Podcasting Video Tips

The  is designed for musicians, but it can also work great for podcasters. This dynamic mic sells for only $299, and its sound reproduction is better than the Heil PR40. Why spend money on a good mic? Your podcasting microphone is the best investment you can make for your podcast. The principle of “garbage in, garbage out” starts with your mic. A bad microphone produces bad audio that is hard to enhance. But a great microphone will produce high-quality audio that you won't have to fix. Hot signal from RE320 The first thing you may notice from the RE320 is that it's louder than most popular podcasting microphones. This means you can turn down your input gain and decrease the risk of line noise. Positioning with an end-fire microphone The Electro-Voice RE320 captures audio from the end, not the sides. So it's best to speak 4–6 inches away from the mic. If you have to turn your head, pivot around the mic so that you voice is always in front of it. I recommend positioning the mic slightly off-axis, about 45º to your right or left, to prevent your plosives from hitting the microphone. Built in pop filter Plosives are the pops of air that come especially from the consonants T and P. Unlike most other microphones, the RE320 and RE20 have a built-in pop filter that does a good job preventing these plosives from being in the recording. If you still get plosives with the mic slightly off-axis, then I recommend the . Variable-D for reduced proximity effects Electro-Voice's exclusive Variable-D effect reduces or prevents tone changes when you get extremely close to the mic or far away. This was most impressive compared to the Heil PR40 and Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB. Both of those mics had a serious drop in quality as little as 8 inches away, but the RE320 and RE20 both still sounded great. Kick Drum Switch The RE320 has a kick drum switch that drastically changes the dynamics of the microphone. It's almost like two different microphones in one. Off (right)—great for voice * Flat frequency response at 45 Hz – 2,9 KHz * -2 dB at 3.2 KHz * +5 dB at 4 KHz – 18 KHz On (left)—kick drums or specialized uses * Frequency response extended down to 30 Hz * +2 dB at 100–150 Hz * -4.5 dB at 380 Hz * +4 dB at 2.8 KHz * +7 dB at 4–5 KHz * Remaining frequency response up to 18 KHz More accurate sound than the Heil PR40 The Electro-Voice RE320 is $299, which almost the same cost of the Heil PR40 ($300–$325). Since testing the RE320 and RE20, I've discovered just how much of a bass boost the PR40 gives. The PR40 also tends to make sharper S sounds. If you want to spend $300 on a mic, I recommend the Electro-Voice RE320 over the Heil PR40 as you'll get a much more accurate sound. Recommended accessories for RE320 * * * RE320 vs. RE20, PR40, and ATR2100-USB * RE320 is louder than all other dymanic mics. * Both the RE320 and RE20 sound great even 8 inches away. * Side rejection is almost the same on all mics, but the RE320 made the background noise a bit more “tinny.”

The is designed for broadcasting and you'll find it in many professional radio studios. This dynamic mic sells for only $449, and it boasts highly accurate sound reproduction. Why spend money on a good mic? Your podcasting microphone is the best investment you can make for your podcast. The principle of “garbage in, garbage out” starts with your mic. A bad microphone produces bad audio that is hard to enhance. But a great microphone will produce high-quality audio that you won't have to fix. Positioning with an end-fire microphone The Electro-Voice RE20 captures audio from the end, not the sides. So it's best to speak 4–6 inches away from the mic. If you have to turn your head, pivot around the mic so that you voice is always in front of it. I recommend positioning the mic slightly off-axis, about 45º to your right or left, to prevent your plosives from hitting the microphone. Built in pop filter Plosives are the pops of air that come especially from the consonants T and P. Unlike most other microphones, the RE20 and RE320 have a built-in pop filter that does a good job preventing these plosives from being in the recording. If you still get plosives with the mic slightly off-axis, then I recommend the . Variable-D for reduced proximity effects Electro-Voice's exclusive Variable-D effect reduces or prevents tone changes when you get extremely close to the mic or far away. This was most impressive compared to the Heil PR40 and Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB. Both of those mics had a serious drop in quality as little as 8 inches away, but the RE20 and RE320 both still sounded great. Bass Tilt Down switch The RE20 has a “bass tilt down” switch that marginally changes the dynamics of the microphone. It's essentially a bass-reduction switch. Off (left) A highly accurate representation of your voice. * -3 dB at 45–80KHz * Flat frequency response at 80 Hz – 6 KHz * +2.5 dB at 6–14 KHz On (right) In case your voice is too booming, try the Bass Tilt setting. * -4.5 dB at 100–400 Hz Most accurate, professional sound The Electro-Voice RE20 is $449, which is a lot, but I think it is worth it if you want a professional-sounding podcast. Since testing the RE20 and RE320, I've discovered just how much of a bass boost the PR40 (the over-praised “gold standard” in podcasting) gives. The PR40 also tends to make sharper S sounds. Recommended accessories for RE20 * * * RE20 vs. RE320, PR40, and ATR2100-USB * The RE20 is a little quieter than the other dynamic microphones. * Both the RE20 and RE320 sound great even 8 inches away. * Side rejection is almost the same on all mics, but the RE20 seemed to reject the background noise a little more than the other mics. * Both the RE20 and RE320 reproduced voice the most accurately. Equipment used in this video * * * * * * * * * * * MacBook Pro (Amazon.com | B&H | MacMall)

Learn how to include both a YouTube or Vimeo video along with a downloadable podcast episode in your WordPress post without double players. There are two methods to doing this, depending on your needs, workflow, and website setup. Links and shownotes at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/a9rl Check out Podcasters' Roundtable at http://podcastersroundtable.com Make your blog or podcast website awesome with Social Subscribe & Follow Icons: http://subscribeandfollow.com Follow me on http://twitter.com/theRamenNoodle FEEDBACK Call (903) 231-2221 Email feedback@TheAudacitytoPodcast.com Send a voice message from http://TheAudacitytoPodcast MAILING ADDRESS The Audacity to Podcast PO Box 739 Burlington, KY 41005

Speed up your blogging and podcasting workflow with these five great WordPress plugins. They'll reduce your steps, optimize your site, and save lots of time. 1. Resize Images Before Upload: http://j.mp/17iqIGs 2. Grab & Save: http://j.mp/17iqKy0 3. Shortcode Exec PHP: http://j.mp/17iqMWE 4. Simple Post Template: http://j.mp/1aLGizY 5. Pretty Link Pro: http://j.mp/18jkFDf Links and shownotes at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/134 Check out Podcasters' Roundtable at http://podcastersroundtable.com Make your blog or podcast website awesome with Social Subscribe & Follow Icons: http://subscribeandfollow.com Follow me on http://twitter.com/theRamenNoodle FEEDBACK Call (903) 231-2221 Email feedback@TheAudacitytoPodcast.com Send a voice message from http://TheAudacitytoPodcast MAILING ADDRESS The Audacity to Podcast PO Box 739 Burlington, KY 41005

Instead of telling your audience to find you in iTunes, give them a direct link that does the work for them! This video episode will show you how to create direct links, and even how to make some money from your podcast. https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/ituneslinks Get my new WordPress plugin: http://subscribeandfollow.com Follow me on http://twitter.com/theRamenNoodle FEEDBACK Call (903) 231-2221 Email feedback@TheAudacitytoPodcast.com Send a voice message from http://TheAudacitytoPodcast MAILING ADDRESS The Audacity to Podcast PO Box 739 Burlington, KY 41005

Every cohost in your audio podcast needs their own headphones, but they may have completely different kinds with different amplifications. This 4-channel headphone amplifier will give each cohost their own volume control for their headphones. Watch this video to see why you and your cohosts will love the Behringer HA400. Cheap headphone splitting You can get a  (under $3) so you can connect two headphones. If you have several cohosts, you could consider the , which connects up to five headphones. Both of these splitters give no control over the volume. In fact, the more headphones you plug in, the lower the volume gets. Headphone splitting with volume control The Behringer HA400 Headphone Amplifier is the perfect addition to any podcast studio with more than one person. It has separate volume controls for each 1/4-inch output. This gives each cohost the ability to control the volume of their own headphones. Connect the HA400 to your mixer with a high-quality 1/4″ male stereo (TRS) to 1/4″ male stereo (TRS) cable from Monoprice. The HA400 is a powered amplifier, so make sure you have an extra AC outlet nearby. Please the HA400 headphone amplifier somewhere within reach of everyone, or at least one person who can adjust for others. Don't forget these important adapters Get four  so your guests and cohosts can plugin in any pair of headphones. I also recommend a couple  for headphones with short cables.

Learn how to use Audacity for podcasting and more on May 18!

See and hear the difference between popular microphones for audio and video podcasts: Heil PR40, Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB, Nady SP1-1, and the Giant Squid Audio Lab lavalier. Follow me on http://twitter.com/theRamenNoodle Links and shownotes at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/119 FEEDBACK Call (903) 231-2221 Email feedback@TheAudacitytoPodcast.com Send a voice message from http://TheAudacitytoPodcast MAILING ADDRESS The Audacity to Podcast PO Box 739 Burlington, KY 41005

Learn how to add your podcast cover art to 3 most important places: RSS2 image tag, iTunes image tag, and ID3 tags. Visit https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/117 for in-depth information about this and Apple's recent email to podcasters. Hire Daniel J. Lewis to custom-design your podcast cover art at http://PodcastCoverArt.com Follow me on http://twitter.com/theRamenNoodle Links and shownotes at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/117 FEEDBACK Call (903) 231-2221 Email feedback@TheAudacitytoPodcast.com Send a voice message from http://TheAudacitytoPodcast MAILING ADDRESS The Audacity to Podcast PO Box 739 Burlington, KY 41005

See this amazing app that helps you record, produce, and publish podcasts without a PC! Purchase for iOS from https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/bossjock-itunes

Learn how to edit audio projects much faster with simple tricks in Audacity. Stopwatch photo credit: smaedli via Compfight cc 1. Zoom shortcuts * Zoom in: Cmd-1 (OS X) or Ctrl-1 (Windows) * Zoom out: Cmd-3 (OS X) or Ctrl-3 (Windows) * Zoom to normal: Cmd-2 (OS X) or Ctrl-2 (Windows) * Fit the entire timeline in the window: Cmd-F (OS X) or Ctrl-F (Windows) * Fit all tracks vertically in the window: Shift-Cmd-F (OS X) or Shift-Ctrl-F (Windows) * Zoom with mouse wheel: hold down Cmd (OS X) or Ctrl (Windows) and use the scroll wheel 2. Scroll shortcuts Hold down Shift and use the scroll wheel to scroll horizontally across your timeline. 3. Selection jump Quickly jump to a specific time in your project: * Ensure the Selection Toolbar is activated. If it isn't, enable it through View menu > Toolbars > Selection Toolbar. * Enter a time under “Selection Start.” * Double-press Spacebar. * The view will jump to your selected location. 4. Backwards editing While recording, keep a log of times where you need to edit (if necessary). Then edit these from end to beginning. By editing backwards, your logged times will always be correct. But if you edit forwards, then your proceeding times will be off-sync and make editing exponentially harder. 5. Playback speed If you can listen to audio at chipmunk speed and pitch, then you can edit your audio faster by dragging the playback speed from the Transcription Toolbar. This will sound crazy, but it could help you edit twice as quickly! 6. Labels To make navigating your project easier, use a Label track to add notes at certain points. These help you mark and quickly find any portion you want to remember. * Go to the Tracks menu > Add New > Label Track. * Click in the new label track where you want your label to be, or select a region of audio you want labeled and press Ctrl-B (Windows/Linux) or Cmd-B (OS X). * Type your label and press Enter. Here are a couple notes about Labels. * Labels can overlap and move with your multi-track selection, or with Sync-Lock Tracks enabled. * Move a label by clicking and dragging the small circle. * Expand a label's region by clicking and dragging one of the triangle handles. * Delete a label by clicking on it and removing the text and pressing Backspace one final time. * You can also add a label during playback or recording by pressing Cmd-[Period] (OS X) or Ctrl-M (Windows/Linux). Learn more about Label tracks from the Audacity manual. 7. Chains Learn how to setup and use Chains in Audacity to automate tasks and remember effect settings. 8. Keyboard shortcuts Learn keyboard shortcuts for anything you keep doing. You can usually find these under the appropriate menu, on this cheat sheet, or adjust the keyboard shortcuts yourself. * Go to the Audacity menu (OS X) or Edit menu (Windows) > Preferences. * Go to Keyboard to learn, set, or change keyboard shortcuts. * Go to Mouse to learn, set, or change keyboard shortcuts associated with mouse tools. (The OS X version incorrectly says “Ctrl” when it means “Cmd.”)

If you have your own domain and website, have WordPress with PowerPress, and you don't care about unreliable RSS stats, what benefits does FeedBurner even provide? 1. Email subscriptions 2. Feed caching 3. Feed portability Hear more about this in the video answer to Wayne Henderson's (from http://MediaVoiceOvers.com) question. LEARN MORE ABOUT FEEDBURNER: How to setup and use FeedBurner for blogging or podcasting: http://ndl.mx/tap053 Is FeedBurner still necessary for blogging and podcasting?: http://ndl.mx/tap089 How to leave FeedBurner: http://ndl.mx/tap097 ASK YOUR PODCASTING QUESTIONS Call (903) 231-2221 Email Feedback@TheAudacitytoPodcast.com Send a voice message at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com

This looks like a great mic for beginning podcasters, voiceover artists, and other audio needs. It has USB and XLR outputs, so you can plug it straight into your computer, or use it with a mixer. Watch my comparison between the ATR2100-USB and other popular podcasting microphones.

Learn how to setup Blubrry's PowerPress plugin for WordPress, including feed and iTunes settings, category podcasting, channels, and how to attach podcast episodes.