The trick is to make your Podcast popular and to rival those of the mainstream broadcasters or at least be the top of your niche. This requires more than the ability to create an audio file, it requires an element of craft in both planning and then producing your Podcast.

 There is a plethora of software available FOC to do this and it is easily downloaded, but then you have to get microphone inputs working and find audio enhancements. On test with us this week is the M-Audio Podcast Factory, this software and hardware bundle promises to make podcasting simple, simple enough even for us to use!

Contained within the box is a simple M-Audio branded I/O unit which connects to your PC via a USB cable, it also has input connections for a microphone (supplied) and a line source (perhaps a keyboard or MP3 player). Also in the package is a "professional quality microphone" and stand, well we've worked with professional microphones and while this M-Audio branded one is substantial (read heavy) it is not made by a brand name and therefore does not have that level of performance. That said it is perfectly adequate for speech within a Podcast.

Also nestling inside the rather large Podcast factory box are 3 CD's containing the drivers for the audio interface unit, sample audio tracks, Podifier for publishing them  and most importantly a copy of Audacity audio editing software.

We set about making a Podcast by recording LP's dulcet tones reading our latest Sony Ericsson review, we were able to adjust levels and also mix a backing track during the recording (this can also be added later). With the main track laid down we were able to start editing by snipping out stumbles and pauses and also removing extraneous noise and pops. Audacity works on a simple timeline and is remarkably easy to use, we were also able to add some effects and further sound enhancements and tracks until being ready to export as a complete MP3 Podcast. It is also possible to export as Ogg Vorbis which is a nice touch.

Next we switch to Podifier which takes the MP3 file (or files) created and wraps them into an RSS feed with media enclosures which in essence is the Podcast, it can then also upload the MP3 files and RSS enclosure via FTP.

The complete package works very well as we had managed to create a short Podcast in around 30 minutes and publish it as a test. However we do have to point out that apart from the M-Audio mixer unit and microphone all the software is freely available as downloads free of charge. Branded by Pinnacle and priced at £90 you are paying for the convince of having the whole lot sealed up in a box for you guaranteed to work and we are sure you could shave £40 off this price if you went hunting for the components separately. However the point of the Podcast factory is that it is simple to use and install are perhaps therefore it is worth paying the extra?

Published - 06/08/2006

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