Each for All: The Co-operative Connection

Hey kids, here’s what I do to create a podcast for posting on our website. This is really an internal document, but I thought I would post it here just in case someone out there in cyberspace could use it.

Step 1: Record the Show
Yesterday, or last week, you recorded your episode of Each for All: The Co-operative Connection. It was a great experience you really enjoyed. Now it’s finally time to edit the show and get it ready to post on the website.

You either recorded the show directly to CD during taping or you recorded directly into Audition. Either way, open the file either off the CD or off your hard drive. Edit that to hell. Remove all the dead air (but leave the dramatic pauses), remove people’s smacking or clicking lip noises (time permitting), people’s long “Ummmms” as they're searching for words, and any other short segments that make you or your guest sound like a tool.

Step 2: Post the Show

Format for posting files using Adobe Audition on a PC
So now you’re working away in Adobe Audition; your two hour session that felt like twenty minutes ends with your grudging acceptence, “That’ll have to do.” Now it’s time to export the files to mp3 format. Click on the File > Save As… . From the Save as type: dropdown menu select the mp3 format. Next, click the Options button bellow that field. This will open the MP3 Encoder Options window.

You’ll need to visit this window twice; once for each file type you want to save.
Save Two Files in the following formats:

1. Large: Variable Bitrate mp3 – 135-195kbps – 30 mins ~ 24MB
2. Smallest: Constant Bitrate mp3 – 24kbps, 11025 Hz, Stereo, 117.6:1 – 30 mins ~ 5MB

Format for posting using Audacity on a Mac running OS X
Download it for free right now: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

You’re using Audacity so either you’re working away on your Mac or a UNIX box, or you’re a PC user that just loves Open Source, whatever, congratulations on not being a sheep. Baaaah. So you’re feeling all self-righteous editing your radio show on co-operatives using your co-operatively built audio editing software; your two hour session that felt like twenty minutes ends with your grudging acceptance, “I am a genius.” or “That’ll have to do.” Now it’s time to export the files to mp3 format.

First, make sure you installed the LAME MP3 encoder from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=install&item=lame-mp3           

To set the quality of the two file formats using the LAME MP3 encoder, you have to go into the Audacity Preferences panel. Click the File Formats tab and down at the bottom of that is the place to set the Bit Rate for the file exports. The bit rates we use for the two files we export at 128kbs and 24kbs. So start by setting the Bit Rate to 128. That should be the default value. 

Click on the File > Export Entire File as MP3 . Wait 8mins for it to save then go back to the Audacity Preferences pane and switch the Bit Rate to 24. Do the File > Export Entire File as MP3 thing again and you’re done!

If you’re using Audacity and you don’t have the LAME MP3 encoder installed (right now I’m on an Intel mac and the LAME encoder hasn’t been ported yet) then you should try out FFMpegX converter (http://ffmpegX.com). This program rocks. It converts a bunch of different Video and Audio formats to a bunch of different formats. Using it you can drag your saved .WAV files into the program and it will convert it to the format you want. It’s really easy to use. Check it out. When creating the two sets of files for the BCICS radio show we made one 128kbs and one 32kbs file.

Naming the Files
These are the two files people will download from the website page for this episode. This is a good time to check your file naming convention matches the current naming scheme. Lately we’ve been using the following naming scheme:
http://web.uvic.ca/bcics/radio/Each_For_All_S1E6_08Jun06_large.mp3
So that’s Each For All, the S1 for season 1, E6 for episode 6, and the date DDMonYY, dot mp3.

Making the Podcast File
The Podcast is simple. Simply use the Smallest file you exported.