(Click Here) for the podcast version of this article
Okay, I know you’ve noticed some differences in my podcasts of the articles lately. I’ve been trying a few different things over the last several weeks. Most of what I have done is for demonstration purposes and helping you see what you can do as a beginner podcaster. I know I’ve enjoyed making them and I hope you have enjoyed listening also. Just in case you’re new to the site or might have missed the subtle differences, I would like to point out a few of them now.
First, I would like to talk about a few of the things I am featuring in the podcasts these days. I want to say right up front that I have acquired even more respect and appreciation for Mike Stewart, ‘theinternetaudioguy’. He has some great things available to you for making your audio or video podcasts ‘as good as any and better than many’.
Just a short while ago, I mentioned in one of my blogs that I was not going to use any music that I had to pay for. I said I was going to use my own stuff and I was fully intending to do so. The reason I wanted to use my own stuff was because it was free and my budget for frills such as that was, and is, limited. I had tried other free music clips and was usually disappointed in their quality or style. What I mean is, if I don’t like the way they sound or I can’t listen to them, I’m not going to put them in my audio work. It’s just the way I am.
Then, I visited Mike Stewart’s site again. That’s not uncommon because I do visit it often for several reasons. This time I found that I could take advantage of some free music to use for spots if only I would sign up for his newsletter. Do you have to ask? Yes, of course I took advantage of the special offer and I cannot tell you how pleasantly surprised I was at the quality of the productions. I should have expected it to be good because it is easy to tell the type person Mike is especially if you go by the quality of the productions he turns out.
I guess I was just gun-shy at first. I mean, these days so many people offer you some mediocre product just to whet your appetite so they can really soak you for the good stuff. Not so with Mike Stewart. He has proven to me more than once that he is quality through and through.
Although I have never met him, I can tell he thinks along the same paths I do. He is interested in people being able to turn out the best quality audio or video product that they can and turn it out without investing an arm and a leg with nothing to show for the investment. Now, that does not mean that everything he offers is inexpensive, but, in my experience, he does give you great value for the money you invest. He has some great software and hardware packages available at great prices. These are things he uses himself and will often demonstrate them as he talks about them and how to use them. (Did I mention he does this at great prices?) He is a great source for getting started with audio or video podcasting and I highly recommend his sites.
Now lets get back to what I started out with in the title, “Getting Started with Your Podcast Productions”. This is about you as a beginner getting a great start in making a professional sounding podcast. It may not happen without spending some work and time in editing, but it will happen and probably sooner than you ever thought possible. My plan over the next few audio blog/articles is to show you some simple things that make a big difference in the sound and feel of your podcast.
“Take the time for a few minutes to go back and read/listen to, “Can’t See the Forest for the Trees“. Listen to the opening and then the body of the article. Take note of what you hear as you listen.
After that, go and check out, “Failure Is Not an Option Unless You Make It One“. Listen to the opening and the body of the article also. You will notice a subtle difference between the two. Although the openings are the same, what I did with, (or should I say in the background of), the body of the article is different. Yes, that’s right, I added music underneath the reading of the body of the article. It does make a difference in the over-all feel of the article itself and it is subtle, yet effective.
If you really want to hear a difference in those that I did first and the ones I do now check out, “episode #0012“. I’m not saying the first ones are bad, I am merely saying they are different and demonstrate different ways and techniques of accomplishing these productions. I think they are good examples of the possible modes of presenting material for consumption by those that are interested.
In the audio blog/articles to come in the very near future, we will discuss these techniques even more. I hope you will be here for them. I think you will find them very interesting. In fact, I have some really great plans for the up and coming articles and can’t wait to share them with you.
See ya next time . . .
