Transcript of “Podcasting Tools and Production Methods”: Interview with Kimberly Hayworth.
June 2007
Regina: Greetings listeners.This is Regina Roberts. I am the Assistant Curator of the African Collection at StanfordUniversity Libraries and Academic Information Resources. For this podcast I’veinvited Kimberly Hayworth from Academic Computing to speak to us about some of the production and post-production considerations related to creating podcasts.Some of my earlier podcasts focus more on content and reasons for using podcasting as a means of delivering information literacy concepts to library clientèle.
This podcast is not meant to be a how to about podcasting, but more of an overview of the production process. Kimberly also has a podcast series at cams.stanford.edu. Episode 13 of Academic Technology Podcasts1covers podcasting basics. Links to this site will be in the show notes.
Kimberly has assisted me on many levels with the creation of my podcasts and as I develop programming ideas andtry to encourage others to use and test this format, I realized that it would be really helpful to hear from Kimberly about some of the technical considerations related to production.
So, without further ado, I welcome Kimberly Hayworth. Thank you for being here....
Kimberly: Thanks Regina.
Regina: First of all, could you talk a bit about your work at Stanford and how you became involved in podcasting?
Kimberly: Sure, I’ve been working at Stanford for about six years now. I started out as an Academic Technology Consultant working with faculty who wanted to incorporate technology into teaching and learning. Recently, I have worked more with consulting in multimedia services. So, that was bringing together students, staff and faculty and multimedia and those aspects. And I’vealways had a focus in the Academic Technology Lab. So, as a part of the academic technology focus, I got involved with podcasting. We started an academic technology podcast series and I have been working with a wide range of folks, including faculty members. I have spoken with some students, also talked with staff. So that has been a great experience and I have learned so much.
Regina: Thank you. And as noted earlier, more information about the basics of podcasting can be found in your podcast series, “Episode Thirteen” 1 ?
Kimberly: Mmhumm, and that was actually a SULAIR “Technology Chalk Talk”2that Regina also participated in.
Regina: So, we’re in this studio, recording studio that you’ve set up here, and it’s a closet sound booth with separate mics and prosumer level equipment. How might someone create this type of atmosphere for recording and what other options might they have if they don’t have access to a recording studio?
Kimberly: That’s a great question. So essentially, you don’t need a high level recording studio. If you want to just get started, you can use a USB headset microphone. They have those available from Plantronics3. If you want to do something that’sa little bit more advanced, you can work with higher end microphones such as the Audio Technica 20204, which is about a hundred dollars. There is also the Shure SM584 dynamic microphone which is a hundred dollars. And microphones vary pretty extensively. When you’re thinking about microphones, you want to focus on something that is going to be easy for you to use.
Also consider, if you’re working with a guest, and you need to have a second microphone, do keep in mind that when you’re interviewing with someone, don’t let them handle the microphone. Because, if they jiggle the wire, or the cable, that can introduce noise into the signal which can make it much more difficult to edit later.
Also when working with folks, you definitely want to be aware of letting them know that this isn’t going to be a live broadcast. That you’re going to be editing later, that there’ll be post production, that they’ll have a chance to review the information before you make it available to people. Also, consider permissions, getting clearances. If you’re gonna be using music, make sure that you’re not using copyrighted music. There’s quite a bit of music out there that is pod safe, which means that you can use it in podcasts. The artists understand that you’ll be using it in this way and as long as you are not making money, it’s a great way to get music into your podcasts. Also, Creative Commons5 has a legal guide for what you can use in podcasting.
Regina: Ok, great. So, basically with regards to sound quality, what other tips and tricks might you offer production groups who are interested in doing this?
Kimberly: Try to find a room that’s as quiet as possible. And the key here is one that has carpeting, something that will absorb sound. If you can put up towels on the wall, to keep sound from reflecting off the walls of the room, that’s always very helpful. Also, be aware of any type of noise from say a refrigerator, from a HVAC system, air-conditioning, hum from your computer. All of this stuff will get introduced into the recording itself. So you want to be aware of that. Anything that you can avoid, shut off, before you start recording makes it so much easier to do the editing after. Your recording software will have some type of filters to reduce some levels of noise, but it’s always better if you can just eliminate those in the source.
Another aspect is using a pre-amp. You can get USB audio devices that go between your microphone and the computer that will boost the signal which will make it a much better, clearer, louder signal. That is something that’s worth the investment of a hundred and fifty to two hundred dollars. And, we can put some links to some recommendations in the show notes.
Regina: Ok. That sounds great.
Kimberly: The website to check is called Sweetwater.com.4 In addition to that, if you are working in an environment where there is a lot going on, if it’s an external environment were you might have wind noise or ambient noise. You want to shoot for a mic that’s unidirectional, which means that it is capturing the thing that is directly in front of it. Also, consider getting a windscreen for the microphone. That will not only reduce the wind sound that is going across the mic, but it will also reduce the “pop” factor. So those are the “P’s” and the “B’s” and the plosives that make annoying distorted sounds when you are actually working with the recording. There’s pop-stoppers that you can buy for shock mounted microphones that are mounted on a microphone stand, like the ones that we are talking in front of. And essentially, they just are nylon filters that are around a metal loop. And you can make one yourself with a coat hanger and some nylons. So, it doesn’t have to be a very high end production. You can certainly make do with what you have.
Another interesting idea for recording is, if you have a laptop, you can record in your car. There’s a lot of soundproofing that is already in your vehicle and including the upholstery that will absorb much sound, so that’s a great way to go…
Regina: That’s interesting.
Kimberly: Yeah. Also another idea, if you’re doing a recording is to do it in your closet that’s full of clothes that will also absorb some sound.
Regina: Hmm. Ok great. Are there any kinds of breathing tips or coaching that you give people before you go into an interview situation?
Kimberly: You just want to be aware of the fact the microphone is picking up everything. So, whether it’s the breathiness that you have when you’re approaching words, whether it’s gurgling, if you haven’t had breakfast…also any type of interaction with the microphone, whether someone’s tapping their foot, whether that’s just vibrations on a table, everything is being recorded. And professionals actually use “monitoring” with headphones. So they have the headphones on while they’re talking, which allows them to hear all the things that are being recorded with the actual signal that is getting captured by the computer.
What you want to be doing when you are working with interviews in general, is focus on the distance away from the microphone so you want to do a level check to begin with to make sure that it is loud enough or not too loud. The problem when working with these types of signals is called “clipping”, if it’s too loud it gets distorted and there’s really no way to edit and fix that. If it’s too low, you can usually boost it which may introduce a little bit of noise, but it is salvageable. If the signal is too loud there’s really not a whole lot you can do to fix that in post production. Of everything that’s most important, you want to make sure that the background is a quiet as possible and that the interview doesn’t clip.
Regina: Ok, great. Thanks. And, what about creating metadata for the podcasts? What do you suggest in that area?
Kimberly: That is possible to do with iTunes6. So they have several fields that you can go in after the fact and enter metadata there. You can also put metadata into the RSS7 feed for the podcast itself.
Regina: Mmhumm. What are some of the resources you’ve used to inform your production skills?
Kimberly: I highly recommend Lynda.com.8 That’s L Y, N, D, A, dot com. It is called podcast, videocast essential training from Garrick Chow8 and he’s just amazing. He goes through all the basics. He is very much like having a professional just sit down and walk you through it, tell you what to look for, things to do to avoid wasting time. And I think that that is one of the best things about Lynda.com is that they’re geared toward professionals who don’t have a lot of time, and it’s really the best of the tips and tricks that will get you into working with the software as quickly as possible. He also does a great overview of hardware.
Regina: Yeah, that’s one thing that I’venoticed with creating podcasts, there’s lots of options in terms of hardware and software.
Kimberly: Exactly.
Regina: And, as you mentioned earlier, the microphones, there are many different kinds and types that you can invest in. So it’s really just a matter of your budget and some preferences and it’s helpful to know what to look for.
Kimberly: Right.
Regina: Like what you mentioned, with the one-way directional was more recommended for interviewing…outdoor?
Kimberly: Out in the field. Yeah, because essentially, the microphones are broken down into condenser mics, and dynamic mics. So the condenser mics are the ones that you would have in the studio that require phantom power, so you need a pre-amp in order to get power to the microphone. The dynamic mics are really rugged. You can take them on location. They are usually battery powered. Those are the types of considerations you wanna keep in mind.
Regina: Mmhumm. Have you ever done any podcasts that were through Skype9 or some other type of voice over IP9?
Kimberly: No I haven’t, but I’ve heard some and the quality can vary. But, it is an interesting technology and it certainly is a great way to capture international interviews in particular.
Regina: Right. OK. What are some of the challenges that you’ve encountered with podcasting? And what are some of the ways that you have worked around those challenges?
Kimberly: The biggest challenge I’ve found is the time constraint. When you’re talking about podcasting, it’s really meant to be a series. And you have to make that commitment to be able to create episodes on a consistent basis. For me that was big challenge. I pod faded for several months, because we just got so busy that I just didn’t have time to record and so I stopped putting out episodes. Recently, back in April, I started again and now I’m pretty much up to a two per month production schedule.
But the biggest challenge really, is not only carving out the time, but coordinating interviews with people. So, you generally want to do a three week lead time. You want to get them the questions in advance. You want to set their expectations as to how long the interview itself is gonna take. And, then you have to consider getting permissions in case they need to put something through their legal department as well. You also have to think about what type of post production you’re gonna be doing. Whether you’re gonna be doing a transcript, whether you’re going to allow the person to listen, and it is best if you do give them the option to listen to the recording before you make it available.
In addition to that, you have to be able to think about upcoming episodes. So you need to do something like a promo at the end of one episode introducing the next one so people will come back and listen. And coordinating everything, so that you have multiple episodes in production at any time has been the biggest challenge, I think.
Regina: And, what are some of the benefits that you’ve seen grow out of your work with faculty and students in the podcasting?
Kimberly: I’ve gotten a chance to work with a lot of different people that I wouldn’t really have met. Folks have actually contacted me after listening to a podcast episode. And generally, it’s just a way to learn more about what’s going on in your organization. It’s a great marketing vehicle. And it’s also a way to provide different distribution methodologies for that message.
Regina: Ok. Great, thank you for joining me today to discuss the topic of podcasting tools and production. You are an invaluable informant to those of us at StanfordUniversity who are incorporating this form of rich media into our research, teaching and instruction methods.
Kimberly: It’s been a pleasure working with you Regina, thanks.
Regina: I would also like to take this time to invite SULAIR bibliographers to consider joining me in creating a podcast series that highlights their library collections and research specialties.
Show Notes:
1 - SULAIR CAMS Podcasts. Academic Technology Podcast - Episode 13
2 - This is a link to SULAIR NEWS – March 7, 2007. Click on “Back Issues” in SULAIR NEWS and search for “Chalk Talk” for various other presentations on information technology tools for use in libraries.
3 – Plantronics website for USB headsets. These type of headsets can be used to record podcasts.
4 –Sample of Audio Technica 2020 Condenser Microphone see: Sweetwater.com has
And the Shure SM58 can be viewed here as well.
One example of a vendor for equipment is Sweetwater.com Preamps
5 – Creative Commons website has information on copyright compliance in podcasts at The Creative Commons Podcasting Legal Guide see:
6 - iTunes. One source for delivering your podcasts. Metadata can be included in the iTunes notes fields.
There are other open source podcast delivery services such as Juice see
7 - RSS – Really Simple Syndication. For more information see: Wikipedia at
8 – Lynda.com podcast training online. Here is the link
Garrick Chow is one of the instructors.
9 – More about Voice over IP (VOIP) at Wikipedia and Skype, a VOIP service, can be found here: