The First Thing:
Over the last couple of months, I’ve been trying some new software and I’ve come across something that could very well be an advantage for you. I’ve tried it and like it, but haven’t purchased it yet. I’m continuing to try it before I make the final decision to purchase it, but so far, I am very pleased with it.
First of all, let me say right up front that I am not associated with this company in any way. I am not an affiliate nor are they compensating me in any way to say what I say. You see, I stumbled on this piece of software quite accidentally. I was actually looking for something else when I came across this program called, “Propaganda” by MixMeister.
At first I said, “No, this is not what I’m looking for,” but then I noticed that it had a free trial. (Now, who can pass up a free trial? Certainly not me… I guess I’m just a sucker for free stuff like so many others.) Yes, you guessed it, I decided t give it a try.
It turns out that this was better than I expected it would be and the learning curve was relatively quick. I’m not sure why, but maybe it’s because I’m familiar with other programs like it or maybe it’s because it’s just that easy to use. Or, (more likely) it could be the short tutorial they have to help users get started more quickly.
Whatever the case, my experience with it so far has been quite pleasing, except, when I stumbled upon it, I was more interested in looking for something that was free as opposed to just a free trial. Just remember one of the things I harp on all the time; sometimes you have to spend a little to turn out a great podcast. This may very well be one of those times.
The Second Thing:
Yes I know you’ve heard me talk about TwoBuckThemes(Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10) in the past and, as I’ve told you before, I am an affiliate of Mike Stewart and should you click on one of his links here, it is very possible that I could make a dollar or two because of that affiliation. Don’t let that deter you because if you like what he says and offers as software and equipment, you can become his affiliate also and do the very same thing.
So what is so important about royalty free music for podcasts and other productions?
First, I would point you to a previous article written in this blog called, “Podcasting Resources” called, “Why you should be using royalty free music in your productions.” (That article will tell much more about the subject than I want to mention here today.) Second, it is important to remember the legal issues surrounding the use of copyrighted materials. In case you don’t know, you can get into all lot of trouble by using someone else’s music or articles without their permission and it could be quite expensive for you.
The reason I use TwoBuckThemes is because the music is good and very affordable. I’m here to tell you that I have been using TwoBuckThemes for quite a while now and it just keeps getting better. Mike Stewart continues to put together some of the best royalty free music available at the outrageous price of two bucks a theme, five themes at a time. And that isn’t all he does. He offers software, equipment and tutorials for more things than I want to talk about here today. (although I’m certain I’ll talk about more of them soon.) Believe me when I tell you, Mike is a great source of information surrounding the subject of recording and editing audio and video of all kinds along with great techniques for making it simpler and better. (I assure you, Mike is no amateur.)
The Royalty Free music from Mike Stewart’s Two Buck Themes just keeps getting better all the time. It doesn’t cost anything to check out his websites, but I think you will find he is a great source of information and he won’t lead you astray, but that decision is up to you. You’ll never know for sure unless you check it out for yourself.
Thing Three:
Thing three is another thing I am not affiliated with but use all the time. If you have a lot of audio files or video files that people can access at all hours of the day, then you already know the storing of those files can take up a lot of space on a server. Why not store them someplace that is very affordable? I won’t go into great detail here, but, Amazon S 3 storage is about the most affordable storage space you can find. What does S3 stand for? Simple Storage Service… (That wasn’t so hard, was it?)
I’m not sure exactly what I pay for it right now, but I do think it is somewhere around 8 or 9 cents a gig. The only thing about using it is that it works with Firefox and it has a tool made just for Amazon S 3.If you’re not using Amazon S 3, perhaps it would be worth your while to check it out.
Oh, and one other thing, Mike Stewart also has a tutorial about S 3 for people that are members of two buck themes and also something that simplifies the process of using Amazon S 3 called the S 3 Media player (which you can also read about right here in “Podcasting Resources”. Just click here.)
Believe me when I tell you, since I started using Amazon S 3 for storage, I have put a lot of my audio and video files on their servers and the expense has been minimal. What can be wrong with that? Nothing as far as I’m concerned…
See ya next time… Rusty
© March 29, 2010 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman and Podcastnorm.com
all views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
