How To: Master Podcasting

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In terms of cost, USB headsets are often priced from $30 to $50 and more, depending on what brand, style and technology suits your needs. Advanced podcasters are likely to spend over $100 on the right audio equipment.

What makes podcasting accessible to the masses is its relatively cheap setup cost; once you've got the headset, the MP3 recorder software and the RSS feed reader (which can be downloaded for free off the Internet from websites like Download.com), you're ready to go.

how can you get started?

The process of creating, saving and uploading your podcast can differ depending on whether you have a PC or a Mac, but I'll detail the instructions for Windows users since they are the majority (sorry!).

First, potential podcasters will need to connect and correctly configure the settings for their microphone and headset. If you intend on broadcasting a radio show, you will have to play with the settings to determine how to record your voice and music at the same time. You have to navigate the properties in your Volume settings, which you can be found in the "System" tray. Selecting the "Record Master" and "Microphone" volumes should do the trick, but each case is dependent on what type of hardware you have.

After installing your audio recording and editing software (one such software is called Audacity), which you can download for free from Download.com, you're ready to start recording. Using the software, you have to set your sample rate to the correct figure (16 kHz is a common setting) and set the bit rate for the MP3 file (or WMV, WAV or other format it may be in), which is commonly adjusted to 48 kbit. Once this is done, you're ready to record.

how to record

Using the recording software, hit "record" and fire away. Play music, broadcast your thoughts, create music megamixes, or do anything else that involves audio. Once you're satisfied with your finished product, export the file to an audio format using the software. Then connect to your podcasting website of choice and, using HTML, get an enclosure into your RSS feed.

This sounds complicated, but it's really just a matter of writing a line or two of code; you'll have to check with the website you're subscribing to in order to find out how to proceed, since each site treats this step differently.

Once you've completed the enclosure, users can add your URL to their list of podcasts and download your "show" to their computer. As a user, it is relatively easy to take advantage of podcasts. Software like iPodder will use an RSS feed to link to various podcasts, and then users select the ones that interest them the most.

As podcasts change, iPodder will automatically download the files and send them to your MP3 player's software. As soon as you connect your MP3 player, the files can be transferred, enabling you to listen to the podcasts anywhere, anytime.

Is it as easy as it seems? Find out...

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