"How Do I Start Up A Podcast?" AND UPDATE

How do I make a Podcast?

This is a common question I get by friends, family and viewers and I'm taking the time to explain how I went about starting up my podcasts and what all I've learned.

OK so if you are serious about starting up a podcast then you also should be aware that you may not have viewers for a long time or ever. It really all depends on your skills, the podcasts material and hosting/ popularity.

Now I'm well aware of this and I've created several podcasts that are not popular or may never become popular and thats perfectly fine because I'm already well aware of this common fact.

Before I go into details about what I use and suggest for creating a podcast I'm going to share some of my own personal thoughts and opinions on what I think could be key helpers for you get a podcast up and running.

1. Figure out what type of format your podcast will have before just creating one and be sure it sticks to home and is something you can easily relate to.

2. Think of what kind of audience you are wanting to reach out to and how you can reach out to your potential audience. Don't sell yourself short, be creative and casual about it the whole time.

3. Create a clever Title for your podcast. This may not seem like anything big but titles are very important because the more interesting a title may sound the more people will most likely take an interest in it.

4. Before recording your first episode it's always best to create several test recordings and keep doing it until you are satisfied with your shows format before just releasing an episode and not enjoying it. Most likely if you don't like that episode or you know it's bad then so will others.

5. Always look back at your past pros or cons on every episode before moving on. Take notes and try to find away to always improve with every episode.

6. Stay interested no matter what. IF you are not interested in your own show then why should others?

7. Don't expect to make money! Never go in it for the money because most podcasts end up losing money rather than making money.

8. HOSTING! This is very important and most people will have struggles with this and for the longest time I did and I can share with you two sites where you can host and link your podcast episodes for free.

- http://www.4shared.com
- http://www.yourlisten.com

These two sites are good but i've always had problems with these two sites and usually find myself re-uploading episodes and refreshing links on my sites because for some reason the files tend to no longer exist or mess up.

Your best bet is to aim for iTunes and a lot of people have a hard time understanding how to do that and I'm here to show you what I do and the easiest way to host your podcast on itunes and not only receive views from iTunes but through another site at the same time.

I use a site called http://www.podomatic.com and this site is wonderful! You will need to pay a small fee either monthly or yearly to upload and host your podcast and episodes but as soon as you start uploading you get a free month of pro tools and you can easily link your podOmatic RSS Feed on iTunes and have views and ratings through podOmatic and iTunes.

(ultimately it depends on how dedicated and serious you are and how much time and money you are willing to put into it.)


Now lets get down to tools and what ways you can begin a podcast.

I will first throw some cheap alternative ideas and suggestions your way before telling you what I do here at the studio for my podcasts.

Let's start with recording software because let's face it you are going to need something to record with and you can have a mic and a good show idea but you are going to need to record the audio and heres some easy suggestions that will determine your starting budget.

1. Audacity.  (Available for Windows, MAC and Linux)
(Price Range: FREE)

I actually don't use this software much but I love it and it is worth having! This bad boy is the best of it's kind when it comes to free recording software and I know a lot of people who use it and it can do more than enough for someone who doesn't have a money for recording software or is not familiar with recording software. 

I sometimes find myself using it even when another recording software can't do what I need it to do. (Always a good thing to have multiple recording softwares for many reasons.)

2. WavePad. (Available for Windows and MAC)
(Price Range: Free or for $34.99 or for PRO it's $59.99.)

Easy to use and user friendly and very basic and professional sound and great quality for someone just starting out. NCH makes great tools for audio editing, recording and development and honestly this was the first recording software I used when I created my first podcast. I Highly recommend you start with this and there is nothing wrong with using the free version because it works like a charm. 

I don't normally have a lot of problems with WavePad and I still use it to this day mainly because it's so handy. It cuts out dead air and white noise and it's so easy to do with a click of a button and the plugins for this software is amazing!

3. QuickTime Player. (Available for Windows and MAC)
(Price Range: Free)

I don't use it much but I have it and it's pretty basic but doesn't come with any tools you may want to use for recording a podcast. I consider this as a last ditch effort. 

Now let's move to Microphones for starting out. I know when you start out most likely you wont know what to get or have a whole lot of money to spend and I want to say don't worry about it too much because if this is something you want to keep doing then you will get better and would want to put more time and money in it to make your podcast sound better both enjoyment wise and quality wise. But let's not worry too much about quality at this point because money is tight.

Just know you might want to consider quality eventually because people want to have something enjoyable to listen to if they are always listening to it. 

1. Blue Mic - Snowball Ice USB Microphone. 
(Price Range: $49.00)

Now I'm not too familiar with this mic but I know a lot of people who use it and have said this is a good microphone to start with if money is tight. 

The quality isn't crisp and clear but it's a good start.


2. MISHA - MA-B2 USB Microphone.
(Price Range: varies.)

Now I have used this microphone and this is an easy mic to find at any local store and I wouldn't rate it's quality at high but more of a low quality microphone but you get your money's worth and if you know what your doing then you can make just about any mic sound decent. 

The only experience I had with this mic is it's really soft and you have to be right on it or really project your voice just so it can pick you up. It has a low and bass sound too it and it's not too far away from the quality of a phone call.

3. Samson - Studio Condenser USB Microphone.
(Price Range: Varies. Mine were under $100.00 during a Christmas sell at Best Buy.)

I HIGHLY recommend this bad boy to anyone starting out and I still use this microphone today! This small USB mic does NOT play around when it comes to performance and quality. This Mic picks up less white noise and is mainly aimed on focusing on your voice and is easy to edit audio wise during clean up.

This thing can get loud and proud. A sure win in my book.

(Note: there is one mic I used while starting up No Pro Audio that I didn't mention mainly because it is for MAC users only and that would be the built in microphone on the iMac. That thing is a beast and is very high quality and it can pick up every room in the house if you let it. I still have no problems using it till this day.

Normally I would never suggest a built in mic but the one for iMac is a given! Apple doesn't play around when it comes to quality and I will stand by that.)


Now just like any microphone and dealing with audio Recording and Editing you will soon learn how important headphones are. 

I'm not too picky on headphones so this really is a matter of your own preference of choice and personal comfort. 

So I'm not going to list any suggestions here.

Now let's get down to brass taxes and let me go ahead and share with you what I am currently using for my podcasts and I will also be showing off the new stuff I will be using for Season Three of No Pro Audio.

I wont be giving out prices for anything at this point but if you are interested then just feel free to look it up on Google or Amazon.

Recording and Editing software I am currently using.

1. Garageband
(MAC ONLY.)

I LOVE this program and probably will stick by it forever! This is great for creating podcast and music for bands. It's very easy and user friendly and is more powerful than you think. It can do so much and has way too much to offer it's unreal.

This is a MAC only program but it's totally worth having! I use it as much as I can and just about everyday and for all podcasts episodes.

2. WavePad
(Windows and MAC)

You've already heard me talking it up when it comes to this program an I use it so much it's unreal. 

3. StudioOne 
(Windows and MAC)

I don't know if you can tell just by the image it's self but StudioOne is a BEAST! It is also extremely confusing and very difficult to use and unless you are fast at learning audio editing software or just know what you are doing then I wouldn't recommend you using this just yet. Sometimes you don't need all the tools, effects and gadgets for making a podcast. 

Remember you are making a podcast and you want it to sound as simple as possible for your possible listeners to enjoy. All you really need is a vocal track and an audio track for intros, outros and background music or sound effects. That's it. 

But I like playing with this bad boy from time to time because it really can do so much! Plus it's really good for recording with multiple microphones and using audio interface's.

BUT MORE ON THAT LATER!

Headphones: I am currently using some cheap old headphones until I get my new headphones in for Season Three.

The microphone I am currently using for recording my episodes is the Samsun Studio USB Condenser Microphone.

AND WALAH! That is what all I am currently using for my podcast and now to update you all on the podcast and what all changes that will be making it's way to No Pro Audio very soon.

So the wait has been a long one and i have been receiving a lot of emails like "where did you guys go?" or "Are you still working on the show?" and the answer is YES!

We are still here and we will be continuing and finishing up Season Two here real soon. 

Right now there are many reasons as to why we put the show on hold and here are some of the reasons.

1. Computer Repairs - This will be taken care of hopefully real soon in the near by future. We already have the money for the repairs but we need to makes some plans and arrangements before sending it in for repairs and after. 

2. Studio Upgrades - We are making a lot of changes to the studio getting it prepared for Season Three and for other future projects. Why? Because Season Three will be both an audio and a video podcast and we are making the necessary changes and preparations for Season Three's Video Podcast and quality. 

3. New Studio Software/ Equipment - We are currently purchasing and setting up the studio with all the new software and equipment for the Season Three changes and for the future projects we have plan for you.

4. Planning - Because Season Three is a video podcast we will be putting a little more time into planning and thought into our episodes. This means we now have more freedom with the show and can do many more things we normally can't do with just an audio podcast. 

We are really upping our game and it's all for you.

With these new ideas and projects coming your way we are planning to blow your minds with new content and other material along with a new cast of faces and great team work to provide entertainment for you.

NOW! What kinds of upgrades will we be making to up our game for Season Three?

Here's some pictures to show you what all is in store. 

You think we've been leaving you on hold for nothing?! HA! No... We are still taking the show seriously and we are still taking you serious as can be.

We are doing this all for you.

So just be calm and wait and I promise the wait will defiantly be worth it.

(I'll go into details what all these are later and why we chose this stuff.)

On iTunes and podOmatic

Well we are finally on iTunes through podOmatic.

It took us long enough but it's finally happened and yes we are very excited about it. Hopefully this will open up new possibilities for us and we are hoping to open up new possibilities for you the listener.

Along with that there is a new show that I have been working on that is also on iTunes.

Well it's a revamp from the first podcast I made called Zach N A Pack. Now I want to welcome Zach N A Pack 2!

This revamp is NOTHING like the first show but it's defiantly a change in the right direction. The old show was nothing but bad and I mean bad and I'm glad I took it into this new direction.

I will post all the links at the end of this blog but before I do I'm going to update you I a few more things...

So it's going to be some time before we actually update the show on iTunes and its only because we need to save up some money to pay podOmatic the monthly or yearly fee to keep uploading and hosting the show and at a high quality.

Hit With Delays.

Sorry for the delays yet again but this time we have a very good reason for it. Two weeks ago Kevin was hit by a white Tahoe!

This person purposely hit Kevin and left him for dead... Luckily Kevin wasn't hurt too bad or worse. He is in a lot of pain though, he has a lot of bruising, scratches, swelling and a bulging disk.

Besides theat the main thing is he is still alive and still cracking jokes. Not even an SUV can take your favorite co-host down.

We will be talking a little more about it on our next episode along with us clearing out our innox and answering as many emails as we can to make room for new ones.

We will be on a regular schedule again soon and we will be able to update you about the topic of the week ahead of time again so you can write us in about the topic again.

Extending Season Two

So we have been putting some real thought into it and Season Two will be extended to equal the amount of episodes Season One had.

Mainly because we feel Season Two will be running too short because ten episodes in our opinion is too short for a full Season. If anything this will help us add a little more to Season Two and now we have half a chance to make Season Two a little more enjoyable for us to be proud of.

This will give us a little more time to save up for Season Three and to give us a little more time to make some well needed studio changes and decisions. The money situation is a little tight and it goes up and then back down again because mainly me and Kevin are going off of my personal income and as much as Kevin wants to put in the money for Season Three it seems to be harder and harder for people to find jobs these days.

I will also like to add that The half of Season Two will be a different turn on topic of the weeks and how we think and speak on the show. It HAS been a while since we've recorded an episode and its because we have been too overwhelmed with studio situations and financial situations.

I know Season Two has been a bit of an unorganized train wreck and we do apologize for that and we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Season Three Effort

So I am having to record the Season Three intro and outro here pretty soon.

Since we are making this a video podcast I have decided to make short animations for the intro and outro.

Or so I hope I can. I have an idea of how to do this but if I remember animations

They seem to surprise me.

We are going to try and step it up compared to Season Two and our goal is to make a revamp all in general.

But we will remain pretty much ourselves.

It starts...

As Season Three approaches it now comes down to the fact it's time to really save up for equipment for he studio.

We really want to step up our game an make some new changes that we think might be better for the show.

We are working on making No Pro Audio a video podcast! But this only means that it might take sometime for season three to start.

But the show will go on even through the transition of Season Three as we bring back and revamp the Quickie.

The Quickie is a short mini series episode of us just talking and updating and we don't use the regular format as of the actual show.

We will still be taking emails and questions and updating you on Season Three.

We are going to bring it back, that was the good thing about Season Two was the fact we have this mini podcast that takes Care of No Pro Audio. This will be a revamp so its will be different compared to the first two episodes of he Quickie.

I have good feelings about Season Three and the directions we are taking for No Pro Audio.

I will give off one more little detail is we are going back to classical music as the background. As Kevin says, "Lass things up!".

We also hope to generate a new workable format for you other than how Season Two went. That was just a train wreck sweety!

But there will be some new stuff coming our way in the future. I have a guy feeling about it and the ideas and possibilities are endless I guess.

Season Three Preparations

Well I've been finding myself going back over the planned out Season Three format and episode listings.

Season Two had some good topics but I feel they weren't relatable to most people nor did we prepare for the topics ahead of time.

So I'm rethinking the topics for every episode to make them easily relatable or if it would open up a good discussion.

We will be preparing for every topic two or three weeks ahead of time, this way we can stay on topic and have something worth hearing about instead of first thought out opinions.

I'm not sure how long the transition will be from Season Two to Season Three but no matter how long the wait os I know this will all be worth it in the end.

Gathering the equipment for Season Three will take some time not only financially but physically because we need to test out all the new equipment and make sure it all works before rushing into Season Three.