More From The Playlist Mix

I’ve hit podcast #32 in the Playlist Mix series and it’s been a while since I flagged it here on the blog.

If you’ve never heard of the Playlist Mix Podcast (possible if you’re a new reader!), it is a weekly podcast I release running 30 minutes or less and featuring six independent or podsafe acts from around the world.

I gather music from the Podsafe Music Network, Garageband, CD submissions from acts I work with in Ireland and through KilkennyMusic.com and ultimately, email submissions from listeners and bands alike. The mix is rather eclectic. My own listening habits are by no means genre specific. If you had stopped me in traffic this morning you’d catch me with some downtempo jazz on; into the office and I’m in rock mode; out and about and I’m fuelled by indie or reggae tunes.

To that extent, each week’s mix is often a reflection of what I’ve been listening to as well as a means to showcase new tracks and artists arriving in my inbox. I’m not much of a fan of day-time radio so when I’m on the road I like to have a short mix of tunes with me - a 30-minute weekly dose of the Playlist Mix tends to do the trick for me

The latest podcast was released yesterday with music from Plunkett, The Riot Before, Ghostface Killah and more… have a listen below, click here to subscribe via iTunes or check PlaylistMix.com for previous shows.

Playlist Mix #32 (Download @ 27mb, 128kbps)

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PodPress Ain’t Dead Yet

Some late night trawling of Jaiku yesterday highlighted a stir around the popular podcasting plugin for WordPress, PodPress.

I use PodPress for delivery of both the Playlist Mix podcast and Sound System Podcast with KilkennyMusic.com and much to my surprise last night I had read online that development on the plugin had ceased and the site had been whipped down.

This, however, appeared due to a “domain registration snafu” as Jeff at Weblogs Tools Collection points out.

The plugin is, in fact, alive and well and the next version is almost set for release. The current version, 8.8, has been around for a while now but the plugin is working fine in Wordpress 2.5 so there was no major panic on when the next version would be out. But when the thought of it disappearing altogether arises, it puts many a podcaster into a spin.

But all is well in the world and users of both Joomla and Drupal will be happy to hear that there are ports in the pipeline for both CMS options.

More From The Playlist Mix Podcast (And Podcasting)

The 27th Playlist Mix podcast has gone live and it marks (at least technically) a full year since the launch of the podcast. Granted, after three shows I took the bones of five months away from the podcast to decide whether or not I would make a full run of it but having revived the podcast in October last, it has become a weekly habit of mine and I’m delighted I decided to press ahead.

Such to the point that my 2008 diary (I keep a physical diary for the music / theatre side of life) is marked with podcast recording dates straight up to the end of December which should see the Playlist Mix having well passed the 50-show mark and the Sound System Podcast having passed the 70 or 80 show mark, that podcast too having gone weekly late last year.

There is an element of ease at this point in recording a solo podcast, the gremlins instead tending to hold off until the Wednesday night when the Sound System Podcast records for KilkennyMusic.com (listeners to both podcast shows might realise).

The transition from working in Adobe Audition to working in ProTools has been a slow one. The last two weekends away in Sligo have given me time to toy around with different recording setups, discover the ins and outs of the various plugins at my disposal, find out where things are hidden in the menus, learn off a few keyboard shortcuts, that kind of thing. But, I’m adapting.

From a podcasting point of view I will say that I’m delighted with the purchase of the Mbox 2 (Factory bundle) from Digidesign. It’s a purchase I had been toying with for far too long but its sheer portability (lighter and more suited to a podcasting environment compared to the Digidesign 002 rack we used in the live environment) is worth the investment. It’s lightweight, fits in my laptop bag or backpack (depending on the setting), packs 2 XLR / line / DI inputs as well as phantom power for the condenser (which I must get back!). The fact that it’s powered via USB as well helps portability matters, meaning there’s room for high quality recordings wherever I wind up.

Given the nature of the One Take Sessions and recordings for their respective podcasts it’s a certainty it will be travelling with me every three weeks to the venue (it will actually be there tonight as well as we welcome Bonnefires, John O’Hanlon, Nassau Royal and Joey Ryan to Kilkenny - Cleere’s Theatre tonight at 9:30pm).

Anyway, check out PlaylistMix.com for this week’s podcast or see the links below to play / download.

Playlist Mix Podcast #27 (Download @ 26mb)

Another Podcast, In Case You Missed It

In case you missed it and you just happen to be looking for another Playlist Mix podcast, I released show 19 earlier this week on PlaylistMix.com and MySpace.

I’m calling it “the good mood” podcast as listening back to it I was in a ridiculously good mood.

It’s the last of the PlaylistMix series that I’ll be recording via studio B’s PC setup (utilising the PC, Audition 2, a handy Xenyx 502 mixer and the Creative Audigy 2 ZS) as it’s been switched out to a new ProTools setup with ProTools 7.4, a few handy plugins and a Digidesign Mbox 2.

I gave the setup a lash last night, trying to get to grips with recording and editing in ProTools in a short time frame (had a recording booked for 8pm for the Sound System Podcast with KilkennyMusic.com - more chat, less music) but firing through it last night it appears, at least initially, that the transition should be relatively ok.

In bouncing the KKM podcast to disk last night I did miss the speedy mixdown that Audition offers (a 30 minute podcast could be mixed down and saved in 2-3 minutes whereby ProTools was bouncing in real time) but if I need to factor more time into the production process then so be it.

I’ve time booked at the weekend to explore the ins and outs of ProTools and the new Mbox, the result being Playlist Mix 20 when it’s published next Tuesday night. I’ll hold off in buying Audition 3 for the moment though I’ve got no plans to use the ProTools setup on the PC at all.

For your listening pleasure, grab some music from Jettie, Amy B, Bows and Arrows and more all wrapped up in a neat sub 30-minute bundle.

Playlist Mix Podcast Show #19 (Download @ 30mb)

Playlist Mix 18 Lands Online

My weekly calendar (at least in the evenings) is gradually returning to some sense of order, more to do with a new fitness kick routine I put myself in just over a week ago (which is fantastic, by the way) and as such I managed to get the 18th Playlist Mix podcast out on a Tuesday night, as preferred.

There’s another 30 minutes of music, really varied up between downtempo, reggae, rock, metal and industrial with music coming from well known world fusion musician Christophe Goze (France), Inner Surge (Canada), Mighty Mystic (Jamaica) and more.

You can subscribe to the podcast here, see the all new website, or listen / download below.

Playlist Mix 18 (Download @ 29mb)

Would You Pay For RTE’s Podcasts?

Niamh Doohan had a small piece in yesterday’s Sunday Independant (which I actually found time to read) with the heading ‘RTE may cash in on podcast success‘. This news comes in the same breath that RTE are ditching their medium wave service, at a reasonable annual saving too to the national broadcaster (around a million euro a year).

However, yesterday’s article suggests that

…RTE’s own website may be outstripping traffic on Apples’s online store iTunes, the creators of podcasting. The leaked statistics from Montrose show its top 10 podcasts broke the three million mark in just nine months last year…

While I would argue the idea of Apple being the creators of podcasting, it’s worth noting that this is only considering traffic from RTE’s website, nothing at all to with traffic from iTunes where RTE’s ‘Nob Nation’ is one of the top downloaded podcasts in the country.

With RTE saving money in one area they’re obviously on the look out for money elsewhere. There’s been enough rows and debates over increases in TV license fees in recent times and with reported dips in TV advertising revenue in recent years as well, can we expect in 2008 to see RTE turning their podcasts into “pod-cash”? Podcast-only advertising deals? Podcast sponsors?

Would you

• Pay an annual fee to subscribe to RTE’s podcasts via RTE?
• Continue to download RTE’s podcasts if the advertising in shows increased?
• Pay-per-podcast for specific shows? Perhaps free highlights and a nominal fee for a full download?

Personally, no. The only way I could imagine myself paying for podcasting material is if it was in an educational environment. i.e. part of an online course. I can accept people sponsoring podcasts (e.g. a sponsor’s plug at the beginning of the show / end of show or a subtle drop during the show) but I’m not overly keen on dropping full length commercial adverts into podcasts. If I wanted that sure I’d just listen to the radio…

Do you even listen to any of RTE’s podcasts? Did you even know that RTE offer over 70 different podcasts direct from their website? There was I thinking I was ok with doing 2 (Sound System / Playlist Mix)…

Or will we see the TV license system in Ireland revamped to a ‘Media License’ and see podcasting bundled in? New taxes on iPods and Zunes? Who knows…

First Podcast Of The New Year

After a nice pod-break (since Christmas Day) for the Playlist Mix, the podcast is back with the 16th show and the first of 2008. To that extent I’ve also done a bit of work on the blog behind the podcast as well.

Through KilkennyMusic.com we’ve worked with over a hundred different acts (on a face to face basis) and through the Playlist Mix I’ve been introduced to and had many a conversation with some great bands. If anything it’s also encouraged me to buy more music and new cds, today’s order being a copy of ‘An Offering’ from Inner Surge. That said, I’ve also got a list of albums to buy from bands featured on the podcast - nice to feature the acts, but also nice to support them in anyway possible.

Later this year I’ll be entering my third year of podcasting, something I’m quite happy to do! So, here’s to another fine year of podcasts and meeting more bands….

Playlist Mix #16 - Download (29mb)

Podcasting Over Christmas

I’ve got three podcasts left to do before January, starting with Sound System Podcast #37. Under the KilkennyMusic.com umbrella we’ll have all the staff on board for the show, the intention on looking back at what 2007 has meant to us (a lot). The podcast should be an hour long and will feature music from a selection of Irish bands who we’ve worked with through 2007.

The Sound System Podcast is into it’s second year of production, varying between music news and chat to recaps of the One Take Sessions (every three weeks). This podcast has been a learning experience for all involved and with a change of approach to it’s delivery back in the September/October it seems to have found more of a grounding, again something that will be developed through 2008. The final podcast of 2007 records this Thursday night (December 20th) and should be available online on Friday December 21st.

The Playlist Mix, which I’ve been using to both hone my own approach to podcasting and develop contacts with bands overseas has two shows left this year, one this week (likely online before midnight tonight) and one scheduled to go up Christmas week. The latter will feature a selection of bands heard across the last thirteen podcasts and again should hit close to the hour mark. I reckon between the two podcasts I’ll at least have enough musical content to get me from Kilkenny to Athlone on Saturday.

The Sound System Podcast takes a break Christmas week, returning with show 38 likely on January 4th, while the 16th Playlist Mix should arrive the day previous.

I’ve been talking to a few people in music circles about producing a limited number of shows for a new project in 2008, something going on my New Years Resolution list (which I tend to get done). I’m hoping my Eircom hotspot access arrives via email before heading off to Sligo, the O2 store promising us that they wouldn’t have any mobile broadband coverage close to the lake so I’ll be looking for good WiFi coffee spots in Ballina and Tubbercurry over Christmas!

Headcolds And Podcasts Don’t Go Hand-In-Hand

Ever since I got back from the weekend I’ve been struggling with a headcold / chest cold / general coldness. I went through this last year only to wind up with near pneumonia. I had taken Monday off work, agreeing to myself to record the 11th Playlist Mix podcast on Tuesday night. Little did I figure that come Tuesday night I’d barely be able to breathe let alone speak.

But, the show must go on, right?

If you’re struggling with a headcold but need to record a podcast at the same time, I did find the following things helpful.

• Wrap up warm - body heat induces comfort, comfort suggests less movement and relaxation.
• Halls Mentho-Lyptus Honey & Lemon - not the soothers variety. While they’re doing a less-than-par job for me this morning, they worked wonders last night in opening up my nose and removing that ‘bunged up’ feel.
• Record, pause, breathe, record, pause, breathe - You’re not broadcasting live so you’ve got time on your side. Have your speak, take a deep breath (let the halls kick in), you can cut out the white space / dead air afterwards.
• Tea. The body’s best friend. Make sure it’s in a big a mug as possible and that you’re sipping Lyon’s gold blend (shop around and you’ll be able to get 33% extra free).

The end result, 31 minutes of music and notes from myself with six more independant acts from around the globe. While the 10th podcast was a bit more on the mellow side there’s certainly more of an edge to number 11. Listen below and be the judge for yourself, subscribe to the podcast, or drop by PlaylistMix.com to listen to past shows.

Tip of the hat also to Bernie for what I reckon is the first review of the PlaylistMix.com podcast.

PlaylistMix.com Podcast #11 (Download 29mb)

Some Weekend Playlist Listening

In case you missed it during the week or you’re on the look out for some new music, see what you think of the ninth playlistmix.com podcast. The sounds of The Modern Hypocrites, Gum and Cedar Falls might just be what you’re looking for for the weekend. You can also subscribe to the podcast, which I’m putting out weekly, by clicking here.

Speaking of podcasts, thanks to Tom for taking my questions to David Berlind on this podcast, don’t think I mentioned it before.

Listen To Playlist Mix #9 (Download 26mb)

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