My Tools for Podcasting

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I am frequently asked what I use to create podcasts, so I thought I’d put together information on the various equipment, programs, etc. for anybody interested in getting into podcasting.

First off, why podcast? Well, it’s an additional area for you to reach your audience to share information, generate revenue, and create more content for your site(s).

One thing to note is that the things I use are for the PC (I use them in both XP and Vista). I’m a PC, what can I say?

Anyhow, I most often record over Skype, which offers a cleaner sound than a recorded telephone call. But I don’t record with Skype – I pair it up with a program called Pamela.

This enables me to host and record a call with multiple people at multiple locations, though I wouldn’t recommend more than 3-4 people, as the recording gets a little messed up when people speak over each other.

When I record over the computer, I wear a Plantronics DSP400 Foldable Multimedia Headset, which gives the option to plugin either by USB or two plugs for hearing and speaking.

There are a lot of varieties of Plantronics headsets, as well as other brands. I’ve been most pleased with the quality using Plantronics.

And then when I am recording in-person, I use the M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96 Professional 2-Channel Mobile Digital Recorder. Thanks to Jay Berkowitz of Ten Golden Rules for turning me on to this one.

This recorder is very light and small (about the size of a cell phone) and has all sorts of bells and whistles, such as levels, jacks for lines, external mic, etc.

The M-Audio machine connects to the computer via USB to transfer files and records to a Sandisk 4GB ULTRA II Compact Flash.

After I’ve got a recorded podcast, I use Sound Forge Audio Studio 9 software to edit the audio. It’s an easy interface to edit out dead air, as well as conversations before and after the recording.

Sometimes, I will add in some royalty-free music to play for introductions and transitions. A good site for this sort of music at reasonable prices is Stock20.com.

Finally, I use the podPress plugin on WordPress to post podcasts to my blogs. This is a really useful plugin that enables you to provide streaming of the audio, as well as a download link. Plus, you get stats on the number of listens.

Another WordPress plugin you can use, which doesn’t have as many features as podPress is Audio player.

After you have your podcast going, be sure to submit it to iTunes to provide listeners with another way to access and listen to it.

Listen to me on the Affiliate Thing and GeekCast Show podcasts on GeekCast.fm.