Originally given at PodCamp AZ 2009. There are lots of ways to make a podcast. And the technical aspects can be daunting. But did you know that while there are many right ways, there are also some major pitfalls to avoid when creating your podcast's .mp3 files? This quick presentation takes a look at the five most common errors made on the technical side of podcasting, and how to fix them.

1. 5 Reasons Your Podcast
TECHNICALLY Sucks…
AND WHAT YO U CAN DO ABO UT IT
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

2. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

3. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
November 2005 December 2007 July 2008
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

4. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

5. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
5 years
1 months
1 day
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

6. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

7. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#1. You don’t use The Levelator
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

8. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#1. You don’t use The Levelator
Voice #1 Voice #2
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

9. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#1. You don’t use The Levelator
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

10. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#1. You don’t use The Levelator
Arguments against:
• I want to mix effects in real-time
Then get better at mixing in real-time.
• But I lose my dynamic range!
I drive a rag-top Jeep. Do you think I hear it?
• I can do a better job on my own manually.
You have more time than I.
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

11. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

12. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
Sample Rate:
How “frequent” samples of sound are taken
to create the file.
~20 kHz
x2 = ~40 kHz
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

13. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
Adobe Flash Players:
Native sample rate of 11.025 kHz.
22.050 kHz
44.1 kHz
48 kHz gives…
unusual results.
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

14. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
Adobe Flash Player 10:
Only allows a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz.
Sample Rate:
44.1 kHz…
ALWAYS (for now).
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

15. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
Bit Rate:
Number of “bits” of data per second.
32 kbps = AM radio
96 kbps = FM radio
192 kbps = Digital radio
320 kbps = CD quality
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

16. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
Bit Rate:
Number of “bits” of data per second.
128 kbps…
for now.
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

17. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
Channels:
Mono vs. Stereo vs. Joint Stereo
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

18. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
Channels:
Mono vs. Stereo vs. Joint Stereo
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

19. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
Channels:
Mono vs. Stereo vs. Joint Stereo
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

20. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
44.1 kHz | 128 kbps | Joint Stereo
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

21. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
44.1 kHz | 128 kbps | Joint Stereo
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

22. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
44.1 kHz | 128 kbps | Joint Stereo
Arguments against:
• I’m lazy.
I know.
• I forget.
Write it down.
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

23. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#3. You aren’t using ID3 tags properly
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

24. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#3. You aren’t using ID3 tags properly
<TITLE> of Episode/Post
Download Year
<TITLE> of Show
Podcast
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

25. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#3. You aren’t using ID3 tags properly
<TITLE> of Episode/Post
Download Year
<TITLE> of Show
Podcast
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

26. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#3. You aren’t using ID3 tags properly
Name/Title: Name of THIS episode
Artist: Host of the show. Keep consistent.
Album: Name of the SHOW.
Genre: “Podcast”. Always.
Year: Year of recording/release
Track Number: Sequential number
Grouping: Good if part of a “network”
Comments: For “in the wild” files.
Part of Compilation: Only if truly needed
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

27. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#3. You aren’t using ID3 tags properly
Name/Title: Name of THIS episode
Artist: Host of the show. Keep consistent.
Album: Name of the SHOW.
Genre: “Podcast”. Always.
Year: Year of recording/release
Track Number: Sequential number
Grouping: Good if part of a “network”
Comments: For “in the wild” files.
Part of Compilation: Only if truly needed
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

28. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#3. You aren’t using ID3 tags properly
Arguments against:
• Blah, blah, blah.
I hear your lips moving…
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

29. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#4. You aren’t using headphones when you edit
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

30. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#4. You aren’t using headphones when you edit
1. Put your headphones on.
2. Listen to something loud, as loud as you can stand it.
3. Listen to your file. Do you have to adjust up the
volume?
4. If you did, adjust volume to as loud as you can stand
your file.
5. Now -- without adjusting your volume -- listen to the
loud track again.
6. When your ears quit ringing/bleeding, normalize your
track’s volume.
7. You’re welcome, from all of us with tinnitus thanks to
you & those like you.
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

31. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#4. You aren’t using headphones when you edit
Arguments against:
• [redacted]
Don’t even try and justify this crap.
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

32. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#5. You don’t listen
– To your own show
• Post-editing
• Post-encoding
• Subscribe & listen like a listener
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

33. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#5. You don’t listen
– To other shows like yours
• Learn & grow
• Understand audience’s expectation
• Connect with your peers
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

34. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#5. You don’t listen
– To any other podcast
• How do you know what to do?
• How do you know what anyone wants?
• Why the hell are you here?
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

35. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#5. You don’t listen
Arguments against:
• But it takes time.
Yes. Yes this does.
• And I’m busy.
Aren’t we all.
• And I’m just doing this for fun.
And that’s relevant how?
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

36. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#1. You don’t use The Levelator
#2. You are encoding incorrectly
#3. You aren’t using ID3 tags properly
#4. You aren’t using headphones when
you edit
#5. You don’t listen
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

37. 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks
#1. Use The Levelator
#2. Encode correctly
#3. Use ID3 tags properly
#4. Use headphones when you edit
#5. Listen
Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com

38. 5 Reasons Your Podcast
TECHNICALLY Sucks Evo Terra
FunAnymore.com