Everybody, it seems, has a podcast these days. The iTunes Store alone boasts “hundreds of thousands” of them. And that’s just a fraction of the overall total.
One big reason there are so many podcasts is that it’s never been easier to produce one. All you need is a microphone and a bit of software, and you too can be an online radio star. Well, that and a bit of know-how.
That last bit is what we’re hoping to provide. We asked four podcasters we know to tell us how they do it: How they prepare, capture, edit, and then share their programs.
Two of those podcasters are on the Macworld staff: Senior Editor Christopher Breen (who produces the regular Macworld Podcast) and Editorial Director Jason Snell (who in his copious spare time produces a personal podcast called The Incomparable). We also asked the folks who produce a couple of our favorite non-Macworld podcasts. Strictly by chance, they’re both about Doctor Who, the British sci-fi series: Erika Ensign ( Verity!) and Chip Sudderth ( The Two-Minute Time Lord). (Can’t imagine why Macworld staffers would have a thing for Doctor Who.)
While their topics may be similar, these podcasters all have different ways of going about their business. (Special note: Erika Ensign goes as far as to use a Dell laptop to edit hers, but we thought her techniques would still be interesting to those using Apple equipment.) The point being, there’s no one right way to do a podcast. You can figure out a workflow that works for you, as fancy (or simple) as you wish. The real secret is that there’s no secret at all. Almost anyone can do it. Why not you?
Author: Dan Miller, Editor
Dan is Editor of Macworld.