12-Step Podcast Production Process

Recently, I realized how convoluted and complex the production process is for the First Crack Podcast. Now, the process doesn’t need to be this complex. Nor did it start out this way for me. This process was an evolution, developed as I discovered the weaknesses of the applications I’m using and how I’m using them.

  1. Record in AudioHijack Pro ($32)
    AHP is more stable than GarageBand and Audacity – especially for recordings longer than 30 minutes. Before I switched to AHP for my raw AIFF recording – I’d easily lose 10% of my shows. AudioHijack Pro can handle all your mixing, ID3 tags, and uploading to the server (that’s what I do for the FastCast).
  2. Initial Edit in Audacity (Free)
    When you delete a section in GarageBand it leaves a hole, so you need to manually put the two pieces back together. Audacity automatically collapses the hole on delete – making the initial edit process go much faster. I export this initial edit as a WAV. I’ve also found Audacity easier than GarageBand to take a stereo track down to mono.
  3. Write up shownotes in MarsEdit ($25)
    The spellcheck and HTML shortcut keys make shownotes as easy as writing an email – and I don’t need to worry about accidently closing a browser window and losing what I’ve written.
  4. Conversion in QuickTime Pro ($30)
    GarageBand doesn’t like Audacity’s WAV file – misreads the kHz or something. So, I open the WAV in QuickTime Pro and export as an AIFF (QTP can reliably handle the initial record and easily copy/paste multiple files together).     Update 25 Jun 2007 – GarageBand now reads Audacity’s files.
  5. Open First Crack ‘base’ track in GarageBand ($79)
    I’ve got a GarageBand track with the intro and outro music already set, I record my voice-overs and import the AIFF file.
  6. Final Edit and Mixdown in GarageBand
    After giving it one more listen, I mix down and export to iTunes.
  7. MP3 Conversion in iTunes (free)
    Here I set the ID3 tags, artwork, and paste the first sentence or 2 of the shownotes into the comments field. I then convert to mp3 (56 kbps 44 kHz).
  8. Manual File Rename
    After the mp3 conversion, I track down the new file in my iTunes library, and manually rename it to FirstCrack_##-ShowName.mp3 – eliminating all spaces.
  9. Upload to server with Transmit ($30)
    Finally, I FTP the file to the server.
  10. Tell MarsEdit to ‘Send to Weblog’
    After the file is uploaded, I send the shownotes to the website.
  11. Open up post within WordPress‘ Admin Tool
    MarsEdit has two minor faults;
    1. It always sets the post category to ‘uncategorized’.
    2. It doesn’t trigger WordPress to automatically detect the mp3 file and create the ‘enclosure’ tag.

    I uncheck the unwanted category and hit ‘Save and Continue’ to trigger the mp3 enclosure creation.

  12. Celebrate – another podcast is up.

A Quick Reminder on Equivalent Power

Since finally listening to Dave Slusher’s the Human Touch presentation from the Podcast and Portable Media Expo, I’ve been thinking a lot about ‘equivalent power’. The notion that if you want to rebut anything I write on any of my blogs, you can do so on your own blog or podcast. This is different than in traditional media where the publisher (newspaper editor, radio show screener, TV producer) can easily censor comments.

Then this gem shows up from the guy I thank for starting us down this righteous path of togetherness:

“When people get the idea that they’re on some righteous path that’s exclusive of others, that’s when I start shaking my head….Get a clue, we’re all bozos on this bus, and none of us gets out of this alive.” – Dave Winer

The Next Standard in Public Radio

When I started podcasting a year ago I was questioning Public Radio’s role in my life. The news and regular programs were no longer satisfying. Then they started the Current – kept me supporting them for a couple months. Then, it started to sound more like more of the same and hey, look, interesting stuff happening in podcast-land.

In the mail today was letter from Minnesota Public Radio asking me to help them raise an additional $3 Million before the year’s end. That’s $1 million / week for their capital campaign to build the Next Standard in public radio. This letter is on the heals of a very expensive ‘save the date’ flyer for another fund raiser early next year.

I can’t support them.

Raising multiple millions ($43) and asking for more smells too much like a pre-flameout dotcom or an insensitive, out-of-touch media conglomerate. Two things I don’t want associated with my public radio.

When I look around at regular individuals like you publishing blogs, podcasts, and video-blogs regularly and without millions of dollars, I think, “This is the public creating radio. This is public radio.”

No, we don’t need no sticking transmitters.

Related: 85% of 12-24 year olds choose their MP3 player over traditional radio as a preferred option for music…. “54% of the total sample says there is not a radio station in their area that plays their favorite music.”

Amazing Race 8 – Episode 10

Bills Bust

“Let’s just focus – we might have to eat some turtle.”

This is the Big Catch Up we’ve missed the last couple of episodes.

Detour: Pioneer Spirit or Native Tradition?
We’re going for assembling the wagon wheels and horse team. I’m feeling like the horse team might not be _that_ much trouble.

Buffalo Bill is one of my favorite Old West personalities. Great story on how one man can change….unless I’m confusing him with Wil Rogers. Eh, either way. First time we drove through Nebraska, we stopped at some roadside Buffalo Bill Cody attraction. More poop jokes in one spot than anywhere else. So many.

The photo kicking off this post I shot in Deadwood, SD this summer. I’m pretty sure it’s Buffalo Bill (and would appreciate a correction if I’m wrong – thanks).

Roadblock: Finding Colored Golf Balls?
In this challenge (find 4 golf balls of a specific color) the leader has the advantage only if they pick a color that’s easy to spot from a distance. Trailing the pack and being stuck with ‘green’ will guarantee a good walk spoiled.

Current Standing of Garrick’s Favorites:

  • Lintz – #2

Why Google Analytics Isn’t Useful

After a couple months of being completely without site analytics, I thought I’d try out Google Analytics.

Things it doesn’t measure; RSS feeds, downloads, downloads from RSS feeds.

Considering 95% of what I’m tracking is accessible via an RSS feed (like podcasts). Google isn’t helping me. The previous iteration of their tool – Urchin, was a server log cruncher, not a pixel bug (little big of javascript on every page). As a server log cruncher – I could measure RSS subscriptions and related downloads. As a pixel bug – despite how sexy the map overlay view of traffic is – I’m helping Google more than the other way around.

I’m confident the people that I’m writing this for – i.e. you – are reading this via some type of RSS aggregator (yes, My Yahoo and the gFeed counts). So, ironically, the people I’m most interested in – i.e. you – aren’t counted via Google. Only the people viewing the HTML version of the site. Like those coming by via Google. Hmmmmm. This doesn’t feel right.

Related: Read/WriteWeb: “Page Views per user: RSS blows HTML away”

Update 5 Jan 2006: Google Analytics doesn’t give full referrer URLs. It’d be more useful if it did.

Tuesday’s Triple Play – Love Goes the Distance

Back when Jen and I were dating, I made a mix tape for her entitled ‘Breakup Song Not Included’ – I think it’s still around here somewhere too. She took one look at the track list and declared, “Everyone of these songs is a break up song.”

She was right.

And if you know who said, “There are no love songs, only out of love songs. When you’re in love, you don’t have time to write a song”, this week’s Triple Play is dedicated to you.

Goodbye BlogDigger, Hello AmigoFish

There’s been a problem since the dawn of podcasting – how to find interesting, new things to listen to.

For the past year, my strategy: subscribe to the notoriously noisy BlogDigger for say, a day or so then frantically unsubscribe – the phrase “drink from the firehose” seems appropriate here. Listen to everything over the next 3 weeks, toss out 98% hay, keep the 2% needle.

Highly inefficient. Unfortunately, nothing better existed.

Until a couple weeks ago when Dave Slusher unveiled AmigoFish. Think Netflix for podcasts – rate what you’ve listened to thus far, have the rest of the world find good stuff you’ve missed.

Thus far, I’ve found the fantastic smallworldpodcast interview with Gallagher and noticed Smart City Radio (highly recommended by Joe Urban) is now available via RSS.

From my predictions – there’s a good mix of music, tech, public radio, audio blogs, and stuff less easily definable. These are all good things.

Blogdigger has been wiped from my aggregator. I don’t expect it back ever. AmigoFish is my new friend.

The oddest thing about my experience with AmigoFish?

Everytime I skim the list, I think, “Dave thinks I should listen to this”. Now, that’s no more true with these podcasts than it is with books at Amazon or films at Netflix – but it makes me feel better about AmigoFish than those other places.

UPDATE: AmigoFish adds RSS Prediction Feeds. I knew AmigoFish wouldn’t be useful until it had prediction feeds – I didn’t think it’d turn into my favorite ‘podcast’ in under a week.

Newborn Diaper Review

We started with a couple packages of Huggies newborn diapers. Worked well enough. Though odd things would happen – say, Cooper’s back would be wet. How’s that happen?

I wrote it off to our model being slightly smaller than Huggies’ newborn model. Then we mixed in a couple packages of Pampers newborn diapers. Despite their new car with baby powder smell, they perform better than the Huggies.

Tonight, we got a pack of Luvs newborns – with their Ultra LeakGuard. Unless Luvs are installed differently, something is seriously odd with these diapers. I had to check the package twice to verify they were for newborns. Pulling the sides all snug in front leaves a half-inch gap up front. With a little boy – this is like staring down the barrel of a loaded gun. Tick Tock.

We tried 2 before switching back to the Pampers.

On a unrelated note – I don’t understand why Muppets and other children’s characters are on the front of newborn diapers. The kid can’t focus that far – and well, I see a huge opportunity for helpful hints like – in the case of the Luvs – installation instructions. At least something entertaining like George Carlin quotes.

“What if there were no hypothetical questions?”

It’d be a nice moment of Zen.

Gardens of Salonica – Comfortable Greek

Last night, Jen and I went out to dinner in celebration of our anniversary at NE Minneapolis’ Gardens of Salonica (19 5th Street NE, Minneapolis). Gardens is half a step outside of the hustle and bustle of the St. Anthony Main and that’s why I like it. This 2-room restaurant so comfortable and personable, I feel like everyone that walks in is family. Thankfully, ours was home keeping an eye on Cooper.

Then there’s the food.

The pureed caviar appetizer is amazing. Just remarkable. I don’t know why they have any other appetizers. The tangy saltiness sets the meal off right every time. On the other hand, as much as we like calamari, we never have much luck with their octopodi.

Jen went with the tried and true Psito – which I believe is Greek for “best lamb you’ve ever had”. Yes. So good. I had the goat shank and spinach special, fall off the bone tender, nice hint of lemon, still not as good as the lamb. Plus, both were sensible, reasonable portion sizes. Refreshing in itself.

Normally, we’d go for their figs-in-port desert – but tonight Jen wanted chocolate and nothing on Gardens’ menu fit the bill. Instead, we walked 2 blocks to the Wilde Roast Cafe and sampled their molten lava chocolate baby cake.