The CMD staff has put together our 2019 Top Ten Favorites List for Podcasts, TV/Streaming, Movies, and Music Albums. Even though we all here have strong opinions about what we like (and dislike), it was surprising to see how many of these we all agreed with. And the disagreements? Well...all we can say is that no one was injured in the making of this list.
Building A Podcast Listenership
by Dylan Dagenais
How does one discover podcasts? As someone in the industry I get asked this all the time. Is it Subway advertisements? Social media? Podcast hosts always want the key to getting people to listen.
The simple answer is that the number one way that people decide what podcasts to listen to is listening to other podcasts.
Above is a sample of how a listener comes to find the podcasts that they like. I was introduced to the podcast improv comedy Dragon Friends by my sister and by listening to that came across every podcast on this chart.
Let’s further breakdown how a listener comes to their next podcast obsession.
1. GUESTS
Guesting on a podcast is the number one way to get new listenership. The good news is that podcast hosts are always looking for guests, as often the formula of the same one to five hosts every episode gets stale.
A good example is the Shockwaves film podcast. Every episode features an interview with a film director, writer, actor or icon and gives it the feel of an edgy news show.
Another example is Michael Hing and Ben Jenkins’s podcast Free to a Good Home, a comedy podcast based around internet classified ads. Though some episodes feature only the dynamic of the two hosts, most episodes have a guest come in to bring their own humor, stories and perspective to the topic.
2. PLUGS
A plug is more or less a shoutout to a podcast that a host is friends with or works with in some capacity. The fast-growing company Luminary uses this technique to keep their listeners listening to their podcasts. As a subscription service much like Netflix, the idea is to have a ton of great content to work through. The podcast we work with, On Second Thought with Trevor Noah, is one of these programs and Luminary’s catalogue of shows keeps their listeners discovering.
This can be within a network/company or just among podcasts hosts with similar goals.
3. PREVIOUS LISTENERSHIP
Many podcasters have more than one podcast in their time. Cross-promotion is key and especially when ending one podcast it is a good strategy to have the next lined up and ready to go. That way listeners can transition seamlessly from one listening experience to another.
4. PRODUCERS
Line producers tend to work on a lot of podcasts. For example, Leon Neyfakh broke open the podcast world with his podcast Slow Burn and now works on both Trevor Noah’s show and a new podcast Fiasco. Alexei Toliopoulos has been a podcaster for several years, but grew his listenership after doing the slightly more mainstream comedy/investigative podcast Finding Drago for ABC’s podcast network. The ABC audience enjoyed his narrative voice in Drago and then went back and found goofier podcasts like The Mike Check. In addition to this, he went on to produce The Ladies Guide to Dude Cinema, now enjoying a great listenership from fans of their work and Alexei’s.
Having a producer who has podcast experience is a sure feather in the cap of any podcast, not only for their knowledge of the form but also for the listeners that follow their work.
5. LIVE PODCAST EVENTS
A podcast with a devoted following often has a live event at some point and records a “live podcast”. Grouping these events is becoming more and more frequent, to the point where we may see podcast festivals in the future, much like Ozyfest right here in New York. These types of events work like a concert; if you like listening to it it’s exciting to see it live. The opportunity for discovery and building listeners is huge and the added bonus is having live-recorded content that can be used as exclusive content for your podcast.
Podcasts are just coming into their own as a free-standing industry, and it is important that the listener have more and more content for their commutes, road trips and leisure time. Make sure your podcast is next in the queue.
Recording Studios In Film
Audio Recording Techniques for Podcasts
Sound Design 101 for Audio Post
So you’re working on a post project and you’d like to do something more with the audio than just have a music track play under the dialog. Sound design can be used to add a range of elements to enhance your project. This post will help to explain sound design, and offer explanations and links to inspire you to try out some new things.
How To Improve Your Audio Post Mix
A good mixer has a keen ear for many things, including tone, volume, balance, and depth. Mixing audio requires the power of serious concentration and takes immense patience. Most importantly, you need the ability to adjust the sonic details while understanding the effects on the big picture - not an easy thing to do!
How to Edit a Podcast
Editing your podcast can seem like a daunting and even tedious task. We all want to look and sound professional in our chosen career and podcasting is no different. How do you achieve that polished sound without throwing money at the issue? Our industry professionals here at CMD have all had successful voice over careers and are trained to give you the skills necessary to build a successful podcast and attract listeners. In this BLOG we’ll share some industry standard tips and tricks to giving you the sound and finished product you’re looking for.
5 Successful Editing Tips
There are some professionals who choose not to edit their podcasts as they want an authentic sound. However, if you aren’t as adept at public speaking or cold reading, editing will make your podcast easier for your listeners to follow and will better hold their interest. Here are some of our top editing tips:
Watch your tone. One of the most noticeable editing mistakes comes when there is a shift in vocal tone. Often you are required to edit together two different segments of audio, merging sentences. Watching your tone and volume, and making sure it is as consistent as posible, will make editing much easier.
Spacial awareness and pacing. The pace and vocal spacing in your podcast is essential for ease of the listener. Too much space can seem unnatural and cause your listener to become disinterested. Too fast a pace can make your delivery seem choppy and unfocused. Find a flow that feels natural for you and your guest. Natural pauses are necessary to allow the listener to internalize information.
Breathe Naturally. One common mistake when editing is cutting off a breath too quickly or not allowing for one at all. Watch for double breaths, missing breaths or a cut off a breath as these stilt the natural flow of your podcast and sounds unnatural. Try increasing the size of your waveforms in the DAW to spot breaths. And be sure to listen to each edit with a good amount of pre-roll to hear it in context.
Check your F’s and H’s. When you’re watching for those breath mistakes, be sure you don’t cut off the end of a consonant. “S” consonants often look like a football on a waveform. “F” and “H” consonants are a bit more difficult to spot on the waveform. When editing separate takes together, consonants make great places to do that because consonant tones usually don’t change much.
Music edits. I know, why do you need to know how to edit music, podcasts are about audio. While 90% of your podcast will be dialog, there will usually be a music intro or finale with music during transitions. One of the most noticeable editing mistakes is mis-edited, ill flowing music. Find an ideal loop point in the music where elements stay fairly static and line up two transient points in the waveform. If your edit sounds jarring just try again until it feels smooth.
CMD Will Professionally Record and Edit Your Podcast!
At CMD, we have helped a plethora of corporate clients professionally edit their podcast. While we typically provide services to professional organizations and producers, we also strive to publish meaningful information like this for those individuals who might not have the budget to utilize our Manhattan studio.
With our state of the art sound and mixing equipment, professional voice over coaching and innovative courses, you can’t go wrong with choosing CMD. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by due to fear of the unknown, call 212-213-9420 today!
Spanish Voice Over
As you are likely aware, the right voice is among the most important factors in a successful campaign. Casting for your specific Spanish voice over project can be difficult and time consuming. Our goal at CMD is to make finding the right talent simple and straightforward. We understand tight time constraints busy professionals in this industry are under. Whether you are looking for European or Latin American Spanish talent, we have many talented artists to choose from.
Helping you find and bring to life the voice you’ve envisioned is our speciality. Whether you seek a foreign language, narration or an eclectic dialect, our voice over experts will help you define your needs, cast your desired voice and record your talent.
3 Steps for Success
We have developed an industry leading 3 step process for successful voice over projects:
Cast: The most successful voice over campaigns begin with ideal casting. With our extensive list of voice over talent, we are sure to have the perfect fit for your project. Covering over 80 languages and 50 accents, we specialize in international casting and certified translations. We have casted projects from commercials and promos, versioning, digital and mobile content, to film narration, video games and VR audio, podcasts and more. Our casting directors will help you every step of the way as our success depends largely on your success.
Record: Hear your vision come to life from our Manhattan penthouse. Our recording studio boasts state of the art equipment specifically designed to give your project the professional sound you seek. Our extensive recording suite comes equipped with 2 client offices, kitchen, reception area and a beautiful lounge area overlooking the Empire State Building.
Mix: The final stage in the process is our elite mixing services. This gives your project the professional edge many other agencies lack. We work with industry leading experts from around the world to give you the latest and greatest in mixing technology. Our mixing and deluxe sound design services were recently featured during the super bowl, digital content, radio and commercial spots, podcasts and video games. We definitely lead the industry with our comprehensive client services.
Choose Superior Talent at CMD
Whether you want full Spanish voice over or need a high quality accent, our extensive talent roster is sure to have what you’re looking for. We offer comprehensive services that include: casting gigs, finding high end talent, providing comprehensive talent demos, translating foreign scripts (when necessary) and premium recording. CMD is the has cornered the market with our talent and services. Call today at 212-213-9420.
