Are you looking for the best podcast software and best podcast tools? We interviewed 45 of the top podcasters and this is what they said. Software and hardware shared by the top podcasters and also download our extra bonus where we share our setup for recording podcasts. Our setup for recording podcasts. (Mac only) – This is my screen. The Hardware. The hardware you choose to record your podcast with will play the largest role in the quality of your finished product. That being said, while you can easily spend thousands of dollars on a radio-grade studio, most people will be more than happy with the quality of what are considered 'prosumer' microphones.
Imagine running your own radio station—but without the hassle of transmitters, expensive hardware, or training. With Podcasting, it’s that easy. Podcasting is amateur radio at its best: people from all around the world are recording their own broadcasts on topics ranging from technology to religion. Listeners subscribe to the broadcasts, which are downloaded to iTunes or to an iPod for listening on-the-go.
Podcasts let you interact with audiences in a way that blogs can’t. Last December I started my own Podcast, The Wanderlust Geek, to share my travel stories from around the world. Writing down the same stories would have taken a lot longer. And sharing my tales verbally added a level of intimacy that written words couldn’t have achieved.
It’s surprisingly easy to join the ranks of Podcasters. In fact, you probably already have most of what you need. Once you’ve recorded your broadcast, you simply put it online and distribute it to others through an online syndication technology called RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Think of RSS as a beacon that announces when new online content is available. Listeners use an RSS reader, such as Thunderstone Media’s iPodderX ($20), to find available podcasts and download them to iTunes (for more on how to find and listen to Podcasts, see “Are You Listening?” ).
What You Need
To record a Podcast, you need a few basic pieces of equipment:
Microphone
Most iMacs, laptops, and eMacs have internal microphones. But I’ve found these mikes a bit lacking in both range and sound quality. I recommend going with an external computer mike instead. You can pick up a simple one from Radio Shack for around $30. It’s definitely worth the investment.
The latest PowerBooks and desktop Macs (excluding the Mac mini and the eMac) offer audio-in jacks, so you plug the mike right into the computer. If your Mac lacks this port, you’ll need to plug the mike into a USB audio interface such as Griffin Technology’s iMic ($40). To get the best performance, Griffin recommends plugging the iMic into a self-powered USB hub instead of directly into a Mac.
If you have an iPod, you can use Griffin’s $40 iTalk voice recorder to record Podcasts while you’re out and about. The iTalk plugs into the top of your iPod and records audio as a WAV file, which you can later download to iTunes or import into editing software. You can even go hands-free with the help of a clip-on mike such as Griffin’s $15 Lapel Mic.
Headphones
You’ll also want to plug a pair of headphones into your Mac so you can monitor your voice as you record. This allows you to hear your voice as others will hear it, and to detect background noise your ears might not otherwise pick up.
Software
If you’re recording directly to your Mac, you’ll need special software to capture the audio as you speak. There’s a wide range of options to choose from. If you have the iLife ’05 suite, for example, you can use GarageBand 2 for these tasks. However, I’ve found that the simplest—and least expensive—option is HairerSoft’s Amadeus II ($30) for recording and the free Audacity for editing.
Recording Your Podcast
To begin recording in Amadeus II, go to Sound: Characteristics and set Number Of Channels to Mono, Sampling Rate to 44100Hz, and Sampling Size to 16 Bit. Under the Sound menu, select Record. A new window containing a volume meter will appear (See screenshot). Practice reading your text at the volume you’d be using if you were recording. If you have a naturally quiet voice, you can boost the levels by moving the gain sliders, which are located underneath the volume meter. For a clear, full sound, the volume levels should occasionally peak into the red but usually remain in the green and yellow areas.
When you’re pleased with the levels, click on the record button and start talking. If you’re alone, imagine that you’re speaking to someone else in the room and ignore the fact that you’re being recorded. You want to make your Podcast as intimate and conversational as possible. When you’re done, save the recording as an AIFF file.
Editing Your Podcast
After you’ve recorded your voice track, you can use Audacity to combine multiple takes (getting the best from each one), to delete awkward pauses, or to add embellishments. (Get editing ideas and instructions on using Audactity).
To give your recording a more professional touch, consider adding a short musical intro. But remember to stick to noncommercial music that doesn’t require a license from the Recording Industry Association of America. You can create your own clips with programs such as GarageBand. Sites such as FindSounds and Opuzz offer free or inexpensive royalty-free music clips for download.
Once you’re satisfied with your recording, export it as an AIFF file.
Uploading Your Podcast
To prepare the exported audio file for the Web, drag it into iTunes and then open that program’s Importing preference pane. From the Import Using pull-down menu, choose MP3 Encoder. From the Setting menu, choose Custom. Then set the Stereo Bit Rate to 128 Kbps, the Sample Rate to 44.100 kHz, and Channels to Mono.
Return to the library and select the newly imported track. Under the Advanced menu, choose Convert Selection To MP3. Open the song information window (Command-I) and fill in the Song (in this case, your Podcast entry), Artist, and Album fields. Then press Command-R to bring up the file in a new Finder window, and change the file’s name to better reflect its contents—for example, .
Once that’s complete, upload the file to a Web server. Many ISPs offer free Web space for customers. If yours doesn’t, you can usually pay a small fee to have someone host your audio files. Got a .Mac account? Just upload the file to your Sites folder.
To make your audio file easily accessible to others, you need to create an RSS feed for it. The easiest way to do this is to create a Weblog. Although you can use any blogging software, Blogger is the easiest to set up.
When the blog is up and running, go to FeedBurner and type in your blog’s address. If you use Blogger, you’ll type something like this: .
On the next page, scroll to Additional Services, select the SmartCast option, and then click on the Hide Details link. Enable the ping audio.weblogs.com option at the bottom of the section. Now when you update your blog with new Podcasts, audio.weblogs.com will add them to its list.
Return to your Blogger page and create a new entry. You may want to add a little message with details about your Podcast, as well as any technical information, such as file size. In the entry, add a link to the audio file on your Web server. The link will look something like this:
Promote Your Podcast
You can publicize your Podcast at Podcast Alley and in the iPodderX directory. At Podcast Alley, click on the Add A Podcast link at the top of the page and type in the appropriate information: the title of the Podcast, the feed address, and so forth.
[ Cyrus Farivar is a freelance technology journalist who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. ]
Use Amadeus II’s volume levels to create a rich, full sound. When you speak, the levels should barely peak into the red areas.Podcasting has been experiencing a renaissance lately, and for good reason. Podcasts can be about a wide variety of topics, from Apple to sports, comedy, storytelling and so much more. It’s a great time to get into podcasting because the barrier to entry is so low and you don’t have to break the bank to buy a totally workable setup.
Some of the greatest podcasts in the iTunes Top Charts are regularly recorded using sub-$100 to $300 mics. Whether you want to gain influence in a community or nerd out about the latest iPhone, a podcast is a great place to do it.
That’s why I want to show you how to set up a podcasting rig for under $300, and include some great insights along the way.
Microphones: condenser versus dynamic
Your audio is only going to be as good as your weakest link, so it’s important to start with good mic technique and a good microphone. You may have heard about all sorts of different mics, but for our purposes we’re going to focus on condenser and dynamic microphones.
Condenser mics
A condenser microphone is very sensitive due to the way it’s built. This type of microphone usually has an incredibly even frequency response and picks up detail nicely. It can handle loud noises very well.
Just remember that extra sensitivity comes at a price. Condenser mics usually pick up a ton of background noise, including people outside or in other rooms, low-end rumble from air conditioning, and a lot more. If you’re in a perfect situation (such as a studio or really quiet room), a condenser is worth buying because of its crisp sound. Otherwise, you might want to consider a dynamic mic.
Dynamic mics
A dynamic microphone is typically a live mic. You’ll usually see these at live shows because of their durability and their ability to accept loud sounds. A dynamic mic is great for a podcaster because you have to be close to it for it to pick up your voice. The great part about that is that it doesn’t pick up background noise nearly as much as a condenser would. You have to be careful with dynamic mics, because they certainly don’t always sound as even as a condenser. But in a lot of instances, they are good enough for recording voices. They also work in many other situations, such as recording guitar, drums and even recording the president. For these reasons, dynamic mics have become staples in the studio.
For our budget, I’m going to recommend one good condenser mic and one good dynamic mic. Also, these will be USB mics, so you won’t have to worry about buying an audio interface, XLR cables or a mixer.
For a condenser, I recommend the Blue Yeti. I’ve had such good experiences with Blue Microphones in the past, this was a no-brainer. The company makes beautiful microphones. Not only are they constructed well and great-sounding, but they look good too. You can find the Yeti for around $120, and sometimes even sub-$100. The great thing about the Yeti is that it has selectable polar patterns, which means the mic can record in front of you, in the front and the back of the mic (if you have a person on either side of it), or in 360-degree omnidirectional mode, which records all around the mic (in case you have a large group of people you need to record). It also has a mute button, and more importantly a headphone jack. The headphone jack lets you hear yourself coming through the microphone, which really helps determine if you’ve got a good recording early on.
For a dynamic microphone, I’d recommend the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB. I’d love to recommend the Røde Podcaster because I really love Røde Microphones as a brand, but the Podcaster line has taken a dip in quality recently. The Audio-Technica can be used as a live mic or a USB podcasting mic. As I stated before, because it’s a dynamic microphone, it’s great for rejecting outside noise. It has a pretty even frequency response, a headphone jack for monitoring yourself, and doesn’t break the bank at just $40!
Remember to focus on your situation when it comes to selecting a mic, and choose the one that’s best-suited to your recording location!
Headphones and accessories
If you’re using a condenser mic, there are two accessories that are crucial for use: a pop filter and a shockmount.
A pop filter screens out the plosives in your voice. A plosive is a P or a B sound that makes a short burst of air and can really ruin a great recording. The pop filter I recommend is the Samson PS01. It’s only $25, and it does the job perfectly. You can attach this to any microphone stand, place the pop filter in front of the mic, and you’re ready to go.
For a microphone stand, I’d recommend the On-Stage MS7701B. This boom stand is perfect because it can get out of the way, and has a little bit more flexibility than a desktop stand. You could invest in a fancy desk-mounted boom arm, but it’d be a little too pricey for our budget.
If you’re using a condenser, you’re also going to want to buy a shockmount. Shockmounts range from $20 to $50 on the low end, and are important for keeping noise and rumble out of your recordings. They absorb any shocks to the stand, and help the mic produce a great recording. I won’t recommend a specific one here because they’re typically pretty unique for each mic, so make sure to find the right one for your mic before buying!
Having good headphones is important to your overall podcast rig, because it’s helpful to be able to hear everything you’ve recorded accurately. Sennheiser has been making great headphones and other products for a long time, and I’m going to recommend the HD202 II model. At just $23, these headphones are a steal. They have a decent frequency response, and are comfortable if you’re going to be wearing them for extended periods of time. I’ve loved the HD 280 Pro headphones for some time, but these 202’s at under $25 make perfect sense for this budget.
Best Program For Recording
GarageBand and Pro Tools First
We have our microphone, accessories and headphones — so now what? The last thing we need is a place to record it all. For this I’m going to recommend two programs that are perfect when it comes to recording, editing and mixing podcasts.
The first is GarageBand, which is made by Apple. GarageBand is great for dealing with a few tracks of audio, and it will also help anyone looking to get a head start on learning Apple’s pro product, Logic. GarageBand is easy to record into, and has some great features when it comes to mixing voices. It comes with a number of built-in audio plugins for EQ, compression and more. It also supports the Audio Units plugin format, so you can get some heavy-hitting processing if you’re looking to spend a little more money.
The other program I recommend is Pro Tools First. Avid’s Pro Tools recording software has long been the industry standard. Pro Tools First is a stripped-down version of the company’s flagship program that allows you to record (16 tracks), edit and mix all your audio. They even include more than 20 plugins to process your tracks (including EQ, compression and more). I find editing and mixing audio is easier in Pro Tools, but I think the most important thing to do is learn one program very well (keyboard shortcuts, what each knob is, etc.) and be proficient in that program.
I’d recommend trying out both, and seeing which program fits your needs best.
The ins and outs
Rogue Amoeba also makes some fantastic software. For a long time, I’ve used their Piezo app, which is perfect for recording Skype calls with two people. Since we have a good amount of money left in our budget, I’m actually going to recommend Rogue Amoeba’s higher-end and more fully featured software, Audio Hijack. You’re sure to get a ton of use out of this program.
What Audio Hijack does is allow you to route audio from pretty much anywhere into a host of other locations, including recording right within the program. You can take audio from Skype, iTunes, the web and a number of other places and route it wherever you need it to go. Think of it as a virtual patch bay for your audio.
After you’ve plugged your mic in via USB, recorded your audio and dropped it into your editing and mixing program of choice, you’re all set to ship your podcast to the world!
Breakdown of pricing
So where did we end up with all the components I’ve recommended? Let’s take a look at both the condenser and dynamic mic packages:
Condenser mic podcast setup
- Blue Yeti condenser microphone – $120
- Stand (built in to the Yeti) – Free
- Pop filter – $25
- Shockmount (Not needed with the Yeti, because of the built-in stand) – Typically $30 and up
- Sennheiser HD 202 II headphones – $23
GarageBand or Pro Tools – Free ($4.99 for GarageBand on 2012 and older Macs) - Audio Hijack – $49
Total = $247
Dynamic mic podcast setup
- Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB – $40
- Microphone stand – $25
- Sennheiser HD 202 II headphones – $23
- GarageBand or Pro Tools – Free ($4.99 for GarageBand on 2012 and older Macs)
- Audio Hijack – $49
Total = $137
As you can see, the barrier to entry for podcasting has gotten incredibly low. This is great news for anyone wanting to start a podcast or participate in an existing one.
Best Program For Recording Desktop
This post was syndicated via The App Factor.