Podcasting 101

Have you ever had an idea for a podcast and not known exactly where to begin? Looking for answers online turns up a variety of resources, but it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you see extensive lists of gear, software, and production techniques.

Fortunately, the Library is a great first step to learning the tools of the trade! The Library’s Digital Media Expert’s recommendation for anyone who asks about audio editing or making a podcast is Audacity, a free open-source audio-editing application.

The great thing about Audacity is how feature rich it is, while remaining fairly accessible. There are also plenty of great tutorials online, such as this LinkedIn Learning course introducing you to the basics of getting started. In this course, you can observe how to download and install Audacity on both Mac and Windows, import and play existing audio files, and record original audio, including multitrack audio projects. You can also view how to perform basic editing tasks like copying and pasting audio and splitting clips, as well as some more advanced tricks like automating volume changes across a project.

Speaking of Lynda, they also have a great course on podcast production in general and one on using Audacity to clean up your sound files

Finally, if you are looking to jumpstart your production watch this podcasting overview by B&H Video which provides some quick and easy tips for getting started