Welcome to Podcasting Using Audacity in Windows

1. Install Software: Audacity and LAME

Audacity is a free, open source software for recording and editing sounds in Linux, Mac OS X, and other operating systems which can be downloaded at the following website:

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

To export your Audacity files in the MP3 format, you will also need to download and install LAME 3.96.1. LAME is an audio encoder codec (compression/decompression)

Windows: http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~raa110/audacity/lame.html

·  Unzip and place the lame_enc.dll file in the same Program File folder with the Audacity application. The first time a file is exported, you will be asked to locate this file.

Macintosh OS X: http://spaghetticode.org/lame/

·  Unzip and place the LameLib file in the same folder as the Audacity application. The first time a file is exported, you will be asked to locate this file.

2. Checking the Audio in the computer preferences and control panel:

a. Windows: After the programs have been installed, your computer must be set up for recording. From the Start menu, select Control Panel -> Sounds and Audio Devices.

Plug in and turn on an external microphone in the microphone input on your computer.

Select the Voice tab in the Sounds and Audio Devices control panel.



b. Checking the Audio in a Macintosh System Preferences:

1.  From the Apple menu, select System Preferences.

2.  Select Sound.

a. From the Input tab, select the appropriate sound input device.

b.  From the Output tab, select the appropriate output device.

3. Test the settings in Audacity:

Test your settings by recording a short welcome. Click on the Record button and speak into the microphone. (Aim for about -21 on the meter. Adjust the volume or distance of mouth from microphone until you have quality input level.)

  1. To begin recording, click the Record button.
  2. To stop recording, click the Stop button (or press the space bar.)

c.  Rewind to beginning.

d.  To listen, click the Play button.

3.  The Audacity Tools:

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Selection tool: selects the range of audio for listening or editing.

Envelope tool: change volume over time.

Draw tool: modify individual samples

Zoom tool: zoom in and out.

Timeshift tool: slide tracks left or right.

Multi tool: access all of these tools at once depending on the location of the mouse and the keys you are holding down.

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4.  Record your script:

  1. Record your script by paragraphs.
  2. Rewind to beginning and listen to the recording.
  3. Edit with the selection tool until the sound is satisfactory.
  4. Save your audio file, give it a name and place it in the Podcasting folder on your desktop.

5.  Editing and Effects

a.  Delete selected audio portions

1.  Click on Selection Tool

2.  Click and drag to select desired portion of audio.

3.  Select the Zoom tool to zoom in and enlarge the selection.

4.  Click Delete key.

a.  Remove Noise

1.  If there is noise or interference, this can be eliminated. Highlight

2.  From the Effect menu, select Noise Removal..

3.  Highlight an area with the noise but no voice. From the Effects Menu, select Create a Profile.

4.  Select All of the file and Remove Noise.

  1. Amplfy audio if too soft.

1.  Select the audio to amplify and from the Effects menu, select Amplify.

2.  Use default decibels.

c.  Normalize to create clarity and fullness

1.  Once you are satisfied with the audio, from the Edit menu -> Select All. (selection should be highlighted)

2.  From the Effect menu, select Normalize.

  1. Other Effects – Peruse and experiment with the many effects offered under the Effects menu such as Silence (mute) Always SAVE before trying something new.

6.  Move or slide voice down the track

a.  Click on the Timeshift tool.

  1. Click and drag the clip to desired position.
  2. This will allow music to play a few seconds before the voice starts.

7.  Add Music

  1. Select a royalty free music file. Commercial music cannot be used due to Copyright Law as this file will be published on the Internet.
  2. From the Project menu, select Import Audio.
  3. Browse to find the file and Open it.

d.  When you Import an audio clip, it most likely will be a stereo file. Because stereo files are large, you need only a mono clip. To change a stereo clip into mono clip, click on the track to select it.

e.  Click on the Delta (change) icon for a pull-down menu.

From the Track Menu pull down, select Split Stereo Track.

There are now two tracks. Now, each track can be played individually. Click on the Solo button and play the track. Once the decision is made on the better sounding clip, delete the other.

Click on the x in the upper left corner of the track to delete one of the tracks.


8.  Increase or decrease volume (ducking the sound)
So that the music does not cover the voice, the sound must be made softer (duck).

a.  Click on the Envelope tool.

b.  Make to small controls points about ¼” apart at the beginning of the decrease (or increase) and two small control points at the end.

c.  Click in the inside control points and drag to desired level.

Before After

d.  Many other Effects can be applied to portions of an audio clip including, but not limited to, Fade In and Fade Out.
Experiment with highlighted sections of a sample to determine what the different effects do.

  1. Save and then Export your audio file
  1. Save each edited file with a name followed by the number 1. (name1, name2, name3, name4, etc)
  1. Export your audio file as an MP3.

a.  Save the file: from the File menu, select Export as MP3. (If you haven’t located the LAMC_ENC.dll, you will have to do it now. Browse ->My Computer -> C:// -> Programs -> Audacity folder)

b.  Save the exported file in the Podcast folder on your desktop.

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10.  Save File as an Audacity file

a.  From the File menu, select Save As (or Save if you have previously saved this file.)

b.  Save this file in a folder on the Desktop. (Create a New Folder if one has not previously been created. Type in an appropriate name for the file – Podcasts).


11. Export the file as an MP3 file

a.  Also, this file must be exported as an MP3 file. From the File menu, select Export as MP3. (LAME must be installed on your computer.)

b.  A window will then open for ID3 tag information. These tags are saved with the file.

12. Publishing a Podcast

  1. Where? Space on a server on the Internet must be obtained for the publishing of your file. The podcast will bet available 24/7. Usually podcast servers will automatically have RSS tags available so that subscriptions can be made to your podcast.
  2. Sites on the Internet include, but are not limited to:

1.  Podbean (http://www.podbean.com) features free, powerful publishing tools with unlimited storage, unmetered bandwidth, and is integrated with iTunes.

2.  Ourmedia (http://www.ourmedia.org/) will “give you free storage and band
width forever.” Ourmedia provides a way to upload your files to their site through your web browser. They also have software that you can download and use to upload your files
Download Ourmedia Publisher

a.  Windows: http://www.spinxpress.com/setup.exe

b.  Macintosh:
http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?groupname=ourmedia&filename=Ourmedia-1.2.6.dmg&use_mirror=easynews

c.  See video tutorial on how to upload podcast to Ourmedia (http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/videos/13-uploading-podcast-ourmedia/13-uploading-podcast-ourmedia.html)

  1. Start a blog as this is the easiest way to publish a podcast. Each blog is called an episode and can then link to the MP3 file. The blog feed tells where to download the podcast.

3.  Google’s Blogger is a free service for the casual blogger (http://www.blogger.com/start.)

4.  View video tutorial on how to set up Blogger for a podcast (http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/videos/add-chiclet-blogger-podcast/add-chiclet-blogger-podcast.html)


13. Subscribing with RSS tags

a.  RSS (Really Simple Syndication) tag examples


b.  With RSS feeds, a podcast can offer subscriptions (free) and a podcatcher will automatically download new episodes. iTunes is an example of a podcatcher.

c.  RSS, a specially formatted text file, is a set of rules that determines how the information will be formatted.

  1. RSS is written in XML and can be programmed manually, but is normally attached automatically by the program. A variety of solutions exist ranging in solutions for the casual user to the professional podcaster.
  2. Feedburner (http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/home) will create an RSS feed that is podcast enabled.


Using MovieMaker to Create an Enhanced Podcast

1.  Open MovieMaker.

2.  From the File menu and select Import music and select the MP3 you created in Audacity. This will put the voiceover in the Collections area of MovieMaker.

3.  From the File menu, select Import Photos into collections area of MovieMaker.

4.  Drag MP3 file down onto a track.

5.  Drag the image to be used as the title or at the beginning onto the Play the selection.

6.  Play from the beginning and stop when you want to add another image.

7.  Repeat step 5 until all of the images have been added to the file.

8.  To lengthen the time an image stays on the screen, click on the image to get a horizontal arrow. Click and drag right or left to lengthen or shorten the time.

9.  From the File menu, select Save As, give the file a name and save it to your podcast folder. This file is a MovieMaker file and can be edited with MovieMaker.

a.  Select Finish and select Save to My Computer

b.  Name the file and select a location (desktop and your Podcast folder)

10. From the File menu, select Save Movie File (A wizard will open)

a.  Proceed through the wizard until the third screen

b.  Show More Choices

i. Select Other Settings and pull down menu

ii.  Select Video for Broadband (512 )

iii.  Select Finish (Now you have a WMV video file that must be converted to a .MOV file)

Convert to MOV file using ZamZar

1.  Open a browser and go to http://www.zamzar.com.

2.  Browse for the WMV file you just created in MovieMaker. (Once selected, it will not show in the field.)

3.  From the second window, select .MOV or .MP4 from the pull down window.

4.  Key in your email address.

5.  Click Convert.

You will receive an email from Zamzar telling you to click on the link in the middle of the page. Once the file is downloaded as a .M4V or .MOV file, you are ready to post it as a podcast. (The .M4V file is smaller.) The file will stay at ZamZar for only 24 hours.

Send to the Server

1.  Open your browser and go to http://planclos.homeip.net/weblog/______/

2.  Sign in with username: ______and password: ______.

3.  (If you want all your podcasts to be together in a folder, Select New Category and name it with your name. Then, Select New Entry

a.  Key in a title for your podcast.

b.  Type a description of the podcast if you desire.

4.  Click on the Advanced button.

a.  Click on Browse to locate the file created by Zamzar. Click Open.

b.  Click Save.

Good job!!!

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