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Digital Media

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 ‘08 (Apple has since released iLife '09). 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 ’08 (GarageBand, iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, iWeb) - bundled with OS X
  

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 four 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

Timeline: The timeline contains the tracks where you record real and software-based 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. Several Mac laptops 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

1. To change the clip length, click and drag the beginning or end of a clip.
   
   
   
   
2. To move the entire clip, click and drag in the center of the clip.
   
   
3. To delete a clip or segment of a clip, select the clip and press Delete.
   
   
4. 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

1. 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.
   
   
   
   
2. 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

1. Click the Loop Browser icon directly below the track names.
   
   
   
   
2. When the menu appears below, select Jingles.
   
   
   
   
3. Choose a style...
   
   
   
   
4. ...then drag a specific jingle up to the Jingles track and drop it into the timeline.
   
   
   
   
5. Drag and edit it in the same way you edited the voice tracks.
   
   
6. 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).

1. To add images to your podcast, click the Media Browser icon (in the bottom right corner).
   
   
   
   
2. Select the Photos button.
   
   
   
   
3. Navigate through your iPhoto Library. When you find an image you like, drag and drop it into the Podcast Track.
   
   
   
   

If you want a particular image to act as a bookmark in your Enhanced Podcast, click the Track Editor icon (bottom left) and look for a layer containing that image.



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.

1. With the Podcast Track selected, click the Track Info icon (next to the Media Browser icon).
   
   
   
   
2. Fill in Title, Artist, and Description.
   
   
   
   

Posting to the Web

Now you’re ready to place your files online for public or student viewing. You have two main options:

• UTK on iTunes U
  iTunes© U is a dedicated area within the iTunes Store. It features a free, hosted service for colleges and universities that provides access to their educational content: course lectures, interviews, lab demonstrations, etc. Visit the UTK on iTunes U site to learn more about the University of Tennessee's partnership with iTunes.
  
  Note: UTK on iTunes U 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 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!