Step by Step Guide to Producing a Podcast
Step by Step Handout (Pdf)
Step 1: Recording Your Audio and Creating Your MP3 File - Step 1 Audio File
Free Recording Software
The first step in creating your podcast is to record your audio and create your .mp3 file that your users will download and listen to. There are many tools available to assist in this and you can do it with very expensive equipment to get studio quality audio, or you can do it for next to nothing and still get adequate results.
Typically, you’All need a microphone to speak into and a way to record and edit your audio on your computer. Audacity is a free multi-track audio editing program that is available for PC, Mac, and Linux computers. You can download the Audacity software at:
Download Audacity here:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
You will also need to download the LAME MP3 encoder which allows the software to export your audio files into an MP3 format. The LAME encoder can be downloaded from the Audacity web site at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=install&item=lame-mp3
Audacity Tutorials
- Tutorial - Setting the preferences before recording
- Tutorial - Recording an audio file
- Tutorial - Adjusting volume levels with the envelope tool
- Tutorial - Using effects to reduce noise and improve the sound quality
- Tutorial - Moving text with the XX tool
A Microphone
In addition to the audio recording and editing software, you will need a microphone. There are many types which range in price and quality, but for somewhere between $50 and $100 bucks, you’re going to get good quality sound. From zero to $50, you’re going to get something that could sound like you were at the bottom of a barrel or it could sound as good as AM radio. You can get good studio quality sound for a little over $100.
You can find a decent quality microphone at most Radio Shack or Best Buy stores, but in order to get a really professional quality sound, purchase the best microphone your budget will allow from a pro-audio brand like Audio Technica, Shure, AKG, Behringer, Marshall, Neumann or other professional audio manufacturers.
Your sound quality originates at the microphone. Don't get it on the cheap! Since you want the best quality sound you 
can get, don’t scrimp on the microphone. You can tell the difference that a good microphone makes by listening to the sample audio files above. The better the microphone, the better will be the sound quality of your podcast. Since you want people to listen to your podcast, make it the best quality sound you can afford.
If you’re on the go, get a good unidirectional, dynamic-type microphone like the Shure SM58. A dynamic microphone used a wire coil and a magnet to produce the audio signal. Dynamic mics are good general purpose all around microphones and because they have few moving parts, are more durable than condenser microphones and a better choice if you need to record on location.
If you’re going to do most of your recording at a fixed location, you’ll get better quality sound from a carotid condenser microphone such as the Audio Technical AT3035 or AT4040. Cardioid condenser microphones, however, will require the use of another device such as a mixer or a digital audio interface to provide phantom power to the mic. A good middle of the road USB microphone that provides nice sound quality is the Samson CO1U for about $80. Cardioid condenser microphones require an external power source also known as phantom power. Dynamic mics do not.
Step 2: Creating Your RSS Feed File - Step 2 Audio File
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication (really!). An RSS feed is simply a text file with the extension .Ross. You can name it anything you like as long as it ends in .xml. Inside and RSS file are directions that are written in what is called Extensible Markup Language or XML. It’s very similar to HTML tags that make up web pages. The easiest way to create an RSS file is to copy another RSS file as your template and then simply modify it as needed. This can be done in a web editing program like Dreamweaver, or in a simple text editor like notepad on a PC or BB edit on a Mac.
Here is a sample of an RSS file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>
<title>EdTech Conversations</title>
<link>http://www.edtechlive.org/vpd</link>
<description>Sample podcasts from CTAP Region 3</description>
<language>en-us</language>
<copyright>Copyright 2006 EdTech Live All Rights Reserved.</copyright>
<lastBuildDate>Fri, 13 Oct 2006 18:35:21 PST</lastBuildDate>
<ttl>240</ttl>
<item>
<title>Introduction to the EdTech Leadership Network</title>
<link>http://www.edtechlive.org/vpd/podcast101/etln_info1.mp3</link>
<description>An invitation to attend the CTAP 3 EdTech Leadership Network</description>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Oct 2006 12:10:56 PST</pubDate>
<author>CTAP Region 3</author>
</item>
<item>
<title>College Student Talks about Using Technology</title>
<link>http://www.edtechlive.org/vpd/podcast101/proj2_export2.mp3</link>
<description>A sample podcast interview</description>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Oct 2006 11:59:56 PST</pubDate>
<author>CTAP Region 3</author>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>
You can see the actual RSS feed here 
The easiest way to create your own RSS feed is to copy this one. Simply click on the orange RSS button above, copy the text from your browser window and paste it into your text editor. Make the appropriate edits to the links, title, and other elements in the file and then save it with your own name and .xml extension. Then you can upload this file to a web server.
Notice that your RSS feed has a “channel” that can include multiple items. Each item provides information about a specific .mp3 file. There is a title of the podcast, a link to the .mp3 file that is located on a web server, a description of the podcast, publication date in a very specific format. This is so that the feed readers will know you have a new item on your channel.
RSS 2.0 Specifications for details about the elements that should be included within the RSS file.
More RSS 2.0 Information from Feed Validator
A few notes about the tags:
- Every tag is a pair that includes a beginning and an end tag. For example <Title></Title>.
- Tags are case sensitive so TITLE is not the same as title.
- Ending tags always have a backward slash ( “\” ).
- The information between the tags is called an element.
- Each podcast is included in its own item and you can include multiple items in one RSS file.
Step 3. Upload the.MP3 file, RSS file, and Validate the RSS
RSS files must reside on a server. If you have your own web site, you already have a server where you can upload files. You upload your RSS file along with the .mp3 files for your podcast using either an FTP program such as WSFTP or CuteFTP. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and it’s a program that helps you move a file from one computer to another. Make certain the full address to the .mp3 file on the server is the same as that listed in the RSS file in the link tag. If it's not, the RSS feed won't be able to locate your MP3 file.
Podomatic - Offers free web hosting and tools for Podcasting.
How to Validate Your RSS File to Be Sure It is Written Correctly.
One you have the full address of your RSS file you can use any number of validator tools to validate the code.
FeedValidator.org at http://feedvalidator.org
RSS Scripting at http://rss.scripting.com
RSS Validators at http://validator.w3.org/
Enter the full address to your RSS file that you uploaded to the server. The feed validator will examine the code in the RSS file and will let you know if it’s okay or whether or not you need to correct something. If necessary, go back to your text editor and make any edits suggested by the feed validator, then upload the RSS file to the server again and check the validation until it’s correct.
Once your podcast RSS file has been validated, all you have to do is provide the address of your RSS file to anyone who wants to subscribe to your podcast. It’s that simple. If you want to advertise your podcast, you can list it in any number of directories that are available on the Internet so people know it’s there and
How to display an RSS file in your web page
Feed2JS from Maricopa Community College
RSS to Javascript - to display RSS feed within a web page
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