I decided to start podcasting my other blog. This has meant a pretty big learning curve, but I already had the hardware I needed and much of the software.
I've had several people ask what I'm using, so I'm going to list everything I can remember for now and I'll do some follow-ups later.
To begin with, I'm using a Shure SM58 microphone. This is sort of the vocal standard in our local bands, and it works quite well for what I'm doing.
I send this into a Behringer Ultra-Voice Pro. Like I said, I had the equipment. This item is discontinued, although most any vocal pre-amp is going to work fairly well. Just look for something that has a compressor, enhancer, noise gate and a voice optimized EQ.
From there, I have some vocal effects that I'm not using, so I send the signal directly to my M-Audio Delta 1010. This thing has really come down in price since I paid for it. I think list was around $1000 at that point, and I grabbed it for just under $600. This is probably overkill for this application, but I could always have a bunch of guests over and record them all at once with this.
At this point, the signal is flowing into my PC. But what am I using from there?
First, I record using Vegas software. I'm using an older version, and if you look around you'll probably find one of the lower-end versions that can do this for a fraction of the cost. I've just become very accustomed to this software for multi-tracking my guitar, bass, drums and vocals, so I didn't want to have to learn something else. It also has plenty of built-in effects, so I can add a little reverb, delay if I like, drop in sound effects, have a music track in the background and record multiple takes, editing out parts that didn't come out how I wanted. This is essential when you're not doing a laid back interview or radio program.
After I get things done in Vegas, I export as a .wav and make sure the mix came out right. I open that up in Audacity, which could probably do the recording I do in Vegas just fine, but I didn't want to learn another program for recording. I added the LAME dll so it'll export in mp3 format, and then I transfer the file up to the web server.
For that blog, I'm using WordPress, and the podPress plug-in sure makes adding in a podcast simple. It automatically puts the file into the feed for the podcast, creates all the iTunes attributes and includes download links with a flash mp3 player embedded in the post. To send the feeds out, I decided to go ahead and let feedburner handle the feed compatibility issues.
There you have it... the "Simple" proccess I'm using. Now all you need is content. ;)Labels: Blogging, Marketing Tests, Podcasting |
