Podcasting Equipment
From Acorn
Being edited.
This analysis was requested in an effort to provide advice on audio podcasting gear.
For simple voice recording for podcasts by staff, faculty and students, the combination of iPod with Belkin Tune-Talk microphone is adequate. However, it is not inexpensive when only simple audio recordings are required.
We are researching less expensive portable audio recording systems.
A "higher-end" system can be assembled for better quality. One downside to the iPod/Belkin combination is that there is no audio level meter, to provide feedback on the strength of the signal, or for confidence that audio is being recorded. The second disadvantage is that there is no way to ajust the recording volume, or listen to the signal being recorded.
Recording Devices
iPod with Belkin Mic--good for "run and shoot", non-critical recording, backup system, student projects
Higher-End Recording Devices
Edirol R09, $400 street price- We decided to purchase one for evaluation.
M-Audio MicroTrack, $400 street price
Zoom H4 Compact SD Recorder, $300 street price
Microphones
Editing Software
QT Player Pro (PC/Mac), for simple trimming, copy/cut/paste
Audacity (PC/Mac), free audio editor
More complex; Garageband (Mac), Soundtrack (Mac), Soundtrack Pro (Mac), ProTools LE (PC/Mac), Adobe Audition (PC)
Podcasting
There are four ways to embed audio files:
- Hand-code the xml file
- Use a visual editor, like FeedForAll, then upload to the iTunes Directory
- Upload to a podcast server (will not generate iTunes tags)
- Upload to iTunes U
