Archive for the 'Podcast' Category

• Tagline : Your Free Music Daily
• Website : Indieish
• Subscribe Link :
• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 8 out of 10

If music be the food of love, the Indieish podcast is a good candidate for starter, main course or dessert. So as you can probably now guess, this is a podcast all about music. Not only is it all about music, it itself is all music. Published usually about 5 times a week, this podcast is only as long as the single track that’s featured, which can vary from 2 minutes, to the recently featured 13 minute masterpiece from Simon Slator. Each week a different person selects the tracks to feature, which means you get a pretty diverse spectrum of music from many different genres.

The joy with this podcast is that it’s very easy to digest, being on the whole relatively short. I have to admit, there’s been a lot of music that, is most certainly not to my taste, but there’s also been a few absolute diamonds that have prompted me to investigate further and review on Indie Launchpad. At least if there’s something you don’t like, you just hit the stop button and that’s that. No need to worry about finding the end of the track by skipping and getting in a pickle. I’m pretty much on the fence with regard to having no host. Yes it’s nice to get straight into the music, but if you are away from your computer, you’ll have no way of knowing what the music was without going back to your computer and reading the podcast entry…. mmm maybe if I paid more attention I might have noticed if the ID3 tags had this information.

Conclusion : A real gem of a podcast and indeed I would love to see this idea expanded on, having separate podcasts for specific genres. Definitely check it out.

• Tagline : 12 Songs Every Week, All for Free
• Website : Next Big Hit
• Subscribe Link :
  
• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

As the tag line says, 12 songs every week and some absolute crackers amongst them too. Occasionally you get a song repeated from week to week, as if it’s been voted as the previous weeks best, it gets to return the following week, a bit like Jeopardy and those old game shows in the 70’s. As for musical tastes, this is definitely targeted at a younger audience, I’d guess from about fourteen to around the mid twenties, but suffice to say there is still a lot of music featured that crosses those predefined ages. I’ve listened to Next Big Hit for around a year now and found some absolutely phenomenal artists to review in Indie Launchpad.

The parental rating is set at 15, as on the whole, this is a pretty radio friendly podcast. Occasionally however some of the tracks can feature material that is more suitable for older audiences, but nothing most 15 year old kids don’t hear in the playground everyday.

A special mention has to go to DJ Copperhead. I’m sure he won’t mind me saying that his presentation is just like a countdown chart show on the radio, but a little less cheesy. He also features interviews and other snippets to break up the music a bit, which goes to make a pretty well rounded podcast. Also available is the Next Big Hit B-Side podcast, which provides extended coverage of some artists, with interviews and also some artists that are not featured in the regular podcast, giving you around and hour, to an hour and a half of podcast each week.

Conclusion : An excellent slice of what’s new in the indie music scene, featuring a lot of new artists and also quite a few more well established acts.

• Tagline : The Best Bits
• Website : Chris Evans - The Best Bits
• Subscribe Link :
  
• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

Before you jump up and down shouting “Hey this is not a podcast”, settle down. Yes this is a compilation of segments from Chris Evan’s BBC Radio 2 show. Yes it doesn’t have any music and yes it’s only 30 minutes, but I defy you to say, this isn’t entertaining listening, delivered in pod friendly format.

I’ve been big fan of Chris Evans, from his Radio 1 days, to Virgin Radio, TFI Friday and then the entertainment wilderness. Having him back is certainly a joy and long may he proliferate on the airways and podosphere. Let me just say, yes he can be a bit of a big headed ego maniac, but to a certain degree that’s one of his charms. I’m not sure if he’s mellowed somewhat, or whether it’s being on Radio 2, but there’s a lot less swagger about him now. Maybe he’s growing up, God forbid.

This is a great slice of fun, with a mix of banter, special guest and that Chris Evans spark. I realise that there are certain confines in place when repurposing regular radio shows, but this just cries out to be longer than the 30 minutes or so it currently is. I’d love to see Chris one day, embrace podcasts, maybe when his radio days are behind him, but not if he goes on as long as that radio institution Terry Wogan.

Conclusion : Too short, no music and only once a week. I don’t care. This is still great entertainment and should hopefully blaze the trail for more comedy/talk based podcasts.

• Tagline : Radio Free Radio
• Website : Digital Flotsam
• Subscribe Link :
  
• Parental Rating : 15
• Star Rating : 8.5 out of 10

To some people he’s Adam Curry’s satellite repair man, to some Uncle Jessie an to some just plain old P-Dub. P W Fenton is the producer extraordinaire, for the podshow empire, but lest not forget he’s also the man responsible for the podcast Digital Floatsam.

I’ve been listening to this podcast for about a year now. Whilst not the most regular of podcasts, it’s certainly one of the most enjoyable. I’m sure P-Dub won’t mind me saying he’s a man who’s experienced life, being a former policeman in Florida. He’s also one of those rare breeds of people who can tell a good story, whilst captivating an audience. Just last week his show was titled “Beauty and the Beat” detailing his experience working with rookie cops and in this show in particular a Lesbian cop (Not that there’s anything wrong with that), showing her the ropes, so to speak. I was in the garden, mowing the lawn, listening to this episode and I have to say, I nearly laughed out loud a few times. I certainly had a big smile on my face for the majority of it.

There’s also some great music featured, although this isn’t a music podcast. The music is used as a kind of segway between segments. A special shout out goes to 3 Blind Mice, a favorite band of Indie Launchpad, who provide the Digital Flotsam theme.

So yes this is a terrific podcast, but one of the key things that makes this podcast a joy to listen to, is P-Dub’s voice. There’s something very reassuring about it. I’m sure he won’t mind me saying it’s like listening to yout Grandad telling stories. Captivating and very engaging.

Conclusion : If you enjoy a good yarn, interspersed with a smattering of music, there is no finer podcast.

• Tagline : A Musicomedy Podcast
• Website : Kaflooey
• Subscribe Link :
  
• Genre : Comedy / Drama / Music
• Parental Rating : 18
• Star Rating : 8.5 out of 10

What do you get if you cross theatrics, music and good old fashioned, in your face comedy. Why Kaflooey of course. This is what podcasts were made for. It’s highly unlikely you’d find this sort of entertainment on the radio and I think that is to podcasts benefit, as there is a hungry market wanting to be entertained and given an excuse to smile.

Kaflooey is an interesting mix of music and an ensemble cast of highly entertaining characters. There’s Rupert Thespian, he’s an ACTOR luvvey you know, and a quintessential plummy Englishman; Vinny, the American hoodlum, has a mouth straight from the gutters of Brooklyn and Bobby Gofigure, stars, advice and a whole plethora of utter drivel, but entertaining drivel nonetheless.

Based in Blackpool, UK, Chris Sherry the shows creator, must surely have previous experience of radio or something, as the presentation and production is top notch. On average the show comes out every few weeks and lasts around 30-40 minutes. With that kind of frequency I would much prefer a show around the hour mark, as it’s highly entertaining stuff.

Conclusion : Very entertaining, even if the language is a little on the blue side at times. A great find and a great example of a non music oriented podcast.

• Tagline : PC Podcast with Pete Cogle
• Website : PC Podcast
• Subscribe Link :
  
• Parental Rating : G
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

If ever there was a more misleading title for a podcast this would have to be it. The PC here has nothing to do with computers and everything to do with music. Actually the PC refers to Pete Cogle, the host of this absolutely amazing music podcast, who’s based in Sussex I think it is, in the south east of England. Of all the music podcasts I listen to, this would surely have to cover the most eclectic range of music, even more eclectic than my very own Indie Launchpad podcast and that’s saying something.

As with every other good music podcast, the secret is not just having an eclectic and indeed excellent range of music, it’s also having a first rate host, which I’m happy to say fits Pete Cogle to a T. I’ve been listening to this podcast for about 4 months now and have found many wonderful bands and artists, I haven’t heard anywhere else. It’s all very well covering the popular favorites, but there’s nothing that gives a greater buzz than finding a new artist and one that totally rocks.

Sound and production quality isn’t something I’ve covered much in podcast reviews, but I just wanted to mention here that it’s obvious Pete has spent a good deal of time, honing the quality of his show. It would be very interesting to see if this is something he managed to get right early on, or whether it’s something he’s perfected over time.

Conclusion : Even if you can ignore the music (and I don’t think you can), listening to Pete is a sheer pleasure. Surely one of the top music podcast, out there in the podosphere.

• Author : Michael Geoghegan and Dan Klass
• Publisher : friends of ED
• ISBN Number : 1590595548
• Cost : $24.99
• Buy Book : Amazon
• Pages : 240
• Star Rating : 8.5 out of 10

There’s many podcasting books on the shelf, with new ones being added all the time. Podcast Solutions was probably one of the first ones, coming out in 2005. There’s a few thing however that set this apart from the rest.

The first thing you’ll notice is the foreword, penned by none other than the “Podfather” himself, Adam Curry. Whilst he didn’t invent podcasting, a common misconception, he is instrumental in it’s inception, along with Dave Winer and many programmers and early adopters who believed in his vision. The second thing you may notice is the names of the authors. Michael Geoghegan is a pioneer podcaster with Reel Reviews Radio a film review podcast and Grape Radio, yes you guessed it a podcast all about wine. He was also the first podcaster approached by a fortune 100 company, in this case Walt Disney, to host and produce the Disneyland podcast. Dan Klass the other author is the man behind the New 80’s Music podcast and The Bitterest Pill podcast, a comedy/talk show all about the trials and tribulations of being a stay-at-home dad. As you can see, quite the ensemble cast.

Throughout this book are interviews with other popular podcasters, like Brian Ibbot (Coverville), Dave Slusher (Evil Genius Chronicles) and Michael Butler (Rock and Roll Geek Show). There’s also interviews with programmers and the people behind various web services, like IpodderX (now Transistr, eventually anyway) and AudioBlog. So as you can see you get to see what other podcasters do and how they do it.

The book is broken down into the following chapters :

1. Podcasting 101
2. Listening to Podcasts
3. Podcasting How-To
4. Planning Your Podcast
5. Podcasting Tools
6. Recording Your Podcast
7. Putting it All Together
8. Preparing Your File
9. Serving it Up
10. Getting Heard
11. Making Money with Podcasting

The chapters cover everything you need to know about podcasting, from listening to creating and monetising.

The first two chapters cover the history of podcasting and how to listen to podcasts. Chapter 3 through 10 get into the specifics of creating a podcast, from deciding on the format of your podcast, to getting your podcast out to the masses. It’s interesting how far podcasting has come since this book came out. For anyone using a Mac, the natural audio software to use is probably GarageBand, which includes specific podcasting features in version 3.0, but only gets a cursory mention in the book with regard to multitracking software. There is however lots of other audio software covered for both the Apple Mac and PC computers.

As well as computer software and services, you are also going to need some audio equipment to get the sound into your computer. Chapter 5 covers this in some detail and ensure you don’t forget anything such as microphones, pop filters, headphones, mixers, cables and connectors, and phone patches and digital hybrids, as they’re all covered. Yes you can start with just a $2.00 microphone, but you will soon strive to deliver a better final sound for your listeners.

There’s a lot of detail in this book, that I haven’t seen elsewhere and it can be a bit overwhelming for the new podcaster. However as you get more proficient, you will no doubt continue to refer to this book for reference.

Conclusion : A great book with a host of information, for both the first time and experienced podcaster. Some areas could be brought up to date, which I’m sure will happen in the next edition, but even so a valuable addition to your book collection.

• Publisher : Garish Kernels
• Platform : Pocket PC
• Download : Download Trial Version
• Cost : $12.95
• Buy Software : Buy Egress
• Star Rating : 9.5 out of 10

It’s not often I am overly excited by software for the Pocket PC, but Egress from Garish Kernels, quite literally blew me away. It’s not that I haven’t see an RSS aggregator for the Pocket PC before, I have. But where this differs, is it’s ability to handle RSS enclosures, meaning you can easily download podcasts directly to your Pocket PC. This is all well and good, but if like me you have a large amount of subscriptions, you are going to need a fairly healthy sized memory card.

What makes Egress a joy to use, is it’s user interface. I have to admit, I am a Pocket PC developer, so know what goes into developing software and if I was going to design an aggregator, it wouldn’t be too dissimilar to this one. Right out of the gate, I was a convert, as Egress imported my Juice OPML feed with ease, no hiccups.

I listen to the majority of podcasts during the week using Juice, while I work. For me Egress allows me to keep on top of the podcasts that fill my listening pool over the weekend. I do a final Juice check on Friday afternoon and then mark read all the entries in Egress. Then at various times over the weekend I check out my feeds to see what new podcasts are available and then listen to them using WinPodder, for it’s here that the Egress loses that extra .5 mark from it’s rating. I realise Egress isn’t an MP3 player, but it would be really nice to stream the new podcasts available, instead of having to download them. I understand that for many people this wouldn’t be practicle, but if like me you have a spare battery or power supply at home, then power isn’t an issue.

One of the really nice side effects of using Egress, is being able to read the actual podcast and RSS posts. Many times your favorite podcasters post a lenghty message to accompany the podcasts, or just post an entry without a podcast. Since I’ve been using Egress, I’ve read tons of stuff I wouldn’t have otherwise seen.

Since I installed Egress a few weeks ago, there’s been one major new version and two minor upgrades. Reading through revision history, it seems that there’s new version pretty regulalry, which is always a good sign for a piece of software.

Apart from the previously mentioned lack of streaming, another feature I would like is the ability to sync with an OPML file. It would be great to export my Juice subscriptions to a specific directory on my PC or the web and for Egress to check this out and add/remove podcast subscriptions from the Egress subscriptions. Also the ability to bookmark RSS subscriptions in Firefox/Internet Explorer and automatically add them to Egress.

Conclusion : A fantastic piece of software that really hits the spot. I think even more incredible is the price of $12.95. I challenge anyone to find a better value piece of software for the Pocket PC. I will be continuing to use Egress and hope to have a more thourough review for the Podcast User Magazine in September.

• Tagline : For Mac Geeks, By Mac Geeks
• Website : The MacCast
• Subscribe Link :
  
• Parental Rating : G
• Star Rating : 8 out of 10

OK, so I’m a geek, nerd or whatever other word you want to describe me as. I love technology and indeed technology podcasts, but not all tech podcasts come up to scratch. I’m a PC man at heart. I’ve been programming PC’s for over 18 years. I do however get very frustrated when seemingly simple tasks, turn out to be absolute nightmares, or require a ton of money to be thrown at them.

I bought a digital video camera 2 years ago to primarily document my twin girls growing up. However after a year of frustration trying to edit and create DVDs on a PC, I finally bought into the hype and purchased a modest Mac Mini. This isn’t my first experience with the Mac, I used to produce a newspaper on Macs in the early 90’s, but they were different beasts back then and I do mean beasts. Anyway I bought a Mac and creating great looking DVDs became a synch. I love using my Mac for creating DVDs, but also wanted to find out what else it could do and so enter left stage, the Mac Cast.

Presented by Adam Christianson, this podcast comes out a couple of times a week and as well as covering all the latest in Mac news, also features some great products and reviews. I’ve found many a neat piece of software and also learned a lot about my Mac, I otherwise wouldn’t have found out. Adam has a great presentation style, but I have to admit, I find it a little dry at times, but technology isn’t the most sexy of subjects and it’s sometimes hard to get excited.

Another area that the MacCast excels in, is their show notes, which puts many other podcasters to shame.

Conclusion : A great podcast for learning all about your Mac. Even if you are not a Mac owner, listening to a few shows may turn you into one of the many converts.

• Tagline : Best Podsafe Music… In The Galaxy!
• Website : Binary StarCast
• Subscribe Link :
  
• Parental Rating : 18
• Star Rating : 9 out of 10

Music podcasts are great and usually follow the single presenter format, showcasing some of the best music.. in their opinion. Indeed this is exactly the format of our very own Indie Launchpad Podcast. Whilst these shows are predominately about the music, the single presenter format can be occasionally dry, which is why the Binary StarCast is like a breath of fresh air.

Before going any further, let me first give the caveat that this is a podcast intended for a strictly adult audience. Most of this is because our hosts Ed, Hank and Carlos use the kind of language you would be more used to hearing at the docks. Not that I’m a prude, but you probably wouldn’t want your young children picking up new words for use in the playground. You also might want to steer clear of playing this on the works P.A. system. Anyway enough of this, as with all music shows, it’s all about the music baby.

Each show is around the 30 minute mark, managing to squeeze in 5 tracks from different artists. The podcast is so far up to episode 27, and I have to say in all that time, I’ve not like about 5% of the music, which is a pretty good. In fact I’ve been put on to numerous bands which I’ve later reviewed on our Indie Launchpad review site.

Conclusion : One of the few music podcasts that makes for essential listening, but not just for the music. The inane ramblings of our hosts, makes for some great entertainment.