Diary of a Podcaster Part 19
I regularly receive random emails addressed to such august bodies as “the Contains Moderate Peril team”. They always raise a wry smile. Like there’s a team. That implies an organisation, structure and even a budget. As opposed to just me, screaming into the void and pouring money into a financial black hole. I don’t resent such emails. People are just trying to earn a crust, I guess. The only thing about them that frustrates me, is they never address me by name. A cursory glance at the “about” page of the website would provide them with my personal details. So I just delete them and think no more about them. Today I received one that did more than make me smile. In fact I laughed out loud and heartily. The email started with “Dear Burton”. Someone had found a few old episodes of the Burton and Scrooge podcast and had assumed this was indeed my real identity.
I regularly receive random emails addressed to such august bodies as “the Contains Moderate Peril team”. They always raise a wry smile. Like there’s a team. That implies an organisation, structure and even a budget. As opposed to just me, screaming into the void and pouring money into a financial black hole. I don’t resent such emails. People are just trying to earn a crust, I guess. The only thing about them that frustrates me, is they never address me by name. A cursory glance at the “about” page of the website would provide them with my personal details. So I just delete them and think no more about them. Today I received one that did more than make me smile. In fact I laughed out loud and heartily. The email started with “Dear Burton”. Someone had found a few old episodes of the Burton and Scrooge podcast and had assumed this was indeed my real identity.
The email itself was about outsourcing podcast post production. I broke protocol and actually replied to this one, as they had unknowingly amused me. I politely declined their services, pointing out that the Burton and Scrooge podcast had ceased production over 8 years ago. But it certainly got me thinking about how the nature of podcast production has changed over the years. When I started producing podcasts in 2010, it was very much a case of flying by the seat of your pants. I had a cheap, desktop microphone which sounded terrible. Everyone recorded their own audio which was then sent to me and I tried to cobble it together using Audacity. It was very rough around the edges but it was that lack of formality and quality which made it exciting and different. Now even a small podcast can outsource its post production, if it sees fit. The cost is that low.
That “wild west” period of small, amateur podcasts seems pretty much over. Everything is slick once again. Podcasts for a while supplanted traditional media but the corporations and professional companies simply moved into the podcast market and slowly formalised everything once again. Like the media version of the Borg. It’s a shame but unsurprising. Capitalism hates anything that it can’t control and monetise. But enough of this melancholic, introspection. It was nice to have been reminded of the Burton and Scrooge podcast. It was a fun time and both I and my co-host Brian really enjoyed having a weekly show where we could literally talk about anything. That is a rare opportunity these days, where everything is quantified and optimised to appeal to a predetermined market. As for being addressed as Burton, it just makes me want to podcast again.
I regularly receive random emails addressed to such august bodies as “the Contains Moderate Peril team”. They always raise a wry smile. Like there’s a team. That implies an organisation, structure and even a budget. As opposed to just me, screaming into the void and pouring money into a financial black hole. I don’t resent such emails. People are just trying to earn a crust, I guess. The only thing about them that frustrates me, is they never address me by name. A cursory glance at the “about” page of the website would provide them with my personal details. So I just delete them and think no more about them. Today I received one that did more than make me smile. In fact I laughed out loud and heartily. The email started with “Dear Burton”. Someone had found a few old episodes of the Burton and Scrooge podcast and had assumed this was indeed my real identity.
I recently decided I’d had enough of the endless deliberation and procrastination and so I started producing a weekly podcast again. As of today the second episode of Season 10 of the Contains Moderate Peril podcast is available on all major platforms. I must admit, although I was confident that a few people would listen to the show, I was completely taken aback by the overall reaction. The Contains Moderate Peril podcast was warmly welcomed back by previous listeners on social media and the statistics for the first show have been most positive. For myself and Brian, recording the show is like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes. Last night’s recording went okay and I think after a few more episodes, the recording and editing process will be an efficient process. Keeping each episode to an hour or under means that the conversation stays on point.
My personal podcast journey started back in 2010 when I effectively invited myself onto the Mordor or Bust podcast. The three of us who were involved in the production of that show were learning as we went along. I recently listened to an old episode and despite our enthusiasm, it is quite rough around the edges from a technical perspective. I think that the biggest mistake that I made at the time was not investing in a better quality microphone. I sound like I’m at the bottom of a well. It’s hardly surprising as I was using a very cheap analog desk microphone which I think only cost a few pounds from PC World. Roll on eleven years and I’ve been invited to be a guest on the Beyond Bossfights podcast. It’s nice to be back in the saddle again, so to speak. Up until now, I’ve been using my Razer gaming headset for any previous podcast recordings but I’ve decided to take the opportunity to overhaul my technical setup.
Life is often about the things we’d like to do or wished we had done, rather than the things we’ve actually achieved. My last post in this blog series was back in 2nd October 2018 and the last podcast that I published was in January 2019. Since then most attempts to produce more content of this kind have come to nought, as spare time for both recording and editing have been in short supply. However, I did manage to record some material on the 22nd of December with my long-time co-host Brian. The idea was to release the finished podcast as a surprise show at the end of the year. However, due to real world commitments, that deadline has not been met. Now there’s a surprise. I do intend to finish editing the show and may add some extra material to make it a little more topical. But overall, I am not too upset by this delay, because in the process of organising this podcast, I discovered a quick and convenient means of recording via Discord. Something that has been seen as Holy Grail of podcasting over the years.
I’ve been pondering a new podcast project for a while, since Contains Moderate Peril ended a year ago. As I’ve discussed in previous posts, I want to create a movie-based show and have been considering of late exactly what sort of format to adopt. I don’t go to the cinema often enough these days to produce a contemporary review orientated podcast, plus I don’t find a lot of mainstream releases to be sufficiently engaging. Despite looking and pursuing discrete enquiries, I haven’t been able to find a co-host who is sufficiently knowledgeable, motivated or available to do a regular show producing the audio equivalent of long form criticism of films and the movie industry. So, it’s been a bit of a chore to try and work out which niche to explore. However, I have now a clear idea of what I want to do.
Today I did a little blog housekeeping. I’ve reposted the last five episodes of the Contains Moderate Peril on the podcast page, now that previous hosting account has been closed and the RSS feed is defunct. The files are held locally and can either be played via the embedded player or downloaded manually. There are also two episodes of the Burton & Scrooge Podcast still available on SoundCloud for posterity. The podcast page and selection of episodes available are for reference and as an example of my podcasting back catalogue, so to speak. I may not be actively creating content of this kind at present, but I see no reason not to promote my experience in the field. If circumstances change in the future, there may be resumption of service.
I made a hard decision today. I cancelled my Podbean subscription and have effectively closed the Contains Moderate Peril podcast. Despite relaunching the show last September, I simply haven’t had the time to collate content for discussion or organise recording sessions with co-hosts. Hence, we are now two months into 2018 and a new show has not yet been produced. Furthermore, the listener numbers for the episode posted between September and December last year were disappointing. Upon mature reflection, I have reached the conclusion that the podcast peaked in 2014 when we had a strong and established audience. Rather than chase my own tail trying to recapture something that may well have been a product of circumstance, it seems prudent to finally draw a line under this show. I’m a little sad about this situation, as it does feel like the end of a personal era, but it is time to move on.
Ever had what you thought was a great idea for a podcast that looked good on paper but turned into something quite different, once you started recording? Well I had that experience on Sunday evening and today I am dealing with the results. It all started with an innocuous Twitter conversation (don’t many things I hear you say) which highlighted a minor cultural difference between the US and the UK. Having recorded with an American co-host for many years this is a common occurrence, so I decided to make it the theme of the next Contains Moderate Peril podcast. I initially thought of several fun examples that could be discussed; the British obsession with the weather, cheese-rolling and Morris dancing. However, rather than take a scattergun approach, I decided to list specific categories in the show notes. Subjects such as school, work, food, social customs and public holidays were added for discussion and I believe that is where thing started to go wrong.
Podcasts are becoming an invaluable medium for the analysis and discussion of niche interests and bespoke subjects. Many of the shows that I regularly listen to bring professional quality documentary skills to bear on unique and varied areas of fandom. More and more podcasts are being made by informed and intelligent fans, offering in-depth material rather than just light weight banter. Simply put, I am spoilt for choice. Therefore, it is essential to have a suitable podcast management app to stay on top of such quality entertainment. Something that allows me to curate and organise those shows that I currently enjoy, as well as providing recommendations for comparable material that I may wish to subscribe to. For several years I’ve been using Podcast Addict on my Android devices, although I’ve struggled to find something comparable for my PC.
Last night, myself, Hannah and Chris (AKA Jaedia and Wolfyseyes) had an especially productive recording session. We managed to produce two hours of material in total and I’m confident that it can be whittled down into a coherent and enjoyable ninety-minute episode. What I especially enjoyed about this podcast recording was buoyant atmosphere and the flow of the conversation. I felt that we explored the various topics well and that the discussion felt natural. Ultimately, it will be the listeners who’ll determine whether this is the case or not but from my perspective the recording went well because the guests were a good choice. If you are pursuing a podcast format that has multiple hosts or regularly features guests, then it is important for there to be a rapport between all involved.
As I surmised, in its current state Squarespace has proven an inadequate host for my current podcast. After exchanging several emails with Apple support, I was informed that “the server for your episodes does not support HTTP HEAD requests. To enable streaming playback of episodes, ensure the hosting server allows HTTP HEAD requests and has byte-range requests enabled”. To cut a long story short, there is no scope for me to alter any of these things at present within the Squarespace dashboard. Nor did I want the work involved in using a third-party feed managing service such as FeedBurner. So, I decided to open up an account with a commercial hosting service. After some research, I determined that PodBean could cater for all my needs and at a competitive price. Submitting the new RSS feed was easy and Apple approved the podcast within 36 hours. As of today, the Contains Moderate Peril podcast is back on iTunes.
Whenever I encounter a word or term that I’m not familiar with, I will usually Google it. That’s the way I’m wired. I prefer to “know” rather than “not know”. However, it is not the concept of continuous self-improvement that I wish to discuss in this post but something else. Namely sociolinguistics. Earlier today I saw someone mention vocal fry on Twitter. I had no idea what that was so I checked on Wikipedia, watched some You Tube videos and finally read some newspaper articles. An hour later I was aware of not only vocal fry, but run-ons, uptalk, glottal Ts and the fact that the way we speak has a major impact upon our lives, just like education and class. According to sociolinguistics, the manner in which you speak has a major impact on the way you are perceived by others. Sadly, like so many other social markers, it can be used in a discriminatory fashion.
Back in April I decided to relaunch the Contains Moderate Peril podcast for reasons of brand continuity. At the time, I was hoping to get back in to the podcasting saddle and return to producing weekly shows. However, the recording session was fraught with technical problems with Zencastr crashing regularly. I was left with nine separate audio tracks that weren’t in sync which made editing a major problem. There then followed a wealth or real-world issues that I had to address that meant for the next three months the podcast was put on hold. Finally, at the beginning of August I managed to complete the post production work on the show and publish it via Squarespace. I was hoping that using this existing website as a host for the show would save some money and reduce the work load. However, like most plans, it didn’t exactly work out that way
Professor Beej recently tweeted about consolidating all his various blogs and online activities into a single entity. I naturally agreed with him and encouraged him to do so because I did something similar back in 2010. I had a gaming blog and a site for movies reviews plus a podcast to manage. It ultimately made sense to put all these thing in one place, despite their respective differences because the common factor in all of them was me. To coin a rather nauseating phrase “you are your own brand”. This is how Contains Moderate Peril came to be. In recent years, I’ve embraced this concept further and will now write or podcast about any subject that really takes my fancy. I try to stick to the things that I like but from time to time, I do stray in to wider real world subjects.
Although we at the Burton & Scrooge podcast are not driven by numbers, it would be nice to see the audience grow. We seem at present to have plateaued somewhat and maintain a robust but fixed listenership. Currently our back catalogue of shows is available via SoundCloud, iTunes and Stitcher. However it would appear that other directories and aggregation services are available, so it would seem prudent to ensure that we are listed with them. My colleagues tell me that the Google Play Store and iHeartRadio are beneficial to register with. I believe that there may well also be comparable services aimed specifically at the console market. However, as our show is more geared towards PC gaming, I don’t see the need to pursue these.
Over the recent weeks, it’s become increasingly apparent that the two new podcast projects that I’m currently working on are taking too much time to produce. Like many people, my leisure time is a finite commodity. At present I am writing daily, maintaining a presence in two MMOs, as well as trying to keep abreast of several TV shows and a growing list of movies. So far, despite a lot of work, the new projects have not yielded any satisfactory results. So, rather than produce nothing, I deemed it prudent to return to my previous podcast creation. Thus, the Burton and Scrooge Podcast has been reinstated and been given a production makeover. At present, both Brian and I are well disposed towards gaming and other pop culture subjects, so have plenty to discuss. We always find are recordings are more rigorous when we are enthused, as opposed to mildly interested.
Last weekend, myself, Syl, Braxwolf and Brian recorded an episode of the TGEN Tribunal. Being regular podcasters who all know each other, the conversation flowed well and overall there were no major impediments to the discussion. We used Zencastr to record the podcast which has its own inbuilt voice over IP service, so there’s no need for third party programs such as Skype. Zencastr has the added benefit of recording each participant on a separate audio track, that is then automatically uploaded to a designated Drop Box account. This makes editing in Audacity very easy, as all four audio files are perfectly synchronised. Or at least that’s the theory. The reality can be somewhat different.
A week on from my last post on this subject, I have decided to script the entire of my solo podcast. It won’t be one hundred percent verbatim but I need to get the lion share of my thoughts down prior to recording. I discovered over several recording sessions that I continuously think of additional points to add as I’m speaking. The net result is having to constantly stop and start Audacity, the program I use for recording, as well as having to research extra points on the fly. Again, I was not happy with the finished product as you could frequently hear the hesitation or more to the point, the frustration in my voice. So, I’ve returned to the idea of having well fleshed out notes with some sections such as the introduction, written out in their entirety.
I recently wrote in a blog post that I would be producing a new podcast this year and that Burton & Scrooge Uncut would be taking a break for the immediate future. Well in fact I’ve decided to record two new shows. In the meantime, Brian has already embarked upon his solo project and seems to have found his niche already. I however am currently bogged down in the pre-production process and because the format of the new podcast is different from those I’ve done before, it is proving to be a little more challenging than I initially thought. Since I find writing to be a practical way of ordering my thoughts, I thought I’d keep a podcast diary. I can therefore work through some of the issues that arise as well as produce a blog post, now that I’m back to writing daily.
Burton & Scrooge Podcast #31
After a short hiatus, Messrs Burton and Scrooge make a welcome return to the world of podcasting with their lavishly tooled and finely crafted show. No expense has been spared upon the production as once again this esteemed broadcasting duo, bring you another erudite and august debate. As ever they focus on the relevant issues and ensure that their scholarly discussions are free from unnecessary phatic language and tabloid hyperbole. The podcast also sports a new introductory voiceover and complimentary epilogue at the close of the show. Liam Neeson has graciously endorsed Burton and Scrooge yet again.
After a short hiatus, Messrs Burton and Scrooge make a welcome return to the world of podcasting with their lavishly tooled and finely crafted show. No expense has been spared upon the production as once again this esteemed broadcasting duo, bring you another erudite and august debate. As ever they focus on the relevant issues and ensure that their scholarly discussions are free from unnecessary phatic language and tabloid hyperbole. The podcast also sports a new introductory voiceover and complimentary epilogue at the close of the show. Liam Neeson has graciously endorsed Burton and Scrooge yet again.
In this latest instalment, our hosts turn their attention to the popular MMORPG, Lord of the Rings Online and ponder the games ongoing renaissance, since the it changed developers and publishers. They also ponder the recent brouhaha, caused by popular You Tuber PewDiePie. Is he a misunderstood artist of just another jumped up blackguard? Finally, to close the show, Messrs Burton and Scrooge ponder the merits of season four of the television drama Sherlock. Was it a worthy entry in to the pantheon or “a load of old bollocks”, to coin a phrase?
So why not settle down in your favourite fireside chair, ask your batman to pour you a glass of Amontillado and treat yourself to seventy-five minutes of auditory delight. Remember your podcasting enjoyment is assured as Messrs Burton and Scrooge have a reputation for being purveyors of the finest quality podcasts throughout the civilised world. If you don’t enjoy the experience, then you’re obviously listening incorrectly and need to raise your own personal game. You may benefit from listening to previous episodes as a means of educating yourself.
Burton and scrooge. Condescending to their listeners since 2010.
The initial podcast boom, which began circa 2005, started as an audio only medium. One of the reasons podcasting became so popular, especially among the fan community, was that you could get away with relatively low production standards. Anyone who had access to a basic microphone and a PC, could produce a show and upload it to iTunes, which was the primary platform at the time. Listeners were forgiving back then. Twenty years later and podcasting has been on a tempestuous journey. It started with the medium being accessible and democratised, sustaining a rich and diverse fan community via non-professional productions. However, slowly and inevitably it has been assimilated by corporate interests. Fan podcasts have given way to podcast production companies. The small, micro-budget, indie show has effectively been thrown out of their own party. Such shows still exist but they struggle to be heard.
Last August I listened to The Battersea Poltergeist podcast by Danny Robins and was subsequently introduced to his other production Uncanny. Both are investigations into alleged supernatural events but unlike other shows of this kind, these are far better researched, produced and most importantly even handed. Danny makes a great deal of effort to try and keep a foot in each camp; team believer and team sceptic. Overall these podcast work as they genuinely appeal to multiple audiences and they are not excessively hyperbolic or credulous. A lot of this comes down to Danny’s personality which is upbeat and relatable. Perhaps his greatest strength is being a sympathetic ear to those recounting their experiences. He lightens the mood from time to time with humour when required. He also liberally litters the proceedings with pop culture references. However, he will probe and ask pointed questions but does so in a non-accusatory manner.
Have you noticed how politicians, pundits and media commentators will often throw around phrases and buzzwords when discussing the news and other major political talking points? “Cultural Marxism” and “Metropolitan Elite” are two examples that spring to mind. Often it is clear that the person using these phrases has no idea what they mean or what their provenance is. Perhaps you’ve thought that it would be useful to learn more about these terms or the background behind certain institutions or movements. If this is the case then I wholeheartedly recommend the Origin Story podcast. To quote from their website “What are the real stories behind the most misunderstood and abused ideas in politics? From Conspiracy Theory to Woke to Centrism and beyond, Ian Dunt and Dorian Lynskey dig into the astonishing secret histories of concepts you thought you knew”.
I was unaware of the The Battersea Poltergeist podcast and accompanying online interest during its initial release. Created by Bafflegab Productions and presented by Danny Robins, who is well known in this field with similar shows such as Haunted and Uncanny, it was broadcast on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 4 between February and March 2021 during lockdown. The Battersea Poltergeist is a documentary of a true story with dramatized re-enactments. The show alternates between interviews, discussions and research into the case with short vignettes from a cast of actors recreating events for dramatic effect. It was released episodically and gained a lot of online and press interest at the time. Hence there were additional episodes interspersed throughout the initial run which provided “case updates” and listener feedback and questions.
I spent most of this morning and afternoon editing video content I captured while playing Sniper Elite Resistance. I assembled 26 minutes of highlights and then recorded a narration. After adding appropriate branding for Contains Moderate Peril, I then uploaded the finished video to YouTube. Sadly, the picture quality was problematic, often becoming pixelated and blocky when there was rapid movement. The volume of my narration was also too low, so I decided to delete the video from my channel. I was somewhat disappointed by this outcome and initially thought that the day had been a waste of time. However, as I write this post, it becomes very clear that this is just part of the learning curve. I have given some thought to the problem and I believe I have determined why this video was not up to the standard of the previous one. Ultimately, this is an invaluable lesson.
I recently wrote a post about how I wanted to have a go at producing some gaming videos for YouTube. “How hard can it be?” I asked rhetorically, knowing that there would probably be a lot more to the process than meets the eye. Two weeks on and I can report back that there is indeed a learning curve but it is not insurmountable. I managed to figure out how to record a video game, edit it and then add a narration as well as a simple animated logo. Furthermore, I succeeded in doing this without spending a lot of money. I bought some video editing software and a year’s subscription to XSplit Broadcaster but got a really good deal on both. In total I paid £41, which is very reasonable. Hence yesterday, I posted my first video on the officially relaunched Contains Moderate Peril YouTube channel.
I regularly receive random emails addressed to such august bodies as “the Contains Moderate Peril team”. They always raise a wry smile. Like there’s a team. That implies an organisation, structure and even a budget. As opposed to just me, screaming into the void and pouring money into a financial black hole. I don’t resent such emails. People are just trying to earn a crust, I guess. The only thing about them that frustrates me, is they never address me by name. A cursory glance at the “about” page of the website would provide them with my personal details. So I just delete them and think no more about them. Today I received one that did more than make me smile. In fact I laughed out loud and heartily. The email started with “Dear Burton”. Someone had found a few old episodes of the Burton and Scrooge podcast and had assumed this was indeed my real identity.
Earlier tonight, I had the pleasure of participating in the Evolution of Horror: Podcasting Masterclass. An online seminar conducted via Zoom. For those who are not familiar with the Evolution of Horror, it is a podcast written and hosted by Mike Muncer along with regular guests. It explores horror cinema in depth, considering the technical, thematic and sociological elements of the genre. Launched in 2017 this independent production has gone from strength to strength, with Mike now producing content for Paramount + and Studio Canal. The masterclass was designed to provide podcasters both old and new with some practical advice and answer some commonly asked questions. Being a fan of Evolution of Horror as well as a former podcaster, I signed up and enjoyed a most informative and enjoyable 90 minute seminar.
About three years ago, I wrote a very similar post to this one. Titled “Ride off into the sunset” it was an account of bloggers leaving or retiring from the community. Especially those who are established and part of the proverbial furniture. I referenced Zubon from Kill Ten Rats as an example and naturally invoked the mantra that nothing remains the same forever. Many of us go through periods of our life where a specific activity or pastime galvanises us into action. We focus on that activity for sometime and it becomes an integral part of our life and even identity. However, eventually we move on usually because such a hobby isn’t sustainable. Modern life makes too many demands upon our time. Plus we all change as individuals. What delights us today may well depress us in a year’s time. This was the thrust of that post and I now find myself in the sad but inevitable situation of writing it again.
I recently decided I’d had enough of the endless deliberation and procrastination and so I started producing a weekly podcast again. As of today the second episode of Season 10 of the Contains Moderate Peril podcast is available on all major platforms. I must admit, although I was confident that a few people would listen to the show, I was completely taken aback by the overall reaction. The Contains Moderate Peril podcast was warmly welcomed back by previous listeners on social media and the statistics for the first show have been most positive. For myself and Brian, recording the show is like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes. Last night’s recording went okay and I think after a few more episodes, the recording and editing process will be an efficient process. Keeping each episode to an hour or under means that the conversation stays on point.
Sometimes in life, you have to stop banging on about what you want to do and just go out and do it. I was thinking, yet again, over the Christmas holidays about how I wanted to get back into podcasting and to create a regular show. Although it is always a pleasure to be a guest on Beyond Bossfights, it is not quite the same as writing and producing your own project. So I decided not to sit around and overthink things but instead to pick a subject as a talking point, start recording and see what happened. As ever, my longstanding co-host Brian was happy to participate and so joined the session. Several hours later, I had a fully edited recording that was good to go. Hence, I am pleased to announce that after a three year hiatus, the Contains Moderate Peril podcast is back. A new episode is now available for download, either via the podcast page of this site or through iTunes and Stitcher.
My personal podcast journey started back in 2010 when I effectively invited myself onto the Mordor or Bust podcast. The three of us who were involved in the production of that show were learning as we went along. I recently listened to an old episode and despite our enthusiasm, it is quite rough around the edges from a technical perspective. I think that the biggest mistake that I made at the time was not investing in a better quality microphone. I sound like I’m at the bottom of a well. It’s hardly surprising as I was using a very cheap analog desk microphone which I think only cost a few pounds from PC World. Roll on eleven years and I’ve been invited to be a guest on the Beyond Bossfights podcast. It’s nice to be back in the saddle again, so to speak. Up until now, I’ve been using my Razer gaming headset for any previous podcast recordings but I’ve decided to take the opportunity to overhaul my technical setup.
Back in 2010 there was a video game podcast boom, especially with shows driven by MMORPG fandom. Hence, in a fit of hubris, I decided to add my voice to the growing conversation. Or alternatively jumped on the bandwagon, depending upon your point of view. The accessibility of the tools to create and distribute a podcast eliminated the traditional barriers to producing such material. Technically, the entire process of making a podcast remains quite simple. You record, edit, upload and promote. The quality of the podcast comes down to two factors. Your content and technical presentation. In this post I’d like to focus upon the latter. Podcasts are by their very nature, an audio medium, so it is important that those speaking are recorded clearly. Yes, this post is about microphones. How they can make or break a podcast (or live stream) and that they’re my new fixation.
Back in July 2014, a small group of podcasters banded together to launch The Gaming and Entertainment Network, a website which aggregated the content of eight independently produced shows. This eclectic group of podcasts covered a range of subjects such as gaming, movies, TV, hats and bacon as well as other aspects of popular culture. The project was conceived and implemented by Braxwolf from the popular blog Gaming Conversations. It was designed to raise awareness of the respective shows, as well promote group collaboration between the content creators. In addition to the website, TGEN (as it was abbreviated to) also had a presence on twitter, Facebook and Anook ensuring that the network was represented on all popular social media. Initially 8 podcasts participated in the project. Aggrochat, Battle Bards, Beyond Bossfights, Cat Context, Contains Moderate Peril, Couch Podtatoes, Massive Failure and Roleplay Domain.
Life is often about the things we’d like to do or wished we had done, rather than the things we’ve actually achieved. My last post in this blog series was back in 2nd October 2018 and the last podcast that I published was in January 2019. Since then most attempts to produce more content of this kind have come to nought, as spare time for both recording and editing have been in short supply. However, I did manage to record some material on the 22nd of December with my long-time co-host Brian. The idea was to release the finished podcast as a surprise show at the end of the year. However, due to real world commitments, that deadline has not been met. Now there’s a surprise. I do intend to finish editing the show and may add some extra material to make it a little more topical. But overall, I am not too upset by this delay, because in the process of organising this podcast, I discovered a quick and convenient means of recording via Discord. Something that has been seen as Holy Grail of podcasting over the years.
As part of the Blaugust Festival of Blogging, I thought I’d take the time to promote some of the content creators whose work I enjoy. Despite all the white noise, click bait and snake oil salesmen, there is still a wealth of good material to be found online, be it blogs, podcasts, You Tube channels or streamers. Most of what I currently enjoy, I discovered through word of mouth. I feel more disposed towards trusting the views and opinions of friends than I do of “recommendations” made by Google and You Tube, driven by their “questionable” algorithms. These are often determined by key words and have no ability to ascertain quality. So here are a mixture of You Tube channels, podcasts and blogs that I wholeheartedly recommend. Between them they cover such subjects as movies, gaming, comedy and history. Feel free to leave comments about my choices and share your own recommendations.
The Burton & Scrooge Podcast December Schedule
As the holiday season approaches many institutions adjust their schedules and take a break from their usual routines. Far be it for the Burton & Scrooge Podcast to fly in the face of tradition, so we will be releasing two more episodes this year and then taking a short break in early January 2016. The release dates for the finally shows of 2015 are as follows:
Burton & Scrooge #25 13th December.
The Burton & Scrooge Review of 2015 30th December.
As the holiday season approaches many institutions adjust their schedules and take a break from their usual routines. Far be it for the Burton & Scrooge Podcast to fly in the face of tradition, so we will be releasing two more episodes this year and then taking a short break in early January 2016. The release dates for the finally shows of 2015 are as follows:
Burton & Scrooge #25 13th December.
The Burton & Scrooge Review of 2015 30th December.
Brian and I have very much enjoyed the new laid back style of the Burton & Scrooge Podcast and are pleasantly surprised to find that we’ve reached twenty five episodes already. The broad remit and accommodating format of the show are the main reasons behind this and we hope to continue to widen the scope of our discussions in 2016. Hopefully it will keep listeners engaged and the Brian and I motivated.
Thanks to everyone for listening to our intermittent ramblings and your continued support of our audio endeavours. There’s not a lot of point of doing a podcast if no one is listening, which is why feedback and comments are always gratefully received. So it just remains for me to say that we’ll be back in 2016. Until then don’t forget to pet your Chihuahua, now sod off.
The initial podcast boom, which began circa 2005, started as an audio only medium. One of the reasons podcasting became so popular, especially among the fan community, was that you could get away with relatively low production standards. Anyone who had access to a basic microphone and a PC, could produce a show and upload it to iTunes, which was the primary platform at the time. Listeners were forgiving back then. Twenty years later and podcasting has been on a tempestuous journey. It started with the medium being accessible and democratised, sustaining a rich and diverse fan community via non-professional productions. However, slowly and inevitably it has been assimilated by corporate interests. Fan podcasts have given way to podcast production companies. The small, micro-budget, indie show has effectively been thrown out of their own party. Such shows still exist but they struggle to be heard.