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The exciting part about podcasting is the fact that it levels the playing field for businesses of all sizes. Small business owners and independent content publishers can finally distribute messages through powerful audio format and reach targeted audience like never before.

Podcasters can start recording audio on shoestring but that doesn’t mean they can’t get fancy with the gears. If studio quality podcast is necessary, you can build your own home recording studio equipment that suits your budget.

The problem is, unless all your listeners are hooked up to the Internet with broadband connection, the size of the podcast — hence the quality of it — should be considered carefully. Perhaps you will be amazed that even the very simple podcast gear can produce a well-sounded podcast.

What is the budget you need to start podcasting? Here is a quick assessment to help you get the whole picture.

1. Computer with Internet connection

Assuming that you are using a computer with Internet connection to check email and conduct other business operations, this may not be an investment for podcasting. Any good speed computer should be able to produce a podcast.

2. Microphone

Get a good quality microphone at the very least. It will boost the quality of the recorded voice dramatically. Price starts at around $30. Installing pop filter also helps removing annoying pops from the recording.

You may want to consider investing in a headphone, or replace headphone and mic with a headset.

3. Domain name

You can publish your podcasts from other free blog hosting, but this is not a recommended setup for business. Getting your podcast up on your own company or a standalone domain requires a domain name. Nowadays, a domain name (.com) costs no more than $10 per year.

4. Hosting account

Reliable hosting account starts at around $10 per month. You should research carefully though as podcasts consume a lot of space and bandwidth transfer, not all hosting companies will provide the resources as they promise in the product description. That is just the fact of life that we have to overcome. Everyone is trying to offer the greatest features just to get customers.

It is still possible to get great deals in business hosting, just that you have to do your own due diligence before you decide. Consider yourself very lucky if you can trusted recommendation from friends. But at least you should also assess that their needs are exactly the same as yours.

5. Podcast site

A podcast site can be as simple as blog software running on a hosting account under a domain. The cost of this varies but you can get a business grade blog software for free. Other options cost no more than $200-$300. Every business should afford this.

As you see, starting a podcast needs no more than $50. It may be less than that if you already have a hosting account or domain that you want to host your podcast with.

The real cost of podcasting is not in the price of equipment, but more in creating content. The good news is, you can leverage what you know — including existing content — and shoot it down the podcast channel.

Sounds good? It does. So what do you have to lose?

So you have probably searched around trying to find good practical information on portable voice recorders. This short guide will give you basic run down of the major brand handheld voice recorders on the market. This information is meant to help you make an informed decision when it comes to purchasing a digital voice recorder. The following is a brief description of some of the major brand voice recorders and the types of models they make:

Olympus Voice Recorders are among the most well known in the industry. Models range from basic consumer voice recorders to high end recorders designed for professional dictation and transcription. There are three series or lines of voice recorders that Olympus makes the DS, WS, and VN series.

• DS-Series – The DS-40, DS-50, and DS-61 are generally used to record memos, meetings, interviews, and light dictation/transcription, these units record in WMA format and can playback WMA/MP3. The DS-2400 recorder is geared toward professional dictation and transcription, we would not recommend the DS-2400 unless you will be using the recorder for professional transcription and dictation. The DS-2400 records in DSS and DS2 (digital speech standard) audio format which is exclusive to Olympus & Philips. The audio files recorded the DS-2400 units can only be played back and edited with DSS software that comes with the recorder.
• WS-Series – These are designed with the everyday consumer in mind. They among the most portable voice recorders (close to the size of a 1st generation Ipod nano) available and can double as a music player with equalizer. They record audio files in WMA (Windows Media Audio) format which can be played back on windows media player. They have several microphone sensitivity settings and quality recording modes. If you are looking for a recorder for everyday recording (meetings, lectures, interviews, memos) and doubles as a music player we would highly recommend the WS-Series. We place these in the same class as the Philips Voice Tracer Series below.
• VN-Series – These recorders will record your voice and other sounds without all the other bells and whistles. Some of these models have PC connectivity and some don’t. They record in WMA format so these files can be easily played back using windows media player.

Philips voice recorders include a professional line and consumer line of handheld voice recorders. The Philips Voice Tracer line is designed with the consumer in mind and can handle most recording tasks. The Philips Pocket-Memo series is designed with the professional in mind and is geared toward professional dictation and transcription.

• Voice Tracer – Incredibly well designed and reasonably priced. These units record in MP3 format which is one of the most popular forms of audio. There are five models in this series with prices ranging from $58.95 to $148.95. All of these units have PC connectivity and are designed with the everyday consumer in mind and are perfect for recording meetings, memos, lectures or interviews. We would place them in a similar class as the Olympus WS-Series Voice Recorders.

• Pocket-Memo – This series is very comparable to the DS-Series of Olympus Voice Recorders. They also record in the DSS format and are designed for Professional Dictation and Transcription. We would not recommend the Pocket-Memo unless you need them for professional medical or legal transcription. The DSS file format is the industry standard for Philips and Olympus professional dictation. The DSS files can only be played back and edited with the DSS software that comes with the units.

Denpa voice recorders are a lesser known brand of digital voice recorder but should not be overlooked. You get a lot of bang for the buck with these portable digital voice recorders without having to pay extra for the brand name. They can double as a portable music player just like the Olympus WS-Series. They record in MP3 format just like the Philips Voice Tracers do. In addition to recording in MP3 format these voice recorders pack a few more features than the Philips voice tracers and other models we have listed. These extra features include:

• Five equalizer (NORMAL,ROCK,JAZZ,CLASS, PIANO)
• Direct USB connection (no cord required)
• Phone call recording
• FM Radio Playback and Recording
• AC Adaptor
• Clip on Microphone

Sony voice recorders include the ICD-BM, MX, and SX voice recorders. The BM and MX models feature expandable memory card slots so that you can expand the recording times! Also, these portable voice recorders are all compatible with Dragon naturally speaking; in fact many of the models include a copy of the dragon software. When a recording is clearly dictated into the recorder all you have to do is hook it up to your PC and press play, and it will type out your recordings (when you have dragon naturally speaking installed). These recorders can be used for general use and professional use. One of the main drawbacks of these recorders is the audio format they record in; they record in .MSV which is a recording format exclusive to Sony voice recorders. In order to get your recording out of the .MSV format and play them on another device you will need to convert them to .WAV format and then to MP3 or WMA.

A spectrum analyzer can be a powerful tool that can be used to well-tune several audio signals. There are a number of uses for a spectrum equalizer. One important function of the spectrum equalizer can be used to try and check the response of a tape recorder. This equipment can even help identify the minute rumble frequencies in an air conditioner. This data can be used to filter out noise in recording studios or improve sound quality while recording. The market for such gadgets is becoming popular as ever.

There is a high price to pay for owning a commercial spectrum analyzer. Such an ownership presents a major problem and its high price may not be that affordable for some people. LED or (Light Emitting Diode) versions of spectrum equalizers may have cost many hundreds of dollars today, but it seems to be the most widely used unit.

A high quality spectrum equalizer model can also run into thousands. Such spectrum equalizers paved the way for producing high quality audio. And the valuable component is here to stay to provide consumers with great quality sound as well as more accurate signal calibration.

Although a real-time spectrum analyzer is more convenient and easy to use because of its simultaneous display of all frequency bands, an older manually swept model is no less professional and effective and its use follows well-established practice. In fact, a continuous sweep can detect narrow peaks and dips, which would be ignored by a real-time unit.

For all of the filter components on a spectrum equalizer, it is important to use the one with the closest tolerance available. Choosing One-percent metal film resistors, which are not only the best in the market, but also because of their accuracy and for their reduced sensitivity to temperature. In the absence of the metal film, polycarbonate or Mylar capacitors and other components are the best choice for the actual filter stages. Supplied bypass disk capacitors are not only sufficient for use but are also preferred, since they possess the least series inductance.

There are also several Tubular Types, though generally considered the more temperature stable component. They are constructed of long strips of foil which when rolled up for compactness become inductive thus reducing their effectiveness at high frequencies. Besides being able to easily vary and change the audio quality and tune to its regarded frequency, a state-variable filter can also provide.

Have you ever been in a web meeting and the “weakest link” was the presenter? If you use web conferencing technology, don’t be the weakest link in a web meeting. A bad online meeting can cost you and your business money – either in lost sales, lost productivity, or lost self-esteem.

1. Establish Clear Objectives

When you establish a clear objective, your audience is able to focus its energy and attention. Once set, the activities you undertake in your web meeting should all support the achievement of your chosen goals.

When you set an objective, you send an image to the subconscious mind of your attendees. It remains there until the objective becomes reality. This is how all creative people work – they transform the images they seed in their subconscious minds into a concrete form.

Henceforth, only items in support of your objectives are brought up in the meeting. Examples of objectives that can be established are: “Discovery session of how our widget can solve the problem of… “, or “Exploration of the various uses of the widget”, etc.

2. Prepare

Today’s modern web conferencing systems allow the presenter to easily invite and accept attendees. But that’s just the beginning. Make sure you are familiar with the functions that you’ll need to have a great web meeting.

The basic 8 functions you’ll need are: desktop sharing, participant list/control, drawing tools, remote keyboard and mouse control, text chat, session recording, VoIP (for sending sound from your PC to the attendees), and polling/surveys. (These are the absolute minimum requirements – if you don’t have these functions you’ll need to find another vendor). Read on to discover how you’ll use these tools.

3. Provide Visuals (a.k.a. channeling your “inner Steve Jobs”)

Does this sound familiar? You’re interested in a new widget and get invited to a web demo by the Widget Company. The presenter at WidgetCo opens up his stock PowerPoint presentation, goes through it slide by boring slide, then asks you for your P.O. or credit card number.

P-L-E-A-S-E. Take advantage of this powerful technology. Make your presentation incredibly compelling. There’s nothing wrong with PowerPoint – but don’t “kill them” with it. Use a handful of visually appealing PowerPoint slides to establish and interactively highlight the key points. Then, bring out the widget. Pass the controls to the audience so they can “touch”, “smell”, and “taste” the widget. Start the fog machine. Mix in some audio and video. Go to your web site to show them where to learn more. Are you getting the idea?

4. Interact with your audience

Solicit questions from your attendees. Check in often to gauge the interest level. Unlike a physical meeting you can’t read the body language of your participants. Pay attention to little things, like the breathing (or snoring) on the other end. Remember your established objective and stay focused. Fail to do so at your peril – you may have lost the sale before you even realize it.

5. Follow up

Offer attendees a meeting summary consisting of the presentation slides, documents, session recording for later review, and chat logs. Afterward – conduct polls, evaluations, and even quizzes. Finally – send thank-you notes, solicit additional questions and establish the next steps.

In summary, your next online web meeting can be a success, as long as it’s carefully planned, properly executed, compelling, and focused. Stay in contact with your participants even after your session has ended, and your web meeting will have proven to be a success.

You’ll have no more worries about hosting bad web meetings.

Lecture recording can be defined as the process of capturing the audio and visual components of a lecture, digitizing, storing, and distributing them. There exist two kinds of lecture recording – synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous recording is when at the time of recording, the lecture is also broadcast live to its audience. Asynchronous recording, on the other hand, when the lecture is recorded, archived, and can only be accessed after the recording has been made.

Two main components make up the lecture recording process – hardware components and software components. The hardware must work in synergy with the software to provide an effective recording and broadcasting service to the audience.

The hardware component consists of the capture equipment, the server/repository, and the viewing equipment. Generally, the capture equipment consists of a microphone input, a video input, and a DVI/VGA frame grabber. Devices, such as the Lecture Recorder, capture these three analog signals, digitize them, and send them over the Internet or LAN to the server or repository. At the server, all three signals are synchronized and produced. Finally, viewers are able to connect to the server (usually via the Internet) and access any of the recordings made.

The software component makes up the software installed on the Lecture Recorder itself, the server, and the viewer’s computers. Modern techniques in OCR (optical character recognition), fast indexing, and video compression allow lecture recording platforms to contain many of the elements found in today’s Web 2.0 environment.

As such, lecture recording, while not completely replacing physical lecture attendance, is becoming a key tool and learning aid with students who need to review a lecture after they have attended it or if they missed it. Lecture Recorders make students’ lives easier, while at the same time creating an archive of all lectures for accountability and educational purposes.