Tag: audio

Of course it still works. It’s a Sony product.

Sony MiniDiscs Walkman circa 2001

Vintage audio technology still works. Found a stack of minidiscs from back in the day when I did radio.

Some minidiscs contain uncut, uncensored interviews with hard rock musicians from the late 1990s. Some minidiscs store alt rock music playlists. Some of the minidiscs hold dozens and dozens of radio stingers (five to ten second audio used to transition between songs or segments) and bumpers (ten to fifteen second audio featured station ID, show branding, music, or voiceover like “we’ll be right back” to avoid dead air or an abrupt cut or transition to top of the hour news). But the old tech still works!

For a few years in the late 1990s, the technology of recordable/playable minidiscs emerged with market growth opportunity that was quickly destroyed by the first generation Apple iPod. 60 to 80 minutes of audio on a minidisc versus 50 to 60 hours of audio on an iPod is not even a competition.

A first gen iPod holds a thousand songs. By comparison, back in the 1990s, a top 40 radio station had a catalog of 150 or more songs that they played 24 hours a day. An alternative rock radio station (like the one I was on) had a library of 300 to 500 songs. On one minidisc I curated a 12-song playlist that included three songs by Tsunami Bomb, three songs by Big In Japan, P.O.D., Temple of Rain, and Audio Karate. At the time, that musical selection meant enough for me to organize and store it on a minidisc. A thousand songs? That is too much to manage. Pick your 12 favorite songs and enjoy.

What am I going to do with these vintage audio and radio archives? The temptation is to place them online somewhere. But maybe it is better to leave what happened in the 1990s to stay in the 1990s.

Audiophile in retrograde

74 minute minidisc & Sony MD Walkman circa 2001

Last day of spring? Where did the time go?

UX Design Icons
It is a long week when Friday morning reveals 40 hours worked and it will be two more 10-hour days before a rest.

Still, I managed to attend the Racine Public Library’s writers group this week after a long absence. If you’re looking for a friendly group poets and writers in the Racine area, visit the group.

Also, I have not forgot about this week’s Coffeehouse Junkie audio podcast. It is in production and due to release this weekend. It features a listener’s comments, special dedication and original music between the segments by John Hayes.

So, why the busy week? Oh, boy… where do I start?

Let’s just say, designing a few software application icons and buttons that allow for best user experience is one matter. Designing dozens and dozens is a whole different critter. And that was Monday. And then Tuesday… well… maybe later.

 

Learn what your social media specialist should know about podcasting

Last week I posted, “Learn what your social media specialist should know,” and received some response on- and offline. In the post I mentioned a report on podcasting I wrote for a client. Below is a non-client specific synopsis of the report that focuses on four key areas: workflow, programming, strategy and user interface.

Workflow:

There is a misconceptions that podcasts just magically appear in you iTunes podcast menu. Whether you’re producing a podcast a month or a podcast a day, a workflow chart is essential for podcast production.

My workflow looks something like this: audio capture, audio content review, script intro and outro, record intro and outro plus ad sponsor (if none is provided), mix it, save audio file as MP3, uploaded to web hosting server.

If you’re doing podcasts on your own (without the benefit of an IT team) you may have the added responsibility of: writing a XML file (complete with all details that tag your audio podcast which may require a bit of knowledge if writing basic HTML), and publish XML file to web hosting server.

Programming:

On the wild frontier of audio podcasts there are podcasts that listeners subscribe to and then there are podcasts that get lost in the vast obscure expanse of the internet. In spite of the harbingers of the decline of mainstream radio, the best podcast programming follows the same tenets of great radio shows. Your audio gear and your audio capture technique is important, but ultimately the podcasts content is what sells the show. Good content for good listeners.

Strategy:

As much as I love MAC products iTunes isn’t necessarily friendly to serious podcasters. iTunes does not provide any podcast download metrics. Still, iTunes is where most people subscribe to podcasts. Whether it is a necessary evil or not, I’ll let you decide.

The primary way to track audio content is through webstreaming content on your website. Webstreaming audio content provides recordable metrics that assist in establishing ROI and sponsor related data.

An alternate aggregating service for audio podcast is Youtube, which has better metrics to track user data. It also happens to be where the masses go to find video and audio content. Case in point: Ozzy’s new album is available on Youtube (not actual music videos but rather a still image of album art) and I have yet to see an actual music video of the new material.

Just because you have a podcast doesn’t mean anyone will listen to it. Use social media to build a community and share podcast links. It’s perfectly fine to leak/tweet that you’re working on an upcoming podcast featuring (fill in the blank). Promoting your podcast on Facebook and Twitter is a bit tricky because no one wants to be spammed on social media sites. But if you maintain a running conversation with your fans/audience then there’s a bit of anticipation when the podcast is released.

Train your listening audience to expect your podcasts every Thursday at 4 p.m. (or what every time you see fit). The point is to ritualize the experience and present a casual contract with your listeners. Also, a routine scheduled podcast may actually grab the attention of the podcast deities at iTunes and they may actually feature your podcast in the directory.

User interface:

Most users will use iTunes to access your podcast. Make sure you provide the necessary titles, descriptions and other details to help listeners access your podcast.

If not on iTunes, users will find your podcast on your website. If you have a separate podcast page, make sure to promote it on the landing page. A podcast page works best when it provides users quick access. Set up the podcast page like a table of contents. List of podcasts on the podcast page with headline, deck (or brief 10-word description), byline (host, co-host, or featured guest), date and “listen to” feature. Users can listen to the webstreaming content or download the audio podcast.

// presented a brief workshop on podcasting. what it is. how it works.

// multimedia project has officially launched (and i thought i could get some sleep after the launch… but, no. full speed ahead).