A little over two and half years ago (Jan 2006), I got big time into podcasting. I started one on the Hash House Harriers called the ON ON Cast which lasted almost a year and one in Second Life that was called The Goddess and Banana (GB Affair) which lasted a year and had over 100 shows.
I really enjoyed making both of these two shows. I discovered the “art” of creating sound. I got into the hardware and software aspects. I studied the best techniques and took classes. I learned how to create my own RSS feed. I found out that many people are “shy” when it came to recording the. and I found others to be a natural ham – hey Yxes!
I never thought I would become “famous” or “rich” doing a podcast, but I did expect that the product would find a niche market – and much to my happiness both shows did.
So why did I stop doing them?
Ah, great question!
I found that the number of hours that it took to do a show to my standards was a six (6) times factor. If the show was a 1/2 hour show. it would take a total of 3 hours to put it together, from recording, editing and sound shaping. I tried little tricks to reduce the amount of time and by the end was getting pretty good at making them, usually only taking 2 hours for a 1/2 show.
The point of my post is not to brag but to take issue with podcasts that DO NOT take the time to clean up their sound. Every time I listen to a new show, I can tell within less than a minute if the producers of the show are taking anytime to do simple things to improve the sound quality. Usually I will give the producers a couple of shows to get things balanced out, but by their fourth show, there should be improvements.
So if you have a show, take the time to sound shape. Your listeners will thank you.
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