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Book

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Go behind the scenes of our most ambitious radio programs and witness an intensely creative moment in a medium that's changing the way we tell stories.

Every week, millions of devoted fans download or tune in to This American Life, The Moth, Radiolab, Planet Money, Snap Judgment, Radio Diaries, 99% Invisible, and other nonfiction narrative radio shows. The compelling stories they produce are almost cinematic in scope and approach-intricately weaving sound into robust and engaging storytelling. A lot goes into making the shows we love. Anchored by surprising characters and big questions, their stories are tightly structured, edited, and soundtracked, and they introduce us to authentic voices from every walk of life.

Radio and podcasts today are entrepreneurial and DIY; there's a can-do, collaborative spirit that characterizes people working in this field, fearlessly breaking new artistic ground. And more than ever, given the excellence and explosive popularity of shows like Serial, it's clear that the creative producers working in this medium hold the key to storytelling secrets that the rest of us must learn.

Out on the Wire, a documentary comic, literally illustrates those secrets, gleaned straight from those on the frontlines of radio's revolution. With the help of This American Life's Ira Glass, cartoonist Jessica Abel uncovers just how producers construct a story, spilling some juicy insider details along the way. Jad Abumrad of RadioLab talks about chasing moments of awe with scientists, while Planet Money's Robert Smith speaks candidly about his slightly embarrassing strategy for putting interviewees at ease. And Abel reveals how mad-really mad-Ira Glass becomes when he receives tough edits from his colleagues. Informative and inventive, Out on the Wire shows us the magic that makes these shows great and why we can't stop listening to them.

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Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio

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Every week, millions of devoted fans download or tune in to This American Life, The Moth, Radiolab, Planet Money, Snap Judgment, Radio Diaries, 99% Invisible, and other nonfiction narrative radio shows. The compelling stories they produce are almost cinematic in scope and approach-intricately weaving sound into robust and engaging storytelling.

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Reality Radio: Telling True Stories in Sound, edited by John Biewen and Alexa Dilworth

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Reality Radio: Telling True Stories in Sound, edited by John Biewen and Alexa Dilworth

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Book

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Reality Radio: Telling True Stories in Sound, Second Edition

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Edited by John Biewen and Alexa Dilworth

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Guide to making radio stories, useful for all levels, made by Joe Richman from Radio Diaries.

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Radio Diaries DIY Handbook - Radio Diaries DIY Handbook

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Written by Joe Richman Illustrations by Isaac Kestenbaum Part 1 Foreword by Jay Allison Our Origin Story The Radio Diaries Manifesto Twelve Step Program Part 2 Tech Tips Interviewing Tips Tips for Diarists Writing Tips Editing Tips A Final Word More Links Credits Resources Purchase Donate Reviews

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Podcast from Transom.org, where the host Rob Rosenthal speaks to producers about specific aspects of how they work, e.g. interview technique, sound design, etc.

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A podcast which releases the recordings of talks from past Third Coast International Audio Festivals.

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third coast international audio festival

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Third Coast Pocket Conference by Third Coast International Audio Festival on Apple Podcasts

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Download past episodes or subscribe to future episodes of Third Coast Pocket Conference by Third Coast International Audio Festival for free.

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Radiophrenia is a temporary art radio station - a two-week exploration into current trends in sound and transmission arts. Broadcasting live from Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Arts, the station aims to promote radio as an art form, encouraging challenging and radical new approaches to the medium.

The broadcast schedule will include a series of 14 newly commissioned radio works, live shows, pre-recorded features and 12 Live-to-Air performances. The majority of the programme will be made up from selections submitted to an international open call for sound art and radio works.

Now in its third season Radiophrenia first began broadcasting in April 2015.
View Archive - Radiophrenia 2015 | Radiophrenia 2016

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Radiophrenia is a temporary art radio station - a two-week exploration into current trends in sound and transmission arts. Broadcasting live from Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Arts, the station aims to promote radio as an art form, encouraging challenging and radical new approaches to the medium.

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A 24 hour radio broadcast of music you've never heard

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The Dark Outside is a unique, annual 24 hour site specific FM Radio broadcast from the Galloway Forest Dark Skies Park

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You can use a Blog Page to publish and syndicate a podcast with Squarespace. Blog posts containing Audio Blocks appear in your RSS feed so listeners can use a podcast service like Apple Podcasts to subscribe and download new episodes.

This guide shows how to set up a Blog Page for podcasting, add syndication information, and submit your podcast RSS feed to Apple Podcasts.

Tip: iTunes Podcasts rebranded as Apple Podcasts.

Before you begin

Only blog posts with Audio Blocks can be used for creating a podcast. Apple Podcasts won't recognize other pages with Audio Blocks.

You can post other blog posts without Audio Blocks on the same Blog Page. These won't sync to Apple Podcasts.

Squarespace formats RSS feeds using the podcasting standards set by Apple Podcasts, but you can share your feed with other subscription services. This guide refers to Apple Podcasts as the default podcast subscription service.

Squarespace-generated RSS feeds include the 100 most recent podcast episodes.

When adding your first podcasting Blog Page, we recommend creating a URL slug you're happy with from the beginning. Changing your URL slug later can affect your RSS feed and may cause issues with syndication.

Step 1 - Use a Blog Page

To podcast with Squarespace, you'll need a Blog Page. The Blog Page creates your podcast, and every blog post on the page with an Audio Block will be its own podcast episode. If a post has more than one Audio Block, only the first Audio Block will appear as an episode in Apple Podcasts.

To add a new Blog Page, in the Home Menu, click Pages, then click the + icon to add a Blog Page.

To use an existing Blog Page, continue to the next step.

Step 2 - Open Podcast Setup

Squarespace uses universal tags to update your RSS feed with your podcast's information. These RSS tags set titles, categories, owner information, Cover Art image, and other information for your podcast. Apple Podcasts requires this information when you submit a podcast.

Tip: For Apple's technical specifications for podcasting, visit their documentation.

Use these steps to add your information:

1. In the Home Menu, click Pages.

2. Hover over the blog page title, and click the next to the title to open Blog Page Settings.

3. In the Blog Settings window, click the Syndication tab.

4. Under Podcasting Setup, click Connect.

Step 3 - Enter podcast details

In the Podcasting Setup window, complete the fields with your podcast's information. These details help listeners find and identify your podcast in Apple Podcasts. All fields are required by Apple Podcasts, except for Copyright. You may have to scroll down to see all the fields.

Feed Type

Episodic displays episodes from last to first

Serial displays episodes from first to last. New subscribers automatically download the first episode (or current season).

Change your Feed URL
See Transferring a podcast to or away from Squarespace

Step 4 - Upload podcast artwork

To upload cover art for your podcast, scroll down and drag your image into the image uploader, then click Connect.

Follow these guidelines for podcast artwork:

Square .jpg or .png file

At least 1400px × 1400px, but no larger than 3000px × 3000px

RGB color format

72 DPI

Step 5 - Post your first episode

To submit your podcast to Apple Podcasts for syndication, you must first post an episode. Follow the steps in Posting a podcast episode, then continue with Step 6.

Step 6 - Find your RSS feed URL

Your RSS URL is based on your built-in domain and blog page name. Using your built-in Squarespace URL, it will be:

http://yoursitename.squarespace.com/blogname?format=rss

Replace "yoursitename" and "blogname" with your built-in domain and Blog Page title.

To avoid issues, ensure you're using the http:// version of your URL, not https://.

Tip: While you can use a custom domain here (http://customdomainname.com/blogname?format=rss), to ensure stability we recommend using your built-in .squarespace.com URL. The URL won't be visible anywhere on Apple Podcasts or to your subscribers. If you prefer to use a custom third-party domain, ensure it's mapped properly.

For more help, visit Finding your RSS feed URL.

Step 7 - Submit your podcast to Apple Podcasts

Follow these steps to submit your podcast to Apple Podcasts for approval:

1. Log into Podcasts Connect using your Apple ID.

2. Validate your podcast.

3. Submit your podcast.

After submitting your podcast, you'll receive an email from Apple Podcasts saying they received your submission. You'll receive another email once it's approved.

Updating your podcast

Once you successfully set up your podcast, each blog post with an Audio Block added to this Blog Page will publish as an episode. If a post has more than one Audio Block, the first Audio Block will appear as an episode in Apple Podcasts.

Apple Podcasts refreshes podcasts about once every 24 hours, so this is normally how long updates to the feed will take.

Tip: If it's important that this happens faster, log in to your Podcasts Connect dash and click Refresh Feed. However, Apple Podcasts warns podcasters not to do this too often-it should be for special circumstances, not every new episode.

Creating multiple podcasts

If you publish multiple podcasts through your site, create a unique Blog Page for each podcast, and submit them for syndication separately. Each post on a Blog Page creates a new episode, but all posts on a Blog Page are considered part of single podcast by Apple Podcasts and other subscription services.

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You can use a Blog Page to publish and syndicate a podcast with Squarespace. Blog posts containing Audio Blocks appear in your RSS feed so listeners can use a podcast service like Apple Podcasts to subscribe and download new episodes.

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We are currently testing a new version of the License Chooser. Please consider using the Chooser beta, and leave us feedback on how we can improve.

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization.
We need your support to continue providing these tools.
Donate today!

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We are currently testing a new version of the License Chooser. Please consider using the Chooser beta, and leave us feedback on how we can improve. Creative Commons is a non-profit organization. We need your support to continue providing these tools. Donate today!

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Hindenburg Disaster A Moment In Radio History

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Hindenburg Radio, Podcasting, Voiceover and Audiobook Editing Software. Hindenburg is all about easing your workflow and helping you craft great stories. The editor has every tool you need to record, edit, and publish professional audio recordings - and is at the same time so intuitive to use that you won't need deep technical expertise to start producing your first piece.

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http://www.richardfarrar.com/what-id3-tags-should-you-use-in-a-podcast/

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https://freesound.org

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http://simplevoicebox.com/

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http://doodle.com/

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http://evernote.com/

Ideas can happen anytime.

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Scriptwriting collaboration
https://v4.writerduet.com

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Hi friends! I've been dabbling in podcasting for a while now, and have done a fair amount of research over the past couple of years. I've put together this post to help anyone who wants to start their own podcast, but doesn't have a great deal of technical know-how, and wants to come up to speed with the basics as quickly as possible.

The key thing I want to get across here is the quick and dirty how - worry about the why on your own time. What this post will not do is tell you to give up on starting a podcast. It will not give you podcast ideas. It will give you practical information regarding how to get rolling with your project.

You won't find out if podcasting is for you until you try it, and in my opinion the greater the diversity of voices available to the world, the better. Podcasting is an incredibly powerful and freeing medium, and if you have a spark in your heart to start one, put down the bullshit and get started.

This is a DO IT guide, not a ponder it guide. So... do it.

For reference, I've put down the equipment and hosting I currently use for my podcasts, as well as some recommendations from other podcasters I know. And full disclosure: if you click the links to purchasable shit on this post, I could make a little dough if you end up buying it. But that's not what this is about - I recommend you thoroughly research and think through any purchases you feel you have to make. In fact, I recommend spending no money whatsoever to get started. More on that later.

There are four main things you have to get going when producing your podcast.

Firstly, creating the podcast itself - which requires recording equipment and editing software. Then, you need to give it a home on the internet, and find a way for your potential listeners to find your podcast gold.
1. Equipment: What you need to record your dulcet tones. 2. Editing: What you need to craft and refine what you have recorded. 3. Hosting: Finding 'storage space' and a 'home address' for your podcast. 4. Directories: Getting your podcast's 'home address' listed in directories, so that your listeners can find you.
1. Equipment

This will not be a technical guide or breakdown of exactly what equipment you should run out and buy. There are a number of choices open to you, and it's important that you consider what the majority of your recordings will require.

Will you be doing in-person interviews on the street? In your living room? In your closet? (Great for background noise reduction and capturing a great sound!)

In my opinion, in the here and now, the most important thing to keep in mind is your budget. Don't put off starting your podcast because you don't have enough money for that shiny condenser microphone that all the blogs tell you is the best of the best.

The truth is, the majority of you reading this have a decent smartphone in your pocket, with a recording app. If you can't afford a nice microphone right now - get your phone out. There's your microphone. Start recording.

For my podcast " How The F*** Do You Play This F***ing Game?" we record with a Roland R-05. It's not what most people would recommend for recording, but I stick it into a fabric Ikea Drona storage box that I've lined with bumpy foam soundproofing pads (available very cheaply on ebay). I also use the Roland for recording my half of a Skype conversation for my podcast Not Your Cup of Chai. You can take a listen to check the sound quality. The Roland runs at about £150, is very portable and dinky and has a very good battery life. It's not what most people would recommend, though.

The standard just-above-entry level microphones are the Blue Microphones SnowballE USB Microphone - White or (going up a level) The Yeti. You can get these in specialist stores and online at Amazon. Their popularity is based in their simplicity - just plug it into your laptop and start recording.

The Yeti is pricier, but gives you a few more options in terms of types of recording - it is versatile enough to be used for interviews, which is something that you will find a little more difficult with the Snowball. They're both good options.

Again, I want to reiterate - if money is a problem, and you're sitting on a great idea for a podcast and are putting off getting started because you don't have the perfect equipment - get over it, use what you have, and start recording.

2. Editing

In my opinion, editing is the only painful part of podcasting. The more experienced you become with editing, the less time it will take, but it's where the biggest learning curve is.

The best way to make it easy on yourself is to pre-plan your episodes, be mindful of your 'uhms' and aahs' and filler words while recording (and remind your guest of this politely if you are interviewing someone!) and have a clear idea of where your episode is going.

Don't buy any fancy software packages for editing. The two big hitters for editing audio are completely free.

If you have a mac, you should be able to get your hands on Garageband pretty easily. There are hundreds of thousands of resources on the internet to walk you through editing and using Garageband. If you get stuck, there are loads of community forums you can ask for help on - these are also great places to meet fellow podcasters that you can learn from - and hopefully eventually help out!

If you want to go a little further, you can download Audacity for both Mac and Windows. It's certainly less user friendly, but it is a very powerful tool and can turn an iPhone recording into something with that touch of podcast magic. Again, there's a huge community around Audacity that you'll be able to plug into and get involved in. I can't emphasise enough how useful and important it is to be engaged with these groups.

3. Hosting

Before you pick a host for your podcast, it's important to understand what exactly is meant by hosting. A lot of people confuse hosting with 'getting their podcast on iTunes.' iTunes, Stitcher and the like are all directories. We'll get to that in the next section - all you need to know for now is that it has nothing to do with your hosting.

Your podcast is simply a sound recording (data). You need a place to store that data online and give people (your listeners) access to it.

When you choose your hosting package, think of it as renting storage and an address for your podcast. If you have more episodes and bigger audio files, you'll need more storage space.

You'll also need to keep bandwidth in mind. Think of bandwidth as the amount of people your home can safely sustain coming in and out of it. If you have 10 listeners per episode, it's not too big a deal - but if you get up into the thousands per episode, you need to have the infrastructure in place to support this amount of foot traffic.

Podcast hosting is a different animal from normal website hosting. With a website - it's up, it's maybe a few pages, and that's about it.

With podcasts, you're regularly uploading large, clunky files that go up and stay up. That's why you should be looking for hosts that are specifically for podcast hosting.

Some of the big hosters are LibSyn (Liberated Syndication), PodBean, PodOMatic and SoundCloud. Each one provides a range of hosting 'levels', and are usually fairly easy to upgrade or downgrade between. Hosting is on-going - you will be renting hosting space for the rest of your podcasting life, unless you decide to buy a server (a house.) In most cases, that will probably never happen.

As with most things - if the deal is too good to be true, it isn't. While most of these hosting providers have a free starter package, it will usually limit the number of downloads allowed per episode, as well as only providing relatively limited storage.

You won't need a paid for package right at the start - but moving hosts can be a bit of a pain, so it's worth figuring out where you might be willing to place your hard earned cash when the time comes - and which service provides the best deal for your needs.

I can personally vouch for both LibSyn and SoundCloud. I've used LibSyn to host my old podcast The Turtle Book Club, and we are currently using it for Not Your Cup of Chai. They give very thorough statistics - so you can take a look at how many people are listening to your podcast episodes, and break down that information by source (how they access your podcast) and location (in the world.) However, you do pay for these extras. While they're not exorbitant, prices, they are certainly higher than SoundCloud.

SoundCloud's basic package is free and great for starting out - but if you're doing weekly episodes, you'll almost definitely need to upgrade to their first package. They do great deals if you pay annually upfront, and they also provide three different levels of service. We're currently using it for " How The F*** Do You Play This F***ing Game " and have just upgraded our package to the first pro level.

4. Directories

Directories are where your fans-to-be will find your podcast. You can set up a fancy website, but unless they're getting a lot of traffic already, you are most likely going to be relying on word of mouth/social media and your directory listings to get your audience through the headphone-door. The big ones are iTunes, and Stitcher (for those of us without iPhones!)

Along with your hosting package, you'll be able to generate an RSS feed URL. Consider this your podcast's home address, and consider directories like iTunes and Stitcher the Yellow Pages.

Once you've got your hosting package up and running, you'll be able to find out your RSS feed URL - this is your podcast's address. What you need to do next is get yourself on iTunes. To do that, go to: ' Podcast iTunes connect ' - you will need an Apple ID to login, and will need to go through some steps to verify that you're giving them the correct address for your podcast. I recommend setting up a separate email address for your podcast (I use gmail, but whatever floats your boat will do.) They have an excellent help area that you can explore should you get stuck.

Stitcher is a directory and app with huge reach for those who don't use Apple phones. You can apply to partner with them (in other words, have your podcast listed on their app) over at their site, here: Stitcher Content Providers. It's fairly simple and self explanatory.

I recommend scouring the web for other podcast directories and submitting your podcast. It's not vital and it may feel futile, but I think it really helps.

The directories can take anywhere from a day to a few weeks to get back to you, but that shouldn't stop you uploading more episodes in the mean time. Keep it going.

That's it.

That's pretty much everything you need to get started. I've included ways for you to create, edit, upload and list your podcast that are absolutely free, if that's what you need to get started. If you don't have a smartphone, you could even use your PC or Laptop's internal mic. The important thing is that what you're saying can be easily heard, is clear, and free from background noise and distractions.

I love podcasting - it has allowed me to meet a range of wonderful, supportive, and creative people. It's a disruptive medium that allows marginalised voices to create spaces and platforms for themselves. Go create!

Let me know if you have any questions or need any help. My ears are open.

With love
Bisha x

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Bisha's Ultimate Podcasting Guide for Complete Beginners

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Hi friends! I've been dabbling in podcasting for a while now, and have done a fair amount of research over the past couple of years. I've put together this post to help anyone who wants to start their own podcast, but doesn't have a great deal of technical know-how, and wants to come up to speed with the basics as quickly as possible.

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The REAPER Blog is your source for the best REAPER DAW tips, tricks and tutorials. Presented by audio engineer Jon Tidey.

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HOW TO LISTEN TO A PODCAST with Ira and Mary

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Blubrry Podcasting - Podcast Hosting, Statistics, WordPress Hosting, Syndication Tools and Directory

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Podcasting Manual by Blubrry

The Podcasting Manual by Blubrry provides everything you need to know about podcasting, including the most up-to-date information for podcast creators, consumers and businesses. Content is easy to find, to the point and relevant.

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Blubrry Podcasting - Podcast Hosting, Statistics, WordPress hosting, PowerPress plugin,...

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The Podcasting Manual by Blubrry provides everything you need to know about podcasting, including the most up-to-date information for podcast creators, consumers and businesses. Content is easy to find, to the point and relevant. Whether you're a new or seasoned podcaster, an avid listener/viewer, or simply someone interested in podcasts, we have something for you.

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Libsyn (Liberated Syndication) offers the best, most complete podcast hosting and publishing services available. With Plans starting at only $5, we offer plans and pricing to fit your podcast\'s budget and needs. Host your video and audio podcast with libsyn and even turn your podcast into a smartphone app for iOS and Android.

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Free Podcast hosting and Monetizing Platform | Podbean

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Podbean podcast hosting and monetizing platform helps you start a podcast. All the tools you need to create, promote and monetize your podcast.

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Podcast Hosting, Distribution & Analytics - Simplecast

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Say hello to the modern podcast hosting, distribution, and analytics platform. Simplecast remains the easiest way for podcasters to publish audio to the world—with one-click publishing to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your audience listens.

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iTunes Connect Resources and Help for apps, books, movies, music, podcasts, and TV. Find your answers quickly by searching helpful guides, FAQ, videos, and news.

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The Best Podcast Hosting Services: Where to Host your Podcast

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The first service you need: a place to host your podcast on the web! But, which service to choose? Here we break down the best options, including pros, cons and what might suit you. Buzzsprout Blubrry Podbean Spreaker Libsyn Podcast Websites Transistor Where should I host my podcast?

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You can use Squarespace to create and manage podcasts. Your built-in RSS feed lets you publish to Apple Podcasts and other subscription services, while your website can help listeners find archived...

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Home of the best mixes on planet Earth - DJs, performing artists, educators, and more. Create a free podcast and share your favorites only on PodOmatic.

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Trusted by over 100,000 podcasters

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Buzzsprout: Podcast Hosting, Promotion & Analytics

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Buzzsprout is the easiest way to start a podcast. It gets your podcast online and into Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. Then you can track your show with the most advanced podcast statistics.

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Record, edit, publish, and host your podcast.

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Enterprise podcasting made simple with Omny Studio

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The complete audio management solution for podcast and radio stations

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Thank you, so much, for making podcasting a viable career for me. I was struggling before Spreaker came into my life. And now I can do this full time, without worrying about money. You folks really have changed my life for the better!

The Spreaker platform has introduced me to opportunities to amplify my voice as a podcaster, they have highlighted my efforts in many ways and I'm grateful for the work that they do. Monetizing through Spreaker has allowed me to realize revenue through my podcast that it would have been challenging to accomplish on my own.

Emily G Thompson, host of Morbidology

Thanks to Spreaker I have been able to monetize my podcast and work as a full-time podcaster. Spreaker Prime takes the stress out of worrying about how to monetize your podcast and begin to make money for your hard work. The team is always on hand to answer any queries or assist in any way possible, making for a seamless partnership.

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Start your podcasting journey in a matter of seconds Spreaker, the one-stop-shop for recording, publishing, monetizing and distributing your podcasts.

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The Levelator® from The Conversations Network

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"TU Graz strives to elevate education. We rely on Auphonic for high-quality audio in our lecture recordings. The integration of Whisper (an automatic speech recognition system by openAI) is enabling us to stay on the cutting edge of technological developments and offer state-of-the-art, inclusive services to our students and staff."

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The automatic audio post production webservice.

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Podiant is a cloud-hosted podcasting platform built with a focus on usability, flexibility and power. Founded and run by a seasoned web developer and run by a small team of committed podcasters, Podiant was built by podcasters, for podcasters, but with humans in mind.

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Seriously Simple Podcasting is an easy-to-use podcasting solution for WordPress that is as powerful as it is simple. It uses a native WordPress interface and has minimal settings so as not to distract you from what you really need to do - publish your content.
Primary Features

Simple settings so you can get your podcast up and running quickly

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Podcast Hosting Platform
If you're looking for a podcast hosting platform that is as simple as it is powerful check out Castos. Our integrated podcast hosting platform allows you to upload your podcast audio files directly to a dedicated media host, without ever having to leave the WordPress dashboard.

Give your website a performance boost by offloading all of your media files to a dedicated hosting provider, and your podcast listeners a terrifc listening experience at the same time.
Beautifully Designed Media Player
No need to look around for a premium podcast player for your website, we've built in an industry leading podcast player right into Seriously Simple Podcasting, for Free!

Choose from a compact or full size design, complete with your podcast cover image proudly displayed right alongside your player.
Where to find help
Seriously Simple Podcasting comes with complete user and developer documentation. Please read this documentation thoroughly before posting on the support forum.
Add-ons
Seriously Simple Podcasting comes with a growing library of add-ons. Just like the core plugin itself, all of the add-ons are 100% free to use and will always remain that way.
How to contribute
If you want to contribute to Seriously Simple Podcasting, you can fork the GitHub repository - please read the contributor guidelines for more information on how you can do this.
Help translate this plugin
If you would like to contribute translations to this plugin you can do so through a simple web interface. Any and all translations (new languages or updates to existing ones) are always welcome.

Usage

Simply upload the plugin and you're good to go. Go to "Podcast > Add New" to add new episodes and go to "Podcast > Settings" to customise your podcast.

Podcast media files can be uploaded directly into WordPress, hosted on the integrated Castos platform, or hosted on any other site - in the latter case all you'll need to supply is the URL to the file. Please note that episode lengths and file sizes can only be automatically calculated for files that are hosted on the same server as the website - either way though, you can input them manually.

If you need help, you can find complete user and developer documentation here.

1.19.6

1.19.5

2018-02-09

[TWEAK] Only load the HTML5 media player track when the user clicks play

1.19.4

2017-12-15

[FIX] Fixed a bug where the single player widget was loading the incorrect html 5 player

[FIX] Fixed a bug where the subscribe links aren't shown on the compact player

[TWEAK] Iterate over various album art options for the HTML5 player, and use the first most appropriate one that is of square aspect ratio.

[TWEAK] Deferred loading of scripts and styles for new HTML5 player to the end of the element, and only if at least one HTML5 player instance is present on the page, to avoid unnecessary loading of scripts.

[TWEAK] Updated podcast_episode shortcode to allow the use of a "style" shortcode attribute, with a value of "mini" or "large" to either use the compact native WordPress player or the new larger HTML5 media player.

[TWEAK] Updated podcast_playlist shortcode to force use of default WordPress media player instead of the new HTML5 player until some minor bugs are ironed out.

[NEW] Added ssp_include_episode_meta_data, ssp_include_podcast_subscribe_links and ssp_include_player_meta filters to give greater programmatic control over player meta data and subscribe links.

1.19.3

2017-12-08

[FIX] Namespaced CSS classes for icons to avoid conflicts with themes using font frameworks

[FIX] Fixed a bug where the player meta wasn't displayed on the classic player

[TWEAK] New Player Enhancements - added additional filters to the new HTML5 player to allow developers / site owners more flexibility.

1.19.2

2017-12-07

[FIX] Fixed a bug breaking sites on PHP versions older than 5.6

1.19.1

2017-12-06

[FIX] Fixed a bug where you can't dismiss the import message

1.19.0

2017-12-06

[NEW] Added a 1.19.0 upgrade notice

[FIX] Increased width and height of new player album art to avoid 1px line under player wrapper

[FIX] Fixed bug where default feed image was not showing for the album art if not series image was set

[NEW] Added new HTML5 Media Player

[NEW] Added support for featured images

[FIX] Removed unnecessary dependencies

[FIX] Fixed bugs related to podcast meta and subscribe links

[TWEAK] Added a setting to enable/disable iTunes fields at episode level

1.18.2

1.18.1

2017-10-25

[FIX] Fixed subscribe links for episodes in a series

1.18.0

2017-10-09

[NEW] Added new and updated iTunes tags to podcast feed as announced at WWDC2017

[NEW] Added new and updated iTunes tags as episode settings in current meta box

[NEW] Added new and updated iTunes tags as series specific settings podcast settings area

[NEW] Added Stitcher and Google Play subscription links

[TWEAK] Removed duration from beneath the player

[TWEAK] Fixed the wording of the explicit checkbox (props Ken Andries)

1.17.3

2017-08-29

[FIX] Fixed a bug with the importer process sending the incorrect data format

1.17.2

2017-08-28

UPDATE SUMMARY: Updates and improvements for Seriously Simple Hosting as well as general plugin bug fixes

[IMPROVEMENT] Improved the Seriously Simple Hosting import procedure

[FIX] Fixed a bug where the file size and duration was not being returned correctly

[FIX] Fixed a bug where the stored file size of podcasts was not displaying correctly on the podcast feed

[NEW] Updated the plugin readme to display the new PHP version for the WordPress.org plugin repository

[NEW] Add option for pubDate to respect "Date recorded" field per episode (props Magnus Sjögren)

1.17.1

2017-08-07

[FIX] Fixed a bug causing problems uploading podcasts on regular Posts

1.17.0

2017-07-31

UPDATE SUMMARY: Improved file uploading for Seriously Simple Hosting

[NEW] File uploads to Seriously Simple Hosting display a percentage indicator

[FIX] Fixed a bug where attempting to upload large files to Seriously Simple Hosting caused the upload to time out

[FIX] Fixed a bug related to the minimum PHP version for the plugin

[FIX] Fixed a bug where the new uploading system does not return file size or duration

1.16.4

1.16.3

2017-05-29

UPDATE SUMMARY: Bugfix release for backward compatibility

[FIX] Fixed a parse error causing the plugin not to be activated

[FIX] Fixed an error with the plugin upgrade process

1.16.2

2017-05-22

UPDATE SUMMARY: Adding backwards compatibility to PHP 5.3.3 and improving Feed Details functionality when Series are being used.

[FIX] Incorporated an updated AWS library to be compatible with other S3 plugins such as Offload to S3

[FIX] Added PHP compatibility back to PHP 5.3.3

[FIX] Resolved error with Feed Details for Series not saving correctly

[TWEAK] Added Dismiss button to Podcast Welcome Page

[TWEAK] Cleaned up some legacy code from the 1.16 release

1.16.1

2017-05-08

[NEW] Updated the plugin to display PHP version requirements to the user or gracefully stop the plugin from loading

1.16

2017-05-08

[NEW] Added Support for Seriously Simple Hosting

[CHANGE] PHP version 5.5.0 or greater now required for Seriously Simple Hosting support

1.15.2

2017-04-19

[NEW] Adding iTunes url to Feed Details

[NEW] Adding filter for the key that holds the mp3 value (props Brian Hogg)

1.15.1

2016-10-06

[FIX] Making sure that playlist episodes are only loaded if they have a valid media file

1.15

2016-10-05

UPDATE SUMMARY: Adding podcast playlists as well as much greater flexibility when protecting your podcast feed

[NEW] Podcast playlists! You can display a playlist using the "Podcast: Playlist" widget or the podcast_playlist shortcode

[NEW] You can now add custom access rules for your podcast feeds using the new ssp_feed_access filter

[NEW] You can now choose to hide the media player from logged out users with a simple plugin setting (props Matt Sephton)

[NEW] The podcast_episode shortcode now uses the current episode by default if no episode is specified

[TWEAK] Rearranging files so that different function types are more easily findable

[TWEAK] Improving customisability of all shortcodes

[TWEAK] Updating review link for new plugin directory structure

1.14.10

2016-08-30

UPDATE SUMMARY: Improving feed customisability and employing improved WordPress core functions

[TWEAK] Adding loads of filters to the feed template, so all tags can now be modified dynamically

[TWEAK] Registering all meta keys with the enhanced register_meta() function included in WordPress 4.6+

1.14.9

2016-07-21

UPDATE SUMMARY: Improving accessibility and allowing for more frontend customisation.

[TWEAK] Adding download attribute to episode download links (props Chris Christoff)

[TWEAK] Adding HTML tags and classes to episode meta details

[TWEAK] Improving layout of episode details fields on edit screen for design and accessibility

1.14.8

2016-06-06

UPDATE SUMMARY: Improving loading of episode details in dashboard to allow for more extensibility, as well as making sure that translations are applied correctly.

[TWEAK] Improving generation of episode details fields on episode edit screen

[FIX] Ensuring full localisation support works correctly

1.14.7

2016-06-02

UPDATE SUMMARY: Improving file loading to prevent lag/timeouts in some podcast players as well as making sure that file names with spaces work correctly.

[FIX] Ensuring that spaces in file names don't lead to broken links or unplayable files by correctly encoding them

[FIX] Moving file content headers to prevent slow loading (and possible timeouts) in some podcast players (props Mattias Geniar)

[FIX] Ensuring that audio file is always obtained correctly, even for legacy WordPress enclosures (props Jake Spurlock)

[TWEAK] Adding ssp_feed_image filter to RSS feed to allow dynamic filtering of main feed image (props Rhys Wynne)

1.14.6

1.14.5

2016-04-14

[FIX] Fixing scope of get_attachment_id_from_url function reference - this was breaking file downloads and file size calculations

[FIX] Fixing podcast cover image display on feed page

1.14.4

2016-04-06

[TWEAK] Adding customize_selective_refresh flag to all widget options for WordPress 4.5+ compatibility

[FIX] Updating file location function to properly allow media files to live outside of the WordPress directory (props stoney)

[FIX] Correctly finding media file size and setting content headers accordingly (props Jake Spurlock and sharky44)

[FIX] Fixing image tag output in feeds - this was causing many feeds to be invalidated (props Travis Northcutt)

1.14.3

2016-02-18

[TWEAK] Making sure that the episode recorded date is internationalised correctly

[TWEAK] Adding filters to feed item content, description and subtitle fields (see the filter reference for details)

[FIX] Fixing dislay of ampersands in episode content in feeds

1.14.2

2016-02-17

[TWEAK] Updating and improving admin field names, descriptions and labels

[FIX] Making sure that the custom feed template file is taken from child theme if one exists (props Justin Fletcher)

[FIX] Making sure the file durations can be calculated for sites with WordPress installed in a different folder

1.14.1

2016-01-19

[TWEAK] Updating available podcast categories to use the latest specified by iTunes

[FIX] Removing erroneous subtitle tag from RSS feed

[FIX] Adding Google Play namespace definition to RSS feed header

1.14

2016-01-19

[NEW] Adding full support for video podcasting

[NEW] Adding full support for the Google Play Podcast specification

[NEW] Adding a stylesheet for RSS feeds to make them readable in the browser and more easily shareable

[TWEAK] Correctly escaping HTML output in the dashboard (props Danny van Kooten)

[TWEAK] Optimising code for clarity and performance (props Danny van Kooten)

[TWEAK] Ensuring that the feed URL is always supplied correctly (props Danny van Kooten)

[TWEAK] Improving inline comments all round

1.13.3

2015-11-24

[FIX] Preventing preloading of audio in player

1.13.2

2015-11-16

[FIX] Making sure the 'Date Recorded' field is able to be populated and cleared correctly

1.13.1

1.13

2015-11-03

[NEW] Adding option to mark feeds as complete using itunes:complete feed tag if no more episodes will ever be added to the feed

[NEW] Adding ssp_episode_meta_details filter to allow episode meta data to be easily modified on the fly - read the filter docs here

[NEW] Adding ssp_show_audio_player filter to allow dynamic control of audio player visibility - read the filter docs here

[NEW] Adding customisable episode embed code field to episode edit screen for easy copying (available in WordPress 4.4+)

[TWEAK] Adding notice for FastCGI servers on Security settings page

[TWEAK] Ensuring the episode update nonce never returns an 'undefined variable' error

[TWEAK] Updating itunes:explicit feed tag with correct values as per new iTunes specification

[TWEAK] Updating admin screen markup for WordPress 4.4+

[TWEAK] Updating post type and taxonomy registration arguments for WordPress 4.4+

[FIX] Making sure audio player does not show up in ss_podcast shortcode (issue introduced in v1.12.1)

[FIX] Fixing iTunes episode descriptions to be the correct length and include HTML correctly

1.12.1

2015-10-27

[TWEAK] Ensuring that episode meta data display is the same in all locations

1.12

2015-10-23

[NEW] Added manage_podcast capability to allow editing of podcast settings (adds to Editors & Administrators by default)

[NEW] Added podcast player and meta data to oEmbed excerpt in WordPress 4.4+

[NEW] Added the ability to select up to three category/sub-category pairs for each feed

[TWEAK] Removing localisation files as translations are now handled on translate.wordpress.org

[TWEAK] Improving MIME type detection for audio files and adding caching for faster queries

[TWEAK] Improving feed performance by removing duplicate actions performed on summary and excerpt text

1.11.3

2015-10-06

[NEW] Adding series-specific feed tags to HTML head as it should be

[NEW] Adding ssp_show_global_feed_tag and ssp_show_series_feed_tag filters to hide feed tags from HTML head

[NEW] Adding German translation (props signor-rossi)

[FIX] Making sure shortcodes do not appear in iTunes excerpt (props Jake Spurlock)

1.11.2

2015-10-01

[NEW] Adding Russian translation (props SMXRanger)

[FIX] Changing text domain to match plugin slug: seriously-simple-podcasting

1.11.1

2015-09-21

[FIX] Fixing image upload on feed settings page

1.11

2015-09-16

[NEW] Adding feed redirection option for individual series (props Jake Spurlock)

[NEW] Adding 'play in new window' link to episode meta

[NEW] Improving episode meta generation to make dynamic filtering much easier using the ssp_episode_meta_details filter

[TWEAK] Adding caching to episode retrieval functions (props Jake Spurlock)

[TWEAK] Updating settings sanitisation functions

[TWEAK] Only return episode IDs when loading episode count for At a Glance widget (props Jake Spurlock)

[TWEAK] Only run wp_enqueue_media() on post pages (props Jake Spurlock)

[TWEAK] General syntax and coding standards updates

[FIX] Properly exiting after retrieving audio files (props Jake Spurlock)

1.10.3

2015-07-13

[NEW] Further sanitisation and escaping (props Jake Spurlock)

1.10.2

2015-06-03

[FIX] Further (final) fixing of SQL statement when fetching episode from audio file URL (props Stef Pause)

1.10.1

2015-06-03

[FIX] Fixing SQL statement when fetching episode from audio file URL (props Stef Pause)

1.10

2015-06-02

[NEW] Correctly sanitising all settings (props Jake Spurlock)

[NEW] Preparing SQL statement correctly (props Jake Spurlock)

[NEW] Adding option to display latest episode in Single Episode widget

[NEW] Making settings update notices dismissable in WordPress 4.2+

[NEW] Adding 'please review' and 'thank you' text to footer of plugin settings pages

1.9.9

2015-05-08

[TWEAK] Correcting URL in <link> tag in podcast RSS feed

[TWEAK] Making sure enclosure URLs always have a valid file extension

1.9.8

2015-05-05

[NEW] Adding ssp_feed_channel_link_tag filter to allow dynamic editing of RSS feed <link> tag content

[TWEAK] Using correct feed URL for <link> tag in podcast RSS feed

[TWEAK] Updating 'Feed for a specific series' in 'Publishing' tab to show correct URL structure

[TWEAK] Making $version, $token and $home_url class variables public for easier access

[FIX] Making sure feed checks for audio file MIME type on correct file

[FIX] Correctly handling multibyte characters inside episode details in feeds

1.9.7

1.9.6

2015-04-22

[TWEAK] Making sure that widget & shortcode audio player use correct file URL

[FIX] Removing ref parameter from audio player file URL to ensure reliable playback

1.9.5

1.9.4

2015-03-31

[TWEAK] Removing dynamic file size calculation from feed template to improve feed load times

[TWEAK] Removing iframe tags from all feed content

[TWEAK] Adding ssp_audio_player filter to allow alternative media players to be used

[FIX] Adjusting itunes:subtitle feed tag content to never exceed 225 characters

1.9.3

2015-03-18

[FIX] Fixing 'Audio player position' option to make sure the selected positioning works in all cases

1.9.2

1.9.1

2015-03-16

[TWEAK] Making sure that the audio player always receives a direct file reference (requires pretty permalinks)

1.9

2015-03-15

[NEW] Adding ability to supply different feed details for each series so you can run multiple podcasts from one site

[NEW] Adding 'Series' widget for displaying a list of episodes from a selected series

[NEW] Adding 'Single Episode' widget for displaying single podcast episode

[NEW] Adding podcast_episode shortcode for displaying single podcast episode

[NEW] Adding 'Date recorded' field to episode details

[NEW] Adding ssp_hide_episode_details filter to allow dynamic hiding of episode details

[NEW] Creating new and improved permalink structure for series feeds

[NEW] Adding 'view feed' link to feed details settings page

[TWEAK] Further improving episode download links

[TWEAK] Improving episode custom fields display

[TWEAK] Updating publishing URLs to be more accurate for different permalink structures

[TWEAK] Numerous code improvements and performance optimisations across the board

1.8.11

1.8.10

2015-02-24

[TWEAK] Adding Jetpack Publicize support to podcast post type

[TWEAK] Adding $type argument to ssp_show_generator_tag filter

[TWEAK] Moving podcast post type and feed registration earlier to prevent potential conflicts with other plugins

[TWEAK] Adding RSS2 head tags to podcast RSS feed

[FIX] Fixing episode lookup when downloading audio file

[FIX] Ensuring that only the current episode audio file can be accessed when downloading audio files

[FIX] Fixing explicit flag in podcast RSS feed

1.8.9

2015-02-17

[FIX] Including WordPress media functions when fetching audio file data dynamically - prevents broken XML feeds

1.8.8

2015-02-16

[FIX] Making sure that episode details meta box shows for all selected post types

1.8.7

2015-02-16

[TWEAK] Removing getID3 class and switching to WordPress' built-in functions for retrieving ID3 data instead

[TWEAK] Improving retrieval of audio track length and file size

[TWEAK] Adding sanity checks when fetching podcast post types to ensure no errors are returned

[TWEAK] Adding global function for retrieving podcast post types to standardise and sanitise data

[TWEAK] Adding plugin generator tag to site header to indicate usage and current version

[TWEAK] Adding filter to hide WordPress SEO RSS footer embed on podcast feed if my patch is accepted

1.8.6

2015-02-12

[TWEAK] Changing priority of meta box saving function - fixes conflict with The Events Calendar

1.8.5

2015-02-09

[FIX] Fixing undefined index error when using ss_podcast shortcode (kudos sharky44)

[DOCS] Creating complete user and developer docs: http://docs.hughlashbrooke.com/

1.8.4

2015-02-03

[FIX] Ensuring that podcast episode details metabox displays for all selected post types

[FIX] Switching to audio_file meta field for episode audio files to prevent automatic audio file deletion

[FIX] Updating all existing enclosure fields to new audio_file field

[TWEAK] Clarifying descriptions of some settings

[TWEAK] Improving display of settings fields

[TWEAK] Moving widget registration logic into frontend class

[TWEAK] Renaming a few filters for consistency

[TWEAK] Indicating feed data placeholders more effectively

1.8.3

2015-01-22

[NEW] Adding post tag taxonomy to podcast post type (in lieu of keywords removal)

[TWEAK] Moving meta box setup to correct hook

[TWEAK] Adding further measures to prevent WordPress from stripping out audio file when saving episodes

[FIX] Preventing unformatted episode meta data from showing on excerpt (kudos Robert Neu)

[FIX] Fixing non-object error when no post types are selected in settings (kudos Robert Neu)

1.8.2

2015-01-19

[NEW] Adding episode featured image as episode image in RSS feed using itunes:image tag

[TWEAK] Udating all episode queries (archives, etc.) to fetch episodes from all relevant post types

[TWEAK] Ensuring all podcast posts are fetched on the frontend, even if they don't have an enclosure

[TWEAK] Updating feed category selection to use drop-down menus

[TWEAK] Setting RSS feed to only show number of posts specified in WordPress settings

[TWEAK] Adding ssp_feed_number_of_posts filter to allow dynamic filtering of number of posts shown in RSS feed

[TWEAK] Clarifying descriptions of some options

[TWEAK] Removing 'Keywords' taxonomy as it is no longer supported by iTunes

[TWEAK] Removing unneeded frontend CSS file (obsolete since v1.8)

[FIX] Reinstating ss_podcast shortcode that was removed in v1.8

[FIX] Fixing default copyright text in feed

1.8.1

2015-01-16

[NEW] Adding option to display audio player above or below post content

[TWEAK] Adding podcast taxonomies to all podcast post types

[TWEAK] Adding additional labels to taxonomies

[TWEAK] Adding 'ssp_feed_url' filter to feed URL in RSS meta tag

[FIX] Fixing feed URL in RSS meta tag

[FIX] Localising RSS meta tag title attribute

1.8

2015-01-13

[NEW] Allowing any post type to be used for podcast episodes

[NEW] Changing options for displaying audio player and episode details

[NEW] Removing built-in templates

[NEW] Removing and replacing widget with new 'Recent Podcast Episodes' widget

[NEW] Complete restructuring and renaming of classes and files

[NEW] New settings class - settings page uses proper tabs, loads much faster and can now be easily extended

[NEW] Removing MediaElement library from plugin

[NEW] Generating feed correctly using add_feed() and ensuring backwards compatibility for previous versions

[NEW] Commenting all the things

[NEW] Adding brand new actions and filters everywhere

[TWEAK] Changing dashboard menu icon to be more relevant

[TWEAK] Improving file size calculations and saving (kudos danielpunkass & kallewangstedt)

[TWEAK] Optimising feed template

[TWEAK] Minifying Javascript

1.7.5

1.7.4

2013-11-26

[FIX] Fixing site URL functions

1.7.3

1.7.2

2013-09-25

[FIX] Fixing Javascript error that prevented media uploading from working in Firefox

1.7.1

2013-09-23

[TWEAK] Adding error notice for versions of WordPress prior to v3.5

[FIX] Removing PHP warning when using widget

[FIX] Fixing fatal error when using WordPress versions older than v3.5

1.7

2013-09-07

[NEW] Adding ability to block individual episodes from appearing in iTunes

[NEW] Adding integrated sharing options so you can share your podcast URL straight from your WordPress dashboard

[NEW] Adding function to overwrite feed template (see the FAQ for more info)

[TWEAK] Switching to using the new WordPress media uploader for all media uploading in plugin

[TWEAK] General code clean up

[TWEAK] Updating plugin FAQ

[FIX] Fixing bug that prevented images being uploaded to episode post content

1.6.1

1.6

1.5.3

2013-05-11

[FIX] Fixing episode file URL in feed

1.5.2

1.5.1

1.5

2013-04-28

[NEW] Forcing episode download when download link is clicked

[TWEAK] Improving UI for podcast image uploads

[TWEAK] Removing episode meta data from excerpt text

[TWEAK] Improving built-in single episode template

[TWEAK] Adding action to settings screen allowing additional settings fields to be added

[FIX] Showing all episodes in podcast feed

1.4.6

1.4.5

1.4.4

2013-04-19

[TWEAK] Adding file size fallback to feed template to avoid potential validation errors

1.4.3

1.4.2

1.4.1

2013-03-18

[FIX] Fixed built-in archive page template

[TWEAK] Restructured & streamlined settings page

[TWEAK] Updated FAQs to reflect recent support queries

1.4

2013-03-13

[NEW] Added option to password protect podcast feed - sets a 'HTTP 401 Unauthorized' header and requests a username and password

[NEW] Added 'do_feed_podcast' action so plugins/themes can intercept the feed or add their own processing - see templates/feed-podcast.php for usage caveats

[FIX] Fixed series feed URLs (please take note of changes on podcast settings page)

[FIX] Fixed a few typos on the settings page

[TWEAK] Added series feed URL to series taxonomy table for quick reference

[TWEAK] Moved feed template include to latest possible hook - this allows other plugins to load their templates first if necessary

[TWEAK] Simplified field descriptions on settings page

[TWEAK] Added validation to podcast description field

[TWEAK] Updated localisation strings

[TWEAK] Updated plugin FAQ

[TWEAK] Added 'Upcoming Features' list

1.3.4

2013-03-11

[FIX] Fixed issue where site subtitle was being displayed in author field in feed

1.3.3

2013-03-09

[TWEAK] Added author and custom fields to podcast episode edit page

1.3.2

2013-03-08

[TWEAK] Added media player to podcast meta data for display when built-in templates are not being used

1.3.1

1.3

2013-02-16

[NEW] Added option to syndicate your feed through Feedburner (or similar service)

[NEW] Added RSS meta tags to site header

[NEW] Added option to show podcast episodes in main query loop on home page along with blog posts

[TWEAK] Unified feed templates, so only one feed is used for all podcasting services (ensured backward compatibility for existing feed URLs)

[TWEAK] Changed podcast settings page URL (menu link is still in same place though)

1.2.2

2013-02-14

[FIX] Removed conflicts with other plugins that prevented some admin pages from loading

1.2.1

2013-02-13

[FIX] Fixed critical bug that was preventing episode data from being added

1.2

2013-02-12

[NEW] Added setting for redirecting podcast feed to new URL

[NEW] Added episode meta data to start of episode excerpt

[FIX] Fixed file size info & episode descriptions in feeds

[TWEAK] Moved settings page to be a sub-page of the Podcast menu

[TWEAK] Improved enclosure file size detection

[TWEAK] Improved code commenting to make some features more clear

[TWEAK] Improved script loading in dashboard to improve performance on all admin pages

[TWEAK] Improved FAQ list

1.1.4

1.1.3

2013-01-23

[FIX] Fixing some feed validaton errors and warnings

1.1.2

1.1.1

2013-01-18

[TWEAK] Adding file MIME type to feed RSS

1.1

2013-01-17

[NEW] Added loads of settings for the podcast feed details

[NEW] Massive improvements to both iTunes & standard RSS feeds (including new feed URLs)

[NEW] Audio duration is now calculated automatically

[NEW] Added keywords taxonomy to episodes

[TWEAK] General performance enhancements

[TWEAK] Enhanced localisation support

1.0.1

2013-01-06

[FIX] Fixing bug that broke media uploader in WordPress 3.5

1.0.0

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Seriously Simple Podcasting is an easy-to-use podcasting solution for WordPress that is as powerful as it is simple. It uses a native WordPress interface and has minimal settings so as not to distract you from what you really need to do - publish your content.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you use Libsyn, SoundCloud, Spreaker, PodBean, Buzzsprout, Blog Talk Radio or any other podcast host to generate your podcast feed, get ready for full website publishing automation.

Here is how it works. This software is a WordPress plugin. You install it, enter your iTunes URL, and that's it!

In seconds, it will create a unique page for each of your podcast episodes and automatically add a mobile-friendly player along with the full description and images from your podcast feed.

From now on, each time you publish a new podcast, it will automatically appear on your site (you don't even have to log in to your site if you don't want to!)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
podcast player for website simple podcast player

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you use Libsyn, SoundCloud, Spreaker, PodBean, Buzzsprout, Blog Talk Radio or any other podcast host to generate your podcast feed, get ready for full website publishing automation. Here is how it works. This software is a WordPress plugin. You install it, enter your iTunes URL, and that's it!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Your podcast IS your feed-test it today! Feed problems can keep your podcast from being featured by Apple, hurt discovery, and cause problems with podcast directories.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
RECORD A CONVERSATION WITH ANYONE, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, ON ANY DEVICE, AND HAVE IT SOUND LIKE YOU'RE IN THE SAME ROOM AT THE SAME TIME.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Apple recently changed the way you submit your podcast to iTunes. Instead of submitting an RSS Feed address through the iTunes application, podcasters will now use iTunes Connect. There are definitely benefits to using iTunes Connect, and we're excited to see what other tools Apple launches for podcasters.

Step 1: Validate and test your RSS feed

If you're using a service like Buzzsprout or Libsyn, you shouldn't run into any issues here; most of the bigger podcast hosts won't allow you to generate an invalid feed. But, if you built your own feed, or just want to be safe, start by validating your feed.

I'm a big fan of Feed Validator. Head to their website, paste your RSS feed address, and click Validate.

You should get a message that says " Congratulations! This is a valid RSS feed." You might also see some comments in the Recommendations section, but those shouldn't pose an issue when submitting to iTunes.

If you get an error, Feed Validator is good at telling you what the issue is. The most common problem is a bad RSS feed URL, check to make sure you're giving Feed Validator the correct RSS feed. Most likely the correct address will end in .RSS or /RSS.

If you're still getting an error, you'll want to contact your podcast host.

Step 2: Verify your feed has all the correct fields to submit to iTunes

Once you've validated your feed, head to iTunes Connect to submit your podcast to iTunes.

You will need a valid Apple ID and password to submit your podcast to iTunes. If you don't have one, you can create an Apple ID for free.

When you login to iTunes Connect you should see a page like this. (I've submitted a handful of podcasts already, so yours might look different).

Start by clicking the + in the upper left side of the screen.

Now enter the same URL you validated in Step 1, and click Validate.

iTunes Connect will check two things:

1. it will check to see if the feed is valid (though they won't give as in-depth details as Feed Validator), and

2. it will also check to see if your feed meets the requirements for submission to iTunes.

You might receive a few validation warnings if your RSS feed doesn't have all of the required tags. If so, you'll need to update these in your feed and click validate again.

Required Fields

To submit your podcast to iTunes, you'll need to have the follow fields in your RSS feed:

Podcast Title - Apple uses your title as a search term in iTunes, so make sure it is descriptive. It has a 255 character limit (just under two tweets).

Description - Write a compelling description of your podcast. This is also used for search. But don't stuff this section with keywords, your potential listeners are going to read this. (4000 character limit).

Podcast Artwork - This one is important. Your podcast artwork will probably be the first impression your podcast makes. Make sure you have great podcast artwork that will look great across multiple device types.

Artwork must be a minimum size of 1400 x 1400 pixels and a maximum size of 3000 x 3000 pixels, in JPEG or PNG format, 72 dpi, with appropriate file extensions (.jpg, .png), and in the RGB colorspace. These requirements are different from the standard RSS image tag specifications.

Source: RSS tags for Podcast Connect - help.apple.com

Category - iTunes has defined categories for podcasts, so don't try to start a new category for your Vegan Rodeo podcast. Specify the three categories, or subcategories, that are most applicable to your podcast.

Language - This is required and helps Apple know which countries should access your content. Make sure you're using the ISO 639 two letter language code.

Explicit - If you're podcast includes mature content make sure you mark it as explicit. This is the most common reason that podcasts are rejected from the iTunes store.

Review all of your podcast information for grammar and spelling mistakes. You'll want to really consider what you have in the title, author, and description sections.

Pay close attention to the title, author, and description tags at the <channel> and <item> level of your podcast. The iTunes Store uses these fields for search.

Source: About Submitting a Podcast - help.apple.com

Step 3: Submit your podcast to iTunes

Once you've filled out all the recommended tags, you're ready to submit your podcast to iTunes. Just click Submit, Apple will begin the review process.

You'll get email letting you know your podcast is being reviewed, and then another email once they've approved or rejected your podcast. The review process can take up to 2-weeks, but typically it only takes a few days. With iTunes Connect, you'll be able to see the status of your podcast from the dashboard.

Once you get your approval email, your podcast will be available in iTunes!

Benefits of iTunes Connect for Podcasts

The main benefits of iTunes Connect are for managing podcasts. By logging into iTunes Connect, you'll be able to refresh your podcast, update your RSS feed URL, or delete your podcast.

Update your RSS Feed through iTunes Connect

Prior to iTunes Connect, there wasn't a way to manually change your RSS Feed through iTunes. If you wanted to change your podcast host, or move to a new feed, you would need to add a new feed URL tag to your feed.

With iTunes connect, you can specify a new URL and your podcast listing will move right over. Just drop in a new RSS feed and click Refresh Feed.

While this is great for your iTunes listing, you'll still need to put in new feed url tag so that your subscribers and other listings, like Google Play Music, will move to your new feed.

<itunes:new-feed-url>www.example.com/of-a-new-feed-url.rss</itunes:new-feed-url>

Mirror URL

Apple has also added a feature called Mirror URL. This appears to be a static URL for each podcast listing that 301 redirect to the current source URL.

This feature will be great for keeping subscribers who have subscribed to the Mirror URL feed; if you ever change your RSS feed you would be able to keep your subscribers, even if you didn't put in a New Feed URL tag into the old feed.

A permanent link to your RSS Feed URL. Users subscribed to your podcast using the Mirror URL are redirected to your RSS Feed URL in Podcasts app and iTunes. This allows you to change your RSS Feed URL without losing users subscribed to your Mirror URL.

Source: View a podcast Mirror URL - help.apple.com

Other benefits of iTunes Connect

iTunes Connect for podcasts also adds a few other features that you might find beneficial:

Refresh Feed - iTunes automatically updates each podcast every 24 hours. If you'd like your content to appear in iTunes sooner, you can manually refresh your feed. (Use this feature sparingly, iTunes will remove this feature if you overuse it.)

Hide Podcast - You can temporarily hide your podcast listing by clicking hide podcast.

Delete Podcast -This will permanently delete your podcast from iTunes.

I hope this article has helped you get your podcast listed in iTunes. If you're new to podcasting, be sure to check out our page on starting your podcast.

Alban Brooke is General Counsel and Director of Marketing for Higher Pixels - makers of Buzzsprout Podcast Hosting and Time Tracking.

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How to submit your podcast to iTunes using iTunes Connect

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Apple recently changed the way you submit your podcast to iTunes. Instead of submitting an RSS Feed address through the iTunes application, podcasters will now use iTunes Connect. There are definitely benefits to using iTunes Connect, and we're excited to see what other tools Apple launches for podcasters.

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Sign up for a free SoundCloud account to immediately start hosting your podcast with SoundCloud and distributing your sounds via RSS to your favorite podcast apps. An RSS feed (Rich Site Summary) is used to send regularly updated or changing content to other web services. On SoundCloud, you can use your profile's RSS feed to power your podcast.

All creators can find their account's RSS feed URL and adjust channel settings through the Content tab of the Settings page. You can access this page by going to the three dots on the top right corner of your header and clicking "Settings" in the drop down bar.

1. Create an account

If you haven't created a SoundCloud profile, set one up. You can learn about how to create an account here.

Remember:

Use an active email address.

When asked to enter the name you want to display on your profile, use your podcast title.

Check your inbox for a confirmation email before proceeding.

2. Complete your profile information

Head to your profile's edit page (accessible through the Edit button under your profile header) and complete the following steps:

3. Adjust content settings

Go to your Content Settings page and:

1. Choose a category for your podcast.

2. Select the language of your podcast.

3. Check the explicit setting if your show contains explicit material.

4. Double check the upload default setting. If you will be primarily uploading podcasts, you will want this setting enabled. Regardless of what you choose here, you can override the default setting on the individual track edit page.

Next steps

Now you have created a SoundCloud account, and have finished the basics of setting up your profile and RSS feed! Learn what to do next when podcasting with SoundCloud:

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Sign up for a free SoundCloud account to immediately start hosting your podcast with SoundCloud and distributing your sounds via RSS to your favorite podcast apps. An RSS feed (Rich Site Summary) is used to send regularly updated or changing content to other web services.

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Just three months ago, I wrote my podcasting gear guide to let potential podcasters know about my setup and the equipment I recommend. That guide represents the gold standard in podcasting that existed when I was starting out in 2014.

To recap, I recommended using a digital audio recorder like the Zoom H4n or the TASCAM DR-40 to record yourself and your guest onto two separate tracks, with the guest connecting through Skype and being plugged into the second track via a 1/4″ to 1/8″ adapter cable.

Here are the things a podcaster must have in a recording setup:

1. Reliability. Your recording should not sporadically stop working 40 minutes in to your interview with a Nobel laureate.

2. Multi-track recording. Each speaker must be recorded onto his own separate track to make it possible to edit them each separately.

3. Clear audio, free of unnecessary noise.

The setup I described in the gear guide did these things better than the other alternatives available until recently. The digital audio recorder provided greater reliability than the software solutions available at the time. Software crashes often, but a piece of hardware designed exclusively for recording audio rarely does.

The H4n and DR-40 offer multi-track recording via their dual XLR/TRS inputs.

However, this setup can only bring in remote guests in as high quality as Skype allows. So when both host and guest have high-bandwidth connections, it works great. But when one or both of them have connection issues, there's no good solution. You just have to deal with bad audio.

I've had multiple issues with bad connections recently. Multiple times I've had to tell the guests to back up and re-state something they had already said in order to get a clear recording. I had to hang up and restart one conversation. One guest was sounded like he was talking at ten words a second because Skype had delayed his audio then played it all super fast to catch up. All of this reduces the quality of the audio, creates difficulties in post-production, or both.

New Services for Recording Double Enders

Since 2014, new developments have made software recording a better option for podcasters. There are now (at least) three separate services that offer the option to record all speakers' audio locally and upload it to the cloud. They are Cast, Ringr, and Zencastr.

These allow podcasters to easily and reliably record double enders. A double ender is when both sides of a conversation are recorded locally and spliced together in editing. Most remote TV interviews are done this way.

A double ender fixes the connection issues I mentioned above. If your recording is happening locally, the VoIP connection only needs to be good enough for the host and guest to hear each other; connection issues will not affect the finished product because the final tracks are recorded locally.

These also make arranging things easy for hosts and guests. You just send your guest a link, they click it, and that's all they have to do. You don't have to instruct your guest on how to install some new piece of software.

Here are some of the pros and cons of Cast, Ringr, and Zencastr:

Cast
Pros:

Uploads audio to the Cast cloud in real time. If things crash, you will only lose the last few seconds of recording at most, since the rest of the recording will already be in the cloud.

Offers its own RSS feed. This allows Cast to be a one-stop shop for your podcast. At $10/month, it's competitive with Libsyn.

Allows you to edit and publish your audio online (or not).

Allows up to 4 people in a recording.

Allows you to pre-schedule your recording sessions.

One month free trial.

Cons:

Not mobile compatible, though they are working on adding this.

Only works with Chrome.

Ringr
Pros:

Mobile compatible! (I am particularly excited about this because phones don't make fan noises like PCs.)

Operates very smoothly.

One month free trial of the premium account.

Has an affiliate program that allows me to give you a discount on your premium membership:

Cons:

Only allows 2-person recordings. (They are working on adding more.)

You need to buy the $18.99/month premium account in order to get your audio on separate tracks. This feature is an absolute necessity!

Uploads to the cloud after the call ends. Recordings are made locally and then uploaded. The Ringr support page has a whole section on recovering files if your upload is interrupted, which seems like a headache.

Zencastr
Pros:

Streams audio to your Dropbox account as it is recorded. (They are working on adding support for Google Drive.)

Keeps local backups of recordings in case you lose connection with Dropbox.

Free while in beta. (Will move to $10-$20 tiered monthly plans once it moves out of beta.) It's out of beta! The free plan allows 8 hours of recording per month, which should be enough for any weekly podcaster.

Unlimited guests! (But please don't try to do a podcast with six speakers at once. Nobody wants to listen to that.)

Cons:

Not mobile compatible. They are working on adding this!

I've had VoIP errors the last few times I tried recording with Zencastr. It's still new, and the times it has worked it worked very smoothly, but I'd really rather not have to deal with errors.

Conclusion

All three of these services are promising and interesting.

Cast offers many features established podcasters won't need, such as in-browser editing and RSS hosting, but for the new podcaster these could be very useful. If you get the $10/month account with Cast and let them host your media files and RSS, you'll be getting the same services you could get from Libsyn or Blubrry with the added bonus of double ender recordings. The only limitation of the $10/month hobby account is that it only allows 10 hours of podcast recording per month. I can't see any weekly podcast going over that limit.

Zencastr's feature of streaming to Dropbox is nice. It doesn't offer all the bonus features of Cast, but it's still in beta so we'll see where it goes. Plus, you can get it free for now, so you might as well try it out. The other two offer 1-month free trials, so you can try them all and see which you like best.

I love the mobile compatibility of Ringr, though it's a little expensive at $18.99/month. The basic Ringr account doesn't let you download your audio in separate tracks, which makes it useless in my opinion.

Ultimately, for my own purposes, I've opted to go with Ringr. The flexibility of allowing my guests to record through their phones is a must for me. I had one guest who had both a lousy connection and a loud computer fan that drowned out his audio when he tried to record through his PC. Ringr was the only viable option because it was the only way to record a double ender easily on mobile.

Whichever service you end up choosing, all of them will allow you to make high-quality recordings without the need for an expensive digital audio recorder. I look forward to a bright future of ultra-high-quality amateur podcasts recorded through double ender services like these!

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A Podcasting Revolution: Cast, Ringr, and Zencastr - The Economics Detective

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Just three months ago, I wrote my podcasting gear guide to let potential podcasters know about my setup and the equipment I recommend. That guide represents the gold standard in podcasting that existed when I was starting out in 2014. To recap, I recommended using a digital audio recorder like the Zoom H4n or the TASCAM ...

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Blubrry Podcasting - Podcast Hosting, Statistics, WordPress Hosting, Syndication Tools and Directory

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The file name and URL you use for your podcast media is as important as the recording itself. As of 2014, there are more than 100 podcatching applications found on desktop computers, mobile devices, tablets and smart (Internet-connected) TVs. Having media files that are formatted with that in mind will ensure your ability to distribute to all of these devices and more.

Media URLs

The media URL is the unique Web address to a specific file, page or folder on the Internet. Each episode will have its own unique URL varying only by the file name. The common portion of the URL is determined by what folder you place your media file in on your server.

e.g. If you FTP your media into a folder on your 'public_html' (sometimes this is 'htdocs' depending on your Web hosting company) called 'audio,' then your folder's URL would be http://example.com/audio/. Any media file you upload into the audio folder will have a URL in the form of http://example.com/audio/yourfile.mp3.

URL and file-name musts

NO SPACES or SPECIAL CHARACTERS - We recommend that folder names never contain spaces or other non-alpha numeric characters aside from dashes/hyphens and underscores. Using a space or special character, for example, means that your URL will have to be 'encoded,' which replaces those spaces and special characters to special symbols. The process of your media URL being encoded opens the possibility that the encoding will be incorrectly decoded or double encoded when ingested by some podcatching applications, podcast directory websites, or even by an audience member copying/pasting the URL into their email to send to a friend.

Do not use FTP URLs - Podcast applications cannot download via FTP because they don't have FTP libraries coded into into them.

HOST MEDIA ON SEPARATE SERVER - Media files consume a lot of bandwidth. If you host them on the same server as your website, you are asking for trouble. Think of your website's connection to the Internet as a pipe, you can only fit so much data through the pipe at any given time. Though Web pages take only seconds to load, media files can take minutes, sometimes hours depending on their size. Once you have, say, 50 audience members downloading your media at the same time, your Internet pipe will become full, resulting in your pages taking a very long time to respond and load for your Web visitors. Check out Blubrry Media Hosting if you are looking for a reliable place to host your podcast media.

Media file naming

The file name itself is an important detail to not overlook. Some applications will save your media file to the phone or tablet's SD drive with the same file name you used. When your audience is using an application such as this and goes to the folder where your episodes are downloaded, the organization of your episodes will be intermixed with all the other podcast episodes that person is subscribed to. To keep your podcast well organized in this situation, it is important to use a unique prefix plus a zero padded episode number or date in YYYY-MM-DD format in your file names. Also remember not to use special characters or spaces, as this is will lead to the file names possibly having weird %02 characters in the file names, making them even harder to read by the audience member.

Todd's show is Geek News Central and the way he names his media files are like this: GNC-YYYY-MM-DD.mp3. Sticking with a standard naming convention from Day 1 will reduce listener confusion as they are look for your show.

Search engine optimization also comes into play with media URLs. Though we do not recommend stuffing your media file names with lots of words, 1-3 keywords that relate to the episode is ideal. For example, if the title of your episode is "How to bake chocolate chip cookies", you may want to include "chocolate-chip-cookies" in the file name. If you combine the convention previously mentioned, your optimal podcast file name may look something like this: GNC-2014-09-23-chocolate-chip-cookies.mp3

Blog Post Titles

Your blog post title (episode title) has a direct impact on your podcast file name in some applications. iTunes, for example, will typically save each podcast episode media file using your blog post's title in your feed. For this reason, we recommend the following format for blog post titles when podcasting:

PREFIX + EPISODE NUMBER + TITLE OF POST

The PREFIX should be an abbreviation of your program's title. Geek News Central's prefix is 'GNC'.

The EPISODE NUMBER should be a zero padded number of your episode. E.g. `001` for episode. You might want to use padding for four spaces if you plan on having more than 1,000 episodes.

The TITLE OF POST would be something unique that makes this episode stand out from others. E.g. 'The Super Bowl from a Techie.'

Separating your blog post title from your episode title using Blubrry PowerPress

If you are using Blubrry PowerPress 6.0+, you can specify a separate title for your episode from the blog post title. This is ideal for a number of reasons. See PowerPress Podcasting SEO Settings to learn more.

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The file name and URL you use for your podcast media is as important as the recording itself. As of 2014, there are more than 100 podcatching applications found on desktop computers, mobile devices, tablets and smart (Internet-connected) TVs.

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Submit Your Podcast to Spotify: Step by Step Guide

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Spotify is now allowing all podcasts on approved platforms to be listed in Spotify. Learn how to get your podcast into Spotify!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:11 - 38.0MB) | Embed

You've created your podcast ready RSS feed so what's next? You need to send it out to the world!

There are many places your podcast can be found however you need to submit your show's RSS feed to multiple directories and apps in order to have people find you.

On this episode, I talk about the top ten directories that send me the

most traffic and where you should submit your podcast first, in order to find the majority of your audience.

I also discuss Auphonic.com as a fantastic option for easy post production including the simplest way to make sure you are hitting proper Loudness targets for podcasting.

Auphonic for Easy Post Processing

After you've recorded your audio and assembled the pieces of your show (music, sound FX, etc.) in your audio editor, a few steps remain. You'll want to make sure your audio hits the suggested target for podcast Loudness (-16LUFS for stereo, -19LUFS for mono) and include your ID3 metadata (a.k.a. tags).

Auphonic.com makes this really simple. With the click of a few checkboxes, Auphonic can process audio to your specified Loudness target (multiple options exist), reduce noise and hum, filtering of disturbing low frequencies, perform leveling for balancing levels between speakers, music and speech, and a few more awesome features. And in most cases it does a stellar job.

If you are using the online version (2 hours of free processing each month), there are also desktop apps, you can also include ID3 tags in your final podcast ready audio file. This is very handy for streamlining your workflow. This option is not yet available on the desktop versions.

Podcasting Directories and Apps - Where to Submit Your Podcast

When you're ready to start publishing your podcast to the world, you'll want to submit your show to as many podcast directories and apps as possible. Don't overwhelm yourself with trying to get into all the directories you can find on your first week. Submit to the directories listed below first and then over the period of a few months, work on getting in new directories as you have time.

I spent a good deal of time over at PodcastPlaces.com, a great site for getting all the information you need for submitting your podcast to almost every known podcast directory and app.

Below is a list of the top places you should make sure your podcast can be found first. Since half of these fill their directory by pulling info via the iTunes API, once you submit to iTunes, you'll be half way done.

The below list is broken into "Primary" and "Secondary" directories and apps based on download numbers from the shows I produce. You'll likely see different results for your own show but being in these directories will account for a large portion of your audience.

Of course, you should also make sure your podcast is easily available via an HTML5 (mobile friendly) audio player on your own website. Behind iTunes, this is the second largest source of listens for The Podcasters' Studio.

Top Places Where Your Podcast Should be Available**
Primary (1-5), Secondary (6-10)

1. iTunes. If you only submit to one place, this is the one. It's where most people find podcasts (always has been) and is also your gateway into many other directories and apps. See the video below for how to submit your show.

2. Stitcher - likely soon to fall to third place after Google Play Music, this is usually the number two source for podcasting listening. People using both iOS or Android devices can use Stitcher to find and listen to your show.

3. Google Play Music - While not currently available to the end-user, this new directory is taking submissions ahead of it's public release. Get in now.

4. Miro - open source directory available to Mac, Windows and Linux users. (Sadly, it appears, Miro is no longer available.)

5. Overcast - free iOS and web app gaining in popularity. This app pulls from the iTunes API so all you need to do once you submit to iTunes is check the app (it's free) to make sure your show is in there.

6. Pocket Casts - iOS, Android and desktop app. Probably the most popular premium option. This also use the iTunes API but they also have a submission portal at pocketcasts.com/submit

7. iCatcher - premium iOS app, pulls from the iTunes API - You'll need to buy this app or find someone who has it and have them confirm your show is in the directory.

8. PlayerFM - Android and web app. Pulls from iTunes but you can also submit via player.fm/suggest

9. Podcast Addict - Android and Kindle Fire. Pulls from iTunes but you can submit via podcastaddict.uservoice.com > Contact support link > submit RSS feed URL

10. PodCruncher - Premium iOS app. Pulls from iTunes. This one may actually have been an accident. I'm seeing downloads from here but on second look it doesn't seem to produce enough to make this list. Not sure what happened but at least now you know it exists;) Don't put any extra effort into confirming you're in this one.

See my, Where to Submit Your Podcast Infographic.

For the remaining podcast directories and apps (over 100 total) visit PodcastPlaces.com to stay current with all the available places to submit your podcast.

Once again, these are just the places I'm seeing good download numbers originating from. Yours will be different. Hopefully you have good stats so you can track where people are coming from.

Some important notes: along with having your podcasts available on your website, you should also have subscribe links to the biggest places to find podcasts such as iTunes, Stitcher, Miro and your own RSS feed as well as email. Included in this should be a link for Android users that you can create via subscribeonandroid.com.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Looking for a reliable media host for your podcast? Consider using Libsyn (my chosen host) or Blubrry (the two best, most reliable podcast media hosts IMO) and get your first month free when you use promo code: PODCASTHELPER at checkout.

Subscribe to The Podcasters' Studio Podcast

*all links should be considered affiliate links. Please read my ethics statement as it relates to products I link to. I only post affiliate links to products and brands I use and/or trust. Thanks for helping support this content!

**You should read each directory's terms of service before submitting your show so that you can decide if you are OK with releasing your content to that platform.

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Where to submit your podcast - directories and apps - The Podcasters' Studio

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:11 - 38.0MB) | Embed You've created your podcast ready RSS feed so what's next? You need to send it out to the world! There are many places your podcast can be found however you need to submit your show's RSS feed to multiple directories and apps in order to have people find you.

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INTRODUCTION

Podcasting and other forms of on-demand digital audio are growing. Edison Research reports that, based on a survey conducted in January and February 2016, an estimated 155 million Americans over 12 had listened to some form of online radio in the preceding month, and 57 million had listened to a podcast.

The runaway success of the podcast "Serial," which originated within the public radio show "This American Life," helped spark interest in the medium, which is reaching new audiences, giving rise to new voices and creating new revenue streams.

Seeking to accelerate positive change, Knight Foundation made several recent investments to support the advancement of journalism and public information programming delivered through podcasting and on-demand audio formats. This report summarizes initial findings from the experiences of several recent Knight grantees working in this rapidly emerging field: Project Carbon, which comprises grants to NPR and several local public radio stations to build out the digital infrastructure of public radio; Radiotopia, a new podcasting network developed by Knight partner PRX Inc.; WNYC Discover, a mobile podcasting application; and a Knight Enterprise Fund investment in Gimlet Media, a private podcasting company started by public radio veterans.

The approach to this review was to "learn alongside" grantees by reviewing progress of the grants and investments to date, giving grantees the opportunity to provide insights into their work, and to do this in conjunction with an in-depth look at the broader podcasting context.

The report does not cover some of Knight's more recent podcast-related investments, including Pop Up Archive¹ to create open-source software for organizing and publishing archival audio content from small and independent producers; RadioPublic, a for-profit public benefit corporation established in partnership with PRX; and a grant to "This American Life's" Satchel, a tool to facilitate social sharing of podcast audio snippets.

While this report's primary basis is a particular set of grants, the inquiry into grantee experiences quickly blossomed into larger conversations about podcasting and digital audio writ large, and in particular the ways that journalism and public information producers are more and less equipped to interact successfully with the new digital listening audience.

Indeed, the ground is shifting rapidly. New entrants with large wallets and access to talent, rapid evolution in technical infrastructure and capability, explosive increases in audience uptake, sharply rising revenue and quickly broadening public awareness are all driving change in the on-demand audio world. Grantees are forced to take notice and to take action. Not all are ready.
KEY FINDINGS
The review surfaced several key insights about the early-stage impacts of Knight Foundation's investments, as well as strategic issues to consider around efforts to support quality news and information programming in a digital era. The most significant themes:

Knight Foundation's grantees and Enterprise Fund investments have shown success in growing new audiences, particularly among younger cohorts that might not turn to radio. Digital entrants Gimlet and Radiotopia are experiencing significant year-over-year audience growth. Listeners across digital media also skew to the low 30s - far younger than the average age of an audience member for the public radio broadcast system. These efforts are also giving rise to new voices. Gimlet and Radiotopia are developing new shows, both NPR One and WNYC's Discover app are seen as greenfields to experiment with new content in a way freed from the constraints of public radio broadcasting, and RadioPublic is developing discovery methods to increase the appeal of podcast listening for new audiences who aren't familiar with the format.

Several Knight Foundation partners are either reinvigorating old pathways to revenue or illuminating new ones. NPR One is feeding user registration to local stations, helping potential public media members to replenish an aging audience. In addition to ad sales, Radiotopia has raised significant funds through crowdfunding, events and sponsorships. Gimlet's for-profit model has attracted enough interest to meet investment targets, and ad inventories continue to sell out for major shows.

The public radio system, while having made progress, is not yet well positioned for audience-first, digital delivery. Project Carbon, WNYC's Discover app, and RadioPublic represent significant strides in transitioning the public media system to a digital-first orientation. Podcasting and on-demand audio today is a fertile field into which many seeds are being planted, and with more or less intentionality. As this report shows, however, these new opportunities face significant headwinds and will demand continued creativity, drive and investment to reach their full potential.

METHODOLOGY
Knight Foundation worked with Lutman & Associates and Dot Connector Studio to perform this review. Data were collected in spring and summer 2016 through more than 60 face-to-face and phone interviews with grantees, public radio leaders, producers, industry experts, and other stakeholders (see Appendix A for interviewee list); a review of internal grants memoranda, grantee reports and updates, and staff correspondence; and an extensive literature review of the field, including white papers, industry reports, and books related to journalism, technological innovation and adoption, audio production, public broadcasting policy and more.

KNIGHT FOUNDATION'S INVESTMENTS

Knight Foundation has invested in and worked with several major efforts to support journalism and public interest programming delivered via podcasting and to advance the digital transformation of audio content.

Knight Foundation made multiple investments totaling $4.4 million in Project Carbon, an initiative led by National Public Radio. The grant for Project Carbon was intended to support the development of a seamless digital listening platform across all NPR affiliates and available through all digital devices.

Project Carbon represents an effort to map the public radio system's transformation from broadcast-first to digital-first, encompassing multiple elements of new and necessary shared digital infrastructure for the public radio system. The bulk of the effort by NPR has been directed to the NPR One app, which provides some elements of this infrastructure, while key member stations pursued other component parts.

Several member stations are participating. One collaboration is a joint project by KPCC (Los Angeles), WHYY (Philadelphia) and NYPR (New York City) to develop Loud.ly, a project designed to build new capabilities for audio streaming and delivery, with emphasis on strengthening content management systems, mobile infrastructure and digital revenue interfaces that together facilitate a station's connection to digital platforms. KQED (San Francisco) is working to migrate its digital audio assets, particularly newsroom assets, to the Dalet content management system, enabling nimble sharing and delivery of locally produced audio content via the NPR One app and other digital platforms. (Dalet is a commercial software vendor whose product is used by some of public radio's largest producers.) WBUR (Boston) is implementing NPR's application programming interface and is improving its capacity for sharing user data among departments such as membership, events, underwriting and content. Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) has led an effort called Public Radio Engaged, a collaboration with other public radio stations and NPR's Carbon Services Identity Platform intended to establish the protocols and tools needed to connect local user data with system-level data related to audience consumption and preferences.

Radiotopia is a curated network of podcasts formed to help independent media makers develop audiences and revenue for their work. Formed within PRX Inc., Radiotopia was granted $1 million from Knight Foundation in November 2015. Radiotopia's lead producers are Roman Mars, originator of the popular podcast "99% Invisible," and Julie Shapiro, executive producer.

The overarching strategy for Radiotopia is to leverage its podcasts as a network in order to benefit independent producers. In the sea of podcasters, it is challenging for independents to differentiate themselves and gain the audience and revenue needed to support themselves. Through Radiotopia's efforts, indie podcasters can receive mentoring on production and on audience expansion and revenue development. They also can participate in networkwide fundraising, promotional and audience engagement activities. In this way, PRX sees Radiotopia functioning similarly to a record label or other talent aggregator that brings visibility and sales to individual producers.

Knight Foundation has made two equity investments in Gimlet Media through the Knight Enterprise Fund, the first in 2014, followed by a reinvestment in 2015. These investments have advanced Gimlet's ability to develop and release additional podcasts for its network.

Gimlet is a for-profit, digital-first media company that produces high-quality, narrative podcasts. Its two founders cut their teeth in public radio; Gimlet's programs fall mainly within the voice, audience target, storytelling style and subject matter that appeal to traditional public radio audience psychographics, with age being the exception.

Gimlet is staking its success on the ability to produce finely honed shows that elevate the craft, in the same way that Netflix and Amazon have been reinventing television for on-demand premium cable viewing. "[P]odcasting still has an association with something that two dudes make in their basement. There's a 'Wayne's World' connotation to it. But I think of them as shows: sleek, produced, where you have people who are good at it doing it," Gimlet co-founder Alex Blumberg told Shan Wang in a 2015 Nieman Lab interview.
NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO'S DISCOVER APP
Knight granted $250,000 to allow New York Public Radio to further develop and share the Discover app, WNYC's mobile app for on-demand listening. The app delivers curated, personalized playlists that are optimized for offline, time-shifted listening. It is aimed at New York City commuters who listen on mobile devices. Content accessible via Discover includes all WNYC news and programs, along with selected programs from other producers.

Although not reviewed as part of this study, in May 2016, the Knight Enterprise Fund, along with several other investors, including The New York Times and American Public Media, announced an equity investment in RadioPublic, a podcast listening platform launched by PRX. Together PRX and RadioPublic operate as a hybrid enterprise with RadioPublic focused on listeners and PRX primarily serving audio producers.

RadioPublic is a public benefit corporation, a form of corporate organization that embeds a mission while also allowing for equity forms of capital investment. Its mission is "to help listeners discover, engage with, and reward creators of stories, podcasts, and other audio." RadioPublic is building a podcast listening app for iOS and Android that focuses on discovery of new content. According to founder Jake Shapiro, "We believe podcasting - audio files delivered via the open protocol of RSS - will thrive as an open ecosystem for diverse and creative voices across entertainment, journalism, and communication of all kinds. But we also believe podcasting must evolve to realize its full potential."

THE CHANGING CONTEXT
The broader context around podcasting and on-demand audio is heated and dynamic, and looks different to different people. Among the wildly divergent ways interviewees described podcasting:
While much ink has been spilled analyzing key developments, discussions with key players in the space - including Knight Foundation grantees and partners - surfaced 10 key themes of particular salience.

1.The podcasting audience is markedly different from the traditional audience for broadcast public radio. While research is inconsistent, audiences leading the listening surge for digital news, narrative and public affairs content still largely fit the profile of early adopters. As Jesse Holcomb, associate director of research at the Pew Research Center, said, "They're more likely to be male, young, have higher incomes, be college graduates, live in an urban area." This held across Knight Foundation grantees and partners, for which the most common average age of a podcast audience is in the low 30s.

The podcast audience is also growing. Knight grantees and partners report continuous and sometimes explosive audience growth. Edison Research survey data shows a fifth of Americans 12 and older (21 percent) have listened to a podcast in the preceding month - up from 12 percent in 2013 (though Edison also notes that podcasting "accounts for only a small sliver of the share of time Americans spend listening to all audio sources").

In addition to podcast listeners being younger, Edison Research shows that once individuals become a podcast listener, their use of linear radio declines by more than half. "Millennials like to time shift," a Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) executive observed. Plus, their listening is "rabid," said one NPR executive. They "listen to a lot."

This contrasts with the public radio broadcast audience, which Knight partners say today represents "the core of the core." Listeners on new platforms are likely to be "new to database" and are not already radio listeners.

2.Like many media makers and outlets, public radio broadcasters are working to adapt to an audience-first universe. "Radio shows need to please a lot of people at once," said one media analyst and podcast host. "They are fundamentally for a mass audience." He contrasted these broadcast realities with podcasting: "Podcasts are things that listeners opt into." Listeners are in control of when, what and how much they hear, and routes to discovery are different. It is difficult for legacy public radio organizations to serve both their existing audiences, for which paths to revenue also are clear and well established, and the emerging digital audience and less predictable revenue sources.

Station-based producers are finding that their broadcast audiences are not particularly fertile ground for drawing audiences to on-demand content. Many stations and all of the major public broadcasting networks are working to identify and reach new listeners through alternate means, most prominently social discovery, but their efforts are hampered by clunky tools and data collection methods. Gathering and interpreting real-time data can be overwhelming, and much of the most valuable audience data is locked in the black boxes of the major commercial companies that serve up podcasts.

In contrast, podcast-first producers and networks are also digital-first and without legacy broadcast systems or audiences to maintain. They can be far more nimble in developing strategies to capture useful audience data, and in surveying their dedicated audience base and iterating to improve their users' experience. "In our world I can tell you if and when and how many listening sessions, time of day, device on or not, moving or stationary when a given person was listening," said a public radio veteran now at a digital media company. "What we're starting with is a list of things we want to know in order to make decisions."

Capturing audience data is a key driver influencing public media organizations to develop their own apps and platforms, such as NPR One, Discover and the new RadioPublic app, among others launched or in development. "What we want is an audience experience where we can have a relationship with those people," said an NPR executive.

3.One counterintuitive suggestion from interviewees is that local news coverage may be a strong driver for digital consumption of audio. This is not the case for podcasting, although listenership for local newscasts within NPR One is much higher than predicted. There are bright spots such as "Curious City" podcast at Chicago station WBEZ and adventurous experiments from local stations such as West Virginia Public Radio, Austin's KUT and Santa Monica's KCRW that show that listeners will download podcasts by local producers if they take advantage of the strengths of the platform. But for the most part it is difficult for such programs to reach a scale where they can become self-sustaining. WNYC reports that its newsroom is working in hybrid formats, producing limited series for on-demand listening that expand and amplify stories that merit more depth and more expansive coverage. This area of exploration is viewed by many interviewees as ripe for innovation and investment.

Another way local news can reach widespread digital audiences is to feature it in the context of a broader national network, akin to the local-national newscasts offered back-to-back on NPR One. An executive from "Reveal" said that about half of the program's content is reserved for investigative work from independent and local reporters. This underscores the value of partnerships, creates a marketplace for coverage that did not previously exist, exposes listeners to stories from all parts of the country, and offers the potential to create more space for investigative reporting across the dial. The program is carried weekly across 330-plus stations, as well as distributed as a podcast, taking advantage of differing listener habits. Diversity is also a core value of the "Reveal" team, so the emphasis is not just on airing voices from many communities, but also across a range of experiences and identities.

4. It has not escaped the attention of younger and more diverse audio producers that all of the most popular voices in the public media podcasting ecosystem are white, and most of them are also male - "monolithically so," Charley Locke wrote in a 2015 Wired piece titled "Podcasts' biggest problem isn't discovery, it's diversity." As of mid- 2016, only a few of the top-100 iTunes podcasts that come from public media were programs explicitly created to diversify on-air voices, including NPR's "Code Switch" (ranked 51st); "Snap Judgment" (73rd), a show that emerged from PRX's Public Radio Talent Quest and is co-produced with WNYC Studios; and "2 Dope Queens" (28th), also from WNYC Studios.

There is a sense that the gender gap in production may be closing. CPB is investing directly in podcasts led by women, said one executive interviewed. Encouraging signs include the success of hosts such as Sarah Koenig ("Serial") and Krista Tippett ("On Being"), support from key female public broadcasting executives such as NYPR's Laura Walker and CPB's Patricia de Stacy Harrison, the rise of podcast curators such as WAMU's Lauren Ober ("The Big Listen") and Gimlet's Brittany Luse ("Sampler"), and the influence of well-regarded leaders such as Julie Shapiro and Anne Wootton. Female podcasters are becoming more organized, meeting up at gatherings such as the Werk It! event at WNYC and addressing other diversity issues in the process. (For example, see Ober's list of "57 Black-Hosted Podcasts You Should Probably Listen To.")
This means that podcasting's dominance by what's widely described as "two dudes talking" could also be on the wane - at Werk It!, Walker noted that 22 percent of podcasts are now hosted by women, up from 11 percent in 2013.
From a listening perspective, racial and ethnic demographics are an open question - anecdotally the podcast audience is not particularly diverse, but it is difficult to find hard data on this question. (NPR says that 19 percent of NPR One users are not white vs. 13 percent of its broadcast listeners, according to a December 2015 survey.) Promisingly, the most recent survey research from Edison Research and Triton Digital suggests that podcast audiences "look increasingly like America."

5. The brain drain from public radio to podcasting enterprises has been well documented. Interviewees agreed that the "talent wars" are real.

Three main cohorts are susceptible to recruitment from the inner sanctums of public radio. The first group comprises experienced hosts and producers who feel constrained by the voice, tone, subject matter and orientation of public radio and have creative ideas they are not able to explore within the constructs of their current job responsibilities. The second cohort consists of younger producers and staff members who were initially attracted to public radio but do not see great potential for moving up the responsibility chain to exert more influence over programming. In the third set are the web developers, software engineers and other technical staff members whose job possibilities are plentiful, whose skills are applicable across many industries, and who have employment expectations that public media is challenged to meet (higher salaries, flexible working hours, remote locations, and consistent raises and promotions).

6.The wide-ranging and often freelance community of audio producers that works in and around public radio has latched onto podcasting as an open space for experimenting and for perfecting new skills, styles and techniques. However, for most, podcasting does not pay the bills. Instead, a pattern is emerging that is similar to art, independent music and other creative fields: Many people are creating work for passion or recognition, and only a few are rising to the level of well-compensated professionals.

Listenership is highly concentrated. Half of podcasts are downloaded less than 175 times. Only the top 1 percent of podcasts are downloaded more than 50,000 times per episode - the minimum number that those interviewed for this report cited for a podcast to be attractive to sponsors. One approach has been the formation of podcast networks, such as Knight Foundation partners Radiotopia and Gimlet, which are operating like publishing houses or record labels by aggregating producers with a similar sound or focus, creating fan bases and taste profiles across the selections, and commanding higher rates from advertisers across their portfolio of offerings.

Interviewees confirmed that podcasts are not just a "farm team" for broadcast content but that they attract their own listeners. Successful podcasters can pitch themselves and more - they can recommend other up-and-coming podcasters, elevating their visibility.

The most successful of the podcast hosts who have emerged from the public broadcasting ecosystem cut their teeth in broadcasting and still enjoy wide on-air distribution. Chief among them are Ira Glass of "This American Life," which started at WBEZ and incubated the podcasting megahit "Serial," and Jad Abumrad of Radiolab, who is using his success at WNYC Studios to endorse and support the production of other podcast programs. "Planet Money," another "This American Life" production originally hosted by Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson, now of Gimlet, has maintained its standing in the iTunes top podcasts since January 2015. The popularity of these podcasts suggests that broadcast is not only a powerful tool for launching and promoting podcasts, but that perhaps a substantial segment of the podcast listeners are merely time-shifting their consumption of on-air shows rather than seeking out digital-first options.

Where will new shows come from that can sustain themselves? A handful of existing organizations serve as training and networking hubs and points of distribution for independent producers who work in and around public radio. PRX's Radiotopia, Matter.VC, and AIR's Localore initiative have paved the way for inventive independents to experiment with developing digital-first content and platforms and to learn how to operate in the entrepreneurial mode that is in demand today. However, even these national organizations face challenges in gaining access to resources for productions available to larger networks and stations. They also lack stations' reach, assets and brand.

7.Knight grantees and other public interest players in and near the public radio space are considering how they could collaborate to build a better technical back end for digital audio. As one digital leader said, "The costs of not collaborating are going up and up." In recent meetings, digital leaders of top stations began meeting to discuss how they might work together to share projects and identify future efficiencies.

According to various interviewees, the dream system might include a public interest app or mobile interface that serves as the point of entry to this content, customizable at the station level, and providing mechanisms for supporting both local and national productions. Areas of need cited by those interviewed include more seamless local-to- national and local-to-local content management systems; negotiated sharing agreements across digital audio platforms; widespread adoption of mechanisms for dynamic sponsorship and advertising as well as donation mechanisms; shared metrics and data capabilities; and targeted resources for production and experimentation, including in local reporting and research and development. NPR One, WNYC's Discover App, RadioPublic and PRX's Dovetail ad-serving platform are all attempts to create needed audience-facing digital infrastructure, but solving the governance, funding, collaboration and interoperability problems remains challenging.

8.Beyond the data challenges faced by the legacy broadcasting system, on-demand audio and podcasting suffer from an industrywide lack of measurement standards to deliver audience insight and enhance revenue development at the macro level.

Certain consumption measures are relatively easy to track, but many of these do not deliver substantial insights for producers or their business operations - and not every producer counts these measurements in the same way. Furthermore, the lack of standardized data means that sponsors must rely on other methods to understand their reach. Advertising sales staff interviewed for this report say that instead of discussing the merit of audio programs, they spend a significant portion of every sales call informing potential buyers about the metrics that are or are not available for podcasts.

Standardization efforts are underway through leading advertising stakeholders, including the Interactive Advertising Bureau. In addition, a group representing more than a dozen stations and networks have offered a set of guidelines, released in January 2016. And, an industry working group named Syndicated Media, with participants such as PopUp Archive, Acast and PRX, has been working on common efforts to address issues such as RSS.

9.On-air messaging on public radio is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and cannot include calls to action. Messaging is generally delivered in the generic voicing of branding spots that include a business name and tag line. Furthermore, public radio journalists do not voice spots, either live or taped. Public radio spots are short and to the point.

Freed from FCC requirements and with a different audience, podcasting is discovering different forms of revenue generation. Podcast producers, especially independents and small shops, have utilized crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter or Patreon. For example, PRX had a very successful Kickstarter campaign when Radiotopia launched, exceeding its $250,000 goal and raising more than $600,000. Gimlet Media raised its final $500,000 in investment capital in a similarly successful crowdfunding effort. Many small producers encourage listeners to contribute via Patreon.

Podcasting has also found that new sources of advertising revenue CPMs in podcasting are much higher today than broadcast CPMs in public radio. (CPM is the abbreviation for the cost advertisers pay for each 1,000 people reached.) Many interviewed cited $18 to $25 as a CPM range for podcasting, with some much higher. In a presentation at the 2016 South by Southwest festival, Ira Glass of "This American Life" stated that CPMs for the wildly popular "Serial" podcast were in the $50 to $60 range.

The ability to create interesting messages that break from public radio's regulatory standards and long-standing production values is a key attribute of podcasts that observers say sponsors like. Increasingly common are host-read, rambling advertising spots that are custom-made and often created in a storytelling mode. Sponsors also are attracted to the "fierce loyalty" of podcast listeners and to the fact that they tend to be young, well-educated, and highly paid. As podcasting grows in reach, sales firms expect a shift in sponsorship to include brand advertising, not just calls-to-action and consumer product spots.

One danger of depending on this revenue stream, however, is the volatility of the ad marketplace for this new media form. "Are we in a bubble? Yes and no," said the co-producer of a hit podcast. "Probably the prices are inflated and are going to have to readjust."

10.For some public radio veterans, the Sturm und Drang around podcasting is unpleasantly reminiscent of previous waves of excitement around other distribution platforms, from satellite radio, to station websites, to apps, and beyond. They suggest that broadcast radio has successfully weathered prior disruptions and will continue to serve as the industry's cornerstone for listening and revenue for decades to come.

One veteran researcher suggests that the debate over the value and importance of podcasting is overblown because those involved in producing podcasts are the same ones reporting on the phenomenon and generating related buzz. The discussion is "vastly overwrought," he said, advising funders, "There's a lot of hype. The podcast space is so dramatically overheated in the conversation that it can really lead to bad decisions, faulty perceptions, wasted money and distraction from important ongoing things."

This stance is bolstered by the fact that radio listening remains high. Nielsen's annual State of the Media report for 2016 notes that "radio leads all other platforms when it comes to weekly reach (93%) among adult consumers - and with new insights available to compare radio to other platforms on a regular basis, it is clear that radio is an integral part of media consumption for millions of Americans."
Of course, some competition might offer a healthy corrective to a public radio industry that has been sluggish to innovate. "We shouldn't think of audio startups as competitors or 'poachers' but partners in this space," wrote Melody Kramer, formerly of NPR. "If public media's goal is to educate and inform the public, and Gimlet determines a great way for doing that, then how does public media take that information and integrate it into its approach?"

KNIGHT INVESTMENTS: KEY LESSONS

Knight Foundation has invested in and partnered with diverse players in the podcasting and on-demand audio marketplace. The foundation's efforts address different approaches to providing quality content to listeners who are increasingly seeking digital audio in a mobile-centric environment. While these efforts are distinct and unique in their aims, scope and structure, they have yielded important insights and lessons.
SERVING NEW AUDIENCES AND CREATING NEW CONTENT
Knight Foundation's grantees and Enterprise Fund investments have shown success in growing new audiences and creating the space for new voices in audio.

Gimlet and Radiotopia in particular have exceeded audience projections. Gimlet is reaching millions per month, many in a younger demographic than the traditional public radio audience. Radiotopia has tripled the number of monthly downloads in the past year. The NPR One app, a part of Project Carbon, tends to reach listeners whose age skews to the low 30s - far younger than the average age of an audience member for NPR's flagship properties. Surveys also show that app listeners are somewhat more racially diverse than public radio listeners.

The extent to which this audience can continue to grow is up for debate. All told, NPR's digital footprint - including through Apple's iTunes - comprises tens of millions of downloads per month. Matt Lieber, Gimlet's co-founder and president, believes that the addressable market for podcasts is far from saturated. Mobile phones are ubiquitous, and discovery is getting easier. Millions more people have heard of podcasting (as a concept) than currently listen, so even closing that gap without increasing awareness would bring a large new audience to podcasting.

Audience growth is also being achieved in new ways as efforts native to podcasting tap the power of their growing networks. Matt Lieber noted that people find out about podcasts first and foremost from other podcasts, and that Gimlet has experimented with ways to promote its new shows within the current ones. Other successful promotional efforts include deliberately generating buzz via word of mouth, including social media mentions, and through savvy press and media coverage. Similarly, by aggregating podcasts into a network, Radiotopia is able to create a narrative around the group of podcasts and deploy the narrative for more successful marketing, sales and distribution than shows could achieve on their own.

These efforts are also giving rise to new voices. Gimlet is debuting several shows. Radiotopia has grown from 11 programs to 14 and created a contest called Podquest to find new talent. Launched in March 2016, Podquest received 1,537 entries from 53 countries. The contest created excitement in the podcast field and was widely covered by media. Radiotopia's focus on new voices, especially women and people of color, shows the depth of talent and size of audience for this work. By aggregating podcasts from otherwise less-known producers, Radiotopia is demonstrating that a large number of high-quality producers exist who do not have regular access to other outlets, including public radio, and whose addressable audience is sizable.

This dynamic is especially true among legacy players that feel an urgency around bringing fresh blood to the field. NPR One provides producers with an open field, freed from the tight clocks and standard sound of public radio, and it allows vastly expanded opportunities to include new voices and new forms. NPR One has already proven to be a useful tool for piloting new content with real-time audience data that can inform program development. Examples include Kelly McEvers' in-depth reporting for the "Embedded" podcast, the "NPR Politics" podcast tracking the 2016 election campaigns, and podcasts created by the Code Switch team exploring race and identity. At NYPR, particularly with the launch of podcasting and program development unit WNYC Studios, the Discover app provides an off-air platform for new program development.
DEVELOPING NEW REVENUE AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Several Knight Foundation grantees are either reinvigorating old pathways to revenue or illuminating new ones.

The results across approaches to podcast revenue vary. Gimlet, as a for-profit company, has led multiple successful fundraising rounds. RadioPublic has also managed a successful seed round. Gimlet and Radiotopia have received significant interest from advertisers. Gimlet's model has attracted enough interest to meet investment targets, and ad inventories continue to sell out for major shows. Lieber reports that sponsors are attracted to Gimlet's fiercely loyal, engaged audience, and sponsor renewals are correspondingly high.

Even within the traditional member-based support model for public media, podcasting is surfacing new opportunities. NPR One is feeding user registration to local stations, returning 50 to 80 percent "new to database" names- essentially new potential public media members to replenish a rapidly aging audience.

In addition to ad sales, podcasting efforts have illustrated new revenue opportunities. Radiotopia has raised more than $600,000 through crowdfunding. Radiotopia has also worked to develop sponsorships, event revenue and other ways to put dollars into the pockets of independent podcast producers.
READYING THE PUBLIC MEDIA SYSTEM FOR THE DIGITAL PRESENT AND FUTURE
In a sense, all of these efforts represent the ongoing transition of public media to a digital-first orientation. The public media ecosystem has continually pushed to evolve the ways it can meet its mission. But the migration of digital audio consumption to mobile means a new round of digital investment and digital strategizing is needed. The surge of investment in digital media is providing a source of funding that has proved attractive for public radio veterans looking for the opportunity to take entirely new approaches. Both Gimlet Media and RadioPublic are startups that have emerged from public radio. Gimlet is focused on finding and funding high-quality, informative content. RadioPublic, formed as a public benefit corporation, has instituted core elements of the public media mission into its corporate charter.

Project Carbon, in particular, was oriented around the need to transition the broadcast public radio system to the digital preferences of today's audiences. Toward that end, progress has been achieved. A key step has been the successful launch of the NPR One app. The app has been very well reviewed; its functionality is being updated continuously with new features such as a recommendation engine, donation capability, sharing capability and many new content features.

Project Carbon has also accelerated the ability for various parts of the public radio system to reach audiences digitally. NPR Station Connect has led to more than 100 member stations across the country producing local newscasts for NPR One to serve their local on-demand audio audience. The NPR Developer Center, a part of Project Carbon, has made it possible for NPR One to be available across 30 vehicle makers and via iTunes, Google Play, Windows Phone and Google's Chromecast.

These strides not only improve the audio experience for digital and mobile listeners, but they also assist the public media system in adopting the methods of the digital media age. NPR's accomplished analytics staff has created new tools to derive insight from audience data compiled from NPR One users. The data are far richer and more nuanced than the analytics producers can obtain from other third-party platforms. Similarly, through the Discover app and the development of digital audio content, NYPR leaders believe they have arrived at key insights about both advertisers and audiences.

Despite this important progress, much work remains to be done. Public radio has yet to fully scope, design and cost a scalable, shared digital infrastructure that can serve the system's major market stations and its leading producers (including NPR). Many of those interviewed acknowledge that the challenge of building an adequate digital infrastructure is, quite simply, both a more major undertaking and a more daunting challenge than they anticipated.

CONCLUSION

Podcasting and on-demand audio is a rapidly evolving medium, ripe for experimentation and innovation and well suited to creative and far-reaching public interest applications. Many of podcasting's most successful programming is crafted by public radio producers or by people who have recently left public radio for podcasting startups. Yet the public radio system, one of the nation's most utilized and trusted sources of news and information, is not yet well positioned to take advantage of deep shifts underway as the rising, younger audience moves from broadcast to mobile and digital audio platforms. Competitors loom large.

Knight Foundation investments have made some significant strides in this context, but they have also encountered headwinds. While digital upstarts in which Knight has invested are growing audiences and lighting a path to new forms of sustainability, they remain in early stages, with real questions about their full growth potential. Efforts to transform the larger public media system, especially through Project Carbon, have yielded progress and also illuminated larger challenges in moving the NPR structure toward an adequate digital backbone.

All of this is happening in a dynamic context, whose future may be hard to predict. The demand for quality news and audio content remains firmly fixed across generations. The best model for meeting these demands and the point of sustainability is an open question.

Knight and other grantmakers across the U.S. can benefit from conversations with local and national media makers to identify opportunities for new impact as audiences' listening patterns shift to on-demand. Today's dynamic environment makes timing especially good to bring new voices and new audiences to public interest programming and to help lower barriers to entry so that journalism and public information programming can flourish as this key delivery platform expands.

About the research team:
SARAH LUTMAN JESSICA CLARK ANGELICA DAS is a senior associate at Dot Connector Studio. is founder and director of Dot Connector Studio, a media production and strategy firm. Learn more at dotconnectorstudio.com or follow her on Twitter at @beyondbroadcast. is principal at Lutman & Associates, a consulting and program development enterprise. Learn more at lutmanassociates.com or follow her on Twitter @Lutman_Sarah.

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FROM AIRWAVES TO EARBUDS - Informed and Engaged - Medium

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Podcasting and other forms of on-demand digital audio are growing. Edison Research reports that, based on a survey conducted in January and February 2016, an estimated 155 million Americans over 12 had listened to some form of online radio in the preceding month, and 57 million had listened to a podcast.

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RSS makes podcasting possible. I'll explain what RSS is and why not owning your RSS feed could mean losing all of your subscribers.

What is RSS?

In plain English, RSS is a specially formatted webpage that allows news-readers and podcast applications to subscribe for syndicated content.

Without RSS, you may be used to visiting your favorite news sites, browsing to your favorite sections, and looking over the latest items to see what's new before deciding what to read or watch. RSS simplifies this by offering a summary of site updates. When you subscribe to an RSS feed, your software will check that one address for updated content, and display the summary or sometimes even the full content of the post (depending on the publisher's choice).

More technical definition of RSS

"RSS" stands for "Rich Site Summary," but it is also known as "really simple syndication," "RDF Site Summary," and "Real-time Simple Syndication." RSS is a collection of XML ("extensible markup language") standard formatting.

An RSS feed is mandatory for hosting a podcast. "Podcast" is a actually a label for a particular kind of distribution, not a style of show. Just like "radio show," "TV," "DVD," and "magazine" describe the media and distribution. "Podcast" is, by technical definite, downloadable episodic multimedia (audio, video, PDF, and ePub) syndicated through RSS via the <enclosure> tag.

XML allows the creation of any kind of machine- or human-readable data. For example, I could have an tag, which I define as a numbered rating from 1 to 5. Or my XML could look like the following.

RSS will be formatted the same way, but will follow clearly defined standards. For example, here are some excerpts from my own RSS feed.

How to make an RSS feed

There are essentially three ways to make your own RSS feeds.

1. Automatically from a content-management system (such as WordPress, Drupal, or LibSyn)

2. Manually with a standalone application like Feeder

3. By hand with any text- or code-editor

If you want to live a long and happy life, I recommend letting your RSS feed be created automatically for you with intelligent software. You still have to enter the information for the feed-title, description, keywords, and each individual post-but you do it through an easy-to-learn system like WordPress.

If you have a WordPress website, then you already have more RSS feeds than you would ever need! Just add to the end of your domain and you'll get your default site-wide RSS feed. (If you don't have permalinks set, use instead.) Every time you publish a new post, WordPress automatically updates your RSS feed so that newsreaders and podcast apps can see the latest updates.

Content-management systems (CMS) often create several RSS feeds, such as for each category, media format, tag, or search result.

Learn more about the iTunes podcasting specifications and how to change your podcast information in iTunes.

Why you MUST own your RSS feed

There are many ways to make RSS feeds from different services, and other services to enhance your RSS feeds. But you must be careful! Your RSS feed is how your subscribers get your content. If you give them someone else's URL that you can't control, then you don't truly own your audience.

Soundcloud is a big offender in this way. While they're a great platform with cool options, the beta podcast feature often produces invalid code. But what's even worse is that if you ever want to leave Soundcloud and you published your podcast with their RSS feed, you can't keep your current subscribers. This problem happens with many other platforms, like Podbean, Tumblr, Blogspot, and more.

There are only three ways to keep your audience from being held hostage by these providers.

1. Use FeedBurner or another third-party feed service. Run your feed through them and then publish your other feed. But take caution here, too! You may fall into the same problem, which leads to the next option.

2. Implement a permanent 301 redirect. Setup a redirect so any request for your old RSS feed gets automatically forwarded to the new RSS feed. These redirects should never be removed.

3. Add the < itunes : new - feed - url > tag. This is more technical but potentially more possible with some hosts. But it only works for iTunes and other apps that use the iTunes API.

Third-party, hosted platforms usually don't offer any such freedoms. So if you want to leave, you'll lose your audience, lose your iTunes reviews (unless you beg Apple), or you'll have to ask your audience to unsubscribe and resubscribe (don't do that!).

The best way to own your RSS feed is if you control the URL you publish in podcast directories. This could be some technical backend stuff going on, or that the RSS feed is hosted on your own domain with WordPress or something similar.

The only third-parties you can trust with your RSS feed are LibSyn and Blubrry. They both allow you to implement a permanent 301 redirect and the in your feed from their service. (Use promo code "noodle" with either company for a free month!)

FeedBurner's future is in question, but at least even they allow you to either place a permanent 301 redirect or use your own domain. If you must use a third-party, like Soundcloud or Podbean, for your podcast, then run the feed through FeedBurner and submit that URL to iTunes. Otherwise, say goodbye to your subscribers.

Why you need a podcast-only feed

If your website contains blog posts and podcast episodes, then you may be hurting your podcast growth by using your site-wide RSS feed. Use a podcast-only feed for iTunes and other podcast directories so that blog posts don't take up the limited space in your RSS feed.

I've previously shared more details about how to create a podcast-only RSS feed and why you need one. In short, you can use PowerPress's automatic feed by adding to your domain, or use LibSyn to power your RSS feed.

What to do with your RSS feeds

If you have setup your sites well, then you should have a site-wide RSS feed (blog posts and podcast episodes) and a podcast-only feed.

1. Submit the podcast-only feed to podcast directories, like iTunes, Stitcher, BlackBerry, Microsoft, and other mobile apps.

2. Link to the site-wide RSS feed prominently on your site.

I suggest my Social Subscribe & Follow Icons plugin for making RSS and even podcast-only-RSS icons anywhere n your WordPress website.

Need personalized podcasting help?

I no longer offer one-on-one consulting outside of Podcasters' Society, but request a consultant here and I'll connect you with someone I trust to help you launch or improve your podcast.

Ask your questions or share your feedback

Connect with me

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.

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What is RSS? And why you MUST own yours - TAP167

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RSS makes podcasting possible. I'll explain what RSS is and why not owning your RSS feed could mean losing all of your subscribers. In plain English, RSS is a specially formatted webpage that allows news-readers and podcast applications to subscribe for syndicated content.

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This is one of those boring questions. Boring or not, though, it's asked of me almost every day by readers of The Podcast Host, so let's get a definitive answer down on digital paper. Don't worry, it wont take long.

Oh, and if you want it even quicker, an answer that's right for 9 out of 10 people, here you go:
Q. What Bitrate should I use for a podcast? A. 96kbps mono.
Easy! But... there are a couple of caveats, so let's cover them.

What is Bitrate?

Bitrate as a concept is actually pretty simple - it's just a measure of the rate at which you can transfer bits. A bit is the smallest unit of data you can find, so that translates as the rate at which you can transfer data.

The common unit for audio is kilobits per second. So that means it measures how many thousands of bits are sent from one place to another every second.

When related to audio, this refers to how much of the detail of that audio, or how much of it's complexity, we can store. A higher bitrate means storing more of the complexity, and a lower bitrate means less. As you'd imagine, that naturally translates to higher quality for higher bitrates, since it stores more of the detail of the original.

Higher bitrates store more data, though - more thousands of bits - and therefore lead to higher file sizes. And since we're still sending this stuff over the interwebs, file size matters.

That's why the whole argument arises: if we didn't have to worry about file size, we'd use the highest bitrate we could. But we do, and therefore you have to find a balance between audio quality and file size.

What Are the Common Options?

To give you a bit of context, iTunes delivers it's audio files at 256 kilobits per second, or kbps. The perfectionists at Apple have obviously decided that rate is the lowest they can go while still delivering great audio quality for any type of music.

When you record a CD to MP3 format, the default tends to be in the range of 128kbps to 192kbps. Even the lower end of that range gives you a quality that the vast majority of people couldn't distinguish from the original. So, for complex music and instruments, 192kpbs still sounds great, and 128kpbs is fine for the majority of us.

Voice is, arguably, less complex, containing a lower range of frequencies and a lower rate of change. Even the most prolific motormouth will struggle to compete with the speed and tempo of an epic guitar solo.

As a result, voice doesn't need as high a bitrate to maintain high quality.

For a voice-only podcast, the common options are 64kbps or 96kbps, both mono (or joint stereo as Audacity calls it).

File Size and Bitrate

As I mentioned earlier, the whole reason this is worth discussing is that file size is a concern when sending things around online. You're delivering your podcast, week after week, using up your bandwidth and theirs, and higher bitrates directly lead to higher file sizes.

Don't forget, too, that you may be taking up your listeners time while they wait for a download. Sure, phones often sync and download shows when it's quiet time, but In some cases people will download and listen instantly. In that case, they're sitting there waiting for your file to arrive.

Add to this the fact that people are increasingly listening to podcasts via live stream. As 3G and 4G becomes more common, there's less requirement to download in advance. Therefore, your listeners might care about the size of the file as they could be paying for it via their mobile plan.

Arguably, bandwidth and download speeds are becoming more and more irrelevant as time goes on. I remember when a 4MB MP3 took hours, not seconds, to download. So, as download speeds continue to grow, we could safely increase bit-rate. But, would we want to? I'd still argue it's worth being careful.

What Bitrate Should You Use for Podcasting?

In my opinion there are three options, one of which will suit 90% of podcasters.

Main option: For the vast majority of us - that 90% - go for 96kbps mono. This is perfectly good quality for a voice-only podcast that has a little bit of intro music, some transitions and an outro. It gives enough quality that you could throw an extra tune or two in the background from time to time, but isn't going to lead to big file sizes.

Second option: if you feel file size is a particular issue for your audience, you can go to 64kpbs mono pretty safely. Or, if you don't use music at all, this is the way to go. No need for that extra 32kpbs.

Third option: if you're creating more highly produced material with a lot of music, often as a background to voice sections (commonly known as a 'bed') then you might want to increase to 128kbps. The extra complexity that background music introduces can make it necessary to up the rate to make sure it sounds good.

Also, if you're putting a lot more effort into production, then the sound probably matters a little more to your audience, so it could be worth the extra bandwidth.

Constant Bit Rate or Variable Bit Rate for Podcasting?

This is a simple one: always choose constant bit-rate. Variable bit rate is good for complex stuff because the software tries to lower the bit rate when it can and save a few bytes.

But for the spoken word, and the bitrates we're using in podcasting, this isn't necessary. Many media hosts advise against uploading variable bitrate files too, so always pick constant!

What About Sample Rate for a Podcast?

Sample rate is another number that comes up, but that too is easy. Choose 44.1khz and leave it be.

If you'd like to know more about sample rates though, then check out What does 44100Hz mean?

Summary: Podcast Bitrates

To finish up, I've got to say that bitrate is a really subjective thing. Some listeners wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a 64kbps file and a 128kbps export, while someone really into their audio would argue that difference all day long.

My advice above is suited to the general podcaster out there who wants a good standard to work to. If you're now seething because of what I've said, you're no doubt an audiophile who loves audio with a passion, and quibbles over every little bit per second. In that case, you don't need my advice though 🙂

Need More Help With Your Audio?

Then we'd love to work with you. We've got courses on recording and editing (along with many others) inside The Podcast Host Academy.

In there, you'll also get access to our regular live Q&A sessions, downloadable checklists, ebooks, guides, and community forum.

It would be great to see you in there!

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What Bitrate Should I Use For a Podcast?

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This is one of those boring questions. Boring or not, though, it's asked of me almost every day by readers of The Podcast Host, so let's get a definitive answer down on digital paper. Don't worry, it wont take long.

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When you have a podcast, your media files need to be hosted somewhere reliable, so they're served up with little issue to your listeners/viewers. New podcasters are sometimes surprised to learn Apple doesn't host podcasts...you'll need to submit your podcast's RSS feed for iTunes and other directories.

Most podcasters use podcast media hosting services, due to the convenience of having an experienced third-party maintain the server environment (plus the added features that often come along). We'll share more information on the options and what to consider in podcast hosting.
Website hosting v. media hosting
There are many web hosting services available, but they are not designed for hosting podcast media files. You may run into bandwidth issues if your podcast becomes popular...simply having the content there may not be a problem, but being able to serve it up quickly to 1,000+ listeners may be.

Many podcasting experts have researched this with web hosting companies and the conclusion is usually that there is nothing against hosting media for podcasting on basic shared web-hosting environments, but you will run into problems if the show becomes popular. Either the host will ask you to switch to a dedicated service, which is typically more expensive than paying for separate media hosting, or downloads will become super slow or stop working. Media hosts are specifically designed to handle the specifications and growing needs of podcasters, as well as to offer features like statistics (regular web stats won't show you the data you need).
Pros and cons of hosting on your own server v. a hosting service
If you are experienced in IT you might consider hosting your media on your own server. However, very few podcasters do this due to the cost effectiveness and efficiency of third-party hosting. If you choose to host on your own server, you will need to manage growing bandwidth needs, deal with hardware maintenance and failures, redundancy, backing up your data, anti-hacking and DDoS attacks, etc.

The advantage is you have complete control over your media and any customization. But, most quality third-party hosts provide a lot of control and customization today, and you'll find even the most popular podcasts are using third-party media hosting. Even many large businesses who have extensive IT departments and massive server capacity are using third-party services when they use podcasting for internal communications or marketing.

Third-party hosts will handle security, anti-hacking, backup, server redundancy, etc. Different hosts offer different pricing plans and features (many still allow you a great deal of customization and the ability to use your own domain, so you can full brand and control your podcast). The other advantage of third-party hosting is additional features that you get, which we'll discuss later in this article.
The importance of storage and bandwidth
The one feature that is vitally important to running a popular podcast is bandwidth and storage space. As a quick example: if you do a one hour audio podcast three times/week, you will likely need around 200MB storage space in a week (800MB-1000MB in a month). If you publish a video podcast once per week at 500MB for each episode, you will need 2GB space in every month. When a host limits storage space, you may quickly find that you need to pay more for your ever-growing needs.

A quick explanation of bandwidth for those who might not be familiar: bandwidth is a way of measuring internet traffic. Every time someone downloads an episode of your podcast, it uses bandwidth. The bigger your podcast files, the more bandwidth they use. The more people who listen to your podcast, the more bandwidth it uses. If you have a one hour audio podcast in MP3 at 60MB file size and 1000 people listen to your podcast, it will use 60GB bandwidth... 10,000 people listen to your podcast will use 10 times the bandwidth.

Another option that some podcasters use is to host directly with Amazon S3 cloud servers. This is a very reliable option, but the costs will vary based on storage and bandwidth. With this or any other option that doesn't offer unlimited bandwidth, you will run into unexpected charges when your podcast gets popular. There are very affordable options with third-party hosting services for unlimited bandwidth and storage (for example, Podbean's unlimited audio plan is $9/month).
What should a podcaster consider when selecting podcast media hosting?

1. Reliability: network reliability and redundancy (for example, at Podbean we use a Podbean and Amazon Dual CDN environment to achieve high reliability for worldwide clients/listeners)

2. Bandwidth and storage space limits (costs now and in the future as you grow)

3. Ability to auto-generate a RSS feed that is compatible with popular podcast players and apps, such as iTunes, Google Play, etc. Ease of use of tools/interface (what type of set up do you want to use, what features and tools will you need?).

4. Support for using your own domain/branded website (there are plugins, embeddable players and the ability to map directly to your domain with different services and set-ups)

5. Extra features and options, such as statistics and monetization (and costs, if applicable, associated with these extra features)

The podcast hosting provider landscape
There are a small handful of podcast hosting providers who have been in the podcasting business since the early days (Podbean, Libsyn, Blubrry). It is important to consider the history and commitment of the company you use for podcast hosting: are they primarily focused on podcasting, will they invest in new features and changes to better meet the needs of podcasters and keep up with changing technologies, do they have the capacity to handle growing needs, will they be responsive to your concerns and questions, etc.

There are often new players who come into the podcast space and you may wish to try out a new, innovative service. A few years back there were exponentially more hosting services, many of which have closed down or moved their focus to other business areas. Soundcloud is a popular option for its affordability and exposure, but lately there have been some questions about its financial solvency and future in podcasting with some stability issues. Do make sure to find out the procedure for redirecting your RSS feed if you use the host's feed and decide (or need) to switch.

In addition to finding out about storage space and bandwidth and comparing costs, each hosting provider offers a different interface and tools. There are many podcasting guides offering advice, but you also might want to test out the platform to see how it works for you. Each host also offers different additional features and services you may find useful:

Though you should not count on a host as the primary means of marketing and promotion as this is not their focus, some hosting providers also have podcast directories (i.e. Podbean and Blubrry) and may help with listener discovery. For example, at Podbean we feature rotating podcasts each week on our home page, send emails to listeners with accounts about suggested content and have suggested topics and featured shows in our apps. As another example, Libsyn features selected shows each week on their podcast. No matter where you host, there are many places you can submit your RSS feed to (and many pull from iTunes automatically) in order to be found/available for different listener preferences.

Most hosts will offer statistics about your downloads and audience (geography, how they're listening, etc.). Check what's included in your plan.

Monetization is something you may want to consider, especially after you have developed an audience that loves your quality content. Some hosts, such as Podbean and Libsyn, offer premium content options where you can charge a fee for select content or memberships. Crowdfunding is another popular way of raising funds. Until recently, podcasters could use general crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter or Patreon or have a simple "donate" button, but Podbean now also offers a podcast-specific platform for monthly donations (open to any podcaster). Some services have offered options like dynamic advertising, and we expect more development in ad options as podcast advertising continues to grow in popularity.

Mobile apps: though iTunes is still the most popular spot to find podcasts, some services also have popular mobile apps for listening/viewing. The apps can serve as a means for listener discovery and offer your fans added convenience or a better listening experience. Check out which services are adding features you may want to their apps (for example, we recently added mobile podcasting/management for on-the-go needs).

New and innovative features will develop with the constant changes in technology and consumer behavior. Think about your goals and how you'd like to develop. If you're looking for something specific or unusual, such as video podcasting or private podcasting (we have a number of businesses using podcasts for internal communications who use this feature for protected content), find out if the hosts offer these services and at what price. We're launching HLS for video podcasting at Podbean, because though video podcasts are fewer in number, more people are looking at this option and want the smoothest playback for viewers.

Podcast hosting is an important consideration when setting up your podcast. If your listeners can't access your media smoothly, the greatest content won't matter. You have a wide range of hosting options available, ranging from customizable, do-it-yourself set ups to turnkey solutions with different features and benefits.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS David Xu, Podbean CEO
David received his PhD from McGill University in Computer Science. He founded Podbean 10 years ago and serves as CEO. Podbean hosts over 120,000 podcasts and offers innovative services like mobile podcasting and a patron crowdfunding program open to all podcasters.
Shannon Martin, Podbean Director of Communications
Shannon provides education, information and assistance to the podcaster community to help them with "podcasting smarter" (including managing the Facebook group of that name). Shannon received her B.A. from Wake Forest University and her M.S.W. from University of Georgia. She specializes in copywriting and online communications/marketing and her sample portfolio can be found at https://linkedin.com/in/shannonmartinwrites.

Have something we missed? Let us know on Twitter @ringr_us. Record high quality interviews from anywhere on ANY DEVICE - walking the dog, sitting on the beach or in your home office or professional studio! Download RINGR now to give it a try.

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What You Should Know about Podcast Hosting

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When you have a podcast, your media files need to be hosted somewhere reliable, so they're served up with little issue to your listeners/viewers. New podcasters are sometimes surprised to learn Apple doesn't host podcasts...you'll need to submit your podcast's RSS feed for iTunes and other directories.

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Ryan Hanley - Content Marketing Strategy

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Thinking about starting a podcast?

Good decision.

Audio, done right, can build an intimate relationship with your audience.

The kind of relationship which transforms the casual fan into a disciple.

But there is much more to success as a podcaster than hitting record.

Every day, Amazon delivers another Blue Snowball to a budding thought-leader eager to share their expertise... and steal your listeners.

Not to mention iTunes can be a fickle lover.

Oh, there is definitely a technology learning curve.

Nothing you can't overcome, if you figured out WordPress, you can figure out podcasting.

Here's what you need:

That's it.

You're all in for less than $150 bucks.

This is exactly what I did.

And there is no doubt, creating the Content Warfare Podcast is the best decision I've ever made in content marketing.

More than anything I've ever written, when people approach me at speaking events its because of the podcast.

We have a relationship, even if I've never met the person before. It's amazing.

This is why I love podcasting.

You can't fake good podcast content.

Sure you can edit a podcast. Lot's of people pay to have "Umms and Ahhhs" taken out of their show.

I don't.

But there is nothing wrong with producing clean audio.

Clean audio can't hide a lack of depth.

That's why podcasts build such a ravenous following. Listeners can smell the stink of inauthenticity a mile away.

When starting a podcast, you don't have to be perfect, but you must be authentic.

I come from the school of thought where you publish first... edit, refine and focus second.

But hit publish. Definitely hit publish. Starting a podcast is exhilarating.

After more than 150 podcast episodes I'm just finally starting to get a handle on how to do it well.

If you're starting a podcast today, don't make the same mistakes I did at the beginning.

My suggestions below will not work for everyone. But I can promise you this, the Content Warfare Podcast is battle tested.

So they just might work.
SEE ALSO: Boring Questions, Boring Podcast: How the Best Interviewers Stand Out
1) Buy a Pop Filter

Audio quality matters.

There is no quicker way to lost listeners than poor audio.

Duh. It's a podcast.

My first microphone I bought for $15 at RadioShack. I'm being serious. It was the cheapest microphone on the rack.

I could have used a telegraph machine and audio quality would have been better.

My early podcast growth numbers struggled as you would assume.

My cheapness was a mistake.

However, it didn't take me long to realize podcasting was going to be a long-term content marketing tactic for my brand.

I had to step my game up. No one takes a podcast with poor audio quality seriously.

So I cracked the wallet and purchased three pieces of equipment:

1. Audio Technica AT2020 Microphone - High quality audio for less than $100.

2. Microphone pop filter - Keep your Ps from popping and audio sounding smooth.

3. Table top suspension arm - Keep microphone proper distance from your mouth.

Put some time, effort and a little bit of loot into your audio quality. Your podcast audience will forgive almost any mistake, except for bad audio.

2) Hook your audience early

Podcast listeners are no different than website visitors.

You need to hook your audience early or they will not stick around for the body of your content.

What I try to do is pull out one engaging thought from the podcast.

If I have a guest on the episode it will always be from the guest. That way the audience gets a feel for the conversation their about to listen to.

James Altucher, of The James Altucher Show, doesn't even use an intro. He opens his show in the conversation. No waiting, no guessing.

The worst thing you can do is make your audience wait for the content. This can take the form of long intro monologues (mistake I've made) or unnecessarily long intro music (mistake I've made).

3) Use Vanity URLs

During the course of your podcast you're going to reference things:

Twitter handle

Article you discussed

Tool you recommend

iTunes review page

Most people are doing something else when they listen to a podcast. This makes calls-to-action a challenging task for podcasters.

Use Vanity URLs to simplify the process.

There many ways to do this. Here are the two I recommend:

Use Bit.ly

Create 301 redirects in your own site. A nice little tool for this on WordPress is Pretty Link Lite (free).

This is also useful when you begin to monetize your podcast.

Let's say I want to discuss landing pages on my podcast. I'm definitely going to talk about my favorite landing page software Leadpages.

My call-to-action is, "Use www.ryanhanley.com/leadpages to get..." And then I share whatever deal I have going with Leadpages at the time.

4) Ask for iTunes reviews

The largest and most engaged podcast audience exists on iTunes.

If you're looking to grow your podcast audience, where you rank in the iTunes podcast directory matters.

This may not always be the case (and I'm sure their exceptions).

But ignore iTunes at your own peril.

Apple has never released their ranking criteria. However, iTunes reviews are widely considered a primary factor in ranking.

Like a true rookie, in the beginning episodes of the Content Warfare Podcast I did not ask for iTunes reviews. I just assumed that if I produced a good product, people would go to iTunes and leave me a review.

This is not the way it works. This isn't how life works.

You must explain to your audience how important reviews are. Give them a clear call-to-action and provide an easy way for them to do so.

To make it easy for my own audience, I created the vanity URL: www.ryanhanley.com/review.

I mention this link on every episode.

I ask listeners that if they found value in the episode, to visit iTunes and please leave me a review.

If looking for more ways to increase podcast reviews, visit this article that I wrote for Anna Hoffman on Traffic Generation Café.

5) Prepare, prepare, prepare

Don't "wing it."

I don't care how charismatic you are or how well you know the material.

If you "wing it" your audience will know.

Far too many podcasters believe the lie that "off-the-cuff" is what their audience wants.

This doesn't mean your show has to be stuffy or feel over produced. There is a difference between improv (a practiced art of creation in the moment) and "winging it" (the practiced art of hoping people believe your bullshit).

The difference is practice and preparation.

This may seem like a no-brainer for some of you.

Here's the simplest solution: create an outline for each episode.

Even if you don't write the outline down, walking through the episode in your head will improve quality.

If you're doing an interview show, make sure you have a few topics laid out. There is no need to script each question.

This will give your show a natural flow, while providing the flexibility for tangents and follow-up questions.

6) SEO for iTunes

ITunes is a search engine.

Just like you can optimize your written content for Google search, you can optimize your podcast for iTunes search.

There are four places that you can add keywords to your podcast which inform the iTunes search engine.

Podcast Title: start with the title of your podcast, add a colon and then list keyword terms for your podcast.

Publisher Name: do the same thing with your publisher name. Start with your name, add a colon and then list of 2-3 keywords.

Podcast Description: add as much text as you need to describe your show. The podcast description box will serve both iTunes and human SEO. Make sure that you are using similar keywords as you did in the podcast title and your publisher name.

Podcast Episode Title and Description: title your podcast episode with primary keyword. Dive a little deeper, while adding secondary keywords in your podcast description. This will help specific episodes show in iTunes search

7) Tag Each Episode

"Tagging" each podcast episode appends vital information to the mp3 audio file.

These are called ID3 tags.

MP3 ID3 tags are used to store track 'title', track 'number', 'artist', 'album' etc. and even the track artwork.

This is a small, but important detail in the publishing process.

Tagging your podcast using ID3 Editor ensures that your podcast cover art is passed along to mobile podcast players.

Don't mistake podcasting as an audio only format. The ID3 tags allow you to pass along the visual and text content that support your podcast.

Dismiss this detail at the peril of your podcast.

Helpful Resources for Starting a Podcast

Start a Podcast, Like a Boss

You're going to make mistakes.

Things are going to go wrong.

It doesn't matter how prepared you are to start your podcast.

When they do, take a deep breathe and carry on.
Start your podcast like a boss.
Learn from my mistakes and blast past your competition.

Make podcasting a permanent part of your content marketing and I promise it will change your life.

Podcasting has certainly changed mine.

Thank you,

I am Ryan Hanley.
P.S. Never miss the best content marketing articles from around the web. Get the Sunday Seven here.

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Starting a Podcast: 7 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Published My First Episode

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Good decision. Audio, done right, can build an intimate relationship with your audience. The kind of relationship which transforms the casual fan into a disciple. But there is much more to success as a podcaster than hitting record. Every day, Amazon delivers another Blue Snowball to a budding thought-leader eager to share their expertise...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Ryan Hanley - Content Marketing Strategy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Thinking about starting a podcast?

Good decision.

Audio, done right, can build an intimate relationship with your audience.

The kind of relationship which transforms the casual fan into a disciple.

But there is much more to success as a podcaster than hitting record.

Every day, Amazon delivers another Blue Snowball to a budding thought-leader eager to share their expertise... and steal your listeners.

Not to mention iTunes can be a fickle lover.

Oh, there is definitely a technology learning curve.

Nothing you can't overcome, if you figured out WordPress, you can figure out podcasting.

Here's what you need:

That's it.

You're all in for less than $150 bucks.

This is exactly what I did.

And there is no doubt, creating the Content Warfare Podcast is the best decision I've ever made in content marketing.

More than anything I've ever written, when people approach me at speaking events its because of the podcast.

We have a relationship, even if I've never met the person before. It's amazing.

This is why I love podcasting.

You can't fake good podcast content.

Sure you can edit a podcast. Lot's of people pay to have "Umms and Ahhhs" taken out of their show.

I don't.

But there is nothing wrong with producing clean audio.

Clean audio can't hide a lack of depth.

That's why podcasts build such a ravenous following. Listeners can smell the stink of inauthenticity a mile away.

When starting a podcast, you don't have to be perfect, but you must be authentic.

I come from the school of thought where you publish first... edit, refine and focus second.

But hit publish. Definitely hit publish. Starting a podcast is exhilarating.

After more than 150 podcast episodes I'm just finally starting to get a handle on how to do it well.

If you're starting a podcast today, don't make the same mistakes I did at the beginning.

My suggestions below will not work for everyone. But I can promise you this, the Content Warfare Podcast is battle tested.

So they just might work.
SEE ALSO: Boring Questions, Boring Podcast: How the Best Interviewers Stand Out
1) Buy a Pop Filter

Audio quality matters.

There is no quicker way to lost listeners than poor audio.

Duh. It's a podcast.

My first microphone I bought for $15 at RadioShack. I'm being serious. It was the cheapest microphone on the rack.

I could have used a telegraph machine and audio quality would have been better.

My early podcast growth numbers struggled as you would assume.

My cheapness was a mistake.

However, it didn't take me long to realize podcasting was going to be a long-term content marketing tactic for my brand.

I had to step my game up. No one takes a podcast with poor audio quality seriously.

So I cracked the wallet and purchased three pieces of equipment:

1. Audio Technica AT2020 Microphone - High quality audio for less than $100.

2. Microphone pop filter - Keep your Ps from popping and audio sounding smooth.

3. Table top suspension arm - Keep microphone proper distance from your mouth.

Put some time, effort and a little bit of loot into your audio quality. Your podcast audience will forgive almost any mistake, except for bad audio.

2) Hook your audience early

Podcast listeners are no different than website visitors.

You need to hook your audience early or they will not stick around for the body of your content.

What I try to do is pull out one engaging thought from the podcast.

If I have a guest on the episode it will always be from the guest. That way the audience gets a feel for the conversation their about to listen to.

James Altucher, of The James Altucher Show, doesn't even use an intro. He opens his show in the conversation. No waiting, no guessing.

The worst thing you can do is make your audience wait for the content. This can take the form of long intro monologues (mistake I've made) or unnecessarily long intro music (mistake I've made).

3) Use Vanity URLs

During the course of your podcast you're going to reference things:

Twitter handle

Article you discussed

Tool you recommend

iTunes review page

Most people are doing something else when they listen to a podcast. This makes calls-to-action a challenging task for podcasters.

Use Vanity URLs to simplify the process.

There many ways to do this. Here are the two I recommend:

Use Bit.ly

Create 301 redirects in your own site. A nice little tool for this on WordPress is Pretty Link Lite (free).

This is also useful when you begin to monetize your podcast.

Let's say I want to discuss landing pages on my podcast. I'm definitely going to talk about my favorite landing page software Leadpages.

My call-to-action is, "Use www.ryanhanley.com/leadpages to get..." And then I share whatever deal I have going with Leadpages at the time.

4) Ask for iTunes reviews

The largest and most engaged podcast audience exists on iTunes.

If you're looking to grow your podcast audience, where you rank in the iTunes podcast directory matters.

This may not always be the case (and I'm sure their exceptions).

But ignore iTunes at your own peril.

Apple has never released their ranking criteria. However, iTunes reviews are widely considered a primary factor in ranking.

Like a true rookie, in the beginning episodes of the Content Warfare Podcast I did not ask for iTunes reviews. I just assumed that if I produced a good product, people would go to iTunes and leave me a review.

This is not the way it works. This isn't how life works.

You must explain to your audience how important reviews are. Give them a clear call-to-action and provide an easy way for them to do so.

To make it easy for my own audience, I created the vanity URL: www.ryanhanley.com/review.

I mention this link on every episode.

I ask listeners that if they found value in the episode, to visit iTunes and please leave me a review.

If looking for more ways to increase podcast reviews, visit this article that I wrote for Anna Hoffman on Traffic Generation Café.

5) Prepare, prepare, prepare

Don't "wing it."

I don't care how charismatic you are or how well you know the material.

If you "wing it" your audience will know.

Far too many podcasters believe the lie that "off-the-cuff" is what their audience wants.

This doesn't mean your show has to be stuffy or feel over produced. There is a difference between improv (a practiced art of creation in the moment) and "winging it" (the practiced art of hoping people believe your bullshit).

The difference is practice and preparation.

This may seem like a no-brainer for some of you.

Here's the simplest solution: create an outline for each episode.

Even if you don't write the outline down, walking through the episode in your head will improve quality.

If you're doing an interview show, make sure you have a few topics laid out. There is no need to script each question.

This will give your show a natural flow, while providing the flexibility for tangents and follow-up questions.

6) SEO for iTunes

ITunes is a search engine.

Just like you can optimize your written content for Google search, you can optimize your podcast for iTunes search.

There are four places that you can add keywords to your podcast which inform the iTunes search engine.

Podcast Title: start with the title of your podcast, add a colon and then list keyword terms for your podcast.

Publisher Name: do the same thing with your publisher name. Start with your name, add a colon and then list of 2-3 keywords.

Podcast Description: add as much text as you need to describe your show. The podcast description box will serve both iTunes and human SEO. Make sure that you are using similar keywords as you did in the podcast title and your publisher name.

Podcast Episode Title and Description: title your podcast episode with primary keyword. Dive a little deeper, while adding secondary keywords in your podcast description. This will help specific episodes show in iTunes search

7) Tag Each Episode

"Tagging" each podcast episode appends vital information to the mp3 audio file.

These are called ID3 tags.

MP3 ID3 tags are used to store track 'title', track 'number', 'artist', 'album' etc. and even the track artwork.

This is a small, but important detail in the publishing process.

Tagging your podcast using ID3 Editor ensures that your podcast cover art is passed along to mobile podcast players.

Don't mistake podcasting as an audio only format. The ID3 tags allow you to pass along the visual and text content that support your podcast.

Dismiss this detail at the peril of your podcast.

Helpful Resources for Starting a Podcast

Start a Podcast, Like a Boss

You're going to make mistakes.

Things are going to go wrong.

It doesn't matter how prepared you are to start your podcast.

When they do, take a deep breathe and carry on.
Start your podcast like a boss.
Learn from my mistakes and blast past your competition.

Make podcasting a permanent part of your content marketing and I promise it will change your life.

Podcasting has certainly changed mine.

Thank you,

I am Ryan Hanley.
P.S. Never miss the best content marketing articles from around the web. Get the Sunday Seven here.

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Starting a Podcast: 7 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Published My First Episode

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Good decision. Audio, done right, can build an intimate relationship with your audience. The kind of relationship which transforms the casual fan into a disciple. But there is much more to success as a podcaster than hitting record. Every day, Amazon delivers another Blue Snowball to a budding thought-leader eager to share their expertise...

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The ear training guide for audio producers

Ear training, the practice of learning how to recognize certain sounds, is a must for audio producers. We need to be able to spot problems and identify them to before they impact quality or snowball into larger technical problems.

This post will help you identify problematic audio, prevent the most common problems and recognize when it's time to call for help. It's a great reference guide for anyone who works with audio, from new producers to seasoned veterans. Before you start here, learn how to identify bad audio and take our audio problems quiz.

NPR Training's Rob Byers and two NPR audio engineers took audio production questions during a reddit AMA.
Want to learn more?
Watch this recorded webinar about common audio problems.

Preventing audio problems is one of the keys to ensuring quality productions. The term "garbage in, garbage out" is common in the audio world because it's true. It can be difficult and time-consuming to fix problematic audio once it's recorded.
If you do anything with this guide, learn how to recognize and prevent each problem.
The guide has three main sections:

These issues occur while recording in a studio or gathering audio in the field.

These issues pop up at your desk, cutting the piece together.

These issues occur while putting the finishes touches on a piece.
Before you make any decisions about audio based on this guide, have a conversation with your management, production and engineering teams to learn the preferred approach in your organization.
Recording problems

Distortion and clipping

You might describe distortion and clipping as sounding crackly, fuzzy, overloading or staticky. The audio may sound like it is "breaking up."

Distortion occurs when audio levels exceed the capabilities of your equipment or software. You may have set the levels too high or not accounted for a sudden increase in volume. This issue often happens during recording (although it can happen during mixing, too).
Think you can recognize the sound of distortion? Take our audio quiz and find out! How to avoid distortion:
Set your recording levels conservatively. Make allowance for the louder peaks of laughter/excitement/scene sounds that occur between the consistent level of conversation and 0dBFS (known as headroom). In a digital field recorder, for example, targeting -15dBFS will likely give enough headroom for a typical conversation in a quiet room. Keep an eye on your levels while recording - you may have to adjust them to maintain proper headroom.

If distortion appears in a chain of multiple pieces of audio equipment, check for proper level in each piece of equipment. Begin with the first piece of equipment in the chain (the one closest to your source) and work backward to the last, adjusting the level of the offending piece of gear to compensate.
How to fix distortion:
Distortion is usually fixable once recorded (unless it's phone tape - see sidebar). You want to avoid it. That said, using a low-pass filter can sometimes minimize the severity of the problem. Lower the frequency on the filter until just before the audio starts to become muffled. Note: This can be a drastic change and should be applied carefully.

For an approach that can yield better results (but likely requires expert help), try audio restoration software like or the fix tools in Adobe Audition . They work best for mildly distorted audio.

Plosives (aka "p-pops")

You'll encounter plosives when you record people speaking. Plosives are a blast of air caused by the way the mouth forms the letter "p" (and sometimes "b", "t" and "k"). The air hits the diaphragm of the mic and distorts it, causing a big increase in level and a "thump" or "hit" sound.

To understand the cause of plosives, put your hand four inches in front of your mouth and say "p-pop." That blast of air against your hand is what hits the mic and causes it to distort. To get a feel for the width of that column of air, move your hand to the side and say "p-pop" again - it's gone!
How to avoid plosives:
Keep your mic out of the pop zone, just to the side of the mouth. You should also use a windscreen of some kind, although it won't prevent pops altogether. If recording in a studio, use a phrase like "Peter piper picked peppers" to test for plosives.
How to fix plosives:
There are a couple ways to fix plosives if they make their way onto your recording. In an audio editor, zoom in on the waveform in question - the plosive is usually larger and has a different shape than the word it's attached to. Simply select that part of the waveform, delete it and shuffle the edit together. This trick works best if the edit is masked by scene sound or music. You may still end up with an " upcut" or audible edit if you lose too much of the "p"-sound.

You can also use a high-pass filter to remove the low-end rumble of the plosive. A piece of the plosive may still be audible, but that's usually better than no fix at all.

Audio restoration software, like Izotope RX Advanced, also has effective de-plosive tools.

Handling noise

Handling noise is transferred to the microphone body by physical contact. The sound can take many different forms: ticks, bumps, thumps, rubbing sounds and even low-frequency rumble.

You often encounter this issue when you handhold a microphone without using a shock mount. Many microphones (including shotgun mics) are not meant to be handheld. They are so sensitive that even the lightest touches transfer to the recording. The vibration of your skin on the outside of the mic or the joints and tendons in your hand can transfer noise. You can also get handling noise from loose shock mounts.
How to avoid handling noise:
Always when recording with sensitive mics like shotguns and other condensers. If you can't, be mindful of handling sounds when recording use a pistol grip and a shock mount ambience and moving the microphone or your body.

Use your elbow and wrist to make movements instead of your fingers. Practice holding the mic with a light touch and managing the mic cable in a silent way when moving. Alternatively, use a mic designed for hand-holding (like the EV RE-50 or the Neumann KMS 105).

If your microphone has one, use the built-in high-pass filter to cut the rumble caused by handling noise. See if your mic has a high-pass filter and turn it on !
How to fix handling noise:
If you neglected to use the high-pass filter on your mic, you may be able to use a high-pass filter plug-in found in your audio editor. A high-pass filter plug-in can help reduce the low-frequency rumbles and thuds caused by handling noise.

However, most handling noise also includes sounds at higher frequencies, like pops and clicks. In those cases, it's difficult to remove the entire sound. You can try to manually edit out the noises but that won't be possible when the handling noise overlaps speech or other important sound.

A last-ditch effort, and one that may require expert help, is to try to use the "de-clicker" or "spectral repair" modules of noise-reduction software like Izotope RX.

Off-mic speech

Off-mic speech sounds distant, lacks presence and is usually muffled or hollow.

When someone speaks off-mic, record levels might seem too low - and you may have to set levels higher than expected . In noisier environments, this will cause the level of background noise to be higher than preferred.

Off-mic speech is often the result of poor mic placement or poor mic technique. The type of microphone affects this problem as well. Omnidirectional mics need to be close to your speaker. Shotgun mics can be farther away but must be well-aimed.

Yes, you do! An off-mic guest will lack the presence needed to cut through the noise of common listening environments, like the car or subway.

These rules apply whether you are in the field, the studio or working with a guest over Skype.

How to avoid off-mic speech:

To prevent off-mic speech in the field, keep the mic pointed toward your guest's chin. Hold it approximately 4-5 inches away and adjust placement as necessary to avoid plosives.

The same rules apply in the studio but you have less control since you are not holding the mic. Before the interview, take a moment to discuss proper mic placement with your guest and correct as needed.
How to fix off-mic speech:
When working with a remote guest, conduct a sound check (including a check for plosives!) and ask the guest to tell you how far away they are from the mic. If they are further than six inches, ask them to get closer and check again. Then make a decision about which placement was best.

If you're trying to improve already-recorded off-mic speech, you should call in an audio expert for help. Sometimes presence can be helped with equalization (adjusting the tonal balance of audio with "EQ"), but the fix will be different for every voice.

De-noising software like Izotope RX or the tools found in Adobe Audition can help reduce competing background sound. But neither will solve the problem completely - prevention is key!

Interference

Interference takes many different forms. It can sound like chirping, ticking, static or even a steady or sweeping tone or beep. It can also cause hums. Sometimes it's incorrectly described as "leakage."

Interference can originate from AM radio and TV broadcasts, cell phones, radar, power lines, lighting, neon signs, computers, heavy motorized machinery and more. It has the possibility to impact your recording even if you are not using wireless equipment. Cables and audio equipment can also pick up interference.

Some signs that you should repair or replace your cables: kinks, cuts in the rubber jacket, visible wires and frayed bits near the connectors. You want to get these fixed as damaged cables may invite interference issues. They may also become intermittent or stop passing signal.

How to avoid interference:

When interference happens, there are many things you can try. The easiest is to change locations. Sometimes moving equipment can help. Swap your cables - especially any that show signs of wear (see sidebar). Uncoil any piles of cable and swap long cables for short ones. Move cables that are near power outlets and power cords. Try a different microphone. If you can, disconnect your equipment from AC power. Turn off fluorescent lights. Put nearby cell phones in airplane mode or, better yet, turn them off completely.
How to fix interference:
If you find yourself constantly having interference issues in the same location, ask an audio expert about purchasing a type of audio cable that may help alleviate the issue.

There's no one-size-fits-all fix for interference once it's recorded. The solution depends on the nature of the induced noise. Many times interference can manifest as hums or hisses, which have their own fixes. But if you have a more complex problem - like AM radio interference - it will be quite difficult. You may need to ask an audio expert for help.

Hiss

Hiss sounds like "sssss" or "shhhh." It is usually consistent in level and sound and is sometimes called static or noise.

It is often caused by recording levels that are too low, a mismatch in levels between two pieces of gear (mic/line switches set incorrectly) or by low-quality equipment.

Hiss can also result from interference or low batteries in a recorder or microphone.

To combat hiss in the field you may need to check many things. Low levels are often a culprit, so make sure they are set appropriately. Replace batteries in the recorder (and the mic, too, if it takes one).

Make sure "mic/line" settings are correct for the devices you are using. When in doubt, flip the switch, adjust level and pick the one that sounds better.

Audio restoration software is very good at removing hiss, but you may want to get help from someone experienced with the tool.

You'll need to find an isolated sample of the hiss that is a few seconds long, without any other sound in it (no speech or movement). Try to capture this sound sample in the field when you first hear the problem. If you don't have the luxury of recording it, you'll need to search for another sample (check your ambience beds). The software will "learn" the sound of the sample in order to remove the hiss.

"Less is more" holds true for de-noising software, so a few separate passes may be necessary. Just remember to relearn the noise sample before each pass. Note: This can become a time-consuming process. If you decide to go down this road, fix all of your hissy tape before making any edits. That way you only have to do the fix once.

You can also try a low-pass filter, but it will only work when the hiss is made up of mostly high frequencies.

Hum

Hum is a consistent low-frequency noise that might also be described as a "buzz." It can be caused by an electrical problem that is inaudible in the acoustic environment but recorded via a physical connection to other equipment. It may also be audible in the acoustic environment and recorded by a microphone.
How to avoid hum:
Electrical hums can result from many technical issues, most of which will likely be out of your control. Acoustic hums often emanate from equipment like air conditioners, fans, refrigerators, older computers, large machinery, etc. You'll hear them loud and clear in the recording space.

If a hum appears after connecting your recorder to other equipment (like a mult box) but you can't hear the hum acoustically in the room, try a ground lift. Ground lifts are small "barrels" that fit between your audio cable and the offending equipment.

If you hear acoustic hums in the recording space, ask to have the offending equipment turned off - or choose another space to record. If you can't move, try using a directional microphone and pointing the back of the mic toward the noise.

You can reduce an electrical or acoustic hum that remains at a constant pitch with EQ (ask an expert for help). However, using EQ may impact the quality of the recording since it will remove frequencies the "good" part of the recording is trying to use. It's a compromise, usually favoring removal of the hum.

You can also try a high-pass filter to remove some hums . Audio restoration software will remove the most egregious hums, though it can be an involved process.

Roominess/echo/reverberant room

These descriptors are used when you can hear a speaker's voice reflecting around a space. Their words will also have a "tail" of sound. The tape may be hard to cut if the sound of the room is exceptionally large because of this tail.

You'll run into this problem in tape syncs, field interviews and Skype calls. It's also frequently encountered by reporters tracking in the field in places like hotel rooms and home offices.
Think you can recognize the sound of a reverberant space? Take our audio quiz and find out!
Every room has reflections but larger rooms have more space for sound waves to travel through. The more space, the more time it takes for the walls to create reflections and bounce back to the microphone, resulting in a bigger-sounding room on tape. This is compounded in rooms with hard, reflective surfaces such as marble, concrete, stone or bare drywall.

How to avoid reverberant room sound:

When you record in the field, use smaller spaces that have carpeting and soft fabrics throughout the room. To test the space, say a few sentences out loud (or better yet, have someone else speak). If the room sounds "echoey" or "roomy" to your ears, it will sound that way in the recording, too. K eep your mic close to the speaker, no more than 4-5 inches away from the mouth. You want to record more of the direct sound of the voice and less of the indirect sound of the room.

When you use Skype, don't rely on the laptop mic. Instead, ask your guest to use a headset mic or the mic on a set of earbud headphones. Conduct a sound check with the guest and listen for the sound of the room when they speak. Don't be afraid to ask them to get closer to the mic.
How to fix reverberant room sound:
If you are tracking yourself in reflective space (like most hotel rooms), you can cut out some of the reflections by sitting under a heavy blanket or jacket (see photos below).

Prevention is the key! Once speech is recorded in a reverberant space, there are no sure fixes. "De-reverb" technology exists and can sometimes attenuate this problem but it is hard to use and the results are unpredictable. It should not be relied on.

Wind buffeting

You'll encounter buffeting when you work in a windy environment. The noise - pops, rumbles and distortion - can impair the intelligibility of audio and make it unpleasant to listen to.

Wind buffeting is similar to plosives (aka "p-pops") - it happens when a blast of air hits a mic's diaphragm and causes it to distort.
How to avoid wind buffeting:
Want to record the wind itself?
"Record the wind interacting with something, like the rustling of leaves ... and do it from a protected, out-of-the-wind location - like a parked car or behind the corner of a building."

- Christopher Joyce
NPR science correspondent

Use some form of wind protection, especially when working with a shotgun, cardioid or condenser microphone. When recording outside, you want something that disperses the wind and creates a space of still air around the microphone, like a "softie" (see photo below) or zeppelin. Foam sleeves are not effective outside - especially for shotgun mics - because they do not provide enough dispersion.
How to fix wind buffeting:
Omnidirectional mics also work well in windy environments and are less susceptible to wind buffeting. Using a high-pass filter can help reduce the rumble associated with wind buffeting. Another trick is to put yourself between the wind and your guest, using your body to block the wind. You can also try to stand behind a building or a car - or actually get in the car and crack the windows a little (to prevent that muffled "in the car" sound).

You can sometimes ease wind buffeting noise with the judicious use of a high pass filter in your audio editor. This means using a filter with values as high as 200-300 Hz (or higher) during moments of extreme noise. Note: doing so may negatively impact the sound of voices.

De-plosive tools, like those found in Izotope RX, may help as well.

Extreme wind buffeting will likely contribute to distortion, which will make audio very difficult to repair and can be time-consuming.

Sibilance

Sibilance is an excessive emphasis of "s", "sh" and "ch" sounds. Recordings that contain sibilance are often referred to as "essy." Everyone's speech contains a little bit of sibilance, but some have more than others.

Microphones respond differently to sibilance. Depending on the type, some emphasize it while others tame it. Radio station broadcast processing - and even headphones or speakers - can further exaggerate the problem and make severe sibilance difficult to listen to.
How to fix sibilance:
To test for sibilance before recording, use a phrase like "Sally sells tennis shoes sideways on trolleys." If you find the person you are trying to record is sibilant, try a different mic position. Tilting the mic slightly off-axis (away from the mouth) can sometimes help reduce sibilance. You can do this whether you are in the studio or in the field.

If you are working with recorded sibilant audio, there are a few tools available to help reduce the problem. That said, it's best to ask for the help of an audio expert.

Equalization can also be used to tame sibilance, as can a compressor focused on the offending frequencies. Often the best method is to use a "de-esser."

Mouth noise

Mouth noise is completely natural ... but it's a sound nobody likes! Mouth noise is exactly that - the slurps, lip smacks and ticks mouths make when mic'd closely. Ew. It's the not-so-pleasant result of our tongues, lips and saliva colliding.

Sometimes dry mouth can cause extra mouth noise, which is why many people believe you should drink water when faced with it (that doesn't always work). But extra saliva - like you can get after drinking milk - can also cause this problem. You may encounter mouth noise in both the studio and the field, but it tends to sound more pronounced in the quieter studio environment.

How to avoid mouth noise:

Changing mic placement can often help, especially if you are using a shotgun mic.
How to fix mouth noise:
Sipping apple juice is known to work well, as are eating Granny Smith apples. Remember that water can make this problem worse, as can coffee and milk-based products. Not everyone can keep apple juice on hand with them in the studio or out in the field, so you may want to advise your guests to avoid coffee and milk products prior to the interview.

If you have a recording with egregious mouth noise, the de-crackle plugin included in Izotope RX can reduce the problem. Sometimes spectral repair tools can also work (you can find those in Izotope or Adobe Audition). That said, it may be helpful to seek the assistance of an audio expert.

Editing problems

Audible (bad) edits

Audible edits are noticeable cuts that sound unnatural. They can be subtle - like a shift in the background sound between two clips. Or they can be egregious - like words cut together too tightly. E ven small differences between two pieces of tape can make an edit audible, especially if the change occurs abruptly.

How to avoid audible edits:

Use care with each edit you make. When you've finished putting a piece together, listen to the entire thing with your eyes closed or the screen turned off. Focus on all the sounds, noting every time you hear an unnatural change. If an edit grabs your ear, it needs attention.

Play your problematic edits for a colleague, too. A second opinion is useful because it's easy to lose perspective after hours of editing.

Abrupt tone-of-voice or cadence changes

Editing can cause the tone or cadence of recorded speech to change unnaturally. This is a derivation of the audible (aka bad) edit mentioned above. For example, the conversational tone during an interview might change from relaxed to punctuated or hushed to loud. Cadences might change from quick to slow or measured to hurried.

When those different tones and cadences are spliced together, it can result in an awkward sound and make your edits audible. Pauses of an unnatural or forced length (too short or too long) are a similar issue. They often happen as a result of editing for editorial content and ignoring the sound of the audio.

How to avoid tone-of-voice and cadence changes:

When you've finished putting a piece together, listen to the entire thing with your eyes closed or the screen turned off. Focus on the dialogue and listen for those moments of cadence or tone change.

For unavoidable changes (like the ones found when using different takes of narration), adding a little space can help "reset" our ears in time for the change. You can create the space with a short pause or - better yet - an actuality or music. Sometimes a short transitional element is all you need.

To judge the appropriate length of pauses, use your own breathing as a guide. We sometimes use the term " beat" when talking about pacing, which often equates to the length of the speaker's breath. Add a beat and listen again.

Upcut, missing or doubled breaths

Breaths are a problem when they are upcut or clipped. An upcut breath is one that is edited so it's incomplete (or "chopped") - only the first or last part is audible. This frequently happens because breaths are not always easily visible in audio editors.

Missing breaths are just that - breaths that have been removed or silenced. They sound unnatural and can cause some listeners to feel tense.

Doubled breaths are usually found when copying and pasting audio together. Again, because some breaths aren't easily visible in audio editors, it's possible to end up with two breaths side-by-side (see image).
Think you can recognize the sound of upcut breaths? Take our audio quiz and find out!
Breaths are also problematic when they don't match the cadence of the speech (i.e. a short, quick breath appears in the middle of a slower passage).

How to avoid upcut or clipped breaths:

When editing breaths, listen closely to the beginning and end. If replacing a breath, choose one that matches the cadence and tone of the words around it.

For example, a short, quick breath is useful during an interruption or an excited, quick-paced reply. A longer breath is appropriate for a relaxed, measured response. Listen carefully - it's easy to accidentally double on breaths because they don't always show up in a waveform. As a rule of thumb, do not remove breaths - it sounds unnatural.

Problems with breaths are easily avoided but very common. They happen when we rush to produce a piece or when we try to "nickel and dime" an interview to cut it down to the desired length.

Clipped "s," "f," "h"

The beginnings of the consonants "f" and "h" are easy to clip ( upcut), as are the ends of words ending with the consonant "s." "F" and "h" each have soft beginnings to the consonant.

This is especially clear when looking at the waveform in your audio editor. The true beginning of the sound may look separate and distinct from the consonant - or not visible at all, depending on the level of zoom. W hen editing with your eyes and not your ears, it's easy to chop off parts of words starting with "f" and "h" or ending with "s."

How to avoid clipped consonants:

The best way to prevent this problem is to have an awareness of how easy it is to do and listen carefully.

When you need to edit an "f," "h," or "s" sound, make sure you have grabbed the entire consonant. For tough edits, especially where the f/h/s letters overlap a harder consonant, you may have better luck grabbing the same sound from another word and replacing it.

Overlap

Overlap occurs when two or more people speak over each other. It also happens when an environmental sound (like a bus roaring past) masks the intelligibility of the person speaking.

Without visual cues, an audio recording of overlapping voices can make it hard to discern an individual voice. In the same way, background sounds that overpower an individual's voice can render it unintelligible.

When interviewing multiple guests in the field, use mic direction as a cue for when it's someone's turn to speak. Before each question, look your guest in the eye, say their name, move the mic, ask your question and maintain focus on that individual. Doing this from the beginning of your group interview establishes a structure for the others to follow.

In the studio, where each guest has a microphone in front of them, it can be more difficult. Again, clearly direct your questions. You may need to use a few friendly direct words of guidance for those guests who tend to talk over others.

Split-track or multi-track recording (recording each guest on a single audio channel) can help manage overlap, but it is not a solution.

Mixing problems

Inconsistent levels

This problem is fundamental to mixing and occurs when your clips have different audio levels throughout a piece. The discrepancy is distracting and may even cause your listener to adjust their listening volume to compensate.

Inconsistent levels happen when a mix is not carefully monitored to ensure it has a natural sound. If the mix is listened to at a loud volume - or if it's rushed - the abrupt changes can sneak by unheard. It can also happen when loudness meters aren't used - or ignored.

How to avoid inconsistent levels:

To prevent level issues, give yourself time to do a focused, end-to-end "audition" of the complete piece. Listen to it with your eyes closed or the screen turned off to remove all visual cues.

When in doubt, If the levels sound fine at a much lower level, this is mix is okay. Listen again at the normal volume to make your decision. Finally, use a trick from music engineers: T urn down the listening level so the mix is just barely audible and audition it again. learn how to use a loudness meter. It can be helpful when you're mixing in less-than-ideal listening environments, like a noisy coffee shop or with low-end computer speakers.

Abrupt entrances/exits to clips

You've probably heard this before: A clip is introduced and cuts in abruptly, the loud background sound jarring you and stealing your attention.

That's usually caused by t he lack of a fade on either end of a clip, which results in an unnatural entrance/exit. The higher the background sound, the more abrupt the change. R adio or podcast processing can sometimes amplify this issue. A slightly distracting transition in your headphones may sound much worse on the air.

How to avoid abrupt entrances/exits to clips:

You should always place a fade at the top and tail of clips. You can experiment with the fade to make it as smooth as possible, but there is no one perfect length. It completely depends on the content of the clip.

Use crossfades between clips to smooth out noticeable differences in sound. You can also use an ambience bed underneath the clip to help mask entrances and exits.

Abrupt changes in background sound

An abrupt change in the sound underneath an actuality or a scene can grab your listener's attention (in a bad way). This is usually caused by a bad edit between two pieces of audio where the background sound has changed.

Any shifts in background sounds - like machine noise, ambient music or crowd noise - stick out because they can be loud compared to the people speaking in those environments.

How to avoid abrupt changes in background sound:

If you have to connect two pieces of audio with different background sounds, use a long crossfade to make the change gradual. If you don't have enough background sound to create a long crossfade, try to mask the change by layering an ambience track underneath a voice track. (See abrupt entrances/exits to clips.)

You should always record at least a minute of ambience for every field interview. That ensures that you capture enough clean, usable ambience with minimal handling noise and nothing that will noticeably repeat if you loop it.

When gathering ambience, keep the mic in the same position it was in during the interview. Doing so will ensure the sound of the ambience exactly matches the background of the interview (pointing the mic in a different direction would yield a different sound). Don't change the level of the microphone input. You might be tempted to do this - because levels will likely be low - but it's helpful for the level of the ambience to match the level of the interview.

Bright- or muddy-sounding audio

Bright-sounding audio is often described as tinny, trebly or thin, and contains an unnatural amount of high-frequency sound (or the opposite, not enough low-frequency sound).

Muddy-sounding audio is the opposite - it is often described as sounding muffled, "bassy" and tubby. It lacks high-frequency sound or includes too much low frequency.

Collectively, these are tone or equalization (EQ) issues. They are most often encountered when recording phone interviews and voice over IP (VoIP) connections, like Skype. Audio dubbed from YouTube can also sound bright or muddy due to a low bit rate.
Think you can recognize the sound of bright audio? Take our audio quiz and find out! How to avoid bright or muddy audio:
In the field, these issues can be indicative of a failing piece of gear, a low battery or an audio connection that is not plugged in correctly.
How to fix bright or muddy audio:
First, learn how to identify these problems. When you know what to listen for, check your equipment. If you are looking for content on a source like YouTube, find another source.

Fixing bright- or muddy-sounding audio involves using some form of equalization. You can improve muddy-sounding audio with a high-pass filter. You can tame bright audio by reducing high frequencies with a "high shelf." Similarly, low frequencies can be tamed by using a "low shelf."

Phase issues

Is your audio awkward to listen to? Does it make you nauseous (yes, it's a real thing)? You might have phase issues.

The audio may be intelligible but sound like it's coming from behind your head. Some have described as feeling if your ears are "turning inside out." Voices (or instruments in a piece of music) may completely disappear.
How to avoid phase issues:
Phase problems occur when two channels of a stereo file each have similar information that is played back out of sync. You can see this issue first hand if you view the clip in an audio editor - the positive and negative parts of the waveform are opposite of each other in each channel. This can have a very serious consequence for listeners who hear it in mono, because it may play back as silence.

First, learn how to hear phase issues. Second, know the causes.

Phase issues can result from incorrectly wired cables, so keep your cables in good working order and test new ones. They can also result from accidentally flipping a channel out-of-phase when using a polarity button in audio editing software or mixers. Phase problems often crop up when tape in an audio editor is doubled but slightly out of sync (like in a tape sync).
Think you can recognize phase issues? Take our audio quiz and find out! How to fix phase issues:
(Note: We're combining a few different issues and calling them "phase issues." Phase, polarity and comb filtering are all described above and are technically three different issues. For our work, though, it's ok to lump them together. The point is to be able to recognize when something is not quite right.)

If you encounter a phase issue when recording in the field, try swapping cables. If you are using two mics to record something, put more space between them or use one mic.

If you are editing or mixing with a stereo file, you can get around phase issues by using only the left or right side of that piece of audio. You'll just need to ensure you aren't missing any important audio that was balanced more to one side than the other.

Either way, make a note that the source file has phase issues and inform anyone else that might use it. You don't want that file to go to air!

Overly compressed (or limited) audio

Compression itself is not a problem. It is a tool that is widely used to help make audio sound bigger and easier to hear. Too much of this processing, however, can make the speaker sound like they are yelling. Audio that lacks dynamics - quieter and louder sections - sounds unnatural and can be unpleasant to listen to. It may be described as "pumpy," forced or crunchy.
Think you can recognize the sound of overly compressed audio? Take our audio quiz and find out! How to avoid overly compressed audio:
It can also be rather jarring when overly compressed audio appears next to more natural sounds. We sometimes run into this issue when using remote studios that normally work in commercial radio or TV and prefer a compressed sound. Compressed audio is also found when dubbing audio from a TV broadcast feed or sites like YouTube.

When scheduling an interview with a remote studio, ask the engineer to remove any processing they might be using - especially compressors and limiters. Do a sound check. Does the guest's voice sound natural or compressed, like the audio example above?
How to fix overly compressed audio:
When sourcing broadcast audio, try to find alternatives to TV feeds.

Unfortunately, there's no fix for compressed audio. Once it's processed, there's no way to recover the dynamics.

Stereo balance issues

Stereo balance issues usually mean the voice or subject of a recording is coming out of the left or right channel instead of the middle.

In radio, we're used to hearing voices in the middle of the stereo field (the imaginary "image" created by sounds coming out of the left channel, the right channel, or somewhere in between). Panning to the left or the right is reserved as a production effect. Otherwise, it can be jarring to the listener. Extreme panning can also cause issues at the station level.
How to avoid stereo balance issues:
Stereo balance issues can happen for many reasons. For one, field recorders may be set to record stereo files and route a mic to one side or the other. Video news producers will often split dialogue in one channel and ambience in the other.
How to fix stereo balance issues:
First, know how to set up and operate your recording equipment (especially the routing capabilities in your field recorder). To prevent stereo balance issues, you must be able to hear them. You'll usually see it right away (see photo) and then you can confirm it by listening.

You have a few options, depending on the capabilities of your audio editor:

You can use only the side that has the audio you want (this is known as "pulling left" or "pulling right"). You can also combine the left and the right channels into one. This is helpful when one channel has dialogue and the other has silence or low-level ambience.

If the voice is a little off-center, you can rebalance the left and right sides to move the voice to the center and maintain a sense of stereo spaciousness. If you do this, call in the help of an audio expert, as it may be indicative of other issues.

Low bit rate audio

Low bit rate audio can sound like it's underwater or muffled, and may include "artifacts" like hits, ticks and pops. It can exaggerate high frequencies, especially sibilance. It may also impact intelligibility.

You may encounter low bit rate audio whenever you use voice over IP (VoIP) calls, video/audio chat services or lower-quality ISDN lines. Audio from online sources like YouTube may also be low bit rate.
How to avoid low bit rate audio:

Ever made an MP3 out of an existing MP3 and found it sounded much worse? That's the effect of transcoding.

All of our audio distribution networks and production processes involve some form of data compression. When you put a low bit rate file through a data-compressed audio system, it compounds quality issues.

How to fix low bit rate audio:
Learn how to identify low bit rate audio and differentiate it from other audio production issues. If you have a low bit rate file, try to find a better sounding source (e.g. a C-SPAN television feed versus a CNN video on YouTube). Avoid data-compressed files (like MP3s, AACs, etc.) when you can. They may sound fine in your audio editor, but transcoding (see sidebar) may make them sound worse when aired.

There isn't a good fix for low bit rate audio other than prevention. Equalization (EQ) can help tame some of the tinny sounds and noise reduction may help with artifacts.

Thank you
Rob Byers is NPR Training's Production Specialist. He worked as an audio engineer at NPR from 2003-2008 and led the part of the audio engineering and operations team at Minnesota Public Radio | American Public Media through 2016. He wrote The Audio Producer's Guide to Loudness and his work at MPR|APM contributed to a Pulitzer and a Peabody.

A big thank you to NPR Training's Serri Graslie for helping this project through its many phases and designs and continuously being a positive influence. And special thanks to Flawn Williams, Craig Thorson, Stu Rushfield, Chris Nelson, Kevin Wait, Melissa Block, Sam Sanders, Christopher Joyce, Michael Raphael, Andy Huether, Ariel Zambelich, Wes Lindamood, Alison MacAdam, Saidu Tejan-Thomas and Bria Granville for their assistance in putting this guide together.

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The ear training guide for audio producers

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Ear training, the practice of learning how to recognize certain sounds, is a must for audio producers. We need to be able to spot problems and identify them to before they impact quality or snowball into larger technical problems. This post will help you identify problematic audio, prevent the most common problems and recognize when it's time to call for help.

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Fact-checking journalism is the heart of PolitiFact. Our core principles are independence, transparency, fairness, thorough reporting and clear writing. The reason we publish is to give citizens the information they need to govern themselves in a democracy.

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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

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Today we discussed a number of different permutations for telling a strong audio story in a short space of time. Hopefully this gives you confidence that, yes, you can tell a good piece of audio storytelling in 60 seconds to 2-3 minutes.
Here's 10 potential formats you could use:
1. Traditional News Bulletin (Presenter read)

Not so common now, but you can sometimes hear stories - and sometimes entire short news bulletins - which are just a newsreader and a script.

2. Traditional News Bulletin (Presenter read + clips)

Check out the NPR hourly news summary which you can play from this page. You can also find traditional style bulletins from AP, Fox and others. The traditional bulletin style (Presenter read + short clip) remains an effective way to get across the key points/developments of the day, quickly.

3. The "I was there" recollection (Two-way/interview and subject)

We previously listened to examples of this format from the BBC World Service, with their show Witness: "The story of our times told by the people who were there." At 8-9 minutes it's a bit longer, but you can still use this storytelling technique for a shorter pieces. This show blends archive footage and new recollections, to tell the story of a key moment/experience.

In this recollective vein, also check out this interview with CBS new legend,Bob Schieffer, part of a week's worth of coverage marking the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination. "As It Happened: John F. Kennedy 50 Years Later."

Schieffer was stationed in Texas working as a reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 1963. He was in the newsroom when the mother of Lee Harvey Oswald called and asked for a ride to the police station in Dallas.

4. The "Journalistic" Monologue

Listen to the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent for great examples of this. Short stories with no bells and whistles, just great scripts from master storytellers and reporters. Listen. Take notes. And learn accordingly.

"No interviews are included, there are no sound effects; no creaking doors, no footsteps, no noises off at all. Just the voices of the correspondents reading their scripts. As BBC senior correspondent Fergal Keane puts it: "Fooc is a programme which promotes story-telling rather than story-processing. It is the best programme we have in news." (via the Guardian.)

Here's 12 case studies from the show to listen to; including the one above which we heard in class about a nurse working with Ebola victims in Liberia. The piece is short. But punchy. Full of powerful evocative, description. You can read some scripts from the show if you look at the preview of this book.

5. The "Everyman" Monologue

There some greatUS originated monologues of everyday people captured by StoryCorps.org. Listen to these two examples (they're just under five minutes in total) of single memorable - and life changing experiences.

Thomas Weller explains how he got started helping strangers in need; whilst New York City bus operator Ronald Ruiz tells us what happened when he helped one of his passengers on the City Island line in the Bronx.

6. The "Nat Sound" Monologue

Edward Murrow's WW2 broadcasts from London were pioneering. The natural sound in this extract is quiet in the mix, but Murrow's report from the rooftop of BBC Broadcasting House (not disclosed at the time, for security reasons) whilst London was bombed by the Germans is a ground breaking piece of radio storytelling. Want more? Here's the transcript.

7. "In the Field" Reporting

Skip the ads and jump 2 mins 21 secs in to the start of this episode. The first 2-3 minutes help set the up the rest of the story, but it also works as a great opening (and potentially standalone) vignette.

Corporal Scott Foster of the Hillsborough, NC Police Department worked closely with his K-9 partner, Talon, for many years. They located weapons and narcotics, tracked suspects through dark woods, and went home together after work. But when Talon was injured on the job and had to retire early, Corporal Foster was paired with a new dog and life got a lot more complicated.

8. The Two-Hander

Stuff You Missed in History Class is a popular example of this. No interviews, FX etc. Just two people talking. In the process, the presenters walk you through a famous (often quirky or long- forgotten) event or incident from the past. Shows are typically 30-45 mins long, but you could easily adopt this format for shorter, discursive, pieces. Introductory pieces in shows like This American Life, often do this well.

9. The Three-Hander

Can be used for comedy - like The Ricky Gervais Show - as well as other formats like the BBC's Great Lives; a biographical series in which a guest and an "expert witness" discuss an inspirational life.

Here's where Gervais' record-breaking series all began.

10. Multiple voices. No narrator.

Last week, Professor Rob Quicke - an Associate Professor of Communication at William Paterson University and the founder of World College Radio Day - told us:

"The journalist is not the story, the interviewee is so you've got to remove yourself as much as possible."

One of the way's that Quicke has done this in his own work is by letting the voice of his interviewees drive a story forward. This two minute piece , about a radio station Rob worked on in the 90s (as did I) - whilst still a student at Oxford - just uses the voice of his contributors to move the narrative on.

It's a format that requires a lot of editing, but it holds your attention and puts the contributors front and center of the unfolding story.
Any other ways in which you could do this?

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Short-form audio storytelling: 10 format ideas - Audio Storytelling Winter 2017 - Medium

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Today we discussed a number of different permutations for telling a strong audio story in a short space of time. Hopefully this gives you confidence that, yes, you can tell a good piece of audio storytelling in 60 seconds to 2-3 minutes. Here's 10 potential formats you could use: 1.

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Blubrry Podcasting - Podcast Hosting, Statistics, WordPress Hosting, Syndication Tools and Directory

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The Podcasting Manual by Blubrry provides everything you need to know about podcasting, including the most up-to-date information for podcast creators, consumers and businesses. The content in the manual is easy to find, to the point and relevant.

Whether you're a new or seasoned podcaster, an avid listener/viewer, or simply someone interested in podcasts, we have something for you. Go ahead; it's easy. Use the navigation on the right to explore the site.

The Podcasting Manual is the result of a bunch of us podcasters - who are also the founders of Blubrry.com - going to meet-ups, podcamps and expos preaching our love, passion and knowledge of podcasting. It dawned on us that we had all this information about podcasting, but nowhere to put it.

Let us know what you think

Yeah, we'd like to think we know everything about the discipline but we don't. That's why we look to you, the community, to help us provide content. If there is something you're looking for that you can't find, let us know and we'll get back to you ASAP. If we've missed something send it to us. Your input is appreciated.

Blubrry created the Podcasting Manual to help the podcasting community grow and mature. And sure, we do hope visitors who take advantage of this resource will consider using other Blubrry products and services. But our overarching goal is simple: to build the most extensive, comprehensive podcast resource in the world.

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Podcasting Manual by Blubrry - Blubrry Podcasting - Podcast Hosting, Statistics, WordPress Hosting, Syndication Tools and Directory

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The Podcasting Manual by Blubrry provides everything you need to know about podcasting, including the most up-to-date information for podcast creators, consumers and businesses. The content in the manual is easy to find, to the point and relevant. Whether you're a new or seasoned podcaster, an avid listener/viewer, or simply someone interested in podcasts, we have something for you.

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To say podcasting is having a moment is an understatement. The team behind 's latest blockbuster, S-Town , recently broke records with 16 million downloads in the first week. Traditional news outlets like The New York Times and NPR are currently battling it out for the top spot on the daily news podcast beat. And Buzzfeed announced that Ben Smith, its editor in chief, is getting in on the action with the launch of an interview show called .

"Radio is the theater of the mind," says Marty Goldensohn, an Emmy award-winning radio and television producer who teaches podcasting to students at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Goldensohn fell in love with the medium as a child while listening to radio greats like the humorists Bob & Ray and acclaimed storyteller Jean Shepherd on a radio the size of half a refrigerator, and went on to become News Director of WNYC and New York Bureau Chief of Marketplace . In contrast to traditional radio, one of best things about podcasting, he says, is you can do-it-yourself.

CJR caught up with Goldensohn to get his tips from more than 30 years in the business on how to capture evocative sound, write for the ear, voice honestly, and edit ethically to create a powerful podcast that will resonate with your audience.
10 podcasts to help you keep up with the news cycle What kind of podcast is it?
Once you have a good idea for a great podcast, you need to think about the format:

Hybrid: One of most common types of podcast is a weaving of sound recorded in the field (actuality) and scripted narrative (continuity). That's the format you hear on shows like This American Life .
Field recording 101
If your podcast contains actuality, there are a few things to keep in mind while you're recording out in the field:
Interviewing
Getting good sound during interviews is essential. People often freeze up at beginning of an interview so you have to find a way to make them comfortable:
TRENDING: Writing 8 steps to upgrade your everyday news stories with 'tiny narratives' Voicing
Once you've captured your actuality, you need to make a decision about pacing. Are you moving in and out of actuality rapidly? Or are people talking for three-minute chunks and you're just dropping in to describe who they are? The answer might depend on the quality of your interviews and the complexity of the subject. If the story is complicated, more narration will be required. If you find out that you've only got three decent quotes in the whole thing, you might need to tell the whole story yourself. When it comes to writing narration, the key is to stick to conversational language.

During what has been dubbed the "Golden Age of Radio," from the 1920s to the 1950s, announcers were mostly male and they generally spoke in authoritative tones that lacked ambiguity. These days, the most engaging podcast hosts are those who are authentic and confide in the listener as they would a friend. Even so, there are some tips and tricks you can follow to help you sound like your best self.
RELATED: Editing Battle heats up for morning daily podcasts as NPR enters the fray

Watch your emphasis: In a bid to sound authoritative, newbies often emphasize the wrong word in the sentence. They'll say, "He went the store" instead of "He went to the ." Again, the rule is to speak the way you would everyday.

Editing and mixing are art forms all their own. This is where you bring together your interviews, narration, the ambient sounds and close-ups you've captured, and add any music you want to use. Goldensohn's rule is to edit on headphones and mix on speakers. On headphones, you'll pick up the detail. On speakers, you can ensure your levels are correct, and your background sound isn't drowning out the speech.

Update: This story previously referred toMarketplace as a production of National Public Radio. Marketplace is produced by American Public Media.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today.

Shelley Hepworth , formerly a CJR Delacorte Fellow, is Technology Editor at The Conversation. Follow her on Twitter @shelleymiranda.

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A master audio storyteller on how to create a powerful podcast

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To say podcasting is having a moment is an understatement. The team behind Serial's latest blockbuster, S-Town, recently broke records with 16 million downloads in the first week. Traditional news outlets like The New York Times and NPR are currently battling it out for the top spot on the daily news podcast beat.

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The ear training guide for audio producers

Ear training, the practice of learning how to recognize certain sounds, is a must for audio producers. We need to be able to spot problems and identify them to before they impact quality or snowball into larger technical problems.

This post will help you identify problematic audio, prevent the most common problems and recognize when it's time to call for help. It's a great reference guide for anyone who works with audio, from new producers to seasoned veterans. Before you start here, learn how to identify bad audio and take our audio problems quiz.

NPR Training's Rob Byers and two NPR audio engineers took audio production questions during a reddit AMA.
Want to learn more?
Watch this recorded webinar about common audio problems.

Preventing audio problems is one of the keys to ensuring quality productions. The term "garbage in, garbage out" is common in the audio world because it's true. It can be difficult and time-consuming to fix problematic audio once it's recorded.
If you do anything with this guide, learn how to recognize and prevent each problem.
The guide has three main sections:

These issues occur while recording in a studio or gathering audio in the field.

These issues pop up at your desk, cutting the piece together.

These issues occur while putting the finishes touches on a piece.
Before you make any decisions about audio based on this guide, have a conversation with your management, production and engineering teams to learn the preferred approach in your organization.
Recording problems

Distortion and clipping

You might describe distortion and clipping as sounding crackly, fuzzy, overloading or staticky. The audio may sound like it is "breaking up."

Distortion occurs when audio levels exceed the capabilities of your equipment or software. You may have set the levels too high or not accounted for a sudden increase in volume. This issue often happens during recording (although it can happen during mixing, too).
Think you can recognize the sound of distortion? Take our audio quiz and find out! How to avoid distortion:
Set your recording levels conservatively. Make allowance for the louder peaks of laughter/excitement/scene sounds that occur between the consistent level of conversation and 0dBFS (known as headroom). In a digital field recorder, for example, targeting -15dBFS will likely give enough headroom for a typical conversation in a quiet room. Keep an eye on your levels while recording - you may have to adjust them to maintain proper headroom.

If distortion appears in a chain of multiple pieces of audio equipment, check for proper level in each piece of equipment. Begin with the first piece of equipment in the chain (the one closest to your source) and work backward to the last, adjusting the level of the offending piece of gear to compensate.
How to fix distortion:
Distortion is usually fixable once recorded (unless it's phone tape - see sidebar). You want to avoid it. That said, using a low-pass filter can sometimes minimize the severity of the problem. Lower the frequency on the filter until just before the audio starts to become muffled. Note: This can be a drastic change and should be applied carefully.

For an approach that can yield better results (but likely requires expert help), try audio restoration software like or the fix tools in Adobe Audition . They work best for mildly distorted audio.

Plosives (aka "p-pops")

You'll encounter plosives when you record people speaking. Plosives are a blast of air caused by the way the mouth forms the letter "p" (and sometimes "b", "t" and "k"). The air hits the diaphragm of the mic and distorts it, causing a big increase in level and a "thump" or "hit" sound.

To understand the cause of plosives, put your hand four inches in front of your mouth and say "p-pop." That blast of air against your hand is what hits the mic and causes it to distort. To get a feel for the width of that column of air, move your hand to the side and say "p-pop" again - it's gone!
How to avoid plosives:
Keep your mic out of the pop zone, just to the side of the mouth. You should also use a windscreen of some kind, although it won't prevent pops altogether. If recording in a studio, use a phrase like "Peter piper picked peppers" to test for plosives.
How to fix plosives:
There are a couple ways to fix plosives if they make their way onto your recording. In an audio editor, zoom in on the waveform in question - the plosive is usually larger and has a different shape than the word it's attached to. Simply select that part of the waveform, delete it and shuffle the edit together. This trick works best if the edit is masked by scene sound or music. You may still end up with an " upcut" or audible edit if you lose too much of the "p"-sound.

You can also use a high-pass filter to remove the low-end rumble of the plosive. A piece of the plosive may still be audible, but that's usually better than no fix at all.

Audio restoration software, like Izotope RX Advanced, also has effective de-plosive tools.

Handling noise

Handling noise is transferred to the microphone body by physical contact. The sound can take many different forms: ticks, bumps, thumps, rubbing sounds and even low-frequency rumble.

You often encounter this issue when you handhold a microphone without using a shock mount. Many microphones (including shotgun mics) are not meant to be handheld. They are so sensitive that even the lightest touches transfer to the recording. The vibration of your skin on the outside of the mic or the joints and tendons in your hand can transfer noise. You can also get handling noise from loose shock mounts.
How to avoid handling noise:
Always when recording with sensitive mics like shotguns and other condensers. If you can't, be mindful of handling sounds when recording use a pistol grip and a shock mount ambience and moving the microphone or your body.

Use your elbow and wrist to make movements instead of your fingers. Practice holding the mic with a light touch and managing the mic cable in a silent way when moving. Alternatively, use a mic designed for hand-holding (like the EV RE-50 or the Neumann KMS 105).

If your microphone has one, use the built-in high-pass filter to cut the rumble caused by handling noise. See if your mic has a high-pass filter and turn it on !
How to fix handling noise:
If you neglected to use the high-pass filter on your mic, you may be able to use a high-pass filter plug-in found in your audio editor. A high-pass filter plug-in can help reduce the low-frequency rumbles and thuds caused by handling noise.

However, most handling noise also includes sounds at higher frequencies, like pops and clicks. In those cases, it's difficult to remove the entire sound. You can try to manually edit out the noises but that won't be possible when the handling noise overlaps speech or other important sound.

A last-ditch effort, and one that may require expert help, is to try to use the "de-clicker" or "spectral repair" modules of noise-reduction software like Izotope RX.

Off-mic speech

Off-mic speech sounds distant, lacks presence and is usually muffled or hollow.

When someone speaks off-mic, record levels might seem too low - and you may have to set levels higher than expected . In noisier environments, this will cause the level of background noise to be higher than preferred.

Off-mic speech is often the result of poor mic placement or poor mic technique. The type of microphone affects this problem as well. Omnidirectional mics need to be close to your speaker. Shotgun mics can be farther away but must be well-aimed.

Yes, you do! An off-mic guest will lack the presence needed to cut through the noise of common listening environments, like the car or subway.

These rules apply whether you are in the field, the studio or working with a guest over Skype.

How to avoid off-mic speech:

To prevent off-mic speech in the field, keep the mic pointed toward your guest's chin. Hold it approximately 4-5 inches away and adjust placement as necessary to avoid plosives.

The same rules apply in the studio but you have less control since you are not holding the mic. Before the interview, take a moment to discuss proper mic placement with your guest and correct as needed.
How to fix off-mic speech:
When working with a remote guest, conduct a sound check (including a check for plosives!) and ask the guest to tell you how far away they are from the mic. If they are further than six inches, ask them to get closer and check again. Then make a decision about which placement was best.

If you're trying to improve already-recorded off-mic speech, you should call in an audio expert for help. Sometimes presence can be helped with equalization (adjusting the tonal balance of audio with "EQ"), but the fix will be different for every voice.

De-noising software like Izotope RX or the tools found in Adobe Audition can help reduce competing background sound. But neither will solve the problem completely - prevention is key!

Interference

Interference takes many different forms. It can sound like chirping, ticking, static or even a steady or sweeping tone or beep. It can also cause hums. Sometimes it's incorrectly described as "leakage."

Interference can originate from AM radio and TV broadcasts, cell phones, radar, power lines, lighting, neon signs, computers, heavy motorized machinery and more. It has the possibility to impact your recording even if you are not using wireless equipment. Cables and audio equipment can also pick up interference.

Some signs that you should repair or replace your cables: kinks, cuts in the rubber jacket, visible wires and frayed bits near the connectors. You want to get these fixed as damaged cables may invite interference issues. They may also become intermittent or stop passing signal.

How to avoid interference:

When interference happens, there are many things you can try. The easiest is to change locations. Sometimes moving equipment can help. Swap your cables - especially any that show signs of wear (see sidebar). Uncoil any piles of cable and swap long cables for short ones. Move cables that are near power outlets and power cords. Try a different microphone. If you can, disconnect your equipment from AC power. Turn off fluorescent lights. Put nearby cell phones in airplane mode or, better yet, turn them off completely.
How to fix interference:
If you find yourself constantly having interference issues in the same location, ask an audio expert about purchasing a type of audio cable that may help alleviate the issue.

There's no one-size-fits-all fix for interference once it's recorded. The solution depends on the nature of the induced noise. Many times interference can manifest as hums or hisses, which have their own fixes. But if you have a more complex problem - like AM radio interference - it will be quite difficult. You may need to ask an audio expert for help.

Hiss

Hiss sounds like "sssss" or "shhhh." It is usually consistent in level and sound and is sometimes called static or noise.

It is often caused by recording levels that are too low, a mismatch in levels between two pieces of gear (mic/line switches set incorrectly) or by low-quality equipment.

Hiss can also result from interference or low batteries in a recorder or microphone.

To combat hiss in the field you may need to check many things. Low levels are often a culprit, so make sure they are set appropriately. Replace batteries in the recorder (and the mic, too, if it takes one).

Make sure "mic/line" settings are correct for the devices you are using. When in doubt, flip the switch, adjust level and pick the one that sounds better.

Audio restoration software is very good at removing hiss, but you may want to get help from someone experienced with the tool.

You'll need to find an isolated sample of the hiss that is a few seconds long, without any other sound in it (no speech or movement). Try to capture this sound sample in the field when you first hear the problem. If you don't have the luxury of recording it, you'll need to search for another sample (check your ambience beds). The software will "learn" the sound of the sample in order to remove the hiss.

"Less is more" holds true for de-noising software, so a few separate passes may be necessary. Just remember to relearn the noise sample before each pass. Note: This can become a time-consuming process. If you decide to go down this road, fix all of your hissy tape before making any edits. That way you only have to do the fix once.

You can also try a low-pass filter, but it will only work when the hiss is made up of mostly high frequencies.

Hum

Hum is a consistent low-frequency noise that might also be described as a "buzz." It can be caused by an electrical problem that is inaudible in the acoustic environment but recorded via a physical connection to other equipment. It may also be audible in the acoustic environment and recorded by a microphone.
How to avoid hum:
Electrical hums can result from many technical issues, most of which will likely be out of your control. Acoustic hums often emanate from equipment like air conditioners, fans, refrigerators, older computers, large machinery, etc. You'll hear them loud and clear in the recording space.

If a hum appears after connecting your recorder to other equipment (like a mult box) but you can't hear the hum acoustically in the room, try a ground lift. Ground lifts are small "barrels" that fit between your audio cable and the offending equipment.

If you hear acoustic hums in the recording space, ask to have the offending equipment turned off - or choose another space to record. If you can't move, try using a directional microphone and pointing the back of the mic toward the noise.

You can reduce an electrical or acoustic hum that remains at a constant pitch with EQ (ask an expert for help). However, using EQ may impact the quality of the recording since it will remove frequencies the "good" part of the recording is trying to use. It's a compromise, usually favoring removal of the hum.

You can also try a high-pass filter to remove some hums . Audio restoration software will remove the most egregious hums, though it can be an involved process.

Roominess/echo/reverberant room

These descriptors are used when you can hear a speaker's voice reflecting around a space. Their words will also have a "tail" of sound. The tape may be hard to cut if the sound of the room is exceptionally large because of this tail.

You'll run into this problem in tape syncs, field interviews and Skype calls. It's also frequently encountered by reporters tracking in the field in places like hotel rooms and home offices.
Think you can recognize the sound of a reverberant space? Take our audio quiz and find out!
Every room has reflections but larger rooms have more space for sound waves to travel through. The more space, the more time it takes for the walls to create reflections and bounce back to the microphone, resulting in a bigger-sounding room on tape. This is compounded in rooms with hard, reflective surfaces such as marble, concrete, stone or bare drywall.

How to avoid reverberant room sound:

When you record in the field, use smaller spaces that have carpeting and soft fabrics throughout the room. To test the space, say a few sentences out loud (or better yet, have someone else speak). If the room sounds "echoey" or "roomy" to your ears, it will sound that way in the recording, too. K eep your mic close to the speaker, no more than 4-5 inches away from the mouth. You want to record more of the direct sound of the voice and less of the indirect sound of the room.

When you use Skype, don't rely on the laptop mic. Instead, ask your guest to use a headset mic or the mic on a set of earbud headphones. Conduct a sound check with the guest and listen for the sound of the room when they speak. Don't be afraid to ask them to get closer to the mic.
How to fix reverberant room sound:
If you are tracking yourself in reflective space (like most hotel rooms), you can cut out some of the reflections by sitting under a heavy blanket or jacket (see photos below).

Prevention is the key! Once speech is recorded in a reverberant space, there are no sure fixes. "De-reverb" technology exists and can sometimes attenuate this problem but it is hard to use and the results are unpredictable. It should not be relied on.

Wind buffeting

You'll encounter buffeting when you work in a windy environment. The noise - pops, rumbles and distortion - can impair the intelligibility of audio and make it unpleasant to listen to.

Wind buffeting is similar to plosives (aka "p-pops") - it happens when a blast of air hits a mic's diaphragm and causes it to distort.
How to avoid wind buffeting:
Want to record the wind itself?
"Record the wind interacting with something, like the rustling of leaves ... and do it from a protected, out-of-the-wind location - like a parked car or behind the corner of a building."

- Christopher Joyce
NPR science correspondent

Use some form of wind protection, especially when working with a shotgun, cardioid or condenser microphone. When recording outside, you want something that disperses the wind and creates a space of still air around the microphone, like a "softie" (see photo below) or zeppelin. Foam sleeves are not effective outside - especially for shotgun mics - because they do not provide enough dispersion.
How to fix wind buffeting:
Omnidirectional mics also work well in windy environments and are less susceptible to wind buffeting. Using a high-pass filter can help reduce the rumble associated with wind buffeting. Another trick is to put yourself between the wind and your guest, using your body to block the wind. You can also try to stand behind a building or a car - or actually get in the car and crack the windows a little (to prevent that muffled "in the car" sound).

You can sometimes ease wind buffeting noise with the judicious use of a high pass filter in your audio editor. This means using a filter with values as high as 200-300 Hz (or higher) during moments of extreme noise. Note: doing so may negatively impact the sound of voices.

De-plosive tools, like those found in Izotope RX, may help as well.

Extreme wind buffeting will likely contribute to distortion, which will make audio very difficult to repair and can be time-consuming.

Sibilance

Sibilance is an excessive emphasis of "s", "sh" and "ch" sounds. Recordings that contain sibilance are often referred to as "essy." Everyone's speech contains a little bit of sibilance, but some have more than others.

Microphones respond differently to sibilance. Depending on the type, some emphasize it while others tame it. Radio station broadcast processing - and even headphones or speakers - can further exaggerate the problem and make severe sibilance difficult to listen to.
How to fix sibilance:
To test for sibilance before recording, use a phrase like "Sally sells tennis shoes sideways on trolleys." If you find the person you are trying to record is sibilant, try a different mic position. Tilting the mic slightly off-axis (away from the mouth) can sometimes help reduce sibilance. You can do this whether you are in the studio or in the field.

If you are working with recorded sibilant audio, there are a few tools available to help reduce the problem. That said, it's best to ask for the help of an audio expert.

Equalization can also be used to tame sibilance, as can a compressor focused on the offending frequencies. Often the best method is to use a "de-esser."

Mouth noise

Mouth noise is completely natural ... but it's a sound nobody likes! Mouth noise is exactly that - the slurps, lip smacks and ticks mouths make when mic'd closely. Ew. It's the not-so-pleasant result of our tongues, lips and saliva colliding.

Sometimes dry mouth can cause extra mouth noise, which is why many people believe you should drink water when faced with it (that doesn't always work). But extra saliva - like you can get after drinking milk - can also cause this problem. You may encounter mouth noise in both the studio and the field, but it tends to sound more pronounced in the quieter studio environment.

How to avoid mouth noise:

Changing mic placement can often help, especially if you are using a shotgun mic.
How to fix mouth noise:
Sipping apple juice is known to work well, as are eating Granny Smith apples. Remember that water can make this problem worse, as can coffee and milk-based products. Not everyone can keep apple juice on hand with them in the studio or out in the field, so you may want to advise your guests to avoid coffee and milk products prior to the interview.

If you have a recording with egregious mouth noise, the de-crackle plugin included in Izotope RX can reduce the problem. Sometimes spectral repair tools can also work (you can find those in Izotope or Adobe Audition). That said, it may be helpful to seek the assistance of an audio expert.

Editing problems

Audible (bad) edits

Audible edits are noticeable cuts that sound unnatural. They can be subtle - like a shift in the background sound between two clips. Or they can be egregious - like words cut together too tightly. E ven small differences between two pieces of tape can make an edit audible, especially if the change occurs abruptly.

How to avoid audible edits:

Use care with each edit you make. When you've finished putting a piece together, listen to the entire thing with your eyes closed or the screen turned off. Focus on all the sounds, noting every time you hear an unnatural change. If an edit grabs your ear, it needs attention.

Play your problematic edits for a colleague, too. A second opinion is useful because it's easy to lose perspective after hours of editing.

Abrupt tone-of-voice or cadence changes

Editing can cause the tone or cadence of recorded speech to change unnaturally. This is a derivation of the audible (aka bad) edit mentioned above. For example, the conversational tone during an interview might change from relaxed to punctuated or hushed to loud. Cadences might change from quick to slow or measured to hurried.

When those different tones and cadences are spliced together, it can result in an awkward sound and make your edits audible. Pauses of an unnatural or forced length (too short or too long) are a similar issue. They often happen as a result of editing for editorial content and ignoring the sound of the audio.

How to avoid tone-of-voice and cadence changes:

When you've finished putting a piece together, listen to the entire thing with your eyes closed or the screen turned off. Focus on the dialogue and listen for those moments of cadence or tone change.

For unavoidable changes (like the ones found when using different takes of narration), adding a little space can help "reset" our ears in time for the change. You can create the space with a short pause or - better yet - an actuality or music. Sometimes a short transitional element is all you need.

To judge the appropriate length of pauses, use your own breathing as a guide. We sometimes use the term " beat" when talking about pacing, which often equates to the length of the speaker's breath. Add a beat and listen again.

Upcut, missing or doubled breaths

Breaths are a problem when they are upcut or clipped. An upcut breath is one that is edited so it's incomplete (or "chopped") - only the first or last part is audible. This frequently happens because breaths are not always easily visible in audio editors.

Missing breaths are just that - breaths that have been removed or silenced. They sound unnatural and can cause some listeners to feel tense.

Doubled breaths are usually found when copying and pasting audio together. Again, because some breaths aren't easily visible in audio editors, it's possible to end up with two breaths side-by-side (see image).
Think you can recognize the sound of upcut breaths? Take our audio quiz and find out!
Breaths are also problematic when they don't match the cadence of the speech (i.e. a short, quick breath appears in the middle of a slower passage).

How to avoid upcut or clipped breaths:

When editing breaths, listen closely to the beginning and end. If replacing a breath, choose one that matches the cadence and tone of the words around it.

For example, a short, quick breath is useful during an interruption or an excited, quick-paced reply. A longer breath is appropriate for a relaxed, measured response. Listen carefully - it's easy to accidentally double on breaths because they don't always show up in a waveform. As a rule of thumb, do not remove breaths - it sounds unnatural.

Problems with breaths are easily avoided but very common. They happen when we rush to produce a piece or when we try to "nickel and dime" an interview to cut it down to the desired length.

Clipped "s," "f," "h"

The beginnings of the consonants "f" and "h" are easy to clip ( upcut), as are the ends of words ending with the consonant "s." "F" and "h" each have soft beginnings to the consonant.

This is especially clear when looking at the waveform in your audio editor. The true beginning of the sound may look separate and distinct from the consonant - or not visible at all, depending on the level of zoom. W hen editing with your eyes and not your ears, it's easy to chop off parts of words starting with "f" and "h" or ending with "s."

How to avoid clipped consonants:

The best way to prevent this problem is to have an awareness of how easy it is to do and listen carefully.

When you need to edit an "f," "h," or "s" sound, make sure you have grabbed the entire consonant. For tough edits, especially where the f/h/s letters overlap a harder consonant, you may have better luck grabbing the same sound from another word and replacing it.

Overlap

Overlap occurs when two or more people speak over each other. It also happens when an environmental sound (like a bus roaring past) masks the intelligibility of the person speaking.

Without visual cues, an audio recording of overlapping voices can make it hard to discern an individual voice. In the same way, background sounds that overpower an individual's voice can render it unintelligible.

When interviewing multiple guests in the field, use mic direction as a cue for when it's someone's turn to speak. Before each question, look your guest in the eye, say their name, move the mic, ask your question and maintain focus on that individual. Doing this from the beginning of your group interview establishes a structure for the others to follow.

In the studio, where each guest has a microphone in front of them, it can be more difficult. Again, clearly direct your questions. You may need to use a few friendly direct words of guidance for those guests who tend to talk over others.

Split-track or multi-track recording (recording each guest on a single audio channel) can help manage overlap, but it is not a solution.

Mixing problems

Inconsistent levels

This problem is fundamental to mixing and occurs when your clips have different audio levels throughout a piece. The discrepancy is distracting and may even cause your listener to adjust their listening volume to compensate.

Inconsistent levels happen when a mix is not carefully monitored to ensure it has a natural sound. If the mix is listened to at a loud volume - or if it's rushed - the abrupt changes can sneak by unheard. It can also happen when loudness meters aren't used - or ignored.

How to avoid inconsistent levels:

To prevent level issues, give yourself time to do a focused, end-to-end "audition" of the complete piece. Listen to it with your eyes closed or the screen turned off to remove all visual cues.

When in doubt, If the levels sound fine at a much lower level, this is mix is okay. Listen again at the normal volume to make your decision. Finally, use a trick from music engineers: T urn down the listening level so the mix is just barely audible and audition it again. learn how to use a loudness meter. It can be helpful when you're mixing in less-than-ideal listening environments, like a noisy coffee shop or with low-end computer speakers.

Abrupt entrances/exits to clips

You've probably heard this before: A clip is introduced and cuts in abruptly, the loud background sound jarring you and stealing your attention.

That's usually caused by t he lack of a fade on either end of a clip, which results in an unnatural entrance/exit. The higher the background sound, the more abrupt the change. R adio or podcast processing can sometimes amplify this issue. A slightly distracting transition in your headphones may sound much worse on the air.

How to avoid abrupt entrances/exits to clips:

You should always place a fade at the top and tail of clips. You can experiment with the fade to make it as smooth as possible, but there is no one perfect length. It completely depends on the content of the clip.

Use crossfades between clips to smooth out noticeable differences in sound. You can also use an ambience bed underneath the clip to help mask entrances and exits.

Abrupt changes in background sound

An abrupt change in the sound underneath an actuality or a scene can grab your listener's attention (in a bad way). This is usually caused by a bad edit between two pieces of audio where the background sound has changed.

Any shifts in background sounds - like machine noise, ambient music or crowd noise - stick out because they can be loud compared to the people speaking in those environments.

How to avoid abrupt changes in background sound:

If you have to connect two pieces of audio with different background sounds, use a long crossfade to make the change gradual. If you don't have enough background sound to create a long crossfade, try to mask the change by layering an ambience track underneath a voice track. (See abrupt entrances/exits to clips.)

You should always record at least a minute of ambience for every field interview. That ensures that you capture enough clean, usable ambience with minimal handling noise and nothing that will noticeably repeat if you loop it.

When gathering ambience, keep the mic in the same position it was in during the interview. Doing so will ensure the sound of the ambience exactly matches the background of the interview (pointing the mic in a different direction would yield a different sound). Don't change the level of the microphone input. You might be tempted to do this - because levels will likely be low - but it's helpful for the level of the ambience to match the level of the interview.

Bright- or muddy-sounding audio

Bright-sounding audio is often described as tinny, trebly or thin, and contains an unnatural amount of high-frequency sound (or the opposite, not enough low-frequency sound).

Muddy-sounding audio is the opposite - it is often described as sounding muffled, "bassy" and tubby. It lacks high-frequency sound or includes too much low frequency.

Collectively, these are tone or equalization (EQ) issues. They are most often encountered when recording phone interviews and voice over IP (VoIP) connections, like Skype. Audio dubbed from YouTube can also sound bright or muddy due to a low bit rate.
Think you can recognize the sound of bright audio? Take our audio quiz and find out! How to avoid bright or muddy audio:
In the field, these issues can be indicative of a failing piece of gear, a low battery or an audio connection that is not plugged in correctly.
How to fix bright or muddy audio:
First, learn how to identify these problems. When you know what to listen for, check your equipment. If you are looking for content on a source like YouTube, find another source.

Fixing bright- or muddy-sounding audio involves using some form of equalization. You can improve muddy-sounding audio with a high-pass filter. You can tame bright audio by reducing high frequencies with a "high shelf." Similarly, low frequencies can be tamed by using a "low shelf."

Phase issues

Is your audio awkward to listen to? Does it make you nauseous (yes, it's a real thing)? You might have phase issues.

The audio may be intelligible but sound like it's coming from behind your head. Some have described as feeling if your ears are "turning inside out." Voices (or instruments in a piece of music) may completely disappear.
How to avoid phase issues:
Phase problems occur when two channels of a stereo file each have similar information that is played back out of sync. You can see this issue first hand if you view the clip in an audio editor - the positive and negative parts of the waveform are opposite of each other in each channel. This can have a very serious consequence for listeners who hear it in mono, because it may play back as silence.

First, learn how to hear phase issues. Second, know the causes.

Phase issues can result from incorrectly wired cables, so keep your cables in good working order and test new ones. They can also result from accidentally flipping a channel out-of-phase when using a polarity button in audio editing software or mixers. Phase problems often crop up when tape in an audio editor is doubled but slightly out of sync (like in a tape sync).
Think you can recognize phase issues? Take our audio quiz and find out! How to fix phase issues:
(Note: We're combining a few different issues and calling them "phase issues." Phase, polarity and comb filtering are all described above and are technically three different issues. For our work, though, it's ok to lump them together. The point is to be able to recognize when something is not quite right.)

If you encounter a phase issue when recording in the field, try swapping cables. If you are using two mics to record something, put more space between them or use one mic.

If you are editing or mixing with a stereo file, you can get around phase issues by using only the left or right side of that piece of audio. You'll just need to ensure you aren't missing any important audio that was balanced more to one side than the other.

Either way, make a note that the source file has phase issues and inform anyone else that might use it. You don't want that file to go to air!

Overly compressed (or limited) audio

Compression itself is not a problem. It is a tool that is widely used to help make audio sound bigger and easier to hear. Too much of this processing, however, can make the speaker sound like they are yelling. Audio that lacks dynamics - quieter and louder sections - sounds unnatural and can be unpleasant to listen to. It may be described as "pumpy," forced or crunchy.
Think you can recognize the sound of overly compressed audio? Take our audio quiz and find out! How to avoid overly compressed audio:
It can also be rather jarring when overly compressed audio appears next to more natural sounds. We sometimes run into this issue when using remote studios that normally work in commercial radio or TV and prefer a compressed sound. Compressed audio is also found when dubbing audio from a TV broadcast feed or sites like YouTube.

When scheduling an interview with a remote studio, ask the engineer to remove any processing they might be using - especially compressors and limiters. Do a sound check. Does the guest's voice sound natural or compressed, like the audio example above?
How to fix overly compressed audio:
When sourcing broadcast audio, try to find alternatives to TV feeds.

Unfortunately, there's no fix for compressed audio. Once it's processed, there's no way to recover the dynamics.

Stereo balance issues

Stereo balance issues usually mean the voice or subject of a recording is coming out of the left or right channel instead of the middle.

In radio, we're used to hearing voices in the middle of the stereo field (the imaginary "image" created by sounds coming out of the left channel, the right channel, or somewhere in between). Panning to the left or the right is reserved as a production effect. Otherwise, it can be jarring to the listener. Extreme panning can also cause issues at the station level.
How to avoid stereo balance issues:
Stereo balance issues can happen for many reasons. For one, field recorders may be set to record stereo files and route a mic to one side or the other. Video news producers will often split dialogue in one channel and ambience in the other.
How to fix stereo balance issues:
First, know how to set up and operate your recording equipment (especially the routing capabilities in your field recorder). To prevent stereo balance issues, you must be able to hear them. You'll usually see it right away (see photo) and then you can confirm it by listening.

You have a few options, depending on the capabilities of your audio editor:

You can use only the side that has the audio you want (this is known as "pulling left" or "pulling right"). You can also combine the left and the right channels into one. This is helpful when one channel has dialogue and the other has silence or low-level ambience.

If the voice is a little off-center, you can rebalance the left and right sides to move the voice to the center and maintain a sense of stereo spaciousness. If you do this, call in the help of an audio expert, as it may be indicative of other issues.

Low bit rate audio

Low bit rate audio can sound like it's underwater or muffled, and may include "artifacts" like hits, ticks and pops. It can exaggerate high frequencies, especially sibilance. It may also impact intelligibility.

You may encounter low bit rate audio whenever you use voice over IP (VoIP) calls, video/audio chat services or lower-quality ISDN lines. Audio from online sources like YouTube may also be low bit rate.
How to avoid low bit rate audio:

Ever made an MP3 out of an existing MP3 and found it sounded much worse? That's the effect of transcoding.

All of our audio distribution networks and production processes involve some form of data compression. When you put a low bit rate file through a data-compressed audio system, it compounds quality issues.

How to fix low bit rate audio:
Learn how to identify low bit rate audio and differentiate it from other audio production issues. If you have a low bit rate file, try to find a better sounding source (e.g. a C-SPAN television feed versus a CNN video on YouTube). Avoid data-compressed files (like MP3s, AACs, etc.) when you can. They may sound fine in your audio editor, but transcoding (see sidebar) may make them sound worse when aired.

There isn't a good fix for low bit rate audio other than prevention. Equalization (EQ) can help tame some of the tinny sounds and noise reduction may help with artifacts.

Thank you
Rob Byers is NPR Training's Production Specialist. He worked as an audio engineer at NPR from 2003-2008 and led the part of the audio engineering and operations team at Minnesota Public Radio | American Public Media through 2016. He wrote The Audio Producer's Guide to Loudness and his work at MPR|APM contributed to a Pulitzer and a Peabody.

A big thank you to NPR Training's Serri Graslie for helping this project through its many phases and designs and continuously being a positive influence. And special thanks to Flawn Williams, Craig Thorson, Stu Rushfield, Chris Nelson, Kevin Wait, Melissa Block, Sam Sanders, Christopher Joyce, Michael Raphael, Andy Huether, Ariel Zambelich, Wes Lindamood, Alison MacAdam, Saidu Tejan-Thomas and Bria Granville for their assistance in putting this guide together.

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The ear training guide for audio producers

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Ear training, the practice of learning how to recognize certain sounds, is a must for audio producers. We need to be able to spot problems and identify them to before they impact quality or snowball into larger technical problems. This post will help you identify problematic audio, prevent the most common problems and recognize when it's time to call for help.

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2) Experiment with indirect microphone placement.

Plosives, the burst of air that exits the mouth when we make "P" and "B" sounds, are like giant gusts of wind to a microphone. To help mitigate these, avoid talking directly into the front of the microphone and use a windscreen or pop filter when possible. Set your microphone up slightly to the side so those bursts of air don't go directly into the diaphragm.

Don't set it up at too extreme of an angle, though, or you'll be talking into a null in the pickup pattern of directional microphones. You should notice a much more natural sound for your voice. Experiment with your microphone placement and capture test recordings to find what sounds best for your voice.

3) Stand and deliver!

Many broadcasters and voiceover artists stand when recording to help provide better air support and a strong, confident read. This can also help mitigate early reflections caused by a desk. If you do need something to hold your script, a music stand works well. Consider placing a piece of foam or a carpet sample on the music stand behind your script, to avoid early reflections.

4) Be conservative with your levels.

Most audio interfaces and recorders need you to set an input level for your microphone. Since the advent of high-quality digital recording, there's really no reason to set input levels too "hot." You can always make things louder later on.

To set a good, modest input level, speak at a normal-to-loud speaking voice and aim to make this level around -20 dB, or about halfway up on most meters. Then test with a hearty laugh or emphatic phrase to make sure the level never peaks above 0 dBFS or goes "into the red." If you're worried that it might, just turn it down and be conservative.

5) Record a high-resolution audio file.

Compression artifacts compound over time, so make your initial recording with a high-quality WAV or AIFF file. However, there's really no need record a file at any resolution higher than 24 bit, 48 kHz. With high-quality source material, even if your recording goes through a data compression codec (like MP3 or AAC) for distribution, it will be starting from the best possible source material.

6) Make a test recording.

Before recording an entire podcast, make a test recording first. Or listen back to a previous recording and compare it to other podcasts that you enjoy. Listen to your test in the environment you expect your listeners to be in, like a bus, subway, or car, and on multiple listening devices, from earbuds to high-fidelity headphones. Take some notes on what you might improve. Does your read trail off at the end of phrases? Is there a lot of background noise or mouth noise that you might want to remove?

You can also use this test recording to get feedback from trusted colleagues, both on the content and sound quality. You might even send it to one of your favorite podcast hosts and see if they'll give you some feedback (and perhaps a mention in one of their podcasts or social media channels!).

7) Work from an outline or script, and take time to get a great delivery.

No matter how nice your microphone is, there is no substitute for a confident read and great content. There are only a few professionals with the innate ability to do it live. Editing a script is much easier than editing audio, and gives you the advantage of having all your great ideas laid out in a text format that could be used for something else, like a transcript (extra credit for timestamps), blog post, or even a book down the road.

Obviously, you can't script interview segments and co-host interaction. But having a solid outline with your introductions, questions, transitions, and closings prepared can help make for a smooth podcast, and show your guests that you've done your homework and are prepared and professional.

It can also be helpful to give your listeners an outline of what you'll be talking about up front, and a summary of takeaways at the end. This can set the context for your episode and wrap it up nicely-a great idea for presentations and pitch meetings, too!

8) Record remote guests and co-hosts separately.

When working with guests and co-hosts who can't be in your studio, you can turn to VoIP services, like Skype or Google Hangouts, or the telephone. The audio quality is not always the greatest, but it's easy to record great audio in both locations and then merge them together later. Just ask your remote guest to record a high-quality WAV/AIFF file of only their voice that they can send to you later.

If they don't have a microphone and podcast setup themselves, just making a local recording with their computer microphone or into an app on their mobile device can provide superior sound quality to what you would get through VoIP or telephone. Conduct your two-way communications for the interview recording through the traditional channel, but then get their recorded audio after the fact and combine it with your recorded audio.

9) Leave time for edits.

When scheduling your podcast for recording and deployment, be sure to leave time for a careful edit and QC (quality control) of your entire piece. The listener's time is precious, so make your message clear, concise, and professional. Limit dead air, remove duplicated topics, and fix the occasional "um," "ah", and false starts.

Editing can be overdone, however, so challenge yourself to get the best possible read in one segment. You don't want to edit the audio to death, but brevity is always appreciated by listeners!

10) Use a modest amount of EQ, compression, de-essing, and leveling.

Here are some tools built right into your DAW (digital audio workstation) or audio editing software that can help mitigate some problems in your audio and create a great-sounding podcast for your listeners:

A high-pass filter only allows sounds above a certain frequency to pass through. Everything else is filtered out. Because most speaking voices don't generate any fundamental frequencies below about 85 Hz, you can set a high-pass filter around 80-100 Hz to help remove rumble and plosives that your listeners won't want to hear anyway.

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Podcast Production: 10 Tips for Great-Sounding Audio

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Plosives, the burst of air that exits the mouth when we make "P" and "B" sounds, are like giant gusts of wind to a microphone. To help mitigate these, avoid talking directly into the front of the microphone and use a windscreen or pop filter when possible.

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For BBC editorial staff and all journalists, with a focus on practical skills like interviewing and social media, safety, subject briefings, values, law, events and the BBC News style guide.

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NPR Training is a member of Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

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The JSFX plugins will work with Reaper on Windows and OSX machines. Please notice: they are not VST plugins, they work with Reaper only. Unpack the zip file and copy the content (as it is) into your reaper effects folder.

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SWS / S&M Extension, a REAPER plugin extension

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REAPER's full, flexible feature set and renowned stability have found a home wherever digital audio is used: commercial and home studios, broadcast, location recording, education, science and research, sound design, game development, and more.

From mission-critical professional environments to students' laptops, there is a single version of REAPER, fully featured with no artificial limitations. You can evaluate REAPER in full for 60 days. A REAPER license is affordably priced and DRM-free.

A new REAPER 7 license includes unlimited free updates through REAPER version 8.99. Frequency varies, but updates are typically released every few weeks.

These updates include bug fixes, feature improvements, and significant new features, all of which are free. Updates only take a minute or so. All preferences and configurations are preserved, and forward and backward compatibility are maintained.

Efficient, fast to load, and tightly coded. Can be installed and run from a portable or network drive.

Powerful audio and MIDI routing with multichannel support throughout.

64-bit internal audio processing. Import, record to, and render to many media formats, at almost any bit depth and sample rate.

Thorough MIDI hardware and software support.

Support for thousands of third-party plug-in effects and virtual instruments, including VST, VST3, LV2, AU, CLAP, DX, and JS.

Hundreds of studio-quality effects for processing audio and MIDI, and built-in tools for creating new effects.

Automation, modulation, grouping, VCA, surround, macros, OSC, scripting, control surfaces, custom skins and layouts.

A whole lot more.

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REAPER | Audio Production Without Limits

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REAPER's full, flexible feature set and renowned stability have found a home wherever digital audio is used: commercial and home studios, broadcast, location recording, education, science and research, sound design, game development, and more. From mission-critical professional environments to students' laptops, there is a single version of REAPER, fully featured with no artificial limitations.