Podcast

Introduction

Sound is a flexible, lightweight medium that is already embedded in the consumer habits of many people of all ages, sexes, generations and origins. Radio has long demonstrated that sound can reach a wide audience, sometimes located in remote areas and/or with basic equipment.

Through digitization, the medium of sound has expanded with the emergence of documentaries and audio series, commonly known as podcasts, that allow listeners to listen to an audio segment with a mobile phone, smartphone, tablet (iPad etc.) or any other device connected to the Internet. In contrast to video, podcasts allow us to pursue everyday activities (walking, running, cooking, drawing, driving, etc.) or simply to relax and listen.

Identifying a topic

When making a podcast, it is important to identify the general idea, decide who will participate, and what sounds should be recorded to complement the main plot. Will the team have to conduct any interviews? Who will be recorded? What will be the style of the podcast? What story will be told? Etc. It is advisable to write a general plan that will allow the production team to have a sense of the scenario and the tasks to be accomplished. It is also essential to decide in advance on the duration of the podcast and to keep to more or less the same length for other projects carried out in the same series.

Basic equipment for creating a podcast

In terms of basic equipment, the researcher or producer will need a device that allows sound recording in MP3 format, such as a smartphone or any other digital sound recording device – a Zoom H1 or Olympus for example give very good results. Next, it is necessary to find editing software to edit the sound clips. 

The program Audacity is free and open source. It can be used with all PC and Mac computers and is very easy to learn. There are several online tutorials for beginners to learn to use it. Other free software such as Garage Band (Mac) can also be explored.

Producing a podcast

Once all the sound clips have been recorded, we have to transfer the clips to a computer and the editing process begins. Again, online tutorials for recording and editing techniques should prove to be very helpful.

Once the work is completed, the project should be saved in MP3 format; this format will allow your podcast to be downloaded and shared easily.

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Broadcasting and sharing the podcast

To facilitate distribution and sharing, you have to choose a site that will host the podcast. YouTube and Soundcloud offer free options that allow podcasts to be downloaded and easily shared on websites and social networks.

Photo by Blaz Photo on Unsplash