The Podcaster's Audio Handbook : A Technical Guide for Creative People

Podcasting is a popular form of independent media that is rapidly growing in size, technical scope, and creative impact. Recording and editing high-quality podcasts takes skills and resources that many make the mistake of underestimating. This book is an invaluable new guide to podcast enthusiasts everywhere. Audio is a creative medium as well as a technical one, but your creativity cannot be unleashed without a strong technical foundation and understanding. Author Corey Green helps podcasters avoid common pitfalls in the process and covers essential steps such as microphone technique, file formats, acoustics, gear, and more. Her work here brings audio engineering techniques to a non-technical audience with clear and simple explanations. Technology is a tool of communication and creative expression. Seize this exciting moment in independent media and make your podcast the best that it can be. Audio engineering tips and tricks should be accessible to all, and The Podcaster’s Audio Handbook delivers this and much more. What You’ll Learn Choose the correct file formats and settings to suit your needs Set up a portable recorder Make informed decisions about equipment purchases Find suitable acoustic spaces to record inside and outside Conduct an interview over the phone and the internet Make a high-quality recording of an interview inside, outside and remotely Edit your podcast to an intermediate standard Who This Book Is For Perfect for a non-technical audience or beginner looking to improve the audio quality for their podcast. Table of Contents 4 About the Author 10 About the Technical Reviewer 11 Acknowledgments 12 Preface 13 Chapter 1: File Formats and Settings 22 What Is Audio? 25 Digital Audio, the Sample Rate, and the Bit Rate 28 Compressed and Uncompressed File Formats: wav vs. mp3 32 Working with Files in the wav and mp3 Formats 34 Stereo vs. Mono 36 Just Give Me the Executive Summary 40 Choosing File Formats and Settings in Audacity 41 Setting the Bit Rate and Sample Rate in Audacity 41 Choosing Stereo or Mono in Audacity 43 Bouncing Your Files in Audacity 45 Chapter 2: Gear Part 1 48 Dealing with Background Noise When Recording at Home 51 When to Record on a Smartphone 53 Audio Interface: The Analog to Digital Connection 54 Inputs and Outputs 57 The Audio Quality of the Presonus Studio 24c 61 Latency 63 Other Considerations 65 Portable Recorders 65 Recording with the Inbuilt Microphones of a Portable Recorder 67 Inputs and Outputs 70 Using a Portable Recorder with an External Microphone 71 Other Considerations 72 Headphones 73 Cables 75 Intermission 77 Chapter 3: Gear Part 2 – Microphones 78 Sennheiser e945 79 The Benefits of Dynamic Microphones for Podcasting 83 Understanding Microphone Sensitivity 84 Choosing a Microphone with an Appropriate Frequency Response 86 Polar Patterns and How They Help Reject Background Noise 87 USB Microphones 90 Microphone Stands 91 Spider Shock Mount 93 Mic Sock 94 Summary 96 Chapter 4: Getting a Good Take 98 Sound Check... Check... 1... 2... 100 Positioning the Microphone for Recording Speech 105 Setting the Best Angle for the Microphone 107 Staying On-Mic 110 Setting the Distance Between the Microphone and the Speaker 110 Avoiding the Recording of Mouth Noises 111 Positioning the Microphone for Different Types of Recordings 112 Setting Levels 116 Recording Sufficient Audio Data 119 Peaking 121 Setting a Level for Recording Human Speech 124 Making Allowances for Human Nature 125 Setting a Level for Recording Things That Aren’t Human Speech 126 Getting a Good Take When Recording Outside 128 Summary 132 Chapter 5: Recording Inside 133 Recording in a Studio 134 Public Libraries and Community Spaces 135 Radio Stations 135 Recording at Home 136 Reducing Background Noise 137 What’s in a Studio? 139 Look for Asymmetrical Surfaces to Randomize Reflections 140 Consider the Surfaces of the Walls, Floor, and Ceiling 141 Consider the Size of Your Room 143 Finding a Place to Record at Home 145 Listening to the Space 146 Summary 147 Chapter 6: Recording Outside 149 Be Prepared 153 Settings on a Portable Recorder 154 Background Noise 158 Strategy 1: Find the Right Location 158 Strategy 2: Plug an External Microphone into Your Portable Recorder 159 Strategy 3: Move the Microphone Closer to the Mouth of the Person Talking 162 Strategy 4: Understand the Polar Pattern of Your Microphone 162 Strategy 5: Choose the Right Kind of Background Noise 166 Using Atmos to Tell a Story 167 Creating a Balance Between Speech and Atmos 170 Recording Sound Effects 172 Consider the High Pass Filter When Recording Atmos or Sound Effects 174 Using the Acoustics of Your Location to Set a Scene 176 Recording Outside, but Actually Inside 178 Plugging in to a Sound Reinforcement System 178 Climatic Conditions 184 The Wind 184 Note Taking 186 Summary 187 Chapter 7: Recording Remotely 189 Issues Faced When Recording Remotely 190 Recording Remotely with Zencastr 192 High Quality Meets Low Quality 193 Setting Up Zencastr 195 Making a Recording with Zencastr 197 Performing a Sound Check in Zencastr 200 Resolving Echo 200 Resolving Lag 202 Setting Levels in Zencastr 203 Uploading the Recording 206 Recording a Phone Call 207 Routing a Phone Call from Skype to Audacity 209 Step 1: Sound Check Your Microphone 211 Step 2: Routing Skype 214 Step 3: Making Your Skype Call 217 Summary 218 Chapter 8: Editing 219 Your Editing Setup 220 Backing Up Your Audio 222 All Killer, No Filler 224 Creating an Outline Document 227 Piecing Together Your Audio 228 You Can Edit It, but Should You? 233 Managing the Loudness of Your Podcast 238 Loudness in Context 241 Managing Loudness in Audacity 242 Understanding Compression 247 Applying Compression Manually 248 Compression in Streaming Services 252 Normalization 253 Fades 254 Summary 257 Chapter 9: Music, Atmos, and Sound Effects 258 Atmos 259 Sound Effects 260 Music 263 Negotiating Music Copyright 264 Layering Music with Speech 265 Listening Back to Your Podcast 267 Some Parting Words 269 Glossary 271 Index 276 Podcasting is a powerful tool of communication and creative expression that doesn't need to be intimidating. This book brings together the creative and technical aspects of audio engineering to help podcasters communicate their ideas effectively and creatively. The Podcaster's Audio Handbook focuses on simple techniques that immediately elevate the audio quality of your podcast. The book provides an overview of podcast recording and editing techniques, so that podcasters can avoid common pitfalls. Readers will also gain access to audio downloads to enhance the learning process. With this book, you can improve the technical aspects of recording and editing your podcasts. Anyone can learn audio techniques and I encourage anyone to share their stories through podcasting. Unleash your creativity and connect with your audience! What You Will Learn • Choose the correct file formats and settings • Set up a portable recorder • Make informed decisions about equipment purchases • Find suitable acoustic spaces to record inside and outside • Conduct an interview over the phone and the internet • Make a high-quality recording of an interview inside, outside and remotely • Edit your podcast to an intermediate standard Who This Book Is For Perfect for a non-technical audience, or beginner to intermediate podcaster looking to improve the audio quality of their podcast