Would you like to be on the show?
First of all: I’m super thrilled to have you as a guest on the podcast! I’m sure we’re going to record a spectacular episode together!
In order to get the best quality, I’d like to ask a couple of preparations from you. If any of these are unclear, let me know — I’d be glad to help out.
Some podcast details
In case I forgot to mention these during my e-mails, here’s the summary;
- It’s an audio-only, English podcast (aka: you don’t need to wear pants during the podcast)
- We record through Skype (my username is mattias.geniar) or Google Hangouts, whichever you prefer
- It usually runs for about an hour, but it’s no problem to have it longer or shorter (if at all possible: let me know in advance)
- The listeners are linux and open source geeks, web developers, PHP folks, … all highly technical
- I’m very flexible in when we record, so I let the timing be determined by you. I’m in GMT+2/UTC+2 (Belgium, Brussels). My preferred timing is in the evenings (so 21:00 GMT+2 and onwards).
That’s about it.
Record your own voice
I’ll be recording our Skype conversation, but latency, jitter and the occasional missed packet on the internet can cause for bad audio quality. Because of this, I’d appreciate it if you could record your own voice, too. I’ll mix them together in the end to have the best audio quality available.
Record your voice on a Mac
Super easy to do:
- Open the Quicktime Player App
- Go to File > New Audio Recording
<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-41" src="http://podcast.sysca.st/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/quicktime_1_menu-300x68.png" alt="quicktime_1_menu" width="300" height="68" srcset="http://podcast.sysca.st/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/quicktime_1_menu-300x68.png 300w, http://podcast.sysca.st/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/quicktime_1_menu-768x175.png 768w, http://podcast.sysca.st/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/quicktime_1_menu.png 836w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
- Select your Mic from the dropdown (in case you have an external mic) and hit the red record button.
<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-42" src="http://podcast.sysca.st/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/quicktime_2_record-300x136.png" alt="quicktime_2_record" width="300" height="136" srcset="http://podcast.sysca.st/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/quicktime_2_record-300x136.png 300w, http://podcast.sysca.st/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/quicktime_2_record-768x347.png 768w, http://podcast.sysca.st/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/quicktime_2_record-842x381.png 842w, http://podcast.sysca.st/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/quicktime_2_record.png 898w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
- After the show, hit the record button again and you’ll be prompted to save the file. That’s it!
Record your voice on Linux
No idea (yet). 😉
Wear a headset
Using the built-in speakers on your computer or laptop will create an echo effect that will make the audio unbearable.
Please consider using a headset so only you hear the audio. This makes sure the audio output isn’t received by your microphone, too.
Disable any bandwidth-intensive tools during recording
Since we record via Skype/Hangouts, a good connection is critical. If possible, please disable any tools that would stress your available bandwidth: back-up tools, download tools, auto-updaters, …
A quiet room
Most microphones are pretty sensitive, if at all possible – please make sure you’re in a quiet room. Having colleagues or friends cheer at you in the background may sound like fun, but it doesn’t sound too good as a recording.
It’s about having fun!
There’s no pressure. Chances are, you’re a geek like me. The audience are geeks, too. Everything just blends perfectly.
If you can’t make it or the timing is all wrong, let me know – no hard feelings.