Imagine consort your own radio station — but without the scuffle of transmitter , expensive hardware , or grooming . With Podcasting , it ’s that easy . Podcasting is amateur radio receiver at its best : masses from all around the world are memorialize their own broadcasts on topics vagabond from engineering to organized religion . auditor sign to the broadcasts , which are download to iTunes or to an iPod for listening on - the - go .

Podcasts countenance you interact with consultation in a way that blogs ca n’t . Last December I started my own Podcast , The Wanderlust Geek , to share my travel story from around the humankind . write down the same stories would have adopt a great deal longer . And sharing my tales verbally added a level of intimacy that compose countersign could n’t have achieved .

It ’s amazingly well-heeled to join the ranks of Podcasters . In fact , you plausibly already have most of what you need . Once you ’ve recorded your broadcast , you simply put it online and parcel out it to others through an online syndication engineering call RSS ( Really Simple Syndication ) . Think of RSS as a beacon that announce when new online content is uncommitted . Listeners use an RSS reader , such as Thunderstone Media’siPodderX($20 ) , to find uncommitted podcasts and download them to iTunes ( for more on how to come up and listen to Podcasts , see “ Are You hear ? ” ) .

What You Need

To record a Podcast , you require a few introductory pieces of equipment :

MicrophoneMost iMacs , laptops , and eMacs have intragroup microphone . But I ’ve found these microphone a bit lack in both range and legal quality . I recommend go with an external information processing system microphone alternatively . you could beak up a dewy-eyed one from Radio Shack for around $ 30 . It ’s by all odds deserving the investment funds .

The late PowerBooks and desktop Macs ( excluding the Mac mini and the eMac ) offer audio - in jacks , so you plug the mike justly into the computer . If your Mac lacks this port , you ’ll need to plug the mike into a USB audio user interface such as Griffin Technology’siMic($40 ) . To get the well performance , Griffin recommends plug the iMic into a ego - powered USB hub instead of forthwith into a Mac .

If you have an iPod , you’re able to 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 read audio as a WAV file , which you may later download to iTunes or import into editing software . you’re able to even go hands - free with the help of a clip - on mike such as Griffin ’s $ 15 Lapel Mic .

HeadphonesYou’ll also need to plug a twain of headphone into your Mac so you could monitor your voice as you record . This allows you to pick up your voice as others will see it , and to detect background noise your ear might not otherwise pick up .

SoftwareIf you ’re memorialize instantly to your Mac , you ’ll want special software system to capture the audio frequency as you speak . There ’s a broad mountain range of options to choose from . If you have the iLife ’ 05 suite , for instance , you could expend GarageBand 2 for these tasks . However , I ’ve found that the simplest — and least expensive — option is HairerSoft’sAmadeus II($30 ) for recording and the freeAudacityfor editing .

Recording Your Podcast

To set out recording in Amadeus II , go to Sound : Characteristics and jell bit Of groove to Mono , Sampling Rate to 44100Hz , and Sampling Size to 16 Bit . Under the Sound bill of fare , select Record . A new window containing a volume metre will appear ( See screenshot ) . Practice reading your text at the volume you ’d be using if you were recording . If you have a naturally tranquil voice , you could boost the levels by moving the gain sliders , which are located underneath the mass meter . For a clear , full phone , the volume levels should now and again top out into the red but usually remain in the green and yellow areas .

When you ’re pleased with the levels , penetrate on the record button and start sing . If you ’re alone , conceive of that you ’re speaking to someone else in the elbow room and ignore the fact that you ’re being recorded . You want to make your Podcast as intimate and colloquial as potential . When you ’re done , save the transcription as an AIFF Indian file .

Editing Your Podcast

After you ’ve recorded your spokesperson track , you could use Audacity to aggregate multiple return ( getting the best from each one ) , to cancel clumsy pauses , or to tot up embellishments . ( Get cut approximation and instructions on using Audactity ) .

To give your recording a more professional skin senses , consider adding a short musical intro . But remember to stick to noncommercial music that does n’t want a license from the Recording Industry Association of America . you’re able to make your own snip with programme such as GarageBand . Sites such asFindSoundsandOpuzzoffer free or inexpensive royalty - barren music snip for download .

Once you ’re quenched with your recording , export it as an AIFF file .

Uploading Your Podcast

To prepare the export audio file for the Web , drag it into iTunes and then unfold that program ’s Importing preference back breaker . From the Import Using twist - down card , choose MP3 Encoder . From the set menu , choose Custom . Then set the Stereo Bit pace to 128 Kbps , the Sample Rate to 44.100 kilocycle per second , and Channels to Mono .

revert to the depository library and select the fresh imported track . Under the Advanced menu , choose Convert Selection To MP3 . launch the strain selective information window ( Command - I ) and fill in the Song ( in this case , your Podcast entry ) , Artist , and Album field . Then iron out Command - R to get up the file in a unexampled Finder window , and change the single file ’s name to better reflect its contentedness — for example ,

Once that ’s complete , upload the file to a Web host . Many ISPs put up free Web blank for customers . If yours does n’t , you’re able to ordinarily pay a small fee to have someone host your audio files . suffer a .Mac news report ? Just upload the file to your Sites folder .

To make your audio file easily accessible to others , you need to create an RSS provender for it . The easiest way to do this is to make a Weblog . Although you may use any blogging software , Bloggeris the easiest to congeal up .

When the blog is up and running , go toFeedBurnerand character in your web log ’s address . If you expend Blogger , you ’ll type something like this :

On the next page , scroll to Additional Services , select the SmartCast selection , and then cluck on the Hide Details link . start the pingaudio.weblogs.comoption at the bottom of the subdivision . Now when you refresh your web log with new Podcasts , audio.weblogs.comwill add them to its inclination .

Return to your Blogger page and create a newfangled entry . You may want to total a piddling content with details about your Podcast , as well as any technical selective information , such as file size . In the entry , sum a tie-in to the audio single file on your vane host . The linkup will look something like this :

Promote Your Podcast

you could publicize your Podcast atPodcast Alleyand in theiPodderX directory . At Podcast Alley , sink in 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 Farivaris a free-lance technology journalist who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area . ]

Are you listening?

If you ’re not quite ready to set off your own Podcast , you may still get in on the craze by subscribing to other people ’s Podcasts . The first thing you ’ll take is a Podcasting guest , such as iPodderX , which regularly checks various preset web site to regain novel content for download . Once you ’ve launched your client , you could habituate its establish - in directory to add novel Podcasts . If iPodderX does n’t number the Podcast you ’re looking for , you may add up it by going to Podcasts : Add A Podcast Feed . Then copy the RSS provender destination ( it ordinarily ends in.xml ) and paste it into the Podcast Feed URL field of view .

you’re able to have iPodderX stop specify feeds for fresh content to download . It will add the Podcasts to a novel iTunes playlist . If you have your iPod configured for an automatic update , all you have to do is plug in your iPod ; iPodderX will do the relief .

Here are some Podcasts to get you started :

Daily Source Code > The Dawn and Drew Show > Reel Reviews > MacCast

Tip

Place your microphone at a 45 to 90 degree slant relative to your mouth . This will come down the plosive sound that words get with the letterpcan causal agent .