Three mini Ask Havi queries today, all on the theme of how to do online audio recording stuff, create audio products and not freak out in the process — or something like that!
First one is from Molly Mapes in Nevada.
1. How do you create your audio products?
“What service/software do you use to create your mp3s and/or edit your conference call recordings? I got your “Self-promotion for wimps” material and am looking to do something similar, but I’m a complete podcast/Mp3 creating virgin. Help?”
Sure, Molly. For the professional recordings — like the ones in Emergency Calming Techniques and the Procrastination Dissolve-o-Matic — I use Audacity software and the best mic I can find.
When I’m done editing the recording I compress the file, export as an mp3, drag it into iTunes and label it, and upload it to the website.
With the live teleclasses we use freeconferencecall.com or one of those services that records the call for you. The quality can be kind of meh so for those you need especially good content to make up for that.
You download the .wav file from the conference call site and open it in Audacity. You want to edit out at least the most egregious ums and crackling and coughing and beeping, if not all of it.
Audacity is a freebie audio editing program for Mac and Windows, and it’s really, really easy to use. It works like lots of programs do — you can copy and paste, and stuff like that. If you’re at all tech-friendly in even a minor way you should be able to figure it out pretty easily — there are tutorials at their website, and in fact, helpful hints about audio stuff are all over the internet.
Hope that helps!
Note: a lot of the super-famous biggifers out there don’t edit their stuff at all. Or label their audio files. This drives me completely batty.
My thought is that if I’m paying for a product, I want it to be cleaned up, at least a little! There’s a line between “good grief, this is really unprofessional” and “paralyzing perfectionism”, of course, and you’re going to have to figure out where that is for you.
2. Where do you get music for your audio stuff?
“Who did your music that’s the background for your awesome emergency freak out recordings?”
I use royalty-free music. Which is awesome, but also a total pain.
Love the concept. Hate the search. I ended up using music that I paid for from MusicBakery.com (thanks to Andy Wibbels for sending me there).
Though I should mention that most of what they have is pretty cheesy and it’s not inexpensive.
However, having been on a ton of other sites, I’ve learned that they ALL have cheesy music (apparently that’s what people want) and it’s mostly all in that price range.
So, keeping that in mind, Music Bakery was easiest to use. It was fairly uncomplicated to search, their categories actually kind of make sense, and they don’t make you jump through ridiculous hoops to listen to a track.
More importantly, they don’t record their name over the track until you want to jump out a window ….
I also ended up getting some other tracks at premiumbeat.com — not as user-friendly as Music Bakery but eventually we found something that worked. Good luck!
3. Creating products: I want to get started on that but eek!
“I want to have products and sell recordings and stuff on my blog too. But the whole “how do I even get started” thing is totally overwhelming and I don’t know what to do first.”
Oh boy.
We talk about fear and what to do about it a lot around here. But if you’re looking for practical specifics …
Look, one of the best ways to get around fear — once you’ve acknowledged it and allowed it to be there — is to take conscious, active steps to reduce the number of things that are scaring you.
I don’t have a short answer for you, since this is the kind of subject on which I could easily fill a book — so my first recommendation would be for you to take a look at Naomi’s terrific Online Business School program. She talks you through a bunch of different ways to biggify yourself and make money doing it. It’s basically the how-to behind businesses like ours.
This is where I have to add that I’m the worst friend in the world.
Naomi actually gave me a preview copy of Online Business School. Before it launched. As a present.
It rocks. And if I didn’t suck hadn’t been so crazed with the move to Hoppy House and my own stuff, I would have written the glowing review it deserves … way before any of you would have even heard of it.
As it is, it’s been so crazy-hyped over the internet that I just kind of assume all my people already have it and know how awesome it is.
But if you don’t — or even if you do — let me interrupt this Ask Havi to say this:
When I see everyone online screaming loudly about how great something is, I tend to assume scam. That’s how I am sometimes: suspicious mouse.
I’m not a screamer by nature. I don’t do big, crazy “act now!” promotions. Instead, I’ll say this: if you’re looking to be successful online and be able to support yourself, the “Online Business School” is a really clear, really direct blueprint of how to do it.
Naomi’s a good person with a good heart and I love her with all of mine. So this is me vouching for her being a mensch and not some manipulative biggifier out to get you or anything like that.
Are we good?
Yay for doing audio products. Yay for getting questions answered. Yay for moving forward through the scary. Hope this has been helpful! Happy Sunday, guys.
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Havi, thanks for the info about Audacity and audio recordings. And thanks too for the shout-out about Naomi’s Online Business School. I bought it just last week, have read the first couple of modules, and love her no-nonsense, down-to-earth, honest, clear and informative voice. Like having a very business-savvy friend hold your hand and talk you through the scary process of building an online business. 🙂
Love to you, and thanks for all you do.
Hiro
Hiro Bogas last blog post..Seeing Whole
hola gorgeous havi ~
thanks so much for this post hon… it is totally interesting and helpful! YAY you!
and i totally agree about the naomi goddess 🙂 osb rocks my world!
wishing you a gorgeous shining day,
leonie
Hmmm, diplomacy…
Some of the affiliate promotions around OBS reminded me of the sleaze – non-sleaze continuum.
Course, it didn’t really matter because I already had it on pre-order 🙂
Speaking of…when can I give you more money? 🙂
James | Dancing Geeks last blog post..What do you want?
@James (not being Naomi or Havi, hope I can chime in), there’s definitely that continuum of how aggressive you want to get. Aggressive is not sleazy, but obviously the sleazy folk are pretty aggressive, so it can get all mooshed together and confusing.
Different buyers need a different volume, I’ve found. So sometimes we have to shout to get a portion of the audience to hear us. (And then we have to listen carefully to see if another portion of the audience just ran away screaming.) It’s a balance, but if you have good stuff you want to promote, it comes down to wanting to get a helpful tool in the hands of those who need it.
Not to say or imply that it’s not 1000% fine that some of it makes you say “ick.” Just giving a little perspective, if that is helpful.
But to get back on topic, I am very grateful to Havi for letting us know her audio tools. I think she may be leaving out that she is just a tiny bit of an insane perfectionist. Her stuff is always so beautifully done.
Additional helper mouse remark: Blue now makes a USB microphone called the Snowball that is an amazingly good mic for not ten million dollars. (Like $100, which is not nothing, either, I realize.)
Sonia Simone | Remarkable Communications last blog post..How to Survive the End of the World
Hi there sweet and amazing one,
Thanks for all the great tips about the audio stuff. You are a wealth of information and also so very generous with your knowledge and your tools. I agree with Sonia that your stuff is always beautifully done. It’s so clean, and professional and easy to listen to. It’s obvious that you put a lot of time and thought into your products and it really shows. And yes, I also have a copy of Naomi’s OBS ( yeah biggification. Here I come!) and no you are not a bad friend!!!
I have not yet produced any audio products but my computer god, gadget obsessed musician ( among other things) husband ( who just informed me that ” We have more recording capability in this house than the Beatles had in their whole career!” Huh… who knew?) just told me that for people who own Macintosh computers, the program Garage Band is also a very decent recording tool. Just thought I’d pass that along, because I have a Macintosh computer AND a computer god husband and I still didn’t know that!
chris zydels last blog post..WHEN I WRITE…. my creative process in seven ( very short) acts
I used Audacity and a mic that (I think) was designed for online chat. Cost me $35 and I love it. I didn’t use music because I was on a deadline that would make Napoleon weep, but I do think about using music. Does that count for anything.
And re: the whoring. Yeah, it’s been kinda nutso. But I definitely agree with Sonia here. Some customers don’t listen unless you’re screaming. Others don’t listen unless you whisper so quietly a dog couldn’t hear it. It’s a balance. 🙂
And James, aren’t you a very bright boy for getting in early and thereby avoiding the flotsam and jetsam!?
Naomi Dunfords last blog post..If You Build It, They Won’t Come
@Sonia & Naomi – I’m glad I was diplomatic now! 🙂 In all seriousness, I totally concede on the point about volume. Some of it just triggered bits and pieces for me. More stuff for me to work on (using the fantastic stuff from SPFW – buy now!) hehehe
Getting more on theme with the post… (ahem, sorry Havi):
I don’t think that it’s going to be worth getting an expensive mic unless you’ve got the equivalent quality in terms of recording space (i.e. no trains, trumpets, drums, etc.) and editing equipment & know-how. Plus super-high-quality = large file sizes, so there’s a compromise to be made there anyway.
But heck, that’s just me throwing in my 2p worth.
James | Dancing Geeks last blog post..What do you want?
@ James — Now I want trumpets.
@ Havi — Next time you do an audio, the people demand trumpets. None of this woo-woo airy fairy Music Bakery shit for us, thankyouverymuch. We, the people, insist on trumpets.
Naomi Dunfords last blog post..If You Build It, They Won’t Come
Although my father plays the bagpipes …
*strokes chin thoughtfully*
@James – the best-mic-you-can-get bit is what I learned from my gentleman friend the podcaster who does ridiculously highly produced pieces and also helped me with all my audio.
It really does seem to help make the whole thing sound better.
Though yeah, if you’re going for super professional and you don’t happen to live with a podcasting expert who is madly in love with you, you can also rent studio space for an hour or two.
That’s what most of the people I know do for quality audio products that they’re hoping will get picked up by more mainstream distributors.
Re: the noise factor. That’s the kosher marketing continuum again. Some people need loud. Some people don’t. But really what everyone needs is to feel like they’re being acknowledged. It’s up to us to figure out how they want us to do that.
Or, conversely, it’s up to us to figure out how we want to do that and then to have that draw in the kind of people who need it our way.
Oh man, now I want bagpipes!
I’ve used Audacity for months and it’s very versatile, easy, and can do lots more than I can even imagine. Also used it to make MP3s from my cassette tape player, of tapes from my Grandad’s events and speeches from the 80s, and it’s super easy to share with the family.
The comments here are just as helpful as the post (Havi, you attract a smart gang.) Thanks!