcasts(!)….among other things. ‘Pod’ is said to represent the doors on a spacecraft in a

film….the Apple iPod looks like these….apparently! (n.b. don’t need an iPod – any mp3 player will do).

OR: ‘Pod’ is defined elsewhere as ‘Portable on Demand’ (audio or video), which fits the bill more

‘Cast’: is said to come from ‘broadcast’ – to distribute (cast) widely (broad) But really the ‘cast’ part of ‘broadcast’ is probably more

appropriate.

None the wiser? Podcasting is using the internet to distribute sound

or sound & video files. This is :

something you have subscribed to (either free or paid for) which is ‘delivered’ straight to your computer’

But is also generally seen as including a sound (or video) file on a site which you download e.g. BBC

‘Test Match End of Play’ a ‘listen again’ (or listen only) facility (on a site for a limited

period) a sound file (semi-permanent) which you can either listen to or

download or both an internet radio station (live streaming)

What’s the point of a podcast?Using sound

(another sense) to supplement words

and vision on a website. (Concept

of VARK)

Keeping clients (or clients’ clients) updated and

interested in your organisation

Information giving. To tell of

innovations, new laws, success

within organisations etc. Generally not a

‘hard sell’ mediumGetting targeted messages to

targeted people in targeted ways – best use of the sound medium

One-to-one personal

communication

Can be doing something else while listeningCan be a more

accessible means of training

deliveryListener’s time and place

Using sound pictures to the full

What this presentation shows youThis presentation

concentrates on the production of a typical professional podcast

This presnetation with the audio,

scripts and annotations will take you through this production

process stage by stage

You will find out about the kind of kit you need (and the

cost!) to ‘have a go’ and then ‘do it for

real’

You will get the experience of a

professional broadcaster in what

to do and, more importantly, what not

to do!

This is just an introduction to the basics of

podcast production

We won’t be going into the details of RSS feeds, aggregator software etc

(computer setups)

To hear how a broadcast feature and a professional

podcast are put together

You won’t become an expert through a run through of this site but you will learn enough what to look for in a good podcast and in people who claim to be ‘experts’

in this emerging medium

Equipment you will need to put together a podcast Portable recording device

Minidisc machine – now old technology Quite cheap but minidisks (diskettes) now more difficult

to buy and will not do real time transfer to computer. They do not generally have a speaker and certainly will not have XLR connectors unless modified (expensive). OK recordings. Cheap and they work but time consuming, obsolescence.

Flash card machine/Hard Disk digital machine Range of prices from £150 to £1800+ Prices won’t come

down but spec will go up….wait a while? Really you need:

XLR input connectors Integrated speaker Clear (uncluttered) easy to read display Easy to operate both recording and transfer Headphone socket Able to transfer to computer on internal batteries

Less expensive versions will tend not to have some or all of these features.

Digital dictation devices will also produce reasonable audio for basic purposes. They will often plug straight into the USB socket and transfer mp3 files. Easy!

You pay your money etc….

Marantz PMD671 (c.£650)

Fostex FR2LE (c. £340)

Edirol R-09 (c.£250)

New models coming out all the time.

Aiwa minidisk recorder £11 on eBay

Sony minidisk recorder £30 on eBay

For information, not recommendation!

Zoom H2 (c.£130)

You can also get microphones/recorders combined

Or use digital ‘dictation’ machines with an external microphone input

Like the HHB FlashMic DRM85-C at £820 give or take! Recorder, lead and mike in one. Is it a gimmick?

Such as this Olympus WS300M for £65. This will not give ‘professional’ sound output but for amateur use it may be OK.

For information to highlight the aspects you need to consider – examples not recommendations! Microphone

Inside use for voice over Samson CO1(phantom power).(£30) Also need a desk

mike stand (£10). The phantom power is a way to ‘boost’ the smoothness of the voice as it goes into the recorder. You won’t realistically be able to use this on location or for an interview

This is a directional microphone and so you need to speak directly into the side facing you (as in this picture). Moving or facing either side will result in you being dreadfully ‘off mike’ Good quality at a reasonable price though. Can get through music shops

For outside/inside/voiceover/general use

You get what you pay for. The microphones you get with computers are designed for speech intelligibility i,.e being able to make out what is being said, not a high quality of sound. Your recording and podcast will be as strong as the weakest link in the recording chain. The chain is microphone, lead, recorder.

Respected names are (among others) Shure, AKG, Audio Technica, Electrovoice. Best to not get one with an on/off switch!

This is the Audio Technica AT804 for £93. Good for all the above

Podcasting is becoming more and more popular and there are now special microphones on the market with you in mind

Such as the Rode Podcaster with a USB plug and play capability (at least in theory)

Costs around £150 in the UK but you will need to buy a stand c. £20 and probably configure the inputs and outputs in Windows and on any editing package you have

Incidentals for the recording which you might forget Compact Flash Card 2GB £15

or Mini disks £10 for 10 Microphone windshield £3 XLR cable, male to female £10 Microphone desk stand £15 Carrying case - £25-£100 Replacement battery £50-£80 Headphones £15-£40

Or…..

You can use your computer and plug in a microphone for just voice, Remember the noise of the computer The quality of the sound card It’s not practical for portable/location use

Software matters

Editing programs Audacity : is a free downloadable program used by many

amateur podcasters. It is limited in scope and facilities, but it’s free and popular

Adobe Audition : is an industry standard piece of software for basic application. We strongly suggest that version 1.5 (£35 on eBay or $39 internet download) is a better consideration than version 2! Version 3 (£300 complete or £80 upgrade) has just come out and may have fixed the awful bugs found in version 2!

Protools : is an audio editing program which is used for complex (music studio recording, radio commercials) applications. It is over and beyond what you will ever need for a high quality podcast (£130) and you need the know-how to work it too.

Skills of podcasting

Remember the target audience in Message : Talk to them personally as a public, you know who they are! Presenter : Male/female, young/old, ethnicity (equal ops) Style/format : ‘Yoof’/anarchic, professional business etc. Mixture of

inside/location material and atmos. Don’t assume ‘dumbed down’ audience or stereotypes. Ask them what they want.

Length : What is it worth? Snappy 3-4 minute piece will be much better than a drawn-out 15 or 30 minute piece.

Above all you are talking to/interacting with just one person That person will not want to be ‘read to’ They will want something that is relevant and interesting to them You will generally need to keep their interest by using ‘sound pictures’

throughout your item They are listening in to a conversation, or they are outside with you

make that person part of your experience or discussion

Some common mistakes

Too long in total or the extracts are too long It may be riveting for you or the person being

interviewed but think of the person at the other end who can just switch off. The podcast represents your organisation or your client’s business with a knock-on effect on reputation

Too short in total or the extracts are too short So nothing meaningful is said…issues are same

as above!

Poor use of voice

Reading from a script. You need to ‘talk’ the written script. The printed words mean you know what you are going to say…. Learn to read ahead.

‘Boring’ voice. Monotonous? Long questions or answers? General rambling on? Language register? If the presenter is not interested or enthusiastic they why should the listener think differently?

Just two talking heads? Straight interview in a room with echo? Hardly appetising fare

Don’t forget that the listener can only hear the podcast, they have to make up their own pictures from the sounds you give them. Do remember that the pictures on radio are also often better than the TV

Right voice for the occasion is needed

Equipment/technical issues Cheap microphone or poor use

Popping, too close, off mike, excessive moving of mike in interview, mike rattle (wind cable round hand), wind noise

‘Atmos’ becomes the dominant element in a recording so you can’t hear the speech

So cheap it is incapable of providing decent quality output Echo in stairwell/room

Levels A constant problem. In recording and editing. ALC can help

with this but you need to know the machine’s capabilities Editing

Topping and tailing Clipping Atmos on location Mixing

Some ways to liven up a podcast

Vox pop

Different voices: male/female,

young/old, accents, different ethnic backgrounds

Speakers introduce themselves, name and

what they do

Conduct interviews with a ‘sound’ background

but be careful of music and potential editing

issues

Go on location

Gather and use different atmos to bed under links –

30” and loop if need be

Listen in to an activity and get the

person to talk about it

Bring the scene to life with

description, use feelings in all

senses Fade sounds in and out in editing to denote passage of time/change of placeUse open

questions to avoid yes/no

answers

Vary the input from one

podcast to the next

Ask person being interviewed if

they’d like to say anything else

Write links as you would say them, not as you

would write them!

Make microphone ‘invisible’

Move around while recording from one atmos/resonance to another

Vox PopStands for ‘Vox

Populi’ – the voice of the people

Always use an open question and don’t

change the question!

Get 7 or 8 ‘good’

responses from a range of people.

You will use 5 or 6

maximum

Vox pop will be typically

20”-40” depending on type of

use

In mixing, intersperse voices, male/female,

accents, range of opinions. Generally ditch

‘I don’t knows’

Mixture of ‘good’male/female, young/old, people, different accents and ethnic mixQuestion asked

needs to be one about which people will generally have

an opinion

On location, by road, shopping

centre, stay in the same place

Do go outside to record a vox pop with a

background atmos. Avoid ‘sterile’ recording

in silent room

Make sure you are recording and that you get the person’s

full response

You will cut out most if not all of your questions in

editing for the podcast

Beginning and end responses in edited

vox pop are key

An important word about music!!Radio stations pay copyright fees

to PRS & PPL organisations for the right to play music on air. The fees are then distributed amongst the artists, composers, publishers etc.

The amount paid relates to transmission area and immediacy of the medium. Extra fees are paid for internet distribution. The fees are negotiated and agreed

You will not have an agreement to use (generally) published music in a podcast. There is some royalty-free material around but you have to look for it.

www.creativecommons.org is a site which recognises this fact and offers access to music and extracts, stings, jingles, mood music etc to podcasters for nothing or a nominal sum. Do ensure that you are legally OK to use any music sources. For musicians, your own music (not a cover version) is, of course, fine.

If you can and do use music, make sure it’s right for the job!!!

Colden Common School - featureRobin Worman’s feature, also known as a wrap or a package, and

the associated script and cue show you how a programme item for a radio station can be put together. It is a news story but the

principles are exactly the same for any sort of podcast: audience, variety, range of people, human interest, targeted message

Hear (and see in the script) how the script is ‘wrapped’ in sound effects. This can also be done the other way round where sound

is encased at beginning and end of the piece by speech.

Hear how the sound effects begin before Robin finishes his link so the transition between the two

is seamless. Also listen to fading in and out

What elements of good practice in this piece can you recognise from the content

we have covered so far?

The podcast production processPlanning

Recording

Editing, Writing, Voicing, Mixing

Uploading to server/site

Transfer to computer

Session/Wav/Mp3

Saving

People, sounds, relevance to publics, range of inputs, likely structure

Atmos, interviews with background, vox pop, spontaneity, ‘listening in’, range of people

Via USB lead or memory card or real time transfer if minidisc

Editing: Choosing and cutting the files down, top and tail, mistakes,

shorten etc.

Writing Script (and cue?)For the presenter to read and

link the audio excerpts together in mixing.

Voicing: Presenter records the separate links so they can be split into individual files and slotted into the final mix

Mixing: Putting the different elements together in a final

package

Press the button and off it goes!

Mixdown & save

Planning for the ‘Meet the Professionals’ event which is the subject of the podcast Length needed?

Can be 3-4 mins or sections this long. This podcast was extended because it was designed to illustrate a range of recording techniques and members of the audience appeared in the podcast so more interest. n.b. often takes just as long (sometimes longer) to do shorter piece

Purpose? Website audio file and piece for this evening To illustrate a range of techniques which can be used

(without using them for the sake of it!) Likely structure?

Feature-type, wrap: lots of atmos, progress through the evening, vox pops, ‘MC’, interviews 4 or 5 inserts & actuality (several 30”ish clips needed)

Check recording kit OK in advance Format disc, batteries OK, microphone & lead OK. ‘tight fit’ between lead

and mike. Test recording. Right socket (!) and settings

Recording at the ‘Meet the Professionals’ event Sounds

Atmos (different times), whistle, ‘off you go’ intro, Interviews in room: student organisers, ‘MC’, employers,

individual students and/or vox pop, names/position Anything ‘unusual’, recording as it happens ‘Listen in’ to discussions Walk round/guided tour End of event

Mentally edit Can get people to redo things to get right for clarity or quality

Check recordings OK (briefly) each time as you do them visually and occasionally outside room on speaker

Don’t go overboard e.g. don’t get 3hrs material for 3 minute piece!

Transfer to Computer

Via USB lead (or memory card transfer or minidisc real-time recording)

Create separate folder ‘CIPR raw audio’ Each separate recording will have a separate file number,

even if it is 3 or 4 seconds or even if you start & stop. Back up Rename individually numbered files ‘atmos’ etc n.b.

these will now be in alphabetical order (not chronological) can use ‘1-atmos’ to retain chronology

Keep ‘CIPR raw audio’, copy and save individually edited files elsewhere & version

Editing Choose final format – not all material will be used Choice based on sound, content & quality of ‘fit’ to final required piece Open up editing package and choose settings (for Audition)

Sample rate: 22,050, 44,100, 48,000Hz etc (44,100 typical but high quality – takes more space on computer and time to load in, 22,050 is generally OK for basic speech)

Channels: Stereo/Mono (usually mono is fine) Resolution: 8,16 bit (16 bit is better)

Editing issues Top and tail, ‘sound bites’, gender, age mix etc, ‘required’, vox pop or mini-

interview? Edit out pauses/fluffs (depends on context). Anyone who just has to be in there?

Save individual inserts Usually as pcm.wav file! (in Audition) Other formats may not be able to be

recovered

Writing Script

This will initially happen mentally and evolve through the initial recording and subsequent listening

It is concurrent with the editing process, at least in one’s head

Having chosen and edited clips & atmos can get down to final script draft

Tend to have shortish scripts which link the sounds together. Write figures in words

Different script for CIPR and SSU use, for example, as they have different targets/publics

Read the script out aloud as you write, hear how it sounds

Voicing

Record script sections in studio or quiet place for mixing in next stage

Remember this part needs to be spot on. Any fluffs, redo. Pause at end of each section.

Rewrite any ‘difficult’ pronunciations or combinations (OK on paper but when spoken are difficult or sound odd)

Check levels and listen back for any problems. This can be one file which you subsequently split up or several.

Mixing Have easy editing program access to all the

actuality and presenter voice inserts Go to multitrack mode and insert all the different

files (in order they will appear) on 2 or 3 tracks. n.b. each soundfile does not need a separate track just those which overlap

Adjust (normalise) levels Bed atmos & alter levels under voice pieces as

required Adjust mix until you’re happy. Back up!!!

Saving session (mixed sounds) in the appropriate format Save as .ses file (in Audition), choose to ‘save associated files’

(i.e. the individual inserts) and back up from time to time. Mix down to mono or stereo/mp3 format etc. as appropriate

Typically mp3, 128 bit, 44,100 Hz Save final version

Memory stick, CD, hard drive, back up etc. Always save and hold on to the final .ses and the associated files

as well. You may wish to voice it a different way for different targets, or the client might want something changed. Keeping the session file pre-mixdown means it’s easy to change things at a later stage

These last few pages with in-depth and specific technical details are for your guidance if you want to go into this, otherwise, let these things just wash over you!!!

Uploading

Access the FTP program to upload to your site/server

Press Button

See the podcast transfer!!

Some of the technical bits we promised we wouldn’t go into If you want to listen to some podcasts

You can search using Google etc. (search on ‘podcast search’ for some other alternatives)

You can search on a ‘podcast catcher’ site such as iTunes (others available, make sure you are happy with what you are downloading re. security, spyware etc), or Organisation specific sites such as BBC

If you want to upload some podcasts You need FTP Client software. This sends the audio file (or

anything else for that matter) from your computer to the webserver

An XML RSS feed gives information about your podcasts, is regularly accessed by podcast software and allows automatic downloads of your new podcasts. It is a piece of software which allows your updated content to be accessed automatically by people who choose to subscribe.

Closing thoughts: Why podcasting is an increasingly important business communication tool Podcasting is becoming ‘the new radio’

It is targeted radio on demand, ‘narrowcasting’ if you like (also video)

Professionally produced and targeted material will reflect on you and your client

It keeps people up to date in an entertaining and personal way It should be one to one communication with

opportunities for feedback The audio pictures complement other web content What is the competition doing????

Closing thoughts: Audio podcast production-a checklist Target the podcast to your intended audience Make it interesting and lively and the right length Location work, mix of voices and techniques, a series of ‘sound pictures’

professionally produced. Not just talking heads! Good quality kit needed Think in sound, not written words Get other people to ‘tell the story’ with sound Don’t use to hard sell but persuade and inform Update on a regular basis Seek direct feedback on podcast and integrate with main site, words,

pictures, e-mail and hyperlinks E-mail out direct to clients and/or decide whether to put on website Potential listeners can subscribe if they wish (or not as you see fit) Can be done ‘in-house’ but training will be needed or can be contracted

out..but be sure that the people really do know what they are doing!

We hope that you found this presentation both entertaining

and usefulBut now listen to the podcast with the script and details of clips. Check the annotated comments to listen to particular techniques and some of the thinking behind why they were included.

In places you can hear some mike rattle, this was done deliberately (!) so people could hear how it sounded

Don’t forget, this podcast was for a specialist audience and several members appeared in the piece. As such it is too long for a general podcast but OK for this audience

Remember too that it was designed to give examples of recording and editing/mixing techniques so there is a wide range just to illustrate…too many if you are listening to it straight…it was designed like this!