SPC iTunes U
How to Create a Podcast with Audacity
Before beginning this tutorial:
1. Start Audacity.
2. It is best to use a headset with microphone or a free-standing microphone that can be positioned close to your mouth. Typically, if you plug in your microphone before starting your computer, this new hardware will be detected and set automatically. Test your microphone by clicking the Record button and speaking.
3. Click the Stop button when you are finished with the test message.
4. You should see the audio track you just recorded. If you do not see this, check to see that your microphone is plugged in and not muted. Also, Edit the Preferences' Audio Recording Device, if necessary.
5. Press the Play button to listen to what you just recorded.
6. Click the X of the audio track to close the test message.
7. Before recording a podcast, you should have a script or detailed outline of what you plan to speak about. This script also becomes an alternate delivery method for students who have difficulty accessing iTunes, have a disability that prevents listening to podcasts, or who prefer reading text to listening to audio.
(If you record a student or someone who is not an employee of St. Petersburg College, you must obtain her/his signature on the Consent and Release Form and keep copies on record.)
Make your recording session as noise- and interruption-free as possible (e.g., shut off telephones, post a "Do Not Disturb" sign.) When you are ready, record as described in steps 2 and 3 above. If you make a mistake, you can close the recording as described in step 6 above and start over. Once you have completed your recording, export the file as an MP3, which is the podcast audio file format, by clicking the File menu item and clicking Export As MP3.
Note: The first time you Export As MP3, the Audacity program will instruct you to located the lame_enc.dll file you saved onto your computer. The lame_enc.dll is necessary for Audacity to be able to create the file in MP3 format. After the first time locating the lame_enc.dll file, you will not have to do it again. Click the Yes button and navigate to the location where you saved the lame_enc.dll file.
8. Select the location that you want to save the file. Also, note the filename. In this case, you want the filename to be title-like, meaning with capital letters and spaces where appropriate. This is the title that will be displayed via SPC iTunes U, so make it concise, yet meaningful. (Once a file is uploaded to SPC iTunes U, it cannot be renamed. To change the name of the podcast, the audio file will have to be deleted and then re-uploaded with the new filename.)
9. Click the Save button.
10. The Edit ID3 tags window will appear. Fill in the Title, Artist, and Album, where the Title is the title of your podcast, the Artist is you, and the Album is St. Petersburg College. Adjust the Genre to Other. Later, if you need to change these tags, you can do so by clicking Edit ID3 Tags via the Project menu item.
11. Click the OK button.
12. Your podcast file will be saved. This is the file you can make available to students via SPC iTunes U. See the Instructions for Faculty tutorial for directions on how to upload your podcast to SPC iTunes U. Be sure to keep back-up copies of all podcasts you create.
13. If your script is particularly lengthy, you may want to record short segments and then piece them together. To do this, stop recording periodically and export what you've recorded as an MP3. You might want to give each segment sequential filenames like 01.mp3, 02.mp3, 03.mp3, etc.
14. From the Audacity menu, click Project and then Import Audio.
15. Click to select the file(s) you want to import. You can Ctrl-click to select more than one file at a time. Then, click the Open button.
16. You will see each audio file you imported displayed as an individual audio track.
17. Select the Zoom Tool, and hold down the shift key while clicking the audio tracks to compress the view.
18. Select the Time Shift Tool, and press and drag the audio tracks to arrange the audio to play in order. Then, export your MP3 file as described in steps 7 through 11 above.
19. You can also add music introductions or have background music playing throughout your podcasts. It is important that you use music that is copyright-free or have written permission on file. Follow the Import Audio process as described in steps 14 through 16 above to locate and import your music. Then, using the Zoom and Time Shift Tools, as described in steps 17 and 18 above, arrange the music to appear where you want.
20. To fade out the music introduction, press and drag to select the end of the music track.
21. From the Effect menu item, click Fade Out.
22. You will see the visual of the audio track flatten to silence, indicating the Fade Out effect.
Before
After
23. You can also edit your recording to delete mistakes. To do this, as you are reading and recording your script, once you notice you have made a mistake, pause for a couple seconds. Then, go back in your script and begin reading a sentence or two before you made the mistake. Continue reading your script, this time without making the mistake.
24. Once you have completed the recording, you can select the undesired segment(s) and click the Delete key on your computer keyboard to remove mistakes. This is made easier by using the Zoom Tool to stretch out the audio track so that you can see where you paused after a mistake.
25. Once you have deleted a segment, the ends will come together in a seamless track. Then you can export as an MP3 file.
26. In addition to exporting as an MP3 file, you will also want to save the Audacity Project itself. To do this, click the File menu item and click Save Project As.
27. At the Warning screen, click the OK button. Then, select the location and enter the filename for your project before saving.
