MP3 is the universal audio format for podcasts, but not all MP3's are made equal--how you encode matters! Learn how to get the highest quality out of your MP3's and the best settings to use. It is also important that your MP3's are properly tagged with meta data identifies and describes the audio file, and to know what information to include in your podcasts.

Skype is an incredibly powerful tool for podcasters, allowing us to communicate regardless of boundaries at a very low cost (free, or nearly free), and at very high audio quality, but there are some special tricks to get the most out of Skype.

Encoding Quality MP3's:

The MP3 file format is a "lossy" data compression format that uses psychoacoustics to discard or reduce the accuracy of parts of sound, throwing away data that you hopefully won't miss too much. How you encode, and what encoder you use to encode matters.  There are two major MP3 encoders available: The free, open source LAME encoder, used with Audacity, and the commercial Fraunhofer encoder, from the inventor of MP3. Sadly, the LAME encoder consistently falls flat when compared to the Fraunhofer encoder, requiring a higher bit rate to achieve comparable quality.

However, there is a free application that includes the Fraunhofer encoder, iTunes! Export your finished, edited podcasts to an uncompressed WAV or AIFF file, and import it in to iTunes. Go in to the iTunes Preferences, under the General tab, and click on Import Settings. Under Import Using, select MP3 encoder, and under Setting, select Custom.

Recommended Encoding Setting:

Bit Rate: 128 kbps (So-called "CD quality")

Use Variable Bit Rate: No!

Sample Rate: 44.1kHz (Important)

Channels: Stereo

Stereo Mode: Joint Stereo

AAC is an alternative format, most notably backed by Apple, which can achieve higher audio quality, as well as Enhanced Podcast features such as chapters, images, and links, but AAC is not widely supported, while the MP3 format is universally supported. If you wish to take advantage of the strengths of the AAC format, still release your podcast in the standard MP3 format, creating a separate, secondary feed for the AAC version.

ID3 Tagging/Meta Data:

After you've exported that quality MP3 file, you need to gag it with meta data that describes and identifies the files. There are a variety of applications available to tag MP3's, including iTunes, which has robust support, but not all other application's support all recommended fields. One recommended alternative to tagging in iTunes is the shareware and cross-platform ID3 Editor.

Essentials:

Title: Episode Title

Album: Show Name

Artist: Your Name/Co-Host(s) Names

Important:

Year: Year Released

Track: Episode Number

URL: Web Site Address

Genre: "Podcast"

Artwork: Must embed album art image in to the actual file!

Bonus:

Lyrics: Show Notes/Contact Information

Beware of using the "Media Kind" field, as it can cause some unexpected results.

Quick Tip:

While recording, stay hydrated! Your voice is one of your best assets; be kind to it!

It's easy for your mouth to become dry during those long recording sessions; be sure to keep plenty of water nearby.

Room temperature water may be advisable compared to ice water or caffeine, as they can cause the vocal chords to constrict. If you find lip smacking and mouth noises to be problematic, add a squeeze of lemon.

Listener Question:

"What would you consider recommended reading on podcasting , and considering the explosion of podcasting, what would you see podcasting doing in five years?"

--Oliver

It's hard to name some "recommended reading" on podcasting, such as a book, because it's such a quickly evolving medium.

Writing and publishing can be such a long process that by the time a book hits shelves, some things have changed and information can already be out of date. Still, take a look at Podcasting for Dummies,