STEP 1. Your Script
Before you record in Audacity, you need to plan out your script.
Your teacher has probably already talked to you about what format
you should use to plan your script. In the opening seconds of your
podcast, you need to make sure to include your first name, a brief
introduction to your recording and a reference to your show notes if
you will have any.
You could say something like:
"Hello, this is _________________ from The Academy High School in
Irving Texas.
Today is __________________ and you are listening to
__________________ .
In this podcast you will hear __________________ .
Don't forget to check out my show notes
that are uploaded at www.______________."
This introduction establishes who you are and what your audience can
expect to hear in your recording. If you need to include any
research citations or any other references (word documents,
powerpoints, hyperlinks, etc.) you will also tell your listeners
where they can locate them on the internet. STEP 4 below talks about
show notes in my detail.
STEP 2. Record/Edit in Audacity
Using Audacity is a lot like using an old tape recorder. There is a
record button, a pause, stop, rewind, and a fast forward button.
Once you plug in your USB microphone, you can begin recording your
voice immediately. For tutorials on using Audacity, go to
Understanding the Audacity window
Working with Audacity Project files
Recording your voice with a microphone
Record sounds directly from your computer
Basic editing with the selection tool
Remember, when you save an Audcacity project (File > Save) you will
have an .AUP file and a folder fill of sound files. Saving lets you
go back and edit whenever you want as long as both the .AUP file and
the folder have been saved in the same location. They do save to the
same place automatically, but if you move one to a new folder, the
other has to be moved as well.
STEP 3. Convert to MP3 Format
To export your Project to an MP3, you need to have the Lame MP3
encoder installed on your computer. If you don't think you have it
installed, click here for help.
When you are completely finished editing and ready to export, click
File > Export as MP3 which will mix your voice and music tracks to a
single MP3 file. When you do this, a dialogue will pop up asking you
to edit the ID3 tags. These are tags which most audio players can
read which give information such as the Title and Genre of the
track.
Here's a short tutorial on Exporting and labeling ID3 tags
STEP
4. Show Notes
If you have anything to include with your podcast (like a
bibliography, powerpoint, etc.) that should be uploaded and included
with your MP3 file. This attachment is called Show Notes. Since the
document is going to be uploaded to the internet, its best to
convert it to a .PDF document. If you are using a school laptop,
this is very simple.
To convert any document to .PDF, go to File > Print. From the
Printer Selection window, choose "Cute PDF Writer" from the list.
When you hit OK, it will create a brand new .PDF document file. You
can name it whatever you want and save it wherever you want.
STEP
5. Submit Your Project
If you are making a podcast for a class project, you will
probably be turning your files to your teacher. If you are making a
podcast to submit directly to the school website, you can email the
files to
dwilson@irvingisd.net.
You will need to upload your .MP3 file and (if you have one) your
show notes document in .PDF format. The file names for both of these
files sound be similar. For example:
myfirstpodcast.mp3 and myfirstpodcast.pdf
Make sure NOT to use and special characters (-, ', &, "") or spaces
in the file names.
Music for use in your Podcasts:
If you want to use music in your podcast, you must make sure
your are acting within federal Copyright usage laws. The best way to
do this is to only search for "copyright-free" music clips. Here's a
few places to start your search:
www.ccmixter.org
www.podsafeaudio.com
www.splicemusic.com
www.beatpick.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Academy Podcast FAQ's
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