Author: Tim

Garageband tip

For podcasters using Garageband as their recording and mixing platform, there’s a great tip from MacWorld on how to export your mixdown as an uncompressed AIFF file, rather than in AAC format. Even better, check out the first comment from (it seems) Adam of the MacCast on how to have the best of both worlds… it allows you to maintain the formatting for an enhanced AAC podcast, and also later export the same project as an AIFF for conversion into an MP3. Very cool stuff, if semi-incomprehinsibly delivered in this post!

Wireless podcasts. Almost.

You may remember a few months ago in my drooling for the iPhone, there was a brief glimmer of hope that iPhone users would be able to download podcasts wirelessly. As we later found out, that was not to be. It seems to be something that would be a natural fit for a wi-fi enabled music player to be able to reach out and download new episodes with a built in podcatcher.

Today, SanDisk announced the launch of the Sansa Connect, a product that’s juuuuuust about there, but seems to fall flat right at the finish line. Seems that the Sansa hooks up with Yahoo! Music Unlimited To Go (hereafter to be forever referred to with an acronym as bad as the name… Y!MUTG), allowing a user to fill their Sansa with all of the tracks they want from the subscription service. Sadly, it seems that Y!MUTG is not cross linked with Yahoo! Podcasts… meaning those of us who dream of having instant access to podcasts as we roam aimlessly away from our computers will still have to wait for some Einstein or Curie (not to be confused with Curry) to deliver…

Screencasts

I just prepared a screencast for a podcast client using SnapzProX, an incredible program from Ambrosia Software, the creators of the indispensible Wiretap Pro. If you’re a Mac OS X user, and you are preparing a screencast, give SnapzProX a shot. There is a free trial period with full functionality… the interface was easy to navigate (although I had trouble figuring out how start the recording… just click on the screen!), and the results are stellar.

I’m interested if there are similarly good software packages on the PC side… I’ll take a look and report here in a future post.

iPhone taste

For the junkies out there… Apple just sent out another “taste” for you. Notice how I say “you” when I really should say “us.”

Anyone who signed up with Apple for information on when the iPhone will be released received this teaser…

Talk to you soon.

Thanks for signing up. You’ll be the first to hear the latest about iPhone— coming this June. That gives you just enough time to think of ways to break the news to your current phone.

Absolutely no new information, but I suspect it will get some attention. I’m constantly amazed at how well Apple is able to manage their hype machine. Never before has so much been said when so little is known.

I’m going back and forth on getting the iPhone in June. I hear through the grapevine that there will be some advancements made in short order following the release – not the least of which is enabling 3G web access via Cingular, rather than the slower version enabled on the iPhones shipping in June. Seems to me that deserves waiting… unless these phones are shipping with 3G capabilities and just need a simple update to activate the advanced features… hence my dilemma.

My Treo’s looking at me funny… I better go console it.

Podcast Factory review

I posted last week about the HGTV Tech Toys shoot with my client Kimberly Wilson of Hip Tranquil Chick podcast… we recorded the segment with the M-Audio Podcast Factory last Friday morning. The nice thing about being Kimberly’s podcast producer is that I got a chance test drive the product she was featuring on the show… here are my thoughts…

I like the Podcast Factory for what it is… a simple, all-in-one unit that works on Windows and Mac operating systems. It comes with a small mixer (really just a digitizer) that hooks up to the computer’s USB port, and has an XLR input for a fairly simple dynamic microphone. It also comes with a nice, if not sturdy, folding mic stand. The real treat of the package is its overall size… it fits inside my small messenger bag and has none of the heft of my more typical setup (a Behringer mixer and condenser mics… it takes a suitcase when all is said and done to transport that beast!). The ease of use is another positive… it is a good product for beginners with its plug and play interface.

That being said, I think there are a couple of things going against the Podcast Factory. First, I would not recommend it for podcasters that need multiple mics in their setup or envision it in the future. I tried hooking up a microphone to the line-in in the back of the mixer and the results were fairly disastrous. There was a cycle hum and a clicking that wouldn’t go away. Second, I think the price point is a bit high for what you get… a dynamic mic and a small USB interface for $179 seems a bit steep when you can – for less – get a small mixer with multiple channels and a condenser mic. The oft-mentioned Samson USB mic seems to be a better value at around $80 than the Podcast Factory from an ease-of-use perspective.

I tested the Podcast Factory “in the field” to capture a speech for another client. For a dynamic mic in a large open room, I thought it actually did a nice job. Since it’s a directional microphone, the room noise didn’t pick up quite as much as a condenser mic would have, which made the sound scrubbing in post-production cleaner. You can check out the results here (MP3).

All things considered, the Podcast Factory is a nice package, but I think some podcasters would outgrow it. I see it fitting in as a travel set, but certainly not a replacement for a more robust setup.

client adventures in podcasting

A new client of mine has an exciting adventure ahead of him… he’ll be spending the next three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Vanuatu. One of the things that impresses me about his venture is his intent to blog and podcast his experiences. It’s absolutely amazing how technology is going to allow his friends and family (and others, if he chooses to make this a public endeavor) to hear the sounds of a far away island in the Pacific the very same day he does. Well… the very same day he can get to Port Vila and find an Internet connection, I suppose…

Lawyers and podcasting

I saw an interesting little tidbit within last Thursday afternoon’s ABA TECHSHOW’s “60 Marketing Tips In 60 Minutes” session. At number 45:

If You Don’t Have Time To Blog, Make Time To Podcast

I couldn’t agree more. It seems to me that the best bloggers post every day (note to self… follow your own advice!). To podcast well, depending on the niche, one could produce a show once per week or even once per month. Lawyers considering a new marketing strategy could actually spend less time producing a podcast, yet still stand out in the crowd.

the charts were indeed bumrushed

While Bumrush the Charts did not manage to push unsigned artist Black Lab to #1, it certainly pushed a bunch of sales. Number 11 in the US, number 10 in Canada, and number 2 in The Netherlands. Details are here.

Interesting experiment… it certainly gained some mainstream attention, but I think it’s an open question whether it will be viewed as a gimmick or an actual representation of the potential of podcasting marketing power. To be continued…