 It’s the trendiest thing on the web and I was
starting to feel left out of it. Let me say upfront that
I don’t own an iPod or any other kind of portable
MP3 player. It was rather late in the day that I realised
that you don’t need any of that hardware to listen
to this stuff. You can do it using software such as iPodder
Lemon and iTunes on your home computer.
But maybe you already know that. In which case, maybe
you think this book isn’t for you…
In fact, Podcast Solutions goes way beyond the basics
of merely listening to podcasts. It also gives a detailed
guide to recording and broadcasting your own. It explains
how to record and edit your audio using a tool such as
Adobe’s Audition or the free alternative, Audacity.
It goes through the ins and outs of the sample rates
and bit rates you’ll
need when preparing MP3 files with an appropriate compromise
between sound quality and file size. It explains how
to integrated MP3 files with RSS feeds in order to make
real syndicated podcasts which your listeners can subscribe
to.
It even gives advice on publicising your podcasts and
making money from them. In short, this book provides
you with all the information you need to get yourself
up and running as a (with luck!) successful podcaster.
It’s a useful book - well laid-out, easy to read
and good value. The CD stuck to the inside of the back
cover, which is said to contain ‘all the software
you’ll need to start podcasting’, is a bit
redundant, however, since most of the programs are time-limited
or demo versions and those (such as Audacity) which aren’t
are freely available by download.
I am also a bit suspicious of the chapter dealing with
the hardware requirements for the serious podcaster.
Bearing in mind that the rest of the book assumes you’ll
be working on a tight budget, using predominantly free
software, the authors seem curiously partial to microphones
costing in excess of $100 (with a special recommendation
for units costing about $400) plus mixers ranging between
$60 and $640. The desirability of all this gadgetry is
emphasised by snazzy diagrams showing things such as
polar, cardoid and hypercardoid pickup patterns. I was
just about to reach for my credit card when I decided
to take a second opinion from a professional DJ. He advised
me to stick to a budget microphone (he tells me one of
his favourite mikes cost less than $20 second-hand) and
avoid a hardware mixer altogether, doing my mixing entirely
in software.
At any rate, whether ore not you decide to invest in
the gadgetry, this book should get you through all the
basics of recording and broadcasting your podcasts. All
you have to do then is find a subject to podcast about.
But that is entirely up to you…
You can buy
this book at a discount from Computer Manuals (UK).
Huw Collingbourne
October 2005
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