Podcasting Made Easy

Smooth jazz saxophonist Cali Jones is back, after more than a year away, and he’s sounding sharper, more focused, and more soulful than ever. In this episode of the Just Jazz podcast, Cali sits down to talk about the journey so far; from his 2022 debut album Soul Assassin to the evolution behind his latest track Midnight Strut, and what […] The post Cali Jones Returns with a New Sound appeared first on Steve Hart.

In the latest episode of Just Jazz, we sit down with vocalist Rebecca Rafla, an artist whose sound thoughtfully bridges the gap between classic jazz tradition and contemporary expression. Drawing inspiration from legendary performers such as Sarah Vaughan and Tony Bennett, Rafla has developed a style that is both elegant and accessible. Her voice carries a warm, expressive quality, […] The post Rebecca Rafla – A Fresh Voice with a Timeless Touch appeared first on Steve Hart.

AI-generated music tracks are now landing in my inbox, just as Sony takes action against Spotify to get 135,000 deep-fake songs removed from its system. Given this, I couldn’t help myself from commenting on the risks of playing AI music on my weekly radio show. The challenge to support bona fide musicians is real as […] The post The rising tide of AI ‘music’ appeared first on Steve Hart.

When I first started out as a young news reporter working for a regional newspaper I quickly learned that news doesn’t always come to you. There were days when the phones didn’t ring, the fax machine stayed silent, and there was nothing useful in the post. After calling around the usual contacts, schools, emergency services, […] The post Give the people a voice appeared first on Steve Hart.

If you run a podcast, an internet radio station, or any kind of local media project, one of the most valuable things you can offer your audience is hyper-local news. Large media organisations tend to focus on national or international stories. Even regional outlets often overlook the small, everyday events that make up the life of […] The post The Power of Hyper-Local News for Podcasts and Community Radio appeared first on Steve Hart.

As a young journalist with next to no interest in sport of any kind; my Monday morning chore was to call about 10 schools and colleges to get the weekend’s sporting results. From soccer, to hockey, and athletics, I’d have to get the names of the teams, any star players (and their ages), location of […] The post How to win with local sports reports appeared first on Steve Hart.

A lot is written about podcast production, gear, software, editing and distribution, but from what I can see there’s very little said about the all-important microphone technique. In other words, the way you actually speak into a microphone. The post Top tips to get the most out of your microphone appeared first on Steve Hart.

Welcome back to Podcasting Made Easy, the show where I attempt to easy your path into podcasting.  Now, this episode is especially for podcasters asking one of the most common questions I hear – where do I find people to interview. Okay, where do we find these people? Well, it’s not as hard as you might […] The post Where to find guests for your podcast appeared first on Steve Hart.

Video podcasting is becoming more popular. But what does it take to put yourself on the small screen? Well, not much... The post Quick guide to video podcasting appeared first on Steve Hart.

Hello and welcome to this edition of Podcasting Made Easy, my name is Steve Hart. In this podcast I want to chat about the benefits to you of being a podcaster, and they have nothing to do with audience numbers, downloads, or income. Now, if you’re finding yourself shortchanged when it comes to fast money […] The post The Unexpected Benefits of Hosting a Podcast appeared first on Steve Hart.

How many downloads does each episode of your podcast get? Twenty? Fifty? Two hundred? If you’re consistently seeing numbers north of 300, you’re doing extremely well – better than most, in fact. To put that into perspective, data from podcast host Libsyn suggests that if an episode receives more than 124 downloads within its first […] The post Your Podcast Is Doing Better Than You Think appeared first on Steve Hart.

I was reading some Facebook groups about the Rodecaster mixer and someone who had got a new mixer was really illustrating they didn’t understand why everything sounded so awful when they recorded their voice. And reading between the lines, I could see, well, they’ve probably gone into the processing section and not really knowing what […] The post My Rodecaster settings appeared first on Steve Hart.

Australian jazz musician Gene Shelby is no stranger to the international jazz scene. He spent the 1990s and early 2000s signed with Warner Chappel, performing across LA, promoting his original music and working with world-renowned producer Mark S. Berry. He plays piano, guitar, bass, and sings. In this interview Gene talks about his career, studying […] The post Gene Shelby talks about his album Melton appeared first on Steve Hart.

The Master Compellor in the RodeCaster Pro II is a compressor/leveller/limiter based on APHEX technology, and designed to dynamically control the main mix output for a polished, balanced podcast sound. In this podcast I explain the purpose of the Threshold, Attack, Release, and Gain so you understand how it works and how you can use […] The post Rodecaster Pro’s master compellor explained appeared first on Steve Hart.

In this short-and-sweet episode I suggest two apps to record and edit your podcast. One is completely free and the other has a generous free trial period that will give you plenty of time to experiment and try it out. OcenAudio is a superb free app and Reaper provides a fully-featured and robust alternative to Audition and ProTools […] The post Which apps to record with appeared first on Steve Hart.

This week I am looking at three mic suggestions you might find interesting (along with a suggestion on using the mic in your pocket – give it a go). I look at a tried and trusted mic used by many podcasters, a new Rode and a high end mic that I really like the sound […] The post Three microphone suggestions for podcasters appeared first on Steve Hart.

I recorded a music show and while it sounded okay, I felt something was a bit off – but couldn’t put my finger on it. The music seemed to be stereo, but it wasn’t. There was something up and I had no idea what it could be. Was it just that I was listening to […] The post Beware of dual mono music on the RodecasterPro 2 appeared first on Steve Hart.

Evan and I have chatted on the phone once before – to talk about his then new EP Groove House – and we got on like a house on fire. This second chat, about his latest single – Movin’ On – was no different. Well it was, because Carydakis sounds even more confident and self-assured. […] The post Evan Carydakis is Movin’ On in style appeared first on Steve Hart.

In this edition of Podcasting Made Easy I discuss the option to record a podcast without wearing headphones, and some reasons why you must use them. In addition, I look at ‘imposter syndrome’ – it is something plenty of novice podcasters suffer from, and I explain why you should banish these thoughts from your mind. The post Imposter syndrome explained and, should you wear headphones? appeared first on Steve Hart.

When a smooth jazz version of Purple Rain arrived in my inbox I knew it would be either a brilliant cover of Prince’s iconic track or a cheesy damp squib. Instrumental covers of classic tracks are either one or the other – there is no middle ground. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. At the opening strum […] The post Luis Alas talks about his career and his new single Purple Rain appeared first on Steve Hart.

Evan Carydakis is an acclaimed Jazz saxophonist, residing in Tasmania. Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Evan first picked up the saxophone at the age of 15. Initially inspired by Branford Marsalis’s ‘Royal Garden Blues’, it was his family’s influence and love of all music that set Evan on his stylistic journey. And along the way, Evan […] The post Sax player Evan Carydakis talks about his new album Groove House appeared first on Steve Hart.