Digital Trends

Podcasts are the latest developments in digital audio broadcasting.  Some shows are professionally created by media outlets, such as Disney and ABC News, and others are produced by creative individuals with a microphone and a smidge of know-how. You can listen to anything from the latest sports news from ESPN to a group of random women dishing about pop culture on their girls' night in. Why, (shameless plug alert) you can even listen to technology news via the new, weekly Digital Trends Podcast.

So, if you're just now getting around to blogging, you may want to skip it and just go for the podcast, or, if you've already been bitten by the blog bug, you can insert a podcast right in there to complement your rant. Podcasting, at the moment, is essentially free to create and distribute, and is censorship free (depending on where it's published), much like the early days of amateur radio, so you too can be the next big thing if you jump on it right now.  Just think, if you've always wanted your own show, here's your chance.  And the best part?  You're basically on a level playing field with the big boys because it's a new medium.

As with anything, you can get the best of the latest products around to create your podcast, but, believe it or not, the basic nuts and bolts you'll need are a computer, a microphone and a website to post your own, homemade radio-style shows. Those are the essentials.
    

First things first, you need a computer and website.  For those two, you're on your own, but note that even older computers work well and you can also use a blog site's bandwidth, such as Blogger's, to publish your podcast.  More on that later.

After a computer and website, you'll need a microphone, which is 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 $10 (and up) from any electronics store. Headphones are a nice option if you want to hear your recordings played back without the additional desktop speaker noise, but not necessary.  You can opt for the spendy ones, or just use ones borrowed from your portable CD player.

Next, 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, such as ePodcast Creator. Another 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 a great choice, because it's simple enough for first time users, and compatible with both Mac and PC.  And, did I mention it was free? 

Here's a recording of my voice using Audacity 1.2.3.'s default settings and an inexpensive desktop microphone.  Click here to listen to me testing the mic. I listened back using the headphones borrowed from my CD player to make sure I couldn't hear the rather loud PS2 game being played in the background, and sure enough, I couldn't, so all seems to be in working order.  Here are two of us talking from an equal distance from the mike, in case you want to have more than one person's voice recorded, much like an interview or a multi-person gabfest.  Click here to listen to a sample of two voices being recorded.

Audacity 1.2.3. Running on Windows

Image Courtesy of Audacity 1.2.3

To begin recording, just go up to the File menu and select New.  If you'd like to test your microphone input level, just click on the microphone icon on the far right, then start talking.  You should get a red bar going across, letting you know if you're talking too quietly, or too loud.  The bar should reach most of the way to the right, but not stay completely red.  If it stays red, move away from the mike a bit or turn down the level using the input volume control located just below the microphone icon.  The rest of the program is pretty easy to navigate.  To record, click the button with the red circle.  To stop, click on the button with the yellow square.  To play, click on the green arrow.  Have fun figuring out all of the effect controls for sounds and track mixes, as well as editing features of the program.