Editing a podcast

[basilthesnake]

Specifically dynasty/fantasy podcasts, how long does it take to edit an 1 hour show? Who does the editing? Do you learn as you go? Do you pay someone? Any tips or tricks to share? Professional or free software? Just listen to a lot of ff podcasts and wonder.

[WhatWouldDitkaDo]

Depends how many people are talking, through what software, and how good you want it to sound. Without getting into all the details, the more different people you have talking on Skype or whatever program, the more you'll need to edit as it's hard to get everyone on their own individual track. This is why you listen to some podcasts and one person's volume is so different from the next, or one person talking has zero background noise vs the next. Actual edits don't take long as you can just pause and stop recording, delete a goof up, and restart the recording. It's more the sound mixing to make everything sound good together. You can do it yourself on free software and crappy laptop mics, but it sounds much better and will take less time if you have a producer who knows what they're doing and uses good software/professional mics.

[basilthesnake]

Got to wonder with some of my favorite dynasty pods, can definatly tell the difference from crappy laptop mics to professional mics, how many of these guys to the figure it out as you go approach and how many actually pay to do it in a clean and professional manner. Someday I'm going to try doing a pod. Not sure how long from now but I'm planning it. Just wondering aloud how much of a time sucker it will be.

[WhatWouldDitkaDo]

We got tremendously lucky as our producer is a friend who already had all the equipment/technical know-how. It will probably take some time if you're figuring out all the logistics yourself. Even with his help, the first few episodes took a while to record/edit.

[dlf_kenm]

A couple of notes about the two DLF pods which might help answer some of your questions.

All of our podcasters use Blue Yeti microphones. IMO they offer terrific sound and ease of use for the money. You definitely do not want to use a webcam mic or laptop mic. You will also want everyone using headphones or earbuds to eliminate echo & feedback. Super important. Pop filters are helpful as well. Here's a total package deal. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017219TLA?psc=1

Running a show with two people speaking is pretty easy. Hook up over Skype or Google Hangouts. You can just use the straight recorded audio from that. For better quality, have each participant record their audio locally as well while on the Skype chat, then upload all of the audio files, and have someone splice those together. This is a more time consuming method, but it does result in a more "live in studio" sound. Not quite the same, but pretty good. Of course, you'll need someone who has the time to sync those tracks up, perform any basic edits, add intro and outtro tracks, etc. If you can actually all record live together, then do so.

Adding more than two people further complicates the syncing and editing, and if you have someone who cannot connect over a Skype or Google Hangout session (they must call in over a phone) then that really dials up the complexity and further degrades the audio quality.

If you were running your own one hour show and doing the editing yourself, you should expect to spend a minimum of 3-5 hours/show between prep work, coordinating, recording, editing and publishing. Probably more like 5-7 to do it well.

It's a thankless job, it doesn't pay well, you'll get a lot of criticism, tech and sound issues will drive you crazy, and you will eventually burn out, hit a wall and wonder why you ever started doing this in the first place. All that aside, it's a blast.

Ditka, are you are doing a podcast?

[basilthesnake]

A couple of notes about the two DLF pods which might help answer some of your questions.

All of our podcasters use Blue Yeti microphones. IMO they offer terrific sound and ease of use for the money. You definitely do not want to use a webcam mic or laptop mic. You will also want everyone using headphones or earbuds to eliminate echo & feedback. Super important. Pop filters are helpful as well. Here's a total package deal. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017219TLA?psc=1

Running a show with two people speaking is pretty easy. Hook up over Skype or Google Hangouts. You can just use the straight recorded audio from that. For better quality, have each participant record their audio locally as well while on the Skype chat, then upload all of the audio files, and have someone splice those together. This is a more time consuming method, but it does result in a more "live in studio" sound. Not quite the same, but pretty good. Of course, you'll need someone who has the time to sync those tracks up, perform any basic edits, add intro and outtro tracks, etc. If you can actually all record live together, then do so.

Adding more than two people further complicates the syncing and editing, and if you have someone who cannot connect over a Skype or Google Hangout session (they must call in over a phone) then that really dials up the complexity and further degrades the audio quality.

If you were running your own one hour show and doing the editing yourself, you should expect to spend a minimum of 3-5 hours/show between prep work, coordinating, recording, editing and publishing. Probably more like 5-7 to do it well.

It's a thankless job, it doesn't pay well, you'll get a lot of criticism, tech and sound issues will drive you crazy, and you will eventually burn out, hit a wall and wonder why you ever started doing this in the first place. All that aside, it's a blast.

Ditka, are you are doing a podcast?

Thank you very much for this response

[gkritikos]

I can add on to what Ken mentioned since I do much of the editing for the two DLF podcasts.

Normally, I budget 2-3 minutes of edit time for every minute of recorded audio. Definitely agree with Ken that audio quality improves with locally-based recording (think Voice Recorder for Windows or Quiktime for Mac). It allows you to edit out more background noise, do more fine-tuning to the individual voices, and edit any awkward moments or other superfluous audio out.

The other option is recording via Hangouts, Skype, or another online program. Audio loses something but easier to edit. I have also tried tinkering with Zencastr but little success so far. I would also recommend if you do record live to have everyone on video feeds. It helps so people interrupt each other less but you need a good connection so it doesn't lag and screw up timing.

Hope that helps.
George

[WhatWouldDitkaDo]

It's a thankless job, it doesn't pay well, you'll get a lot of criticism, tech and sound issues will drive you crazy, and you will eventually burn out, hit a wall and wonder why you ever started doing this in the first place. All that aside, it's a blast.

This basically sums it up 100% haha.

Ditka, are you are doing a podcast?

Yes, two of my friends and I are in our second season. We focus on redraft strategy, but we do a few shows preseason/post-regular season to discuss dynasty stashes/values. Shameless plug: Fantasy Football Addicts on iTunes, Google Play, and SoundCloud for anyone interested.

[dlf_kenm]

Usually the shameless plug includes a link;

http://fantasyfootballaddicts.weebly.com/

https://soundcloud.com/fantasyfootballaddicts

I'll give you guys a listen, always looking for new pods to add to the rotation. Thanks!

[WhatWouldDitkaDo]

Usually the shameless plug includes a link;
http://fantasyfootballaddicts.weebly.com/
https://soundcloud.com/fantasyfootballaddicts

I'll give you guys a listen, always looking for new pods to add to the rotation. Thanks!

Haha thanks. The weebly site is just for preseason rankings, but here are direct links to iTunes and Google Play as well.

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fan ... 45308?mt=2
Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u= ... hmrxm6ndv4