Saving MP3 Files For Podcasts
Once you've created the audio for your podcast, you should export it to MP3 format.
MP3 is the de facto standard file format for podcasts. MP3 format is supported by many applications because of its popularity. Using other audio formats may interfere with your audience's ability to use your podcast.
Selecting MP3 Export Settings
Before exporting your file, you should check Audacity's MP3 file export settings and the file's ID3 tags. You can use the same MP3 export for all your podcasts, once you find settings that you like. The ID3 tags need to be edited for each podcast you create.
Before saving your files, check your MP3 export settings. In Audacity, this is found in the application preferences:
Adjusting the bit rate controls the quality of the audio and the size of the file. The lower the bit rate that you use, the smaller the file will be. In general, you should use the lowest bit rate that meets your audio quality expectations. Here are some settings to start with:
- 48 - 56k Mono - sermons, audio books, talk radio
- 64k+ Stereo - music, music & talk combinations
- 128k Stereo - good quality music
Here are examples of music saved at different bit rates:
The music is taken from a track by Chuck D with Fine Arts Militia, No Meaning No. The full track is available as a free download from the Creative Commons site.
Name files with a web-friendly name. Use alphabet characters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores. Do not use spaces, punctuation, or special characters. Make sure you save the file with a .mp3 file extension.
Setting ID3 Tags
Next, set your ID3 tags. These tags provide information about your show. The information can be used by applications or devices to display your show's title, etc.
These tags were designed for CDs, not podcasts, so there are some fields you may not use, and some that you may wish were there. There are no set standards yet for using these tags, and there is great variation in how effectively they are used.
- Title - this should reference your podcast as a whole, plus include something unique to identify this individual podcast. A good example is the Dawn and Drew Show for March 6, 2005: DNDS20050306.mp3. Putting the show identifier first makes it easy to sort podcasts alphabetically. Adding a date stamp, with the year, then the month and then the date, identifies the unique show, and makes it easy to sort the DNDS podcasts in chronological order.
- Artist - should be the creator of the show.
- Album - some podcasters use this area to include additional information. One option is to use the name of your podcast for the album, and then increment the Track Number with each show.
- Year - self explanatory
- Genre - either select the most appropriate music category, or use Speech for shows that are primarily discussion.
- Comments - This is a good place to include extra information that doesn't fit elsewhere.
Saving and Publishing Your MP3
Once you've configured your export settings and edited the ID3 tags, export your MP3 file. In Audacity, select File - Export as MP3. Your audio files should then be copied to your web server. You can test your show's audio files by opening each show's URL in a media player, such as Windows Media Player.
Once you're happy with your audio files, you can add the new show to your newsfeed.
