A fairly comprehensive article with several really good tips for recording what you have got to say.
If sound quality is your primary concern, it’s best to use a professional sound studio. But if time and budget concerns are also part of the equation, it’s possible to create high-quality narration yourself by adding some inexpensive recording equipment and software to your computer and following some basic recording guidelines.
Read more at: Record better narration
I’m always looking for interesting new uses for the podcast medium. Over the last few weeks I have been enjoying the “podquiz” from podquiz.com.
Podquiz is a short quiz with typically four rounds of five questions each. The quizmaster (who doesn’t mention his name on the podquiz site, but goes by “james” on another) chooses a different topic for each round, and asks the questions in order. After a few minutes of musical break, he reads the answers. The whole ‘cast lasts about 20 minutes. The quiz is presented in a fairly breathy, close-miked, English accent. The questions are usually very clear, although I did notice a slight stumble on the word “siblings", which is not a particularly commonly-known word at the best of times.
As I’m writing this I’ve just listened to podquiz number five. As the series has progressed so far, the format has developed subtly. The incidental music and general production quality seems to have improved, and the quizmaster seems to have gained some confidence, which results in a more relaxed presentation. The questions vary in difficulty - some rounds I get an easy 5/5, others I’m lucky to manage one or two. A particular strand that runs through a lot of the rounds is the use of audio material to make it less easy to just ask the internet for the answers. This also gives more justification for doing this as a podcast rather than just a text web site.
I do have a minor suggestions for improvement, though. I notice that the quizzes are numbered rather than dated, which is a fine choice. Unfortunately (particularly in quiz number four) some questions include references to date-specific information.
It can be tempting when making a podcast to think of it existing at the time of creation, with everyone downloading it the same week. In practice these quizzes (and podcasts in general) may well be listened to in years to come as as people discover the “back issues". My suggestion is simply that any question which might have a date-specific answer, be tied to a particular date. For example, instead of asking:
How old is Prince Charles
Ask something like:
In 2005, Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker-Bowles. How old is the prince at the wedding?
Similarly for a question like “What is the name of Paris Hilton’s dog?“. Dogs have a relatively short life, so the answer could well be different in a few years’ time.
Apart from that minor point, I am enjoying these quizzes. The ‘cast length is just about right, skipping the music is easy if I want to, and the questions are hard enough to present a challenge, but easy enough to feel just a little smug in some rounds. I look forward to many more.
Read more at: podquiz.com.
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