Digital Media
DM 341: Instructional Podcasting
Building an Enhanced Podcast on the Mac
In this tutorial, we will show you how to create an enhanced podcast (audio plus still images) using a Mac computer and iLife ‘06. To learn more about the various podcasting software available, check out our Resources page.Building an enhanced podcast is very similar to building an audio podcast. If you've already mastered audio podcasting, skip down to Adding Images.
Most of the hardware and software are available for sale at the UC Computer Store and possibly on loan from ITC. Call 974-9670 to find out more.
Technology Requirements
- A Mac with OS 10.4 (Tiger) or 10.5 (Leopard) and iTunes
- Recording Equipment (laptop-embedded microphone, small desktop microphone, digital video camera, hand-held digital recorder, etc.)
- Digital images or a digital still camera to capture the images
- iLife ’06 (GarageBand, iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, iWeb) - bundled with OS X
NOTE: Though iLife '08 is now available, this tutorial focuses on iLife '06, which is still very popular and in some cases, a little easier.
What is an m4a, m4v, or mp4?
- A file with the m4a or m4v extension is an adaptation of the mp4 standard. These file types are "containers" that allow the combining of different multimedia streams including audio, images, and video into a single file.
What are your options for viewing an enhanced podcast?
- iTunes
- Quicktime, Windows Media Player, Real Player, etc.
- Portable digital video player: iPod, Zune, iRiver, etc.
Note: Players that don’t support the video stream can still play the audio stream of an m4v file.
Start with the Script
The process of building an enhanced podcast begins with the script. What sort of story are you trying to tell? Working without a script can be tricky and will require more editing.What is GarageBand?
GarageBand is an audio editing program that allows you to record your voice, add sound effects and music, and import images or video to accompany your recordings. It's fairly comprehensive, and among the easiest-to-use software on the market. You'll use GarageBand to blend all of your podcasting elements and compress them into a web-ready format.Opening GarageBand and Exploring the Interface
Open GarageBand. From the intro window, select the New Podcast Episode setting. When prompted, type in a project name and click Create.
View the interface
Tracks: When the project opens, you will see five tracks.
- Podcast Track: holds images and other media
- Male Voice: designed to optimize male pitch and vocal characteristics
- Female Voice: designed to optimize female pitch and vocal characteristics
- Jingles: provides opening, closing, and transitional music
- Radio Sounds: offers traditional radio sounds such as creaking doors or ambient crowd noise
Timeline: The timeline contains the tracks where you record Real and Software Instruments, add loops, and arrange regions.
Track Editor: Real Instrument track editor shows the waveform of the track or selected region. Move, crop, join, transpose, and rename regions in the editor.
Loop Browser: The loop browser lets you quickly find loops to add to your projects.
Track Info Pane: The Track Info pane shows the current instrument, effects, and input settings for the selected track, or the master effects settings for the master track. You can change these settings in the Track Info pane.
Watch a Video Demonstration
Audio and Microphone Settings
To record audio directly into GarageBand, you will need a recording device. Apple's iBook G4s come with a built-in microphone. It's suitable for simple applications, but for higher quality audio you'll need an external microphone with USB input. If using an external microphone, be sure to change your computer’s audio preference settings. Go to System Preferences > Sound > Input and select the name of your microphone. If your microphone came with a software CD, you may need to install the software before the computer will recognize your device.Set GarageBand's audio settings by going to Garageband > Preferences. Select the Audio/MIDI button at the top of the Preferences window and select the name of your microphone.
Recording the Audio
Select the male or female voice track by clicking directly on the desired layer. The layer will appear blue when selected. If the icon on the left is grayed out, click to turn it red. This will enable recording for the track.
The location of the Playhead (the vertical red line) indicates where the new microphone audio will be inserted. Move the Playhead to the beginning of the timeline by dragging it (grab it by the arrow at the top) or pressing "z" on the keyboard.
To begin recording, click the main Record button below the tracks area. Begin speaking. When you’re done, press the spacebar to stop recording. Press the "z" key to move the playhead back to the beginning and click Play (or Spacebar) to listen. Bravo!
Watch a Video Demonstration
Editing Sound Clips in the Timeline
- To change the clip length, click and drag the beginning or end of a clip.
- To move the entire clip, click and drag in the center of the clip.
- To delete a clip or segment of a clip, select the clip
and press Delete.
- To delete a portion of the audio, place the cursor at the
beginning of the desired area
and select Edit > Split (Command-T). Place the cursor at the end of the desired area and Split. Delete the section created by the splits. If necessary, close the gap by dragging the remaining clips together.
Editing Sound Clips in the Track Editor
- To perform detailed editing of tracks you will need to open the Track
Editor. Click the Track Editor icon in the lower left near the Record button.
- From within the Track Editor, select a specific area by clicking and dragging on the timeline. Click within the selection to slice the area. Once the area
is selected it may be deleted.
Adding a Jingle
- Click the Loop Browser icon directly below
the track names.
- When the menu appears below, select Jingles.
- Choose a style...
- ...then drag a specific jingle up to the Jingles track and drop it into the timeline.
- Drag and edit it in the same way you edited the voice tracks.
- To add sounds, select Sound Effects in the same menu. Choose
a style and specific sound, then drag it up to the timeline.
Mixing the Tracks
You may want to reduce the volume of jingles or sound effects
when voice tracks are playing.
To do this automatically, look for the tiny
arrows at the right edge of the Mixer column. Give the
voice tracks a dominant setting by selecting the Up arrow (orange). Give
all other tracks a non-dominant setting by selecting the Down arrow (blue).
This is called Ducking. 
To adjust Ducking settings, select a layer and click the Track
Info icon on the right. Select Master
Track, then click the Details arrow. Find Ducking
Amount at the bottom of the list. Drag the slider to increase
or decrease the degree to which non-dominant tracks will audibly drop below
the others. Adjusting the Volume Levels
Select the Track Volume button. This reveals the adjustment layer. Click on the volume level line within the timeline to create adjustment handles. Drag the handles up or down to heighten or lower the levels.
Adding Images
If you haven't already, take a moment to place your photos into the iPhoto library by connecting your camera or portable storage device to the computer, opening iPhoto, and clicking Import. Any images in the iPhoto Library will be accessible in GarageBand. (Trouble with images? ITC can edit and prepare photos for you).- To add images
to your podcast, click the Media Browser icon (in the
bottom right corner).
- Select the Photos button.
- Navigate through
your iPhoto Library. When you find an image you like, drag and drop it
into the Podcast Track.
While you’re in the Track Editor, fill in other details for your images. In the Chapter Title column, next to the image, type the title you’ve chosen. If you’d like the image to display a link, scroll over to the URL column and type or paste in a url. Follow up by typing the name of the linked site in the URL Title column.
Choose an image to represent your podcast when it is viewed online. Drag this image to the Episode Artwork area on the left.
Adding the Description
Remember that the podcasts you saw in iTunes had titles and descriptions. You’ll want to create these for your podcast as well.- With the Podcast Track selected, click the Track Info icon
(next to the Media Browser icon).
- Fill in Title, Artist,
and Description.
Exporting the File
In the menu, choose Share > Export Podcast to Disk. While you can also save the file straight to iTunes, this gives you an opportunity to save the files to an easy-to-find location. Select "Compress Using: MP3 Encoder". Choose an audio setting based on the content of your podcast. Choose a destination on your drive to save the podcast to.You’re almost done.
Posting to the Web
Now you’re ready to place your files online for public or student viewing. You have two main options:- Volcasting@UT
Visit Volcasting@UT, a directory of academic and event podcasts submitted by UT faculty, administrators, and students. Faculty and administrators can request an instructor account (students can be added later as part of specific classes). If you don't have an instructor account, choose Request Volcasting Course and follow the instructions. When you receive a confirmation email (within the next day or so), go to Upload your Podcast. You will be asked to enter information about the podcast. To attach the file, navigate to the file you created and select it. The file appears, with description and RSS feed, under View Courses.
Note: Volcasting@UT files can be made available to all visitors or protected behind a login.
- Blackboard (Online@UT)
Post your file to the web. You can upload it to Volcasting@UT, UT's Digital Media Services, or your own site or blog. When done, make a note of the URL.
Log in to Online@UT, choose your course, and navigate to a Content Area. In Edit View, click Add External Link. Give your file a short but descriptive name and add the URL. Under Text, add any necessary details.
Your podcast is online!