By Jason Klaiber
Staff Writer
The Community Library of DeWitt & Jamesville joined the ranks of podcasters this fall with the launch of “Color Decoded.”
Now the library is offering patrons the opportunity to record and share their own podcasts with the rest of the world.
According to Erin Cassidy, the library’s assistant director for technology and STEM initiatives, the five Dell laptop computers at the library will be equipped with the free audio recording program Audacity.
The laptops will be available to library card holders ages 18 and older on a first-come, first-serve basis by the day, through drop-in requests or a phone call requesting a computer to be held for a limited time.
The library also provides two Snowball microphones, which can be plugged in with a USB cord, free of charge for those taping podcast episodes.
Cassidy said the Snowball microphones are “easy to use” and useful in the sense that they offer different options for picking up sounds from all around or solely in front.
Cassidy also had some tips for those new to the world of computer audio recording.
She said people heading a podcast should check and make sure the correct microphone is selected in Audacity prior to recording as well.
Cassidy said audio can be recorded on Audacity in either mono or stereo.
She said she recommends selecting the mono setting for people starting out, since doing so avoids the extra step of splitting the stereo track to mono at the end to make a condensed mix.
Cassidy also said being about four inches away from the mic, or “uncomfortably close,” yields the best results for recording.
“The closer you get, the more robust your waveforms are, and so the more detail it gets instead of sounding like you’re far away,” Cassidy said.
There are also a variety of editing options made available through the software.
Cassidy said for example it is easier to insert music at the end of the recording process rather than talking over a song playing in the background, mainly because coughing accidentally or making another type of mistake would require the music to be restarted.
Using the “control X” key on the laptops after highlighting a section will delete it from the project, while “control C” can be used to copy a portion and “control L” can be pressed to temporarily silence the recording in case of breaths or other unwanted noises, thus cleaning up the audio.
While editing, any gaps in sound can be shortened so listeners aren’t tuning in to a minute’s worth of silence.
Separate tracks on Audacity can be made louder or quieter by way of raising or lowering the gain levels.
“If somebody’s real quiet, you can bump their gain up, or if somebody was just real enthusiastic that day, you can bump them down,” Cassidy said.
Effects such as a “fade in” or “fade out” can be implemented to avoid abrupt beginnings to portions of audio.
Cassidy said spaces such as Group Meeting Room A in the library, located at 5110 Jamesville Road in DeWitt, have a fitting atmosphere for recording.
Library staff members will be on hand to assist anyone structuring a podcast, and Cassidy said no one will be cut off if their recording goes too long—only if the library is closing up for the night, usually at 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
Since the laptops reset when turned off, a recording will need to be completed in one sitting unless saved and transferred to a flash drive.
Cassidy said recordings can be exported as mp3s from Audacity and then published on platforms like Anchor, which will release podcast episodes to subscription services like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.
Through Anchor, episode descriptions can be edited, vocal messages can be sent to other presenters on the dashboard page and updates will carry over to the other publishing outlets.
The episodes can also be activated for sponsorships and labeled as clean or explicit on the Anchor site, which also tracks statistics on the podcast’s listener base.
Cassidy said podcast creators should abide by a predictable release schedule so listeners know when to tune in week to week.
Cassidy said “hyping” one’s podcast through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram contributes to success.
This includes joining conversations about podcasts on social media and involving audiences by reaching out to them for content ideas.
The library’s newest podcast, “Color Decoded,” which started this fall with Cassidy as its host, can be found online.
