TASCAM Talkback

Having good content is always key, but making your podcast sound even better can go a long way towards building and keeping an audience. This episode features a conversation between the show host and TASCAM's Eric Larsen about compression – what it is, why you would use it, how it will affect your podcast's sound, and even where it came from. Audio samples are included to give a demonstration of a clip where no, some, or too much compression is used.

Conversations were recorded in the Podcasting Pavilion at the NAB Show in Las Vegas last month, centered around what questions the broadcasters were asking relative to adopting our medium. Listen as seven individuals talk about the type of response broadcasters had/have to podcasting during their face-to-face conversations at the tradeshow in Las Vegas. This episode also helps current podcasters see the many facets of the business from a different perspective and even learn a new option or two.

Are you a streamer looking to amp up what you're already doing? Perhaps you're a podcaster wanting to start a video presence. You might even be a gamer who is immersed in the online world, yet curious about additional possibilities. Bryce Stejskal, Product Manager at Telestream, talked with our show host during the NAB Show in Las Vegas for this episode of TASCAM Talkback, covering options for all of those mentioned and helping navigate the Facebook Live, YouTube (Live), Vimeo, Periscope, Twitch, and related waters. There is also talk of TASCAM hardware suited for these applications. (Read the review Bryce refers to here: http://bit.ly/MiNiSTUDIOReview)

What are some warning signs that your show might be coming to an end? What can you be on the lookout for so that you don't podfade? Listen in as our show host talks with podcaster Daniel Abendroth, whose show ended up ceasing after 19 months and 20 episodes, and then Niel Guilarte, whose podcast went on hiatus for five months but has recently come back on the air.

Our show host walks the listeners through Do's and Don'ts regarding their vocal health, to properly maintain the instrument that is their voice. Next he goes into preparations, and then when it's time to perform (record). The second part of this episode features an interview with a guest from outside the country relative to an important date coming up in conjunction with the institution that he represents and the increased activity in audio podcasting there, versus the charges he has heard that they are better suited for video (only).

The importance of your podcast's cover art is underscored by an entire episode being devoted to the topic, as our host talks with a guest expert, Jason Hewitt, from Illustrata, who also has a podcast (in the branding category, appropriately enough). The two discuss strategies, specs, applications of your cover art, what to include and what NOT to include, and other valuable considerations.

A variety streamer to Twitch and a content creator to YouTube, Miss Click delves into those facets of the online world in telling our show host about the community that she has built, the types of videos she has found to draw higher engagement from her YouTube followers, and having been invited by Twitch under one of their programs thanks to the success they'd seen her having. She also talks about the posture to be in that companies look for to represent them as well as the importance of keeping your community informed via social media. Worth noting is her approximately ten thousand subscribers on YouTube, where she has gotten nearly one million combined video views.

Our show host has presented at two podcasting conferences on the topic of "ways to promote your podcast" and our listeners are the beneficiaries as he does an audio version for Episode 14 of "TASCAM Talkback." He explains why "build it and they will come" is the wrong attitude to have toward drawing attention to your podcast and says that social media is not the only means of promotion that a podcaster should be using. Instead, he lists a number of methods that can be employed to gain more notice for your podcast.

Conversations with representatives from two different podcast hosting companies, detailing what it is, why you need it, how you choose such a service (including red flags) and what they can do for you. You'll hear how to get your show out there but also why you shouldn't just host your podcast through your website. Plus, there is talk, of course, about podcast stats, but even who not to rely on them from.

Listen as our show host describes where he started and the point he has come to in his podcasting endeavors, specifically in the area of the learning curve - and the growing pains - toward doing edits himself rather than outsourcing. Also discussed are considerations for YOUR podcasting journey, plus questions for you to consider on this topic as well as those that you might want to send in to [email protected] for inclusion on a future, related episode that gets teased on this 12th installment of TASCAM Talkback.