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Creating Your Own Podcast

What you'll need | Getting started | Recording quality | Start recording | Pause and resume recording | Stop recording | Make your podcast available | What can I say? | Create a podcast with your own software and recording equipment | Questions?

What you'll need

If you already own an iPod (and have a microphone and microphone adapter) and know how to capture sound recordings using this equipment, skip to making your podcast available. If you own another digital recording device and want to learn how to turn your recordings into podcasts, jump to create a podcast with your own software and recording equipment.

If you don't have equipment, short-term loaner equipment (an iPod, microphone adapter, and microphone) is available from the College Relations Office. We make this equipment available to campus in order to facilitate adding podcasts to the podcast section of the the college site. Please e-mail norrisma1@buffalostate.edu to borrow the following equipment (valid Buffalo State ID required):

Getting started

Connect the microphone adapter to the iPod and the microphone to the 3.5mm mono-audio plug on the adapter (identified with a small microphone icon). The iPod will launch the “record” application when you do this.

Check to make sure the microphone is "ON."

Recording quality

Getting a quality recording is essential. Try testing the microphone before the event starts to get levels and familiarize yourself with the iPod's Voice Memo function.

Depending on the size and acoustics of the room, you may need to adjust the gain setting on the microphone adapter:

  • For normal voice dictation, use low gain
  • For conversation and conference, use medium gain
  • For lecture hall or low volume, use high gain

Use the microphone adapter's LED indicator to determine if the gain is set correctly. A green LED indicates that the iPod is recording. The LED will begin to turn red as the peaks of the recording increase. The LED will become bright red when the sound level is exceeding the normal range of recording. For more information on the gain setting and LED indicator, download the microphone adaptor user guide (PDF 125 KB)

For the highest-quality sound recording, place the microphone two to five inches from the source (lecturer, speaker) and adjust the gain setting accordingly. If the lecturer is using a microphone and public address system, position the microphone near a speaker to record the speaker’s output. Verify that nothing is blocking the microphone.

Start recording

To begin recording, spin the wheel to select Record, then hit the Play/Pause button. Once the timer begins to advance and the green light on the Belkin Adapter is on, you are recording. To be sure you don't miss anything, begin recording in advance. You may also use this time to troubleshoot any problems that may arise.

Pause and resume recording

To pause the recording, press Play/Pause on the click-wheel.

To resume recording, select Resume, then press Play/Pause.

Stop recording

To stop recording, select Stop and Save, then press Play/Pause. The recording is saved as a .wav file and assigned a file name of the current date and time.

Making your podcast available

If you borrowed equipment, return the iPod and accessories to Cleveland Hall 307. We will process the file as soon as possible and post it to the podcast page. If more than minor edits are recommended for your podcast, we will contact you.

If you used your own iPod or digital recording device to record your podcast, save your file to CD and bring it to Cleveland Hall 307 or e-mail it to norrisma1@buffalostate.edu.

What can I say?

Be creative-use your podcast to let the world know about your project, your poetry, or your playful side. Your podcasts can be the soundtrack of your life or the late night study partner that won’t raid your refrigerator. Using just a computer or an iPod (throw in some audio editing software like Audacity or GarageBand if you want to get fancy!) you can share your creative vision with the campus community, your friends and family, and the world.

Here are some ideas for podcasts you may want to try:

  • Lectures and readings
  • Audio plays or narratives  
  • Radio documentaries
  • Audio tours
  • Travelogues
  • Commentary
  • Interviews
  • Audio diaries
  • Poetry

Note: The college reserves the right to decline to post material that is of questionable taste, has the potential to be divisive, or does not further the mission of the college.

Before recording your podcast, read the college’s copyright policy.

Creating a podcast with your own software and equipment

There are many ways to create podcasts using your own recording device, computer equipment, and software. Below are some links to help get you started:

How to Record a Podcast (for Mac, from MacDevCenter)
Record Your Podcast (from Yahoo! Podcasts)
Create Podcasts Using Your PC (from WindowsDevCenter)
GarageBand Support: Recording Your Podcast (Apple.com)
Creating Podcasts with QuickTime 7 Pro (Apple.com)

Questions?

E-mail norrisma1@buffalostate.edu

Instructions

Download this handy, wallet-sized guide (PDF, 57KB) to recording podcasts with an iPod.