Howto: Create Your Own Podcasting Show On Windows
While looking around for a way to do my own podcasting show, the only website I could find about this is this one on engadget. But it assumes you have a Mac. After some playing around on my Windows XP computer I got it to work here too. This is how I did it.
Update: An updated, extended version of this howto (with more information on RSS and webhosts) in PDF format can be downloaded here.
What you need
- Windows XP (or maybe an earlier version, haven’t tested)
- Audio recording software, I used the open source Audacity. Be sure to also download the lame encoder library there to convert your output to mp3
- A microphone
- Optionally: Some songs, jingles, whatever and a player to play them (iTunes, Winamp)
First you have to connect your microphone to your computer. Depending on the microphone and how close you sit next to your audio speakers, you might want to route your audio output to your headphones instead.
Then, the hard part. You have to find the correct settings to record both your voice and music at the same time. To do this open up your volume controls. You can do that by clicking on the Volume tray icon or through Start > Control panel > Sound and audio devices > Audio tab > Click one of the volume buttons.
You’ll most likely see a screen looking like this:
You’re now on the Play Control screen. You can switch between the Play Control screen and the Record Control screen through File > Properties:
In this window you can also enable the volume controls you see. Be sure that with the play controls at least the Microphone one is enabled. With the recording one, be sure the Record Master one is enabled.
Go to the record control screen and select the “Record master” volume control as the active one. This will make Windows record all audio being played (including media players, but also MSN logon sounds, so be sure to switch that kind of software off during recording).
Now switch to the play control screen and uncheck the Mute checkbox on the “Microphone” volume control. If you talk into the microphone you should now hear yourself through the speakers (or headphone, if that’s what you’re using). If not, increase the volume of the microphone using the slide bar.
You should now be set. Start up a media player, play a tune and while it plays start talking, if you hear both through the speakers you’re probably OK. Now, start up your audio recording software. In my case Audacity:
Record a little something and play it back to see if it works. If not, the problem most likely is in your play and record control settings, fiddle around with them a bit until it works. It’s really hard to give settings that work with every soundcard setup, so you’ll just have to test things out.
Now you’re almost ready to record your show. First you have to set the sample rate to something lower, I use 16Khz. This is done in Audacity by going to File > Preferences…
On the “File formats” tab you have to locate your lame encoder installation and set the bitrate for your target MP3 file (I use 48kbit):
After this, you’re ready to record your first show.
When you’re done you can export it to an MP3 using File > Export As MP3.
When that’s done, test your MP3 file in a media player to see if it’s OK. Then, upload it to your webhost and somehow get an enclosure into your RSS feed. Such an enclosure is placed within the tags and looks something like this:
<enclosure url="http://www.yourdomain.com/podcast/yourdomain.com% 20podcast%201.mp3" length="10306438" type="audio/mpeg" />
People can now aggregate your podcasting show using iPodder by adding the URL to their list of channels.
Have fun!
An updated, extended version of this howto (with more information on RSS and webhosts) in PDF format can be downloaded here.
Jeffrey Gelens said,
Wrote on October 11, 2004 @ 4:31 pm
I think you can add the music later with Audacity, that’s a lil easier I think.
Bas Westerbaan said,
Wrote on October 11, 2004 @ 6:53 pm
Or you just don’t add it at all
Dagur said,
Wrote on October 12, 2004 @ 12:24 am
I have no idea, but maybe this will interest you:
http://jaeger.blogmatrix.com/weblog/archives/2004_10.shtml#002997
ema said,
Wrote on October 20, 2004 @ 12:37 pm
Thank you for the post. One question about “also download the lame encoder library”–which one, the lame 3.96.1 Fr, or the BitTorrent one?
Zef said,
Wrote on October 21, 2004 @ 3:48 pm
They’re probably the same, I used the normal download (this one: http://mitiok.free.fr/lame-3.96.1.zip)
ema said,
Wrote on October 27, 2004 @ 11:32 am
Thanks, Zef; I used the same one.
Kristian Kristensen's Blog said,
Wrote on November 2, 2004 @ 8:55 pm
Podcast - Creating your own show on Windows
Fandt denne artikel om at optage sit eget show p
The 'RSS-Powered' Report said,
Wrote on November 11, 2004 @ 1:46 am
Create Your Own Podcasting Show On Windows
The ZefHemel blog has post short but excellent tutorial on how to set up a Podcast using windows software. There was an excellent article posted Engaget however it was iMac specific in reference to the software applications to use
Podcast Australia said,
Wrote on November 17, 2004 @ 11:56 am
How to create your own Podcast
Creating your own Podcast show is easy and inexpensive.
Rubin said,
Wrote on December 11, 2004 @ 2:40 pm
OK. But how do I create the RSS feed???
Podcast Directory Chicklet said,
Wrote on December 16, 2004 @ 9:47 pm
Nice to see the Windows podcasters get equal time.
Audacity does most of what any podcaster will want to do. Other apps are more user-friendly, but cost real $$$$!
Rubin - the easiest way to create the feed is to use an RSS/blogging application that supports enclosures. Radio is one, but all the major apps will soon support it because of the popularity of podcasting.
Aaron Klinefelter said,
Wrote on December 17, 2004 @ 4:08 pm
How bout recording Skype conference calls with Audacity on a PC?
Zak Kindrachuk said,
Wrote on December 18, 2004 @ 8:13 pm
I’m having trouble getting my computer to pick up the feed from my mic. Anyone have any interface suggestions? I’m assuming that the signal is probably too diluted by the time it gets to the jack. I have fiddled endlessly with the settings with no results.
<?php bloginfo('name'); ?><?php wp_title(); ?> said,
Wrote on December 21, 2004 @ 4:03 pm
[…] windowsFiled under: My Sites My computers and network — lotas @ 3:48 pm 1 views ZefHemel has this blog post showing you howto Create Your Own Podc […]
Isaac said,
Wrote on December 24, 2004 @ 8:09 pm
“Record master”
I don’t have a record master device. What audio hardware/drivers are you using? I see an “SB Live!” device up there, but which one is it?
Brian Davis said,
Wrote on February 10, 2005 @ 11:23 pm
hi there -- tags and looks something like this…”
I’m a rookie and not at all “geeky” but i have all the listed equipment/etc to get my first podcast going. i’ve taken all the steps with hardware, audacity, level adjustments etc.. but i get hung up here:
“Then, upload it to your webhost and somehow get an enclosure into your RSS feed. Such an enclosure is placed within the
What webhost are you referring to? do i need to pay/subscribe to a company for bandwidth and storage if i’m just your everyday web surfer? (barring popularity)Are there any links you can send that detail steps in getting a webhost, RSS feeds going and enclosure design?
Thanks!
Brian
Here's Why said,
Wrote on February 12, 2005 @ 2:46 pm
Enclosures not happening
I’ve been playing with MTEnclosures some more on this server. I tried setting up the new MT on a different server, and I still can’t get it to create XML with enclosures for MP3 files. It will pick up the…
Quixtar Blog said,
Wrote on February 21, 2005 @ 4:57 am
Blogging 101 - Podcasting
The latest buzz in the Blog Realm (and everywhere else it seems) is something called “podcasting.” The term “podcasting is “a portmanteau of the words iPod and broadcasting.” The primary goal of podcasting is to make audio (broadcasting) portable by au…
Kolek said,
Wrote on March 8, 2005 @ 2:23 am
Ive been playing with MTEnclosures some more on this server. I tried setting up the new MT on a different server, and I still cant get it to create XML with enclosures for MP3 files. It will pick up the >Big Naturals
MrHammami said,
Wrote on April 5, 2005 @ 5:40 am
“I dont have a record master device. What audio hardware/drivers are you using? I see an SB Live! device up there, but which one is it?”
I also couldn’t find a “Record Master” but I just checked the “Stereo Mix” controls in the “Recording” thing. It’s working very well. Thanks a lot for this article. *Thumbs up*
Gersh said,
Wrote on April 6, 2005 @ 5:04 pm
I have a problem with room noise or ambient hissing sounds making it into my recordings. Is there a good way in Audacity (or is there a better program) to make these recordings sound cleaner and fuller, like a real radio program?
chophel said,
Wrote on April 7, 2005 @ 3:10 pm
I have problem how to create an enclosure for mp3 files for RSS feed
Can you explain me please
Alex said,
Wrote on June 4, 2005 @ 5:02 pm
you using? I see an SB Live! device up there, but which one is it?
I also couldnt find a Record Master but I just checked the Stereo Mix controls in the Recording thing. Its working very well. Thanks
Erotyka said,
Wrote on June 4, 2005 @ 5:02 pm
Im having trouble getting my computer to pick up the feed from my mic. Anyone have any interface suggestions? Im assuming that the signal is probably too diluted by the time it gets to the jack. I have fiddled endlessly with the settings with no results.
Spank said,
Wrote on June 9, 2005 @ 12:11 pm
I love the whole “record your show” gloss-over that part of the process gets in every tutorial.
How about explaining, in detail, how to add intros and outtros, background music, sound effects at specific points, fade-ins and outs, etc.? Just saying, record your show kids, just doesn’t do this part of the process, the real meat and potatoes of it, any justice at all.
Lennin said,
Wrote on June 15, 2005 @ 3:15 am
RSS Feed? plz explain i am way behind in this tech world of hours
Jim Sutton said,
Wrote on June 23, 2005 @ 9:11 pm
I’d like to suggest answers to two questions asked previously:
Q1) How do I create RSS feed with the enclosure tags.
A1) I’m found two problems designed for newly minted podders — meaning they’re relatively easy to use:
1) FEEDForALL - Small fee to purchase
But it’s easy to understand and insert your text and links to the MP3 file, and preto, you have an RSS v2 feed that validates every time.
2) Tristana Writer - Small Fee ($29 USD)to purchase
Easy to Use and BUGGY! And the developer has a dumb headed resistance to fixing problems with his pet code and fixing user problems. I paid for this program before I knew FeedForAll existed.
Q2) How do I get all the cool sound effects, sweepers, audio segments added into your podcast.
A2) Two type of recommended solutions:
a) using multi-track audio editor like Audacity (free) or Adobe Audition ($169 USD, etc.
or
b) using a software program typically called Radio Automation software that will paly any type of music and audio files in any order with fades and all types of features.
Example: DRS 2006 standard ($59 USD), SAM Broadcaster, etc.
All the Internet music stations on the Internet are run by one of these software packages running on someone;s PC and Streaming to the Internet.
If you use the audio editor, you paste the elements in mult-track mode in different tracks, align them, fiddle with any number of controls and effects and MIX it down to a final output. Presto, again, and you’re done.
If you use the Radio station software, you and your smarter/cooler/sexier/stupider tham anyone mates can yap and chat and sing with intros and outros and music played perfectly at your control. The you typically capture the output into an ENCODER (Windows Media, icecst, etc) or feed it into an audio program for capture as discussed above.
Questions?? Check out my Podcast and then email me.
Jim
Wireless Tech Radio podcast
http://feeds.feedburner.com/WirelessTechRadio
http://www.wirelesstechradio.com
Bob Marley said,
Wrote on June 23, 2005 @ 9:13 pm
http://feeds.feedburner.com/WirelessTechRadio
Man that Wireless Tech Radio podcast is da bomb!
Rasta oN!
tese said,
Wrote on July 4, 2005 @ 2:37 pm
twe
car shipping said,
Wrote on July 4, 2005 @ 10:36 pm
If i have Win2000, what i should to do?
Moving trucks said,
Wrote on July 5, 2005 @ 7:03 pm
XP sucks.
Casper Vidor said,
Wrote on July 5, 2005 @ 8:58 pm
To record Skype calls in Winders use tunebite (http://www.tunebite.com/index.php). Tunebite will record any winders audio.
crystal said,
Wrote on July 7, 2005 @ 10:45 am
Great info, tnx.
wedding accessories said,
Wrote on July 12, 2005 @ 10:50 am
Great tutorial, thanks.
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Wrote on July 15, 2005 @ 7:11 pm
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Wrote on July 17, 2005 @ 6:24 pm
Devoted to promoting welding and related processes.
Jay said,
Wrote on July 20, 2005 @ 8:48 pm
Here is a great resource for Skype users who want to record calls for podcasts.
HotRecorder (http://www.hotrecorder.com/) seems to work really well for recording Skype conversations. Easy and cheap. And their site says that they have a Windows 2000 version coming soon.
prada said,
Wrote on July 23, 2005 @ 12:27 pm
Great information, thanks.
Jessica said,
Wrote on August 16, 2005 @ 3:27 pm
I appreciate that you keep your site going and allow comments. To me feedback is an interesting part of a website. Your site is a very great website and I make your site for my homepage!.
John said,
Wrote on August 19, 2005 @ 8:46 pm
Thank you for the information and the ability to give feedback. I learned alot today and will venture into my own podcast this weekend. The only hangup I have is the RSS feed stuff.
Zef Hemel said,
Wrote on August 20, 2005 @ 2:42 pm
Important: I just added a link to a PDF version of this howto which provides more information on RSS and webhosts. This PDF version can be downloaded here.
Adirondack chairs said,
Wrote on August 30, 2005 @ 11:09 pm
Hello everyone! This web site is great! I hope you have good luck.
Andy Kaufman said,
Wrote on September 3, 2005 @ 3:58 pm
Thanks for the great post & comments. This really helped answer a few questions that I had.
tempurpedic said,
Wrote on September 13, 2005 @ 1:16 pm
Great tutorial, thanks;)
紫雨 Purple Rain said,
Wrote on September 19, 2005 @ 6:36 am
I am the founder of Malaysian Chinese Podcasters and found it very useful. Thanks for the article and it will be helpful to Malaysia Podcaster.
Those who are chinese podcaster if want to look for chinese teaching material can subsribe to MCP:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/malaysiapodcaster
Alex said,
Wrote on September 22, 2005 @ 8:41 pm
Good article. Very interesting and useful. Thanks.
SBM said,
Wrote on September 24, 2005 @ 11:33 pm
It was easy to find out how to receive casts, but had to search like hell to find out how to create/submit them. Thanks for the help!!
Laurie Meade said,
Wrote on October 8, 2005 @ 11:12 pm
Thank you so much for your detailed instructions. This is the next step I plan to take at my article site. Featuring some of the free content articles on podcasts. This is new to me, and I too, still need more detailed instructions on the rss part of it all. What podcast reader is best to use with windows, and is there one that is free?
Kindest regards,
Laurie Meade
http://lauiremeade.com
Laurie Meade said,
Wrote on October 8, 2005 @ 11:13 pm
One more comment, what theme are you using for Wordpress, I like the way you have tabs on the top. How do you get your posts on indivdual pages?
Kindest regards,
Laurie
http://articles411.com
Welmar said,
Wrote on November 15, 2005 @ 2:40 pm
Thank you so much for your detailed instructions. This is the next step I plan to take at my article site. Featuring some of the free content articles on podcasts. This is new to me, and I too, still need more detailed instructions on the rss part of it all. What podcast reader is best to use with windows, and is there one that is free?
Welmar said,
Wrote on November 15, 2005 @ 2:41 pm
It was easy to find out how to receive casts, but had to search like hell to find out how to create/submit them. Thanks for the help!! http://www.welmar.pl/
JK said,
Wrote on December 9, 2005 @ 5:09 am
Thanks very much. I found this info very helpful. I will recommend it to anybody who wants to podcast.
RAA said,
Wrote on December 16, 2005 @ 1:26 am
Related topic is:
Setup your own Online Radio Station
found at
http://ffa.oasisoflove.com/
Brandon said,
Wrote on December 25, 2005 @ 8:46 am
I spent hours looking for a how to for Windows. Thank you!
-Brandon
http://www.yourcollegesurvivalguide.com
Jon said,
Wrote on December 29, 2005 @ 7:07 pm
Your demonstration are very great. Thank you!
Robin said,
Wrote on January 3, 2006 @ 9:36 pm
Thanks a lot for the informative tutorial! Does anyone know how to get the podcast showing up in iTunes?
Bill said,
Wrote on January 24, 2006 @ 6:33 pm
Create Video and Audio Podcasts with StreamerNet for Windows XP. Free trial available at http://www.streamernet.com
David said,
Wrote on February 4, 2006 @ 6:23 am
Hi your tutorial really helped but could you explain how i could record conversations on Skype and how to convert them? I tried Hotrecorder but i cant seem to figure out how to convert them.
Zef said,
Wrote on February 4, 2006 @ 2:27 pm
If you record your conversation the way I explained you can also do skype conversations and they’ll be recorded as well. This tutorial applies to any kind of audio routed through the PC.
Sean said,
Wrote on March 9, 2006 @ 9:14 pm
Opinions are what counts. So long as you have one you know you are alive and well!!
Jim said,
Wrote on March 20, 2006 @ 11:25 pm
thanks for the great tutorial. i also know two *cool* tools for podcasters:
Feed Editor: Create RSS Feed and Podcast Easily.
http://www.extralabs.net/feed-editor.htm
Feed Mix: Create a new RSS feed from several others.
http://www.extralabs.net/feed-mix.htm
jolli said,
Wrote on April 7, 2006 @ 12:20 pm
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munamuna jaga mun muna in your mouth biatch said,
Wrote on April 7, 2006 @ 12:22 pm
shee shaa shnappii shnappi shnappi shnappiu. and i light my balls on faijar
gene chavis said,
Wrote on April 11, 2006 @ 9:51 pm
in window 98,how do i route audio output to the headphone.i can hear my recording,but i cannot hear myself on the headphonews while i am recording
Ross Baldwin said,
Wrote on April 13, 2006 @ 8:19 pm
I want to make a conference podcast. But I can’t find a turial on how to exactly do it. I have all the right equipment. But I mean if I’m on a conference on skype, How would I record the other peoples’ voices? I just don’t see it. I must be ignorant.
Soft Master said,
Wrote on April 16, 2006 @ 1:58 am
It was easy to find out how to receive casts, but had to search like hell to find out how to create/submit them. Thanks for the help!!
Geoffrey Vernon said,
Wrote on May 17, 2006 @ 2:06 am
what kind of microphone do you need to run this software.
Zef Hemel said,
Wrote on May 17, 2006 @ 10:40 am
Any, doesn’t matter.
Marc said,
Wrote on August 28, 2006 @ 8:18 am
Tried to follow your instructions, except that in my version of Windows XP in the recording control panel there is no master record, I have to choose one of available recording settings, only one.
Brogan said,
Wrote on August 30, 2006 @ 3:44 pm
i want to make a show!
Jack Dundee said,
Wrote on September 15, 2006 @ 8:25 pm
“Stereo Mix”, “What U Hear” and “Master Record” are basically the same thing, hardware based mixing, but labeled differently depending on the sound card. Not all sound cards support mixing in the hardware. For example my cheapo Dell laptop’s built in audio doesn’t support hardware mixing. Argh!
Then to the rescue, I found a free podcast recorder called WildVoice Studio which does software based mixing and will mix your microphone audio with any MP3 (think music or an intro segment) within the application. To date, this is the only application I have found that does this.
Wendy Wayrad said,
Wrote on October 3, 2006 @ 4:38 pm
Haven’t gone through and made the show yet, but these instructions - as well as the comments left - seem very useful.
I got lucky because this page came on the first google search. Yay!
Thank you :o)
Don Lapre Boy said,
Wrote on November 6, 2006 @ 7:31 pm
Thanks for the tutorial. I wanted to add a few things over the weekend and came across your page. I tried your recommendations and it worked like butter…
John
www.motivationace.com
john@motivationace.com
bob said,
Wrote on November 27, 2006 @ 7:45 pm
hi
Bob said,
Wrote on November 27, 2006 @ 7:47 pm
thanks for nothing
Felix said,
Wrote on December 8, 2006 @ 5:11 pm
Rubin - the easiest way to create the feed is to use an RSS/blogging application that supports enclosures. Radio is one, but all the major apps will soon support it because of the popularity of podcasting.
Corey said,
Wrote on March 14, 2007 @ 6:23 pm
You should try out hte new WinJournal application from Mariner Software, it does blogging and records and posts podcasts. It’s pretty easy to use.
http://www.marinersoftware.com
Podcasting Researcher said,
Wrote on April 6, 2007 @ 2:23 am
If you have used podcasting and if you have 10 minutes, would you please take the online survey on podcasting posted by a universtiy professor. Thank you in advance.
Podcasting Researcher said,
Wrote on April 6, 2007 @ 2:24 am
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=334693040741
Billy said,
Wrote on April 24, 2007 @ 2:19 am
WInJournal is going to be incredible. I’ve tried the product since Beta 1 and am amazed at how drop-dead simple it is.
www.marinersoftware.com
Chat said,
Wrote on April 29, 2007 @ 5:18 pm
Tried to follow your instructions, except that in my version of Windows XP in the recording control panel there is no master record, I have to choose one of available recording settings, only one.
Britney said,
Wrote on June 2, 2007 @ 1:41 pm
Oh o ho! very nice site!
Googl said,
Wrote on June 15, 2007 @ 9:30 am
Very interesting website. Keep up the outstanding work and thank you.
mirc said,
Wrote on August 4, 2007 @ 1:54 pm
Tried to follow your instructions, except that in my version of Windows XP in the recording control panel there is no master record, I have to choose one of available recording settings, only one.
Sohbet said,
Wrote on October 5, 2007 @ 7:25 am
Thank you for the post.
Muhabbet said,
Wrote on October 5, 2007 @ 7:26 am
thank you