Trafcom News Podcast

Because I’ve been a denizen of the podcasting world for a while, people often ask me for audio tips. And the most common question I hear is: “Why does my audio sound so bad?” In this 18-minute podcast, you’ll get the answer!

Please listen and let me know what you think.

You can download the show right here or subscribe through iTunes. You can also listen on the Trafcom News Podcast blog by clicking on the player on the right part of the screen.

Here are the show notes:

Comment line: 212-624-0209

00:01 Intro and welcome; this is a podcast about communications tactics for people who care about communicating in person, in print and online. Next series of podcasts: conference podcasting.
01:33 Your voice is not the problem, even if you’re not Joe Cipriano or Judy Madrin
02:11 Problem #1: Your microphone; built-in mic will not yield good results; headset mic can be ok if you know how to use it; genuine microphone is the best; link to Victoria Fenner’s post about her favourite microphones
04:22 Problem #2: How you’re using your microphone to get the best sound; listen to the podcast about microphone techniques with Joe Cipriano; experiment with your mic
06:22 Problem #3: Where you’re recording; ambient sound, room acoustics and more; using ambient noise to your advantage; Skype and phone recording; double-ender or mix-minus; I love Levelator, although some audio purists do not
09:18 Noise removal if you must; Soundsoap
12:00 Problem #4: The method in which you’re recording; record in an uncompressed format such as WAV
12:48 Recap of four problems and solutions
13:20 Comment on Trafcom News 82 (Five tips for successful podcasts)  from Tom Keefe, who was inspired by Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson on FIR: The Hobson and Holtz Report; blog post on ephemeral nature of Twitter; InsidePR  commitment to each other as podcasters
15:30 Two upcoming events: April 1 AIP event with Lynda Morris and Joan Vinall-Cox; April 16 HPCA event with Dave Fleet; refer to my blog post
16:55 Where to send comments: email to Donna AT Trafcom DOT com, call the comment line at 212-624-0209 or post a message to the Trafcom News Podcast blog
Look for the Trafcom News Podcast on Blubrry.com.
Theme music is "Beneath Your Surface" by the Elisabeth Lohninger Quartet from the Podsafe Music Network