Podcasts have become available about many topics and hosted by everyone from celebrities to everyday people. Since podcasts can be recorded and produced when people are physically distant, they provide a safe way for people to connect in a year that has been socially isolating for many people. Audio programming allows us to engage with current events or trends — or to disengage from the here and now to emerge ourselves into stories from another time.
In the mood for a spooky history lesson? Find out about the history of zombies in this 2019 episode of Throughline, a history podcast from NPR (National Public Radio).
Recording and editing a podcast is not as difficult as you may imagine, although it takes time and planning. Podcasts typically follow a standardized format (that may include interviews or monologues) and are often in serial form, a.k.a. published in episodes. If you are creating a podcast or audio project for a class project, be sure that you have considered not only the content but also the technology that you will use.
At DigiSpace, we’ve collected some helpful resources. Here are a few questions and resources to get you started.
- How will you record the podcast?
- Your phone may already have audio recording software, but make sure you understand what type of file it creates to allow you to edit and share it. Android phones may have Samsung Voice Recorder installed while iPhones may have Voice Memo. If you want to record with audio recording software and convert the file, use a free file conversion site, such as Cloudconvert.
- You may use your UNE Zoom account to record your podcast. When you record through Zoom, you get a video file and an audio file. Recording locally will put the audio file (.m4A) on your computer while cloud recording will allow you to store it on the cloud and download to a device when you are ready for editing.
- How might you edit your audio project?
- At DigiSpace, we recommend Audacity, a free audio editing software, which is compatible with both PCs and Macs.
- Where might you find music for the intro (including your name, the date, and the title of your podcast episode) and the outro (including acknowledgements and citations)? What about sound effects to add some texture to your podcast?
- If you are publishing your podcast to your ePortfolio, you will want to use Creative Commons music or self-composed music to avoid copyright issues. Garageband for iPhone is a popular audio composing software that can be used to create background music.
- Sound effects can be an interesting way to create a context or setting for your podcast. As with Creative Commons music, several sites offer free sound files, but be sure that you read the site carefully to avoid downloading apps that you don’t want or need. We have collected some audio sources here, including sound effect sites and other audio sources that offer recordings of radio broadcasts of the past and present.
- How will you share your podcast?
- If you are sharing your podcast or audio recording in your ePortfolio, try a free hosting service such as Soundcloud or Podbean. WordPress (your ePortfolio software) has a Soundcloud block to make this process easy.
- You may add a link from a cloud-based storage account, such as your Google Drive. If you share from your Google Drive, select “anyone with the link.”
The DigiSpace staff is happy to assist you through the process. We are located at the Student Academic Success Center. Make a “digital project support” appointment for an in-person visit or via a Zoom session. We look forward to helping!
