Make a Podcast

Make your own Podcast.

Making your own podcast is easy. Follow our simple five step guide to get you started.

Step 1: The Content

Create your audio content. The content can be anything you like, including audio books, music, “radio” type shows, or interviews. There’s no formula for creating the audio content. In fact, one of the nice things about podcasting is that your shows can be anything that you want them to be.

Step 2: The Equipment

To make a Podcast all you need is a computer and a microphone.

Microphones are available in a variety of styles, depending on your budget. Some computers already have microphones built into them. If you don’t have one, or want to use something that cancels out noise a little better, you can buy an inexpensive one for about 20 Euro (and up) from any electronics store. Headphones are a nice option if you want to hear your recordings played back.

It doesn’t matter what platform or application you use to record the audio. You will need to use a program that records a voice, ideally with some type of audio editor. You can use something as basic as the preloaded programs on most operating systems, such as Windows Media, or you purchase more sophisticated software, allowing you to modify the sound that you’re recording. A great free option is Audacity 1.2.3., which is open-source audio editing software available via a free download at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ . Audacity is simple to use and is compatible with both Mac and PC and it let’s you mix together multiple audio files. On the Macintosh, GarageBand is a popular choice, because it is free and powerful.

Step 3: Record your Podcast

To record, just follow the instructions on your audio application.

Save your finished audio show at maximum quality in the native format of your audio application. That way you can go back and edit it or reuse it and you’ll have a good version.

Step 4: Convert the file to MP3 format

Once you have your audio content, you need to save it in MP3 format. MP3 is the defacto standard format for podcasts. Use the minimum bit rate that provides good results. Here are some suggested settings:

• 48 – 56k Mono – books, talk radio • 64k+ Stereo – music, music & talk combinations • 128k Stereo – good quality music Make sure you save it with an .mp3 file extension

Step 5: Publish your Podcast

Email us your podcast to info@spanglish.ie and if appropriate we will publish it to our learning section.

Happy Podcasting!

• » Learning Database
• » Recipes
• « Make a Podcast