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Podcasts are radio shows you pick and choose from the internet, to create a radio station that’s tuned just to your interests.\u00a0No subject is too niche, as long as the hosts are passionate and engaging. We’ve discovered some fascinating shows being produced on campus\u00a0and spoke to the\u00a0producers to find out what is involved in producing a show, and how you can get your own podcast started.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carla Treloar and Annie Madden produce the podcast\u00a0SpeakEasy<\/a>. Treloar explains the goal of the show “is to\u00a0promote some of the cutting-edge and high quality social sciences research that many of our colleagues are undertaking as well as encourage discussion about important concepts and practices within the field of blood-borne viruses and\u00a0illicit drugs such as the importance of community engagement, the role of peer-based approaches and the future of drug policy in Australia.”<\/p>\n We asked Treloar the inspiration for the podcast. “We were inspired by some other women who\u00a0podcast – Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb, and our great colleague Kate Seear with her AFL-focused podcast, The Outer Scantum. We felt that we had something useful to contribute and that people would be interested in hearing from us!”<\/p>\n “We have had great assistance from the Technical Resource Team for equipment and editorial tutorials and in producing our signature musical intro.\u00a0Our in-house comms person, Jo Holcombe,\u00a0\u00a0has developed her\u00a0skills in using Audacity to edit out any complete stuff ups. \u00a0\u00a0It is great to have the support of UNSW behind the series as it would have been much harder to get the \u2018SpeakEasy\u2019 series up and running and so many shows \u2018in the can\u2019 in a relatively short space of time.”<\/p>\n Simon Trevaks of the Faculty of Arts Technical Resource Centre is happy to help.<\/p>\n “The Media Creation Studio has been used for podcasting and screencasting since its inception in early 2015.” Trevaks explained.\u00a0“Originally the room had a Rode Podcaster microphone and Audacity. When Carla approached us about the Speakeasy Podcast we needed to accommodate live interviewees as well as international and interstate speakers. In fact Annie, the co-host, broadcasts from Melbourne. We installed a mixing desk, two microphones and a 3.5 jack for the phone (soon to be redundant) and a headphone amp all running through an MBox mini (photo attached). Skype audio is used for the phone. It\u2019s quite a sophisticated setup, but still pretty straightforward to use.”<\/p>\n “I\u2019d be happy to speak to people interested in doing podcasts. I can offer advice, loan of a Rode podcaster or possibly training in the studio.”<\/p>\n “Simon and Krisjoe really helped in terms of setting up the recording equipment,” says Joanna Holcombe, who helps produce SpeakEasy. “Training Carla and I on how to use the equipment and training me in using the editing software (which is free to download and relatively simple to use). They also helped us take the podcast on the road \u2013 Carla recorded both in Melbourne and offsite in Sydney as well.”<\/p>\n Treloar adds; “Our\u00a0favourite thing about making podcasts is the opportunity to learn new things about the people we interview and share that with your listening audience. As we get more experienced, we look forward to finding new ways to promote the show, draw out the \u2018best\u2019 from our guests and try out new formats!”<\/p>\n