How to

This is the third entry into my podcasting basics series. In part I, I discussed some of the preliminary steps needed before starting a podcast. In part II, I talked about the hardware that I personally use to record shows like Let's Talk iOS and Let's Talk Jailbreak.

After going through the preliminary conceptualizing and picking out the hardware that works for your particular scenario, it's time to mate the hardware with the right software. Software choices for producing podcasts can vary significantly, but I've come up with a formula that works for me.

Of course, your decision to use a piece of software may boil down to your particular needs. For example, if you're not a Mac user, then many, if not all of your software will differ. That being said, the basic recording techniques that I employ will more or less be the same, and can be used regardless of the software you decide on using. In this post, I break down the software that I use for recording and producing our podcasts.

In the previous podcast basics post, we talked about some of the preliminary steps that need to be taken before proceeding with creating a podcast. Those steps involved finding the right subject, format, hosts, etc.

Now that you have a good idea about the subject you'd like to podcast about, the show format, the co-hosts, and the scheduling, it's time to start thinking about your podcast hardware. I like to include location as a part of the hardware, because the location where you record your podcasts can play a huge role in how the end product sounds.

In this post, I'll talk about what hardware I use for podcasting, along with other general recommendations on hardware. If you're still mulling about the subject, or co-hosts, then I urge you to read part I of this series; it covers the stuff you should consider before even getting started.

Last week, we recorded episode 92 of Let's Talk Jailbreak and episode 66 of Let's Talk iOS. That's 158 episodes under our belts, or over three years of shows if each show was spread out on week-to-week basis. While I wouldn't dare claim to be the supreme podcast expert, I can say that I have learned a lot as both shows have grown from humble beginnings.

Podcasting isn't exactly rocket science, but it does take some effort to make a show sound decent. My goal has always been to simply create the best sounding show that I possibly can within reason. That reason includes, of course, money, equipment, environment, and the podcast participants.

At the end of the day, a podcast will only sound as good as your worst piece of equipment, software, mixing technique, or participant. The goal should be to make everything sound good enough to where you'll derive satisfaction from the end result.

In this first part of my podcasting basics series, I'll talk about what it takes to get your podcast off the ground. In subsequent entries, I'll discuss the equipment we use, the software we use, the techniques we employ, and other tidbits along the way.