From the course: GarageBand: Podcasting

What is a podcast? - GarageBand Tutorial

From the course: GarageBand: Podcasting

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What is a podcast?

- If you're watching this course with the intention of starting your own podcast, chances are you already know, or have a good idea of what a podcast is. Simply put, a podcast is a digital recording often in the style or format of a traditional radio show that's been made available on the Internet for downloading to desktop or mobile devices, like a computer or smartphone. Most commonly a podcast is an audio recording, although there are video podcasts, as well. So as a broad definition, podcasts are prerecorded shows that you can download to listen to at your convenience. However, in stricter terms, a podcast isn't just an audio file you can download. You can't just call any audio file you download from a website a podcast. A true podcast allows users to subscribe to what's called a feed of the program, so that anytime a new episode of the program is made available, it gets automatically downloaded to each subscriber's computer, which is the real advantage of subscribing to a podcast. You, as a listener, don't have to worry about remembering to check a website to find out when the latest episodes of the shows you like have been released. All you need is some software that you can use to subscribe to a podcast feed, and each time a new episode of a show is released, it will automatically be downloaded to your computer. You can listen to any show you want, anytime you want, and if you have a portable player, just about anywhere you want. And these days a portable player is commonly your phone. But whether you have an iPhone or an Android device, or another device, from tablets to laptops to desktop computers, there're multiple apps for subscribing to, downloading, managing, and playing podcasts available for all those types of devices. So from a listeners point of view, all you need to do to listen to a podcast is to find the one you want to listen to and then download or subscribe to it through your preferred software. But if you feel you have something to say, and want to create your own podcast, you'll need a different set of tools, including audio recording and editing software, which is where Garageband can come in, as well as other essential recording gear like microphones, headphones, and audio input devices, and more. We'll be taking a close look at specific examples of gear shortly, but next, let's start with an overview of the podcast creation process.

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