Podcast-making and Sound-editing: Developer Course

An increasing number of PGRs wish to submit some or all of their thesis in the form of a podcast. This series of 4x2hr workshops led by Dr Jo Hutton Langton at 10:00-12:00 on consecutive weeks will guide you through practical and analytical tasks focusing on the details of how to present your research clearly in a short podcast. It will teach more advanced audio recording and editing techniques, how to record interviews, mix music and/or sound effects with voice, apply creative processing such as reverberation and compression, and heighten listening awareness. This Developer Course is for researchers seriously engaged in podcasting their research and with a pocketful of techniques and experience already. (See the Starter Course for researchers with no previous audio-editing and recording experience. It gives an introduction and basic techniques required for recording and editing a podcast.) As well as critical listening to examples of other podcasts, participants will be invited to work creatively on their own podcast, with a view to submitting a contribution to Technecast (the Techne podcast) following the workshops. 

Week 1, 15 January 2027: Extended understanding of the terms and facilities for sound editing, to include finer and faster editing skills, understanding the use of fades, panning, equalisation and compression to optimise podcast sound quality. 

Week 2, 22 January 2027: Recording: set-up and overview of recorders and microphones, how to get a good interview recording; basics of audio restoration, how to optimise and improve poor recordings, reduce background noise and hiss or hum; how to get the best out of mobile phone recordings and using zoom for interview recordings. 

Week 3, 29 January 2027: Mixing and mastering: understanding levels for online content; monitoring and panning; mixing music, effects and several voices; mastering effects, using limiters and audio enhancers. 

Week 4, 5 February 2027: Presentation of completed short podcast, with discussion and peer feedback.
** Please commit to the whole course and register on Inkpath for each week separately. The registration link attached here is for the first session only. **