In this window you can enable the volume controls you see. In your play controls window be sure that at least the Microphone is enabled. In the recording window, be sure the Record Master is enabled.
Go to the Record Control screen and select the “Record master” volume control. This will make Windows record all audio being played (including media players, logon sounds, e-mail alerts, and everything else that makes a sound, so be sure to switch off anything you don’t want to come through in your recording).
Switch to the Play Control screen and be sure the mute checkbox is unchecked on the Microphone volume control. If you talk into the microphone you should now hear yourself through the speakers (or headphones / headset, if that’s what you’re using). If not, increase the volume of the Microphone using the slide bar.
Ready to Go
Start up a media player, play a tune, and while it plays start talking. If you hear both through the speakers you should be okay. Start up Audacity.
Make a test recording and play it back to see if it works. If not, the problem most likely is in your play and record control settings; you may need to play around with them a bit until it is working. It would be impossible to give you settings that will work with every soundcard out there, so you’re going to have to test things out. Don’t worry, this is the fun part—playing around with all of these controls is why most people do this stuff.
One Last Setting
Open Audacity and go to File > Preference. On the “File formats” tab in Audacity you have to locate your lame encoder installation and set the bit rate for your target MP3 file. 64 is a good bit rate for Podcast voice recordings.
You could also try going up to 96 for higher quality—just remember the higher the setting, the larger the file will be. This is a consideration because you could cause your listeners larger than expected downloads. After this, you’re ready to record your first show.
When you’re finished you can export a final copy to an MP3 file. Do this through the file menu: File > Export as MP3.
Test and Create Your Feed
Now that you’re done, test your final MP3 file in a media player to see if it’s okay. From here you’ll need to upload it to a Web host and get an enclosure into your RSS feed. The easiest way is through a provider like Libsyn (www.libsyn.com).
Have a computer or technology-related question for Joe? E-mail your question to: askjoe@ericksonmail.com.