Podcasting Project
Step by Step
Podcasting is a fun way to talk to a lot of people about things that interest you or about which you are an expert. This article is going to show you how to be up and running with your first podcast in just a few minutes! All you really need is your trusty Mac and a version of iLife – hopefully the latest version, iLife’09.
You’ll also need some kind of microphone, though you can use your built in mic if you are on a MacBook, iMac or a MacPro with a Mac monitor. You probably have a mic laying around the house that will work.
Microphones
Microphones will be the big issue here, because there are a lot of options. I’ll try to break it down into a few categories.
Line-in mics: These are microphones that have a plug that looks like an iPod headset plug. You may have one of these in your house from an old cassette deck recorder, or even a kid’s karaoke machine. Some PCs also come with a little mic like this.
USB mic: You may have a USB mic laying around the house. I believe the mics that come with Rock Band are USB mics. I have a USB headset mic that I got with a transcription software program. You can also buy these USB mics cheaply at the Mac store or probably Radio Shack or other computer store. A favorite brand of USB mics for podcasting are the Samsons and Blue mics like the SnowBall. These are even available at Walmart.
USB adapter: There are several USB devices that convert professional microphone or other audio sources for use with a USB port. This is a good solution if you want very high quality sound. I use a Lexicon Omega USB device that allows me to use XLR, ¼” (guitar cables) and RCA (home stereo type) plugs. An inexpensive USB convertor is called the Icicle (which I bought at my Apple Store), which plugs into your computer via USB at one end, and to a professional mic with an XLR connector at the other.
Bluetooth: It’s also possible to link your cell phone’s Bluetooth headset to your computer and use that via Bluetooth. The set up is a little tricky and you could experience some difficulties. When I attempted this with an older model Motorola headset, the audio did actually record but it recorded highly sped up and played back through the Bluetooth greatly slowed down.
Audio playback: your system speakers are probably fine, or you can use headphones plugged in to the headphone jack. I purchased a pair of nice Alesis M1Active 520USB powered speakers. They’re probably a little more than you may want to spend, but they sound great because the audio remains digital all the way to the speaker since it uses the USB out of your computer to feed it instead of the analog headphone jack.
So, with a microphone scrounged up from somewhere in your electronics junk drawer or from your kids’ gaming system, let’s launch GarageBand, because that’s where the magic’s gonna happen!
Launch GarageBand
Hopefully GarageBand is in your dock, and you just hunt down the cool electric guitar logo. Or you can find GarageBand with Sherlock. Just click on the little magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of your computer to access Sherlock (all you experienced Mac users, bear with me for a moment) and type “GarageBand.” It will probably find it before you finish typing “Ga.” Then you can launch it by just double clicking the app right in Sherlock. Pretty slick, huh?
For those who have never opened GarageBand before, you get a cute little welcome screen with the option to play a video introduction to the app. It’ll be helpful and get you acquainted with the interface and the stuff you can do. Or just hit the Close button in the bottom right corner of the Welcome screen and count on me to guide you through it like Bear Grylls through the Amazon rainforest. It’ll just be you, me, a giant steel hunting knife and a USB mic, surviving the wilderness of podcasting!
If you’ve never opened GarageBand, you’ll open right up to the right window, which is the New Project Window. If you – or someone else in your family – has done previous projects in GarageBand, then you’ll need to click the New Project Button and it will take you to the page you want.
We’re making a podcast, so double-click on the little purple icon with the concentric “Cone of Silence” rings that says “Podcast.” This conveniently sets all of your project settings up for the most efficient podcast.
This brings up the “New Project from Template” dialog. GarageBand is for musicians, mostly, so there’s stuff about tempo and signature and key and beats per minute. We can safely ignore all of that. Just type a name for your podcast where it now says “My Song,” then hit the Create button and we’re off to the races.
Filed under: Creative •Peripherals •Software •Training •
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Awesome Post Steve!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/06 at 02:55 PM
It’ll be helpful and get you acquainted with the interface and the stuff you can do.
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i need to click the New Project Button and it will take you to the page you want.
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They’re probably a little more than you may want to spend, but they sound great because the audio remains digital all the way to the speaker since it uses the USB out of your computer to feed it instead of the analog headphone jack.
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