Podcast Quick Tips

PQT – Recording with the Zoom H4n

Ray Ortega — Fri, 11 May 2012 02:15:41 +0000

Looking around my studio, I counted almost ten different ways to record a podcast. Over the next few episode of Podcast Quick Tips, I’m going to be using each of these methods to demonstrate how you can produce a quality sounding podcast many different ways.

Recording with the H4n on-board mics about 7-10 inches from my mouth

First up is the Zoom H4n. This digital audio recorder is an amazing little piece of technology and really the only thing you need to record a podcast. You’ll hear how I use the on-board condenser microphones of the H4n to record this episode.

Coupled together with some post production, you can create some fantastic sounding audio. A little compression, a limiter, some EQ and a touch of noise removal can really improve the audio that comes off the Zoom. However, this device is powerful enough to produce a show without using any post production. It can even compress your raw audio file into the mp3 format for you.

I also talk about BlogWorld NYC 2012. I’ll be speaking on two different panels and co-teaching a two part class titled “Podcasting 101″ along with Daniel from The Audacity to Podcast, Dave from The School of Podcasting’s Morning Announcements and Dan from Podcast Like a Radio DJ.

If you’re considering attending this year’s BlogWorld, which will have an incredible podcasting track, make sure to use my promo code: PodRay10 on checkout to save 10% off the price of your ticket. And, if you purchase by May 15, 2012 you’ll save an additional $100 off the price of a ticket.

If you’re going, make sure you let me know so we can meet in person!

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PQT – Disable Skype’s Auto Gain Control

Ray Ortega — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:35:33 +0000

If you weren’t already aware, Skype is likely controlling your audio levels. As podcasters, we want to make sure we are in control of all our settings all of the time. This is how you can make sure Skype isn’t changing your audio quality.

Skype just released (03/06/12) a new version of it’s software for the Mac (version 5.6.0.143). In this release they placed a check-box (already found in the Windows version) for controlling Skype’s auto gain control (AGC). What AGC does is listen to the proximity of your voice to the microphone and adjust the volume as necessary so that the person on the other end can always hear you at a decent level. However, as podcasters, we don’t want anyone besides us deciding what our gain level should be and we certainly don’t want it to change during recording.

Now you can simply go into your preferences audio/video settings and uncheck the “Automatically Adjust Microphone Settings” box. Then go into your computer’s settings and set the level you want your mic to be.

When enabled, AGC will constantly adjust the level of your audio based on your relationship to the mic and whether or not you are speaking into it. During times of silence or if you move too far away from the mic, this can cause the “noise floor” to be raised higher thus producing an audible hiss. Disabling AGC will help to prevent unwanted noise.

Links mentioned in this episode
How to disable Skype’s AGC and EC with HTML code

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PQT – Increase Your Podcast’s Credibility by Using Other Voices

Ray Ortega — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:10:47 +0000

Sean Allen sent in a guest Quick Tip detailing how he increases the credibility of his podcast by using voice overs.

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PQT – Edit Facebook Audio Player Information

Ray Ortega — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 02:10:16 +0000

When you insert a link to a hosted audio file into Facebook’s link section above the status box, Facebook will automatically create an audio player.

Below this audio player is a couple areas of information about any particular audio file you link to. They don’t make it obvious that you can actually edit the information that is contained in these fields (title, artist, album) but it’s an easy process once you know how.

Once your file is linked, you see that the fields display “unknown artist” and “unknown album.”

Simply place your mouse over each section and the field to be edited will be highlighted. Click and place whatever text you like into this section. It’s that simple. This also applies for the title of the file seen in bold lettering.

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PQT – Free Video Converters

Ray Ortega — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 02:48:21 +0000

There are any number of reasons why you might need to convert a video from one format to another. In the case of video podcasting perhaps you need to make your file compatible to work on Apple devices or you need to take your original file created specifically for iTunes and make it more compatible with any type of media player. These are just two of the reasons why a video converter can be an important piece of software in your podcast production tool box.

In many cases, because the web often deals in flash (flv) files, you may need to convert them to another format which works better for your particular needs. In this episode I give you a brief introduction to some of the free, cross platform (Windows and Mac) tools I use for converting video file formats.

Free video converters:
Any-Video-Converter
Miro video Converter
Handbrake
Mpeg Streamclip
Real Player
VLC Media Player/Converter

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PQT – Mixlr.com. Audio Only Live Streaming

Ray Ortega — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:52:44 +0000

An introduction to mixlr.com, a new live streaming dedicated to the audio only podcaster. With mixlr’s easy to use app, available for both Windows and Mac, you can easily stream your show live to the web while you record it in your studio.

The advantages to live streaming audio only are many in the case of mixlr. Of primary interest to every podcaster should be mixlr’s ability to put your show live into the hands of anyone, anywhere. Mixlr’s live streams can be played on any mobile device with a browser effectively allowing your audience to listen live in the car, at the gym, or just waiting in line. Essentially anywhere your audience is, your show can be too.

Also, streaming audio only allows for your computer to use much less computing power and is much easier on your bandwidth.

For a much more in depth review of mixlr and it’s features which include great embed players for your website and facebook page, check out The Podcasters Studio Episode 048.

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PQT – Fix the Number of Default Items in Your WordPress Feed

Ray Ortega — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 21:19:09 +0000

If you use WordPress to create your podcasting RSS feed then you may have noticed that only ten or less of your most recent episodes are showing up in podcatchers such as iTunes. There’s a simple fix.

Simply adjust the default syndication setting (10) in the Reading section of your WordPress settings.

Click here to see a screencast tutorial of me walking you through the process. This works for both free sites on WordPress.com and your own installation of WordPress.

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PQT – Creating High Resolution Album Art

Ray Ortega — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:27:29 +0000

When you create your album artwork the graphic that represents your podcast (also referred to as show art or ID3 image), make sure you use a high enough resolution so that it displays well on large screens.

I recommend making your show logo 600 x 600 pixels. This is a square image that will display well on HD screens as well as .mp3 players such as an iPod. Create a .jpg is still a relatively small size in (usually less than 1mb) and will be compatible across all devices.

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Follow @PodcastHelper

PQT – Statistics and Analytics for Your Podcast and Website

Ray Ortega — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 20:22:54 +0000

Resources for tracking statistics for your podcast and website.

By using some simple resources, you can get a clear picture regarding how many people are listening to your podcast as well visiting your website.

File hosts such as Libsyn, Blubrry, and Blip.tv all keep statistics about the number of people downloading your show as well as the applications they are using to do it (iTunes, Web, apps, etc) and where they are coming from (geo-location).

Other sites such as Facebook, give you deep “insights” into the demographics of your audience within Facebook. And installing Google Analytics on your webpage will further your understanding about how people are using your website.

Finally, Woopra allows you to see visitors to your website in real-time. When can watch the activity taking place on your website at any given time, tracking things like how some navigates your site and how they got there in the first place.

Consider integrating some of these tools into your podcast. Knowing more about your audience is not only fun and rewarding (we all love to know someone is listening) but very useful for growing your show.

links for this episode:

Google Analytics (track statistics for your website)
Woopra (watch visitors to your site in real-time)

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PQT – Powerpress 2.0 and HTML5

Ray Ortega — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 04:06:56 +0000

With the recent update of the Powerpress plugin for WordPress, your podcast can now be HTML5 and Apple device friendly.

HTML5 player for non-flash devices

This is an important point because of the iPhone’s dominate spot in the mobile market and the rise of the iPad as the primary tablet device of choice (at the time of this post). This translates into many people viewing your podcast on idevices and in order for them to play your episode via a player on your site, it needs to be an HTML5 player.

Powerpress 2.0 now allows you to embed an HTML5 player along with many new features.

To see how I am currently setting up my Powerpress plugin, see the images I posted at the end of this blog post:

Powerpress 2.0 and HTML5

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PQT – Microphones for Video

Ray Ortega — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 02:25:15 +0000

Learn what options you have when choosing a microphone for your video podcast productions. In most cases audio is as important or even more important than the quality of your video. Find out the different types of microphones that you can use together with whatever video camera you have to get the best quality audio possible out of your video productions.

Types of microphones mentioned in this episode*

Beachtek XLR camera adapter
Juicelink XLR camera adapter
Audio Technica Shotgun Microphone
Dead Cat Windscreen for Shotgun Mics (buy the proper size for your mic)
Sennheiser MD46 ENG microphone
Zoom H4n Audio Recorder
Audio Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Microphone

*most hyperlinks listed here are affiliate links which help support the show

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PQT – Promote Your Podcast by Notifying the People and Products You Mention

Ray Ortega — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 04:20:40 +0000

Promote your podcast by contacting the people and or companies you mention in your show. Many times those people will respond by passing on your content to their community.

Whether it’s through a simple tweet or facebook post, your content gets exposed to infinite amounts of new listeners when it’s passed on by someone else. And typically when you are mentioning someone or something on your podcast, it’s something you are a fan of, use, or plan to buy. Therefore the person who you are most likely speaking kindly about or the product which you use and love is great promotion for them or their company.

In most cases when you let someone know that you are talking highly about them or their product, they have every motivation to pass that on to their community. You see it on the backs of books and website testimonials, people like it when you talk about them and their products.

So let them pay you back with a retweet, a facebook wall post, or maybe even a mention on their own show. Market your show and get your podcast in front of hundreds of new listeners just by making someone else aware that you talked about them.

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PQT – Choosing a Mixer for Podcasting

Ray Ortega — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 23:17:47 +0000

When you’re deciding on what kind of mixer to get for your podcast there are several things to consider before making your purchase. I run through the most important things I think you should be looking for in a mixer that will be used for producing podcasts.

Some of the things I like to have in a mixer include USB 2.0 or better, insert channels to properly attached effects processors, real faders, mute buttons, and a few more things you’ll hear about on this episode.

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PQT – Submit Your Podcast RSS Feed to iTunes Early

Ray Ortega — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 03:38:52 +0000

When creating a podcast, before you even publish it live to the internet, itunes or anywhere else, make sure to create a short 15 to 30 second promo for your show.

Creating a short promo will allow your podcast to get into the itunes store early, before your actual show’s launch date which will allow you to go live with your very first podcast without any barriers to being discovered on itunes.

Because you submitted your show early, the approval process will be completed before you publish your first episode. When your first episode is published, your itunes podcast page will have already been approved and your show will be immediately searchable in itunes as well as any other podcast directories you have submitted your show to (e.g. Zune, Miro).

In case you didn’t know, getting your show listed in itunes requires an approval process. Sometimes the process can take as little as half an hour but in most cases it can be days or even weeks before someone listens or watches your show and makes sure it meets requirements (valid feed, appropriate show art, etc) set out by Apple and the itunes store. So get your show submitted early, before you publish your very first episode and when you are ready to go live, your show will be ready to be found on itunes.

download this episode (4.5 mb|mp3|4.5 min.)

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PQT – iTunes Store Approval Times for Podcast RSS Feeds

Ray Ortega — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:37:49 +0000

How long does it take before a podcast RSS feed is accepted into the itunes store once you have submitted it?

When you’ve submitted your podcast to itunes and its not showing up in the itunes catalog, many podcasters start to worry that they did something wrong. So what do you do once you have submitted your RSS feed to itunes but it’s not showing up in the itunes store?

The answer is patience. In order to make sure your podcast has been submitted and is in the process of being reviewed, make sure you received the confirmation email that tells you that indeed your podcast RSS feed has been submitted to itunes. You should receive this email shortly after you submit your valid podcast feed.

Wait times for getting your podcast approved can be as long as 3 weeks or as quick as 30 minutes. Once your podcast has been reviewed by someone at apple (yes someone actually looks and/or listens to your podcast) you will receive an email telling you that your podcast has been accepted and the same email will contain very important information about your show such as links that you can use to find your show on the web and on itunes.

Make sure you save this email and archive it somewhere you will remember and access easily because almost certainly you will be looking for it again to use the important information contain within the email about your show.

download this episode’s mp3 (4.3 mbs|4.2 min)

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PQT – Blackberry Podcast Store

Ray Ortega — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:38:53 +0000

Submitting your show to new podcatchers is the best way to grow your audience fast. Make sure to submit your podcast to all the podcasting directories you can find and don’t forget the thousands of people who are consuming, searching, and using the Blackberry Podcast store. Go to the Blackberry Podcast Store to create an account and submit all your podcasts (audio and video) today.
right-click to download (3.5 MB|3.5 min.)

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PQT – A Logo for Your Podcast

Ray Ortega — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 04:09:46 +0000

Learn why having a logo for your podcast is so important and how to create one for free. Also learn some of the most important elements of show logo design for maximizing the impact it has on your audience.
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PQT – A Powerful Facebook Strategy for Gaining More Listeners

Ray Ortega — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:32:14 +0000

Find out about a powerful facebook strategy I use to potentially gain a large increase in the amount of people listening and subscribing to your podcast.
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PQT – Remember Playback Position and Proof Listening

Ray Ortega — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 23:50:08 +0000

Learn the importance of using the "remember playback position" check box when tagging your podcast files with ID3 tags (i.e. metadata). This is one item I always check when filling in my ID3 information and can easily be done using the itunes software.

Also, do you listen to your own show? Do you make sure it's not a damaged file before you release it to the internet? Find out why I think this is important and how, at a minimum, you can make sure you are sending out quality audio and video files to your listeners.

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PQT – Provide Feedback to Podcasts

Ray Ortega — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:58:06 +0000

Today I’m asking the listeners of Podcast Quick Tips to submit their very own Podcast Quick Tip that I can play on the show. If you have a 2 to 4 minute tip about how to podcast that you would like to share on this show, please submit that tip by calling 925-567-3335 or better yet, send in your audio tip via email at Ray@ThePodcastersStudio.com.

This is not only a request for content and a way for me to promote your show, creating valuable content for my own show but also a great tip to podcasters who want to get the word out about their own show. If you have some helpful feedback that you can provide to another podcast that you listen to, whether that podcast is in your niche or not, send in your audio or written feedback and likely you will get the chance to be exposed to that show’s audience.

Not only will the podcaster appreciate your insight and feedback but you could reap the benefits of having another show promote and market your own show.

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PQT – One Click iTunes Subscription Buttons Versus iTunes Show Page URLs

Ray Ortega — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:55:02 +0000

Using an ITPC link to create a one-click subscribe button for your podcast on your website will exclude itunes from knowing you have a new subscriber. Don’t be cheated out of your stats and thus hurting your show’s ranking in the itunes podcast directory. Learn how to use native itunes links to make each subscriber count.

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PQT – Publish Your Audio Podcast in the MP3 Format

Ray Ortega — Wed, 19 May 2010 01:43:37 +0000

Learn why it’s important to always publish your audio podcast in the mp3 file format.
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PQT – Using iMovie to Compress Video for iTunes

Ray Ortega — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 04:06:45 +0000

Learn an easy way to convert your videos into itunes friendly formats.
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PQT – Set Hyperlinks on Your Website to Open in a New Window or Tab

Ray Ortega — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:23:02 +0000

When you create a new hyperlink on your website it’s always good to set the link to open in a new window or tab so that the person visiting your site is not taken away from your page prematurely.
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Here’s some bonus video that I’ve placed on this post just as a test for the ipad. This is placed here using html5 code and appears to be working, playing a video on the page when viewed on an ipad.

PQT – Increase Your Search Ranking Through Relevant Episode Titles

Ray Ortega — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:33:24 +0000

Learn how to make your podcast rank higher in search results via google, bing, yahoo, etc.
By titling your episodes using relevant keywords (words that are contained within your episodes content), you are more likely to show up on the first page of search results when someone is looking for your niche focused content.
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PQT – Make Full Use of Your Resources

Ray Ortega — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:49:58 +0000

Whenever possible ask friends, family to help you out with your show. Podcasting requires many resources most of which is your time and energy. If you have friends or family that are willing to help you produce your show even if just once in awhile, it creates more time for you to create new content instead of focusing too much on marketing, production and whatever else you have to do to grow your show.

This is especially helpful for video podcasters. Having someone to help you monitor audio and other things occurring on set can really help the production values of your video podcast.
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PQT – Make Sure You Have a Download Link

Ray Ortega — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:22:38 +0000

When embedding your audio and/or video file into your blog and/or website, make sure to include a text hyperlink to the raw file. This will allow users on mobile devices such as iphones and ipads to download and listen to your podcast.

This is also how some people prefer to receive your content. Some people would rather go to your webpage and be able to save your file to their computer so that they can migrate the audio or video to whatever player they choose. This is yet another yet to make sure you podcast is available for anyone who wants to play it.

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PQT – Don’t Let Them Leave Your Site Without Knowing You Have A Podcast

Ray Ortega — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:33:08 +0000

Visitors to your podcast’s website may leave within the first few seconds of arriving if they don’t see that you have a podcast that can be played easily. Make sure you place a podcast player on your website and at the top of each individual podcast episode post so that there is no confusion about where they can listen to your show.

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PQT – Using Google Voice as a Listener Feedback Call-in Line

Ray Ortega — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:32:10 +0000

Google voice is a free service that you can use to together with your podcast to allow your listeners to call into your show and leave voice mail feedback. Once someone calls your google voice number and leaves a message, you will be sent an email which will include an mp3 file which you can download and play on your next podcast episode. Sign up and give your viewers an easy to get in touch with your show.
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PQT – The Importance of Your Show’s Introduction Content

Ray Ortega — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:29:40 +0000

You never know how long any listener or viewer of you podcast is actually going to stay tuned in. Because of this is best to get your most important information out to them as soon as possible. Let them know all the things that will be covered on your episode, your email and website where they can go to find out more about your podcast.
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PQT – Options for Live Streaming Your Podcast

Ray Ortega — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 03:54:02 +0000

I talk about the various different online platforms you can use to produce a live stream of your podcast.

Are you interested in letting people watch you live while you record your show? If so then you can use various different sites to accomplish this. Sites such as Ustream, Livestream and Justin.tv are just a few of the options.

I explain how to accomplish this and which sites I like best and use to live stream my own podcast.
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PQT – Extend Your Content’s Mileage Using Twitter

Ray Ortega — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:23:17 +0000

Use twitter to get more mileage out of your content by tweeting about the various topics covered during an episode. For example, if on your most recent episode you talked about three different topics, you essentially should break up those topics into their own individual tweets. By doing so, you will be able to tweet about the same show, including a link URL three different times, however each tweet will be about a different topic that you covered within your episode.

This is a good way to expose your followers to the various topics you talked about on any one show. Often times we are not able to tell the listener every topic we talked about in our episode within the title of the episode. Doing so would lead to titles that were much too long.

By breaking up your topics into individual tweets, you let your friends on twitter know exactly what was covered on your show in its entirety. Often times someone might not be interested in listening to any given episode because the title of the episode only represents a portion of what you talked about and that portion might not be interesting to every listener. This way however, the listeners get to learn about topics that perhaps are interesting to them but might not have been mentioned in the title of the episode. In this way, you are not spamming your followers so much as you are giving them more detail about each show you produce. Remember to include a link to the episode mentioned.

Also, since tweets have a short shelf life (most followers don’t see each tweet) this gives your friends more chance they’ll actually see that you have a new episode published. Give it a shot and let me know how it works for you. Thanks for listening.
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