Using GarageBand? The audacity of me!

Originally, I thought I would use Audacity for my podcast episode. I researched it, included it in my research plan, had it all planned out -- until I realized I'm awf'ly silly. I own a Mac, and on my Mac I happen to have a useful little byte of software called GarageBand. Not only do I have the program, I also have considerable experience using it: way back in high school, I used GarageBand all the time. I produced my entire final creative writing portfolio using it. I'm still quite familiar and comfortable with its editing features. I've always been really satisfied with the sound quality I get using the program, even just using the built-in microphone on my computer.

The great thing about GarageBand is that it's very visual, and very simple -- it is designed for Mac users, after all. You can select sound samples, click & drag them to different tracks, and within moments you've patched together an entire polished recording. You can find a good overview/introduction to the program here. If you're interested in learning more about GarageBand, the uploader (TheGarageBandGuide) has a whole series of video tutorials for the program.

I found a few useful tutorials directly geared towards recording podcasts using GarageBand as well. Check them out here, here, and here.

The nice thing about GarageBand is that it comes with a huge database of royalty-free loops and sound samples -- which means that instead of having to search around the dusty nooks and crannies of the Internet for sound bytes (or having to make them yourself), you can just browse through the seemingly endless loops built into the program. It saves a lot of time and hair-tearing.

All in all, I'm pretty confident in using GarageBand and excited to get started!

Mac comes with some pretty cool gadgets!

The software I had been planning on using for my podcast didn't have many instructional videos or review websites, but looking further into the software available, I discovered that I'm a complete fool. The entire time I was looking for initial software, I had had it all along on my computer!

GarageBand is a program that comes with mac computers (of which I have), and there is endless amounts of online advice on how to use it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0AqMkTmlvM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USo-jTpIycw

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-create-podcasts-in-garageband.html

I've opened up Garageband and tried it out a few times using the methods listed in each of these sites. I can do all of the recording, clipping, and adding of outside audio all within this one program. It appears to be fairly simple, and I'm excited to snip out all the pesky imperfections that I couldn't with my previous software, eXtra Voice Recorder Plus Lite.

The sound quality on GarageBand is much better than that of the other software, which is odd considering I was using the same recording equipment.

Either way, I'm happy with my change in programming, and excited to start creating!

Software

I first considered using the program WavePad to record my podcast episode, but discovered that without a microphone the sound wasn’t as clear as I wanted it to sound. I am conducting an interview and need both voices to stay consistent throughout the recording. If the voices aren’t recorded in an equal or similar volume it makes the conversation difficult to listen to. I want, not only the content, but the sound to be enjoyable to listen to. So, instead of using WavePad on my MacBook Pro,  I will use my iPhone’s voice memo application. Our voices will sound better with this software because we are able to control the distance of the microphone to our mouths more closely and precisely. After we record the interview on my phone, I will upload the file and edit it on the program Audacity. It is free, easy to download and highly commented on on the internet. Although I haven’t used it before, or anything like it, there are easy-to-follow tutorials online and we are also having a demonstration in class on how to use it. I feel confident that I will be able to create my podcast with both of these software programs, despite how awful my voice sounds in a recording. 

Software Update

Hey everyone,
I see that the progress on the podcasts have definitely increased in the past few weeks. Reading about the different ideas that people have as their topics has been both inspirational and fun, so keep it up  :).

This week I looked into different editing softwares that I wanted to test out for the final assignment. After looking into a few reviews, I decided upon the software "Audacity".
One review I looked at was a website that reviewed the top ten podcast programs. It rated audacity as 7.3 out of 10 overall. From this review, there was an important section that struck out to me.

Editing Features 10/10
Audacity offers an outstanding array of editing tools including. The tools you use most for podcasts include mixing, cropping, cross fading, noise reduction and much more. It also has effects like echo, fade, modulation, normalization, reverse and tempo.
Editing sound files is Audacity’s primary function. Therefore, it offers every tool and function you need to create the perfect sounding podcast. The software provides you a waveform of the sound file you are working on. This gives you the ability to do whatever you want to your sound file. You just have to know how to use it.
("Audacity." Tech Media Network, 2014. Web. 2014.)

For me, the fact that audacity primarily focuses on the editing features is a huge plus, as I believe that the editing process is the most important aspect of creating a podcast. Audacity essentially as the ability to manipulate the podcast in almost any way possible from all the editing features.
The other source I looked at to find out more about audacity was the manual.
This site provides information and tutorials for all sorts of topics including “vocal removal and isolation” and “mixing voice with background music.”
("Audacity Manual Contents." Audacity Manual. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.)

When I first tried out the program, it seemed a little confusing, though that may be because of my lack of technology skills. However, with the help of this manual, I was able to understand the software and navigate the program pretty quickly. Now when I have questions on how to do things, I refer straight to the manual.
Over the weekend, I tried recording a part of my podcast to play around with the software. As soon as I played it back, I cringed. It feels odd hearing the sound of your own voice played back to you. I’m sure I will get used to it, but for my podcast, I’m personally going to try and get other people to speak instead. Listening to myself go on about a topic makes me feel weird! I’m sure there are others who can relate! However, I do also believe that the more I hear myself speak, the more used to it I will feel!
Anyways, until next time... Good luck everybody!

Software and Hardware

Hello

            For my podcast, I will be using Audacity for both my recording and editing needs. I have used it briefly before, very minimally in recording but quite a bit for sound editing music. For me, it is an easy software to get into and perform well in. For this project, I know it will fill my needs perfectly. I have tried Adobe Audition before and although it can outperform Audacity, it takes time to master.

            Honestly, the easiest way to understand how Audacity works is to just sit down and play around with it. However, to remove audio all one has to do is highlight the audio they wish to remove and simply delete it. Almost like a word document when you highlight the words you wish to remove and simply press delete. Same principle, the only difference being that you’re looking at a sound wave instead of words.

            If you’re looking to download Audacity, here’s a link.

            If you’re looking for helpful guides, outside of videos, for Audacity check this page.

            I have recorded my voice and I’m happy with the quality of the sound. Everything technical is in check. I recently did an interview assignment where I recorded the interview and had to listen to myself, so I’m not as annoyed by my voice as before.

            Thanks for reading

Christopher Chin

Birdies and the 'Band

Thus far we have experimented with Garageband as our recording tool for the upcoming podcast. The Mac software offers a template specifically for podcast recording. In the new podcast window, we can select to record on the female or male track. Under these main tracks we can insert royalty free loops and sound effects as the background to our podcast. 

Using a Mac forum website, I found helpful and essential information on clearing noise in voice recordings with Garageband. After selecting the track you want to clean up, open the track info into the sidebar. Selecting "Treble Reducation" we can raise or lower the the manual setting to smooth the recording. After trying it on a test recording, this simple process did make a significant difference to the sound quality of our recording. 

In this test recording, I found the process fairly simple. What I liked most about the software was how easy it was to clip and rearrange tracks, and layering them with ducking, so that one voice takes precedence over others. 

At the end of the test, I was happy with what the software was able to produce--all that is left to work out is my voice sounding akin to the little birds that dress Cinderella. 

Recording Software

My partner and I plan are considering to use one of our iPhones to record our podcast. We have been researching about applications that will allow us to do so and have come across one called Speaker Radio and Podcast Recorder. We came to know about this app by simply researching podcast recording applications on Google, then reading a little bit about it. We do have a few other options if anything goes wrong while using this application for recording. I have heard that the program Audacity is great for recording, so we are considering using this program instead. Once we learn more about it in lecture, we will be able to decide whether or not this will be a better and easier recording software. Audacity does seem like the better tool to use since it will then allow us to edit our podcast after recording, all using the same program. We have looked into editing our podcast and came to realize that Speaker Radio does not have an editing feature. If we do decide to record with Speaker Radio, we have research iRig to be an easy and reliable podcast editing application, also available for download on an iPhone.

Features of Speaker Radio:
-mix and broadcast your voice with sound effects
-share audio updates on social media
-manage and modify your podcast

Tips for using Speaker Radio:
-must have iOS version 5.0 (or later)
-this app will unfortunately only save with uploading to iTunes, so this should be installed prior to recording
-Speaker Radio does not allow for editing, so look into apps that were designed for the purpose of editing podcast recording, to get the most editing features out of it
-for additional information, log on to official website, www.speaker.com

We have tested out Speaker Radio and have yet to understand how to pause during recording. This may be a problem if the app does not allow us to do this. This may make the recording process very difficult as pausing will certainly be necessary.

Adelina Ruffolo, W14: software

Hey all,

        So after looking into the different types of editing and recording software I found that the best one to use is Audacity. It is free and easy to download. There are a lot of different websites providing tips on how to use Audacity, which will help me and my partner with our podcast.

       Some advice I found on using Audacity are the following:

             -http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Audacity
             -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w5L3gy9IJI
             -http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/tutorials.html

      The first link just provides you with a few cool things you can do with Audacity and how to do it. Like how to use clips. The second link is a youtube video on the basics of Audacity, it is pretty much a step by step process of what you need to know to use the program. The third link is from the Audacity website, it is under a tutorial section, which outlines some basics for beginners. It outlines how to record, how to edit, how to cut and copy and use sound clips.

     I think the first few times using this program will be somewhat difficult for me because I've never used anything like this before. After a few times using the program, I see it getting easier to use. With all the guidelines out there helping us learn how to use the program, it should not be that hard. After downloading the program and recording something short and playing it back, I like the way it sounds. So me and my partner may use this for our podcast.

Week 9

My partner and I have decided to use Apple’s GarageBand software to record our podcast. I’m quite familiar with this program, as I purchased my Mac in the beginning of last summer, and have had plenty of time to experiment with it. At the time, I was working on a personal project and came across this- a user guide from Miami University called Podcasting With GarageBand. I decided to bookmark it because it is so helpful and I had a feeling it would come in handy in the future. Thank you, past-self.

In addition to this resource, a quick search on YouTube using the phrase “use GarageBand to record podcast” bears many useful results. The first video “How to use GarageBand to record a Podcast” tells us about audio levels, podcast quality, and other details that are relevant to the first time user.

I won’t try out the software now, because I still have some work to do and I’m sure I’ll become distracted… but also because I don’t have a microphone. But from experience I know this— and I’m sure many others would agree— it’s always unpleasant to hear your own voice on a recording of any kind.  

Podcast Killed My Radio Voice

Hi all,

I have come across an editing and recording software called Audacity. Audacity is a free downloadable program where you can record directly on it or import file sounds. The software setup is fairly simple and easy to navigate through. You can record your own voice by simply pressing record but make sure that you have a microphone to speak into. If you do not have a microphone, the other option is to record your voice on an Ipod or a similar device and upload it as an audio file.

Once, you have imported the sound file, by going to file and pressing import, the recording will appear as sound waves on the software. You have the ability to shorten the length by highlighting and pressing the delete button. You can turn down the volume on a sound or make it fade away. This is great when you want to have background music for the podcast or want to have a smooth way to end a sound effect. You can just as easily end the podcast with either fading out your voice or bringing up the volume on the background music. Another convenient option is the ability to import multiple sounds at the same time, cut the length, and move them around to make one file of mixed sounds.

Want more aesthetically and detailed tutorials check out these Youtube tutorials that I watched by Mitch Ward:

Audacity Lesson One The Basics
Audacity Lesson Two Editing

I am excited to start editing and recording except the part where I have to hear my voice. I have recorded myself and I am not to confident with the way I sound and I think it is partly because I just naturally cringe at the sound of my voice. Hey, I guess not all of us can have radio voices now can we? Other then that I think it will be a fun and creative experience especially since Audacity is easy to navigate through; considering that I am technology challenged. Good luck everyone.

Software - Justyne Yuen-Lee

For my podcast, I’m considering using GarageBand on my Macbook after someone suggested it. Apple has a step-by-step guide on their website that is easily to follow. It includes steps from the very beginning of creating a new podcast, recording your voice using a microphone, adding jingles and sound effects, importing media files, to sharing the podcast online or by exporting it. There is also a YouTube tutorial by Eric Timmer for the new version of GarageBand so, I, a new user, can watch exactly what to click. He points out that Apple removed the podcast option, but can create a podcast on empty project.

            After playing around with GarageBand, I think it’ll take some time to get used to the program, but that’s just like any other software. I think after getting the hang of it, it’ll be okay for me to use it without much difficulty. But I also foresee that once I do learn how to do more things, I’ll spend more time editing the little details rather than focusing on recording the entire podcast.

            I recorded my voice as a test and, as usual, I hate the way I sound in recordings, but, I have no choice! Here’s to finishing the rest of my research.

Software: Graeme Scallion, W14

As Professor Bell recommended, I’ll be recording and editing my podcast using Audacity. Everyone I’ve asked has agreed that Audacity is incredibly user-friendly and accessible to those without prior experience with audio production – and on top of that, it’s free!

Audacity’s website has a link to a detailed user-updated wiki page, complete with manuals, tutorials, and explanations about how to work the various features found under the EFFECTS tab. I think this resource will become very important to me once I begin the recording process, but since I’m completely new to the program, I turned to a series of Youtube videos posted by a user named Justin Walberg. These three short videos serve as a brief introduction to the basics of Audacity, such as how to record, amplify sections of a track, minimize white noise, alter the pitch and tempo of the audio file, and delete sections of the track. However, these videos do not explain how to mix audio tracks, which I believe will be crucial knowledge for incorporating background music, or even for pasting multiple tracks together so that I don’t have to record my entire speech in one sitting. Luckily, the Audacity wiki has a complete and comprehensive page on mixing audio tracks.

I downloaded Audacity a few weeks ago, and even before I consulted any tutorials I was pleased to find how easy the program is to operate. I was importing and editing existing audio files within minutes of initially opening the page, and though there were (and are) several features that I don’t yet understand, I’m confident that this is the program to get me through this project. I tested out the recording feature using the microphone built into my laptop, and luckily my microphone is of such high quality that it picks up almost no white noise. Because of this, my recordings sound relatively professional without any tampering whatsoever, and the use of the added features only enhances the quality of the audio. That being said, I’m not sure I like the way my voice sounds on the recording, but if I become especially self-conscious I could easily alter the pitch or tempo of my speech using the EFFECTS tab and create a new voice for myself. Overall, I’m very pleased with the program, and I’m eager to keep moving the project forward.

Record time

In my younger and more vulnerable years, I wanted to be a celebrated performing artist. That obviously didn't work out. Just look at what's occupying my Sunday afternoons. In those days I had a MacBook and a program on it called GarageBand that I used to record my cracking pre-pubescent voice. Now it seems fit to take that program off my digital shelf, maybe dust it, and use it to record this podcast. I didn't bother researching this software very much because I'm already quite familiar with it, and how to make something sound good and almost professional. I've never made a podcast with this software before, though this video shows that it's quite similar to recording music. What I have researched is microphones. I'm currently looking for a high quality microphone that I can buy and return after I'm finished with it. Suggestions are welcomed.

I don't like how I sound.

Software for Podcast

For my podcast, as mentioned in previous posts, I have chosen to record with a free app called iRig Recorder. I used this app to record an interview for this same podcast and was impressed with the quality of the recording and the app's ease of use. In general, I think my voice sounds weird regardless but in terms of clarity and expression, I'm happy with the way I sound using this app. Based on a summary found at Backstage.com , it is advised that you

1) make sure you have enough storage space on your phone before recording and

2) purchase the app for $4.99 if you wish to take advantage of its editing features

I have decided to use a separate, free program for audio editing, which I'll get to in a minute. But be aware that if you choose to use the free version of this app you will only be able to convert to a .m4a file and exporting options will be limited. Unfortunately, many free audio editing programs do not support .m4a files so I had to use the free online file converter, http://media.io/, to save a .wav version of my recordings - a minor inconvenience.

Now, originally I was going to use Lightworks to edit my recordings but I quickly discovered that it is more for video editing and a bit difficult to use. Instead, I decided to use the Free Audio Editor 2014 . This program is much easier to use and caters strictly to audio editing. In the tutorials within the actual program, it is advised that you

1) use markers in your audio file to quickly select between different segments of the audio recording

2) speed up low memory conditions during file saving by setting the undo/redo level to 1

3) select a portion of an audio file for editing to gain access to most of the programs commands

 

For the background music in the podcast, I still plan to use Fl Studio 10 because I am familiar with this beat making program. It too is very easy to use. There are dozens of tutorials on YouTube for this program. One of these tutorials, presented by a user named FKProds , provides the following advice:

1) When you are preparing to export an audio file, Lower the bit rate of the file if you have a slow computer

2) take advantage of shortcuts for ease of use i.e. Ctrl + C to copy, Ctrl + X  to cut, Ctrl + mouse drag to select

3) Experiment with user interfaces provided in the program to uncover different variations of the same sound/instrument

 

That's all the software needed for my podcast! Time to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

Aliecia Brissett W14: Software

Now that everyone is on their way to actually recording their podcast, we should all start really researching which recording/editing software's are good to use.

Through my research, I find that Audacity seems to work well. There are many instructional videos on YouTube that demonstrate how to go about recording, and also how to edit. This free downloadable software is very good for merging sounds and recordings together, and the functions that are used to record/edit are easy to navigate. Audacity also has a downloadable smart phone app, so people can record on-the-go and then later upload their recording to their computer at a later time.

Good things about Audacity:

• Easy to navigate
• If you need help, there are many YouTube instruction videos
• Has a downloadable app for smart phone to record on-the-go
• Is compatible with Windows, Mac etc.

Bad things about Audacity:

• Recordings are kind of fuzzy (will take a while to edit)

Overall I'm pleased with Audacity. It's an easy software to use and it gets the job done. While testing it out, I realized that my voice sounds rather fuzzy and low. I had to adjust the mic settings to make my voice sound like my own, but with a lot of editing I'm sure I can fix the static sounds.

Camellia, W14, Software

Well, I don’t really have any experience with recording, so at first, I wasn’t sure what would be the best route to take.  But, after reading all of the positive comments about Audacity on this blog, I believe Audacity is the best recording software for me!

In a matter of seconds, Audacity downloaded on my laptop (I downloaded it from:  http://audacity.sourceforge.net/).  And, then in order for me to be able to export my recordings (so that I will be able to eventually post my podcast) I needed a way to convert it to an mp3 format.  So, as Audacity’s website suggested, I installed the LAME MP3 encoder and I am now able to export my recordings. 

The Audacity Manual (http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/) is the perfect resource to refer to as it answered all of my questions.  The Manual’s ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section has all the advice I need for:

Recording – How To’s  

http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/faq_recording_how_to_s.html

Editing
http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/faq_editing.html

After a few minutes of using Audacity, I discovered that it was pretty easy to understand how to use each feature – in a matter of minutes, I found the shortcuts, so simply pressing the letter ‘R’ on my keyboard allowed me to record, pressing the ‘space bar’ allowed me to stop recording, etc.  Here’s a link from the Manual to see images of some features: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/record.html. I haven’t tried out all of the editing features/adding sound effects yet but to help me with this, I will again refer to the Manual and this post I found online: https://academictech.doit.wisc.edu/onlinecourse/audio-video-course/audio-editing-audacity/editing-audio-audacity.  

For now, the Manual seems like the main source I will refer to because it is so thorough.  And, as of now, I don’t think I will need any advice from any YouTube tutorials!

I already tested out Audacity by using my laptop’s built-in microphone and as I mentioned, I already figured out how to use quite a few of the features.  I found that it was simple to use, so I don’t think I will have any troubles when it comes time to record my whole podcast episode.  Also, I managed to successfully save my recording in mp3 format and export it to my iTunes.  My recording sounded loud/clear and even though I’m not used to hearing a recording of my own voice, I am happy with the way I sound! 

Week 9: Software [Paige Gunning, W14]

The software which my partner and I have chosen to use is the Mac application called "Garageband". It is a very basic piece of software which comes pre-installed on Mac products. I have some previous experience with using this application for other personal projects, but I have found three good sources for brushing up how to use Garageband specifically for recording podcasts.

The video "How to use Garageband to record a Podcast" on YouTube gives advice on how to balance the audio level when recording yourself using Garageband so that you are not too soft or too loud, as well as what quality would be best for the intended podcast once completed and exported.

The article "Creating a Podcast using Garageband" goes into more detail, showing a user how to cut out bits of a podcast that won't be needed, as well as inserting jingles and cleaning up the recorded audio if it is necessary. (http://mac.appstorm.net/how-to/music/creating-a-podcast-using-garageband/)

The powerpoint presentation found here goes the most in depth. It gives diagrams explaining why each piece of Garageband is and how it works, and acts as a user-manual of sorts to show just how to use Garageband if one was unfamiliar or had not used it before.

After fiddling around with the application for a bit, I have familiarized myself with it again, and do not think that there will be any problems when my partner and I record our podcast, or throughout the editing process. I think no one is really used to hearing themselves, whether it be on video or through recorded audio, so it is still quite strange, but I am aware that I will have to remember to speak a little more slowly and enunciate more for my information clear and understandable.

Recording Software

            Hello, back for another blog post. Talking about recording software this week. I guess to start off with, I have chosen to use Audacity for my recording, which seems to be the popular choice among others in the class. I went to download the program but I’m guessing I choose a different one or something because next thing I know I’ve got all these extra programs and add-on’s and I ended up having to uninstall it. Score one for technical failure and incompetence. So I texted my friend, she told me where to go and bam! Finally got it downloaded properly. Now my first reaction to the screen of the program was, this looks ridiculously hard. All the buttons everywhere, and I had no idea what to do. The answer? Youtube! I found many tutorials and learned that the 6 basic buttons (Pause, play, stop, skip to beginning, skip to end, and record) do exactly what they are named as. I learned the difference between the pause and stop button which I’m sure will come in handy when I need to take a drink of water during the podcast. Now I’m not sure how well things will go when I try to input music, might be easier to just get my brother to play a little guitar riff that I can record using the software and mash it all together. We will have to see if I can manage it. I recorded myself and it sounded alright, though my voice sounds way different then what it does when I talk. Thank you science for explaining how sound bounces and returns to your ears. Other then my weird sounding self everything turned out alright. Overall I think it’ll be easier than I thought it was going to be. I’m kinda excited to record this podcast now. Not sure if this is the last blog post or not, guess we will find out next week. Wishing everyone luck on their recordings, I’m signing off.

It’s time to start recording and getting everything ready for the final product. I have decided to use Audacity. It was the easiest to download and it was free. After trying out this and a couple others, I found that this recording system was the simplest. I don’t plan on going extravagant with mixing and tweaking, since recording is not really my thing, but I think Audacity will make me sound the best that I can. The following are some links that I found with great advice and tips for using this program:

 http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gej3LVNKO0E

In the first link (this opens the audacity website), I found information on literally everything I needed from recording to editing to sound effects. All the information is there. And if that wasn’t enough, they provide manuals with tutorials on how to use everything. Just fantastic!

The second link (this opens a YouTube video) is a 40 minute video with great tips to help save you time! Here I learned shortcuts and tips to help things move along quicker. Some of these include “select jump” (going to the point of interest in the podcast), “backwards editing” (which helps to keep the flow of your podcast), and “labels” (Ctrl+B—so you can remember important parts of your podcast).

Also (very important) if you want to be able to export your podcast recording as an MP3 file from Audacity, you need to download “LAME MP3 encoder". I also tried converting to a “WAV” file and that worked too.

Here are the links I found for converting the audio file to be able to upload it!

http://lame1.buanzo.com.ar/

http://audio.online-convert.com/convert-to-wav

After learning about everything, I did try recording myself. I honestly hate my voice in general, but I thought it turned out pretty well. I only used my laptop’s built in mic, so I’ll try to see if I can find a better alternative. I hear people are getting better results using their phones? I’ll give it a go. It seems like I’m going to have a pretty good run with Audacity. I hope so. 

Software

Ladies and Gentlemen...
A moment of silence for the big moment- the time has come! After all of our countless hours researching, blogging, writing and rewriting, the time has come for us to record our melodious voices into a software that will be around for the rest of eternity!

Dramatic? Me?! NEVER! However, I am super excited to put this project together! I cannot believe we are finally approaching the final point of the podcast. I have decided to record using the Apple app on my MacBook called Garageband. While I have used Audacity in the past to cut songs for dance, Garageband has a specific section for recording and editing material for podcasts. Not to mention the fact it has been a good year since I have used audacity and would have to relearn all the shortcuts for Audacity again. When searching help for understanding how to use Garageband for podcasts, I had a pretty good feeling Apple would have a webpage or two explaining the process. I was right! I found multiple extremely useful tutorials on Apple explaining how to record in general, adding jingles and sound effects, importing other media files and how to export the file as a podcast file. I also found an extremely well put together tutorial on YouTube, that was only 7 minutes long. It compliments the knowledge I have gained from Apple, and hits the main points that are needed to make a podcast. Many other YouTube tutorials are around half an hour long, which not only were too long but not as informative. Also, the longer ones seemed to be for real 'tech' junkies, using some language I did not understand and getting into functions that are not necessary for me to complete my fairly simply podcast assignment!

I usually pick up these sort of online and technology based systems pretty well, so I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what I am doing. Knock on wood, I think I should be able to hit this one out of the park! I recorded some practice material, and layered a song in the background to try a sort of 'intro' experiment, and I was very impressed with the quality of sound, and the ease and efficiency I was able to complete that task. I am very excited to get going on this, as now that I know it isn't going to be that hard to make the podcast, my brain has begun to spin with ideas of what I can do!!

Best of luck to everyone on their final products!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W06GHAhO6Uw
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2012?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US