Podcasting Power Tools

When building a computer for podcasting, there are some special considerations that most builders don’t have to consider:

• Noise levels
• Software and driver compatibility
• Audio interface hardware

This article will outline some of the decisions and options specific to building a computer for podcasting.

Noise levels

Most podcasters don’t have separate control and recording rooms.  The computer is often just a few feet or even inches from the microphone.  In such situations, it is important for the computer to be as quiet as possible.  Few people have put as much time and research into silencing computers as Mike Chin and the numerous contributors of the Silent PC Review website.  Mike has built an anechoic chamber to make detailed measurements of the sound emitted by different pieces of computer hardware.  The biggest noise offenders in most computers are fans and cooling devices. 

SPCR has done side-by-side comparisons and can make recommendations for:

• CPU Coolers
• Fans
• Power Supplies
• Hard Drives 

 

Software and Driver Compatibility

Most people considering building a computer specifically for podcasting are not just starting out.  Many of you may have software that you have become familiar with and don’t feel like changing.  Make sure that the hardware you are selecting to build your podcasting computer will work well with your go-to podcasting software.

 

Many of you also have audio interface hardware that you want to use with your new system.  Make sure that your motherboard or interface cards have the appropriate drivers for use with the hardware in your new system.

When in doubt or if the information on the websites is not clear, call the manufacturers.  Ask them about your specific intended hardware configuration.  They will be glad to answer your questions and a few minutes on the phone is better than having to alter your configuration after you have already purchased incompatible parts.

Audio Interface Hardware

Speaking of audio interface hardware…

 

    

The hardware that transitions your podcast audio into digital files is one of the most important pieces of your podcast system.  You should probably select this piece of equipment before you select your computer system hardware.  The TweakHeadz Lab website has some great reviews and information about selecting your audio interface.

Check out the Tweakheadz website for some great comparison charts for selecting:

• USB 2.0 Audio Interfaces
• Firewire Audio Interfaces
• PCI Soundcards and Audio Interfaces

When you have chosen the audio interface, make sure that your motherboard has the proper ports or connections to use it.

 

Generalities

When it comes to combining computer hardware at a price point, the PCPer.com leaderboard is very helpful.  When you select a budget, they recommend the specific pieces of hardware to get the most performance per dollar.  They currently list systems below $500, below $1000, as well as higher end systems.

The great thing about building your own system is the ability to make it exactly what you want.  Take you time, read reviews, do research, and you will come out with a computer that meets or exceeds your needs.

In the beginning, podcasting can seem very complicated, but there are ways to start podcasting quickly and easily with free services like Google Blogger.

This tutorial will walk you through setting up a Blogger blog for podcasting.

Begin by heading over to:

http://www.blogger.com/home

Create a blog:

Sign in with your Google Account and click the big, orange “Create A Blog” button.  If you don’t have a Google Account, it’s definitely worth taking the time to set one up.

Naming the blog/podcast:

Hopefully this isn’t the first time you have thought about naming your podcast, but if so, remember to:

• Keep it as short as possible
• Keep it related to your topic
• Use related keywords
• Make it memorable

Remember, you can title your blog however you want.  You are just checking the availability of the URL or web address.

When you are done, click the orange “Continue” arrow.

Select a template:

Use the default template.  You can come back later and make changes and adjustments.

When you are done, click the orange “Continue” arrow.

Blog is created:

Congratulations, now it’s time to get started.  Click the orange “Start Blogging” arrow.

Adjusting Settings:

Your screen should look like this:

Select the “Settings” tab at the top:

Then select the “Formatting” page underneath:

Scroll down to the bottom of that page:

Change the “Show Link Fields” option to “Yes”:

And hit the orange “Save Settings” button:

Publishing a podcast episode:

Click on the “Posting” tab in the upper left:

Click on “Add Enclosure Link”:

Now fill in the details:

Title: The title of your podcast episode

Link:  Leave blank

Enclosure URL: The location of your podcast media file

Compose Box: Podcast episode description

When you are finished, click on the orange “Publish Post” button.

Publishing/creating your podcast feed:

Head over to:

http://www.feedburner.com/

Since Feedburner is now owned and operated by Google, the page will redirect to:

Sign in with your Google account just like in Blogger and find the “Burn a feed right this instant” box:

Enter the address/URL of your blogger blog, check the “I am a podcaster” option, and click “Next”:

Feedburner may make you choose between multiple feeds available for your blog:

If so, make sure that the “atom” feed is selected and hit “Next”.  If you don’t see this screen, don’t panic.  Feedburner has probably already found the right feed.

Give your feed a title and address:

Use the same title as the blog and keep the feed address as short and simple as possible.

When you are finished, hit the “Next” button.

When you are finished congratulating yourself, hit the “Next” button.

Here is where you configure the details for iTunes.  This can be completed or changed later, but take a minute to fill in some of the blanks.

Podcast enclosure links: For audio podcasts only, select “Audio Files Only”.  You get the idea.

Select a category for your iTunes listing:

and a sub-category:

Podcast Image Location: This is for your iTunes artwork.  Upload your artwork image on a server and give feedburner the address here.  Leave it blank if you have no artwork yet.

Subtitle, summary, keywords, e-mail address should be self-explanatory.

When you have filled in as much information as you have or feel like, hit the “Next” button.

Get more gusto:

Who doesn’t want more gusto?  Select all three options.  There are no downsides, just more information you can track about your feed.

When you are finished, hit the “Next” button.

Congratulations you have created a podcast and feed!

Continue podcasting:

Use Blogger as we did above to create and publish a new post for each podcast episode.  The feed will automatically push your podcast to your subscribers.

Share your feed:

Send people to your podcast’s feed address:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/YOURPODCASTNAME

On Feedburner, you can visit your feed address by clicking on the silver RSS icon ad the top of the page:

Your feed page will look like:

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.  If you have any questions or suggestions for other tutorials, please let me know in the comments.