The end of civilization may be nigh but at least we have the Internet. It is the perfect literal expression of Andy Warhol’s apocryphal prediction that — in the future — everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.
Unknowns on the web can achieve notoriety these days through funny Twitter accounts, elaborate YouTube pranks or — of course — a hit podcast.
Podcasts are fairly easy to make, post and share. They are also easy to consume. Many listeners get their podcast fix on the commute to work or while they’re going for a run.
Whereas your local cineplex is probably playing two to six heavily focus-grouped Disney Co. movies right now, your podcast app of choice contains hours of content about whatever niche topics pique your interest.
Benjamin Lauren, a writing and rhetoric professor from Michigan State University, explained, “There used to be a lot of talk radio shows, and those are going away somewhat.” Lauren prefers shorter, “bite-sized” podcasts — a far cry from the four-hour shows of shock jocks like Howard Stern.
“With the ability for pretty much anybody to record audio on their own computers, we’ve seen a lot more podcasts surface,” Lauren said.
Anybody with a cell phone can make a passable podcast. All it takes is the ability to record audio. To make a good podcast requires a little bit more thought.
For beginners, the path of least resistance is simple: an iPhone and the GarageBand app, a kitchen table and two of your funniest or smartest friends. In its most ramshackle form, a podcast is just a taped conversation with little to no edits.
Any amateurs looking to make their podcast sound a bit more professional should look for a good microphone first and foremost, according to Corey DeRushia, owner and head engineer at Troubadour Recording Studio in Lansing. He studied under the legendary musician and producer Steve Albini, famous for recording artists such as Nirvana and Robert Plant, at his studio in Chicago, Electrical Audio.
“To get started on a podcast, the microphone is important. Especially if you’re recording in a noisy room, like your living room at home,” advised DeRushia. He said that most microphones these days can plug straight into a computer through the USB port.
In DeRushia’s opinion, a cardioid microphone is the best for home podcasters. He also said that shoppers should look out for microphones labeled, simply, “podcast microphone.” Due to the popularity of the medium, audio equipment manufacturers have started to release mics specifically designed for podcasters.
DeRushia recommends using a free software like Audacity or the aforementioned GarageBand for making simple edits. If you’re willing to pay, Adobe offers an audio editing program called Audition that includes more sound manipulation tools than your typical freeware. With YouTube tutorials and websites like WikiHow, these programs are easy to get the hang of.
He also recommends soundproofing the room that you’re in because it is really easy for ambient noise from inside and outside the house to leak into audio recordings.
“If you have some heavy comforters that you don’t really use, you can put those on the wall. There’s a lot of foams out there for this purpose, too.”
And, DeRushia added, you should probably turn off your furnace and unplug your refrigerator. Noises like these can create an unpleasant listening experience.
Lauren explained how to make a good podcast from a writer’s perspective. Some podcasts are based around lengthy interviews or riffing on the news of the week — think “WTF with Marc Maron” or “Pod Save America.” They’re free-form at heart, more similar to a rant than a dissertation, more like a conversation at the bar than an academic panel.
But some podcasts utilize all the tools of the medium — background sound, music, narration and more — to tell a fully-realized story.
Lauren brought up radio plays like Orson Welles’ famous 1938 broadcast of “The War of the Worlds” as a sillier, albeit fictional, example of this genre. The very real panic people felt when they heard Welles describe a faux alien invasion shows exactly how immersive an audio experience can be.
“You have to have a factor of adding reality and realism into these things. That’s usually what I tell my students: think about how to immerse the audience into the space that you’re talking about,” Lauren said.
Narrative-driven podcasts like “Serial,” “This American Life” and “S-Town” prove that the medium can be used to tell a compelling story. These types of shows are a little harder to make. They require extensive reporting, editing know-how and the right audio equipment.
Luckily, in the Lansing area, there are places to go for help. Your first stop should be the Downtown Lansing branch of Capital Area District Libraries. Its Library of Things has all the equipment you’ll need.
“What’s best for podcasts is the Zoom H-6,” said Jessica Goodrich, a representative from the library. “We also have a podcast kit. It has the mics you need, headphones, everything except that people need to provide their own SD cards.”
Anyone over 18 can check out this podcast kit and use it to do whatever they want. Goodrich said that many folks check out the kit to record oral histories. She hasn’t seen many people use it for podcasts yet.
“There’s also a lot of podcasting books,” said Goodrich. She recommends using Hoopla, a library app, to check out the book ‘Make Noise,’ by Eric Nuzum. “It’s a really good guide to starting out as a podcaster.”
Goodrich pointed out that all library computers have Audacity installed on them.
East Lansing Public Library has a sound-editing room available for rent, equipped with a mic, audio editing software, a midi keyboard and an iMac.
Maybe you’re more of a spectator. That’s fine. After all, if everyone started making podcasts, then who would be around to listen to them? You could consider checking out the Podcast Brunch Club at the Downtown Lansing library.
They meet every month to discuss 1 to 5 hours of podcasts, operating exactly the same way as a typical book club. Each month, the podcast playlist is curated by a different person from around the globe.
The Podcast Brunch Club is holding its next meeting on March 25th. You can sign up by emailing bourgeoisa@cadl.org.
Get a microphone
Capturing clear audio is the first step to making a good podcast. Find a cardioid mic if you can. They eliminate unwanted background noise. Most microphones these days can plug straight into your computer. You can find good deals on microphones on Amazon.com and Newegg.com
Download audio editing software
Audacity and GarageBand are two free and easy audio editing programs. If you ever get confused, there are plenty of YouTube tutorials that can help you learn the ropes.
Come up with your perfect podcast idea
What do you care about? Moreover, what could you talk about for hundreds of hours? You have to be passionate about your podcast topic of choice, or you could end up tapping out after six episodes. A consistent upload schedule is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a podcast.
Record!
This might be the hardest part, but you have to do it. You know what they say about trees falling in forests when no one’s around! Recording a podcast may feel awkward at first — everyone hates the sound of their own voice — but it gets easier with experience.
Publish your work
Most podcast listeners use Spotify, the Apple podcast app or the Google podcast app. If you upload your podcast to SoundCloud, it’s easy to hook up your RSS feed to these podcast distributors and more. If you want to monetize your podcast, Patreon is the way to go. There, patrons — or fans of your show — donate money monthly to gain access to episodes.
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