Mic Drop Fact During WWII, some nations experimented with using low-frequency sound waves as a potential weapon. This is called a sonic or ‘acoustic attack‘. Sonic weapons can be explicit, e.g. an extremely loud noise. Or, they can be covert, like infrasound that affects the human body without the targets noticing. Hullo there! The Legend of Podkin One-Ear is our current bedtime story. The wee one seems to be enjoying it, and so am I. Here's a nice quote I thought you might enjoy, too:...
2 days ago • 7 min read
Mic Drop Fact It's possible to perceive sound without using your ears. Vibrations can travel through your skull, which is how bone-conduction headphones work. Hullo there! Has anyone ever owned a printer that cheerfully admitted it (a) had enough paper and (b) was connected to the internet? Every printer I’ve ever owned insists - often with great confidence - that both are categorically false, despite all available evidence to the contrary. Anyway, printing stuff is so last century. We live...
9 days ago • 7 min read
Mic Drop Fact A singer can break a glass by matching its resonant frequency with their voice at a high volume. Hullo there! A few of us went down to The Podcast Show London a couple of weeks back. I'm sure many of the sessions were excellent, but I didn't attend a single one. In my view, the main benefit of industry events is in the conversations you can have with others around you. It's actually one of those conversations that our main topic is built around, too. Is spoken-word audio still...
16 days ago • 6 min read
Mic Drop Fact Sound can lift objects. Acoustic levitation is when sound waves suspend small objects in midair by counteracting gravity. Hullo there! I had feedback on my podcast once. I used to record on an old Zoom H2n and, despite being told many times to monitor my recordings, I neglected to take the two seconds needed to plug a pair of earbuds in before hitting the big red button. I'd travelled to a cafe to meet my guest, and we had a great conversation. The problem was that someone...
23 days ago • 7 min read
Mic Drop Fact Sound travels faster in warm air than cold air because heat increases the energy of air molecules. However, sound travels further distances in cold air because sound waves bend away from warm air and back towards the ground. Hullo there! Engagement is a well-used word, eh? It could mean popping a ring on someone's finger, your calls going straight to voicemail, or charging a unit of orcs into combat in a game of Warhammer (I like the third one best, FWIW). Then there's podcast...
30 days ago • 6 min read
Fact of the Week If, like most people, you hate hearing the sound of your own voice during editing, there’s science behind that. You hear your voice differently because, normally, you hear it through both air conduction and bone conduction. Recordings, on the other hand, only capture air conduction.. Hullo there! I wouldn't say Podcraft Pointers is the best newsletter for podcasters, but it's definitely in the top one! As always, we've lined up an entire week's worth of helpful and insightful...
about 1 month ago • 8 min read
🎙️ TUESDAY TOUCHPOINT Hullo there! We've been running Podcraft Pointers in its new look for over a month now, and I was just wondering if you had any quick feedback for us? Are there any segments/features that you're enjoying each week? And likewise, are any of them not quite hitting the mark for you? We're always striving to give you our best, so if there's any way we can still improve, we are all ears. Just hit reply and have your say - all constructive feedback is massively appreciated :-)...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
Hey hey 😁 We're back with another value-packed edition of Podcraft Pointers, bringing you a bunch of quick wins, tips, and motivation to keep you going all week! We'll help you kick-start your audience growth, report back on our "listen vs. watch" poll, give you a free Blue Yeti user guide, and introduce you to "mindful interviewing". This technique ensures you're fully present with your guest instead of focusing on the next question. All that and much, much more awaits you below. So, if...
about 2 months ago • 8 min read
🎙️ TUESDAY TOUCHPOINT Hullo there! Podcasting rightly gets praise and credit for having the ability to accompany you almost anywhere. For avid pod fans, a walk is never simply a walk - it's an opportunity to check in with your favourite shows. The same goes for commuting, washing up, or prepping tomorrow's packed lunches. But sometimes, podcasting can be too effective in these situations. As creatives ourselves, it's important to give your brain some time to process all the info and ideas in...
about 2 months ago • 9 min read
🎙️ TUESDAY TOUCHPOINT Hullo there! Three-year-olds ask a lot of questions, and my daughter seems to be especially prolific in this area. It's quite a mismatch, really, because I'm rather deficient in knowledge or wisdom myself. But, I have a middling skillset in audio and storytelling, so I decided to make some short stories for her Yoto Player. I reworked a few old parables and fables into little audio tales. Sometimes, I'll hear myself wittering away in another room, interspersed by songs...
2 months ago • 7 min read