** This is a very basic introduction to recording for a podcast meant for those that are not familiar with recording, but can at least plug in a mic and click a couple buttons.
To record your own voice for a podcast, you'll need several things:
1) Sound card
2) Microphone
3) Recording software
Naturally the better the quality of your hardware, the better sound you'll get. However, whatever you have will suffice to start.
The microphone is the most important piece of equipment and will drastically affect the quality of your recording. If you do not have a microphone, you may be able to borrow one from a friend or perhaps from your local church. XLR connections work best because they are grounded and will not have the 60 Hz hum that you get from non-grounded mics. You would then need an XLR input for your sound card, or an adapter.
If you already have recording software, then most likely you already know how to use it. If you don't, you can get Audacity for free from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/. Here is some basic information on setting it up to record once you've installed it.
You won't need anything more than 44,1000 Hz at 16 bits audio quality. Set that in the preferences (Edit > Preferences) here:
You will also need to set your input device. This will be different for every computer with different hardware, but you can set that here:
For recording, you'll need to set your mixer to use your Line-In or Mic with proper volume levels. See below:
Your mixer is very likely to look different than that one. You can also use the Windows controls under Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Audio (tab):
Set your device there and click the Volume button: to set your input and volume levels:
Once you've got that properly setup, you're ready to start recording.
Start Audacity and click the record button on the toolbar:
You are then recording. Test things to see that they work properly. Click the stop button and save the recording as a wave file when you are finished.
If you experience problems such as noise or hum, check whether you are using the "Line-In" or the "Mic" input on your sound card. You may find that the other works better for you.
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