Chapter 4, Production, Pre-Production 

In this chapter, we will delve into the essential aspects of podcast production, focusing on pre-production steps to ensure a successful podcasting experience. From getting the right equipment to finding the perfect recording spot and even practicing with voices, pre-production is where students lay the foundation for a podcast that sounds professional and engaging. Since students fall along a broad spectrum of both podcasting and technical knowledge and skills, scaffolding the pre-production process provides an appropriate amount of structure to guide students to higher quality final products and lessons the cognitive load for figuring out the equipment so that the focus remains on the content.

Get the Right Equipment and Check It

Before starting on a podcasting journey, assembling the right equipment is crucial. The available equipment may vary depending on your college or university, but students can record a podcast using a computer, tablet, or smartphone, headphones or earbuds, free audio editing software, and your school’s streaming media platform. To take it up a notch, we suggest checking with your libraries and student learning centers to see what equipment they may have available for checkout. Many colleges and universities have Makerspaces and Sound Labs that may also offer recording spaces and equipment checkout. Whether you decide on a stripped-back approach or more advanced equipment, gathering it together and testing it before recording will allow students to ensure it all works and interacts together, facilitating a smooth experience on recording day.

As stated in Chapter Two, we cannot overemphasize how much sound quality matters in a podcast. Think about a time when you heard static on the radio or had a poor connection on a call. Did you quickly change the station or leave the call and try again to improve the experience? Since a podcast doesn’t have a video component, the audio is the start of the show. Getting it right is critical. Use the pre-production stage to have students set up and do a test recording. When they listen back, they will be able to identify audio issues and work to resolve them prior to recording their podcasts.

Essential Equipment

• Computer, tablet, or smartphone
• Headphones
  • High-quality closed-back headphones will help you monitor audio levels and catch any issues during recording, but earbuds will work as well.
• Microphones
  • USB microphones are user-friendly and cost-effective, while XLR microphones offer professional audio quality. If microphones are not available, using headphones/earbuds with a built in microphone will work too.
• Recording and Editing Software
  • The software available will vary based on your setting. Audacity (free) and Adobe Audition (subscription-based) are popular choices.Check with your school to see what is offered.
• Audio Interface: If using XLR microphones, an audio interface connects them to your computer, offering better control over sound quality.
• Pop Filters: These reduce plosive sounds (like “p” and “b” sounds) that can cause distortion in recordings.
• Microphone Stand or Boom Arm: Sturdy support prevents handling noise and ensures consistent audio quality.

Once you’ve gathered your equipment, thoroughly test each component. Check for any issues, such as background noise, cable interference, or faulty connections. Regular equipment maintenance is essential for optimal podcast production.

Test Out the Best Recording Location

The recording environment plays a significant role in the quality of your podcasts. Follow these steps to find the best location for recording:

• Noise Control: Choose a quiet space to minimize background noise. Turn off fans, air conditioning, and other noisy appliances.
• Acoustic Treatment: If possible, use soft materials like curtains, carpets, or foam panels to reduce echoes and reverberations.
• Test Recordings: Record short segments in different locations to identify the one with the best acoustics. Listen for unwanted sounds or echoes.
• Consistency: Once you find a suitable location, mark the microphone and equipment positions to ensure consistent setups for each recording session.

Practice with Voices

Effective communication is vital in podcasting. Since you’ll be working with students, practicing with different voices and speech patterns will enhance engagement and clarity. Here’s how to approach this:

• Variety: Encourage students to experiment with different tones, speeds, and inflections. This can make the podcast more engaging and dynamic.
• Pronunciation and Enunciation: Work on clear pronunciation and enunciation. Practice challenging words and technical terms to ensure they’re easily understood.
• Conversational Style: Guide students to adopt a conversational tone, as this resonates well with listeners. Practice maintaining a balance between informality and professionalism.
• Guest Speakers: If you plan to include guest speakers in your podcast, practice interview techniques and dynamics to ensure smooth interactions.

Sample Student Podcast Example

Student podcaster Alexis Bryan created a podcast, Snake Sampling, full of wildlife information. Her strong script in the form of a first-person story, along with the use of clear dialogue and soft nature sounds, keeps listeners engaged throughout.

Intro

“When most people think of scientists, they probably picture a lab coat and beaker. They imagine hours spent inside of a lab, peering through a microscope at things invisible to the naked eye. However, in natural resources, lab work is only a part of the research. In most cases, there are field technicians on the ground collecting raw data for research projects. This was the position I found myself in last summer, the summer of 2022. My name is Lexi, and I’m a senior here at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. I’m going to take you with me into the field for a typical day of sampling work.”

Main Content

“It was August 1st, and I was helping out with a snake sampling project in South Georgia. I’d just finished up on a summer of salamander sampling in the Great Smoky Mountains, and this was going to be a completely different landscape, with its own set of challenges- mainly the unforgiving heat. The sample area was at Alapaha River Management Area, and our goal was to sample 20 plots with 20 minutes at each plot. Sampling in the pine sandhills requires a lot of scoping of gopher tortoise burrows. Although the Southeastern US is second in the world for turtle diversity (cool!), we are severely lacking in the tortoise department. The Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, is a burrowing tortoise that takes up residence in the sandy soils of the coastal plain, and he is our sole resident of the family Testudinidae. Historically, their range stretched from the easternmost tip of Louisiana through to Southern Florida. They are federally listed as threatened in most of their range, but populations have been increasing.

“Gopher tortoises are a keystone species; this means they create vital habitat for other species that live in these same ecosystems. Many snakes and frogs live in the burrows that Gopher Tortoises excavate, especially after they have been abandoned by the tortoise (the namesake Gopher Frog and Gopher Snake are good examples). We were here for snakes, but I was more excited to see their landlords. It’s because of this tendency to create essential habitat that their burrows were one of the focuses of the project. The scope is essentially a camera attached to a giant hose, connected to a briefcase with a screen. It’s easy for the scope to become frustrating – it picks up the soft, shifting sand on the lens, it’s super thick and hard to handle, and most of the time there’s nothing waiting for you at the end but camel crickets and a flooded burrow. Still, I was excited to get in the field, and for a change of pace.

“I’d met Doris, the residential gopher tortoise at Sandy Creek Nature Center, but I’d never seen one in the field before. Luckily, we saw one of these guys almost immediately when we arrived on site. He was dragging himself down the road, and we got out to watch his passage. – cue audio of him walking- This is from a video I took- as you can hear, he’s wheezing up a storm. I’m not sure if the heat was getting to him, or if he had an upper respiratory infection. Gopher tortoises are susceptible to Mycoplasma spp, Herpesvirus, and Ranavirus, but I had no way of knowing if he was infected with any of these pathogens. He stopped and stared at us for a bit, and then dragged himself off the road.

Outro

“It was definitely a highlight for the trip, which was largely a hot day of trudging through briars. In any case, the field work is one of the best parts of working in natural resources. The stories you collect and thesights you see make all the hard work and adverse conditions worth it.”