Audio files for NACADA should be created in MP3 format at 48-56-bit sampling rate to provide an appropriate balance between recording quality and file size. Using a higher sampling rate (i.e. 64k-128-bit) is appropriate for music, but provides no appreciable improvement in the quality of voice recordings and significantly increases the recording's file size.

The technology requirements for creating podcasts are fairly simple and there are many free or low-cost options available. The lists below will provide the essential tools needed to create podcasts in a mp3 format. See our recording tips at the bottom of the page.

Recording Tips:

• Practice, practice, practice. While creating a podcast is not terribly difficult, getting used to recording yourself can be challenging. Be prepared to re-record portions of your podcast, especially when just getting started.
• Leave yourself room to edit. When recording, break your recording into smaller segments and leave a few seconds pause between each. Leaving this space makes it easier to locate and edit (i.e. delete or replace) a particular segment instead of re-recording the entire podcast.
• Position your microphone close enough to catch the details of what you are saying, But, be sure it is not so close as to get those "Puhs" and Buhs" with Ps and Bs.
• Check the sensitivity of your microphone, if possible, to reduce the hisses with "S" words. If your recording software provides a recording level indicator (i.e. bar graph with yellow, green, and red indicators), adjust your recording volume so that the level is just touching the red section the majority of the time. Lower or higher levels result in audio drop outs or loss of quality.