The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has started a music podcast featuring unsigned/independent Canadian artists only (iloveradio). I have listened to the first one. I will give it one more try before giving up (it’s professionally produced and all, but the DJ’s choice of podsafe music in the first show was not my cup of tea).

Download podcast MP3 file.

Acecast podcast number four (MP3, 128Kbps, 14.7MB, 16m:05s) (you can download the MP3 file using the podcast icon/link if you are not using a podcasting application).

Four is for sinister electronic music.

This is a show I have wanted to do for some time. After Acecast’s new signature tune and a short intro comes a 15 minute long mix of five dark electronic tracks. All tracks from Northern Europe: England, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Norway. A mix of well-known (and previously played) acts like Delia Derbyshire and Biosphere, and some lesser known (unless you are heavily into industrial music) artists as Lomov, Haare and TeKstomp. The tracks are mixed and cut some more than on a normal Acecast production (the show could probably have been double length if I played the complete tracks), but I think it works quite well.

The show is also the first Acecast to feature the Acecast signature tune, Wildspot by Belbury Poly (on the fine Ghostbox label).

Even if you are no big fan of electronic music give it a try with headphones on. Enjoy (?).

The next show will be my SXSW 2005 special, before I resume with a couple of “normal” podcasts.

Production notes.

This will move to its own page soon as the notes are the same from show to show now. Kit: MXL V67 condenser microphone, Behringer UB802 mixer, Hercules DJ Console sound card. Applications: Audacity, iTunes, MP3Gain, MP3tag.

Just the mix.

If you like the show, but would prefer to have the 15 minute mix of music only, you can download the MP3 mix only of Acecast #4. The “no voiceover/no intro” variants will only be available for “mix-shows” like this.

All tracks played are free and legal downloads. All tracks are copyright the artists and their record labels/music publishers. All tracks on this show are excerpts.

Extended tracklisting for Acecast number 4, 4 June 2005.

• Wildspot— Belbury Poly. The new Acecast signature tune.
• Music of Spheres — Delia Derbyshire.
• The Temple (download.com) — Haare (download.com). Ilkka Vekka seems to be the real name of Haare.
• Sommersumpf (ftp.scene.org) — Lomov.
• Dop (knutpunktnorrland.se)— TeKstomp.
• Rachel’s Dance — Biosphere.

Brief playlist for the fourth podcast.

Initial post: Sun, 5 Jun 2005.

I am pleased to announce that Acecast now has a signature tune. The piece of uplifting and timeless electronica to head each show from now on is Wildspot by Belbury Poly.

Thanks to the fine people at Ghostbox for the permission to use. Wildspot is available on both of Belbury Poly’s releases, the version I am using is the one which is currently available for download from the Farmer’s Angle EP.

The track is also on The Willows, my fair podcasting CD for May 2005. Belbury Poly discovered via Blissblog (Simon Reynolds).

• Wildspot by Belbury Poly MP3.

• Music of Spheres — Delia Derbyshire.
• The Temple — Haare.
• Sommersumpf — Lomov.
• Dop — TeKstomp.
• Rachel’s Dance — Biosphere.

Full details and MP3 download for the fourth Acecast podcast.

Initial post: Sun, 05 Jun 2005.

I use a system for rating music similar to that of iloveradio.org. After downloading the track, I edit the MP3-tag so it contains the site where the track is from (this is crucial now that I have been through around 2000 tunes). I then put the newly downloaded songs in my “download” category in iTunes, give one star to uninteresting songs, three stars for good tracks (one smart playlist; exactly three stars and in my “download” category) and four/five star tunes are put in another smart playlist. Rating is mostly done while on the move with the iPod. This way I went through all of the 750+ tracks of the SXSW showcasing artist roster in a couple of weeks.

I also have “download fresh” category which only contains tracks downloaded over the last 14 days, this to give new songs a second chance to pass quality control.

One star tracks are simply deleted. I do not keep track of them. I might run the risk of downloading them again (the free and legal tracks have a tendency to turn up on several sites), but that’s not a real problem.

The next show (after my dark electronic special) will be based on SXSW 2005 tracks only (10 tracks or so, but I will also be sharing my complete list of tracks worth downloading from the showcase).

A bit of reciprocal linkage for you (as Acecast is listed as recommended listening) — Marvin Suicide is doing podcasts featuring free and legal MP3s only (just like Acecast).

Mainly electronic music is played, but there is the odd non-electronic tune as well. What is really odd though is Marvin’s (not real name I suspect) voice — it is treated with a vocoder effect so Marvin sounds a bit like Cher mixed with Future Pilot AKA. There’s a fair bit of swearing on Marvin’s shows, so PG certified.

My recommended artist found via Marvin is Ecoplan.

Rex is doing some long and frequently updated articles on the impact of Apple’s announcement on podcasting support in iTunes over at rexblog. He writes about Microsoft now joining in (“playsafecatching” anyone?), Sirius satellite radio and the iPod, advertising and micro-payments and more.

One thing is for sure — when Apple release the next version of iTunes, podcasters are going to get a bigger audience. And there are hard times ahead for companies and individuals charging money for their turbo-charged RSS-readers (with enclosure support).

Tod’s Podcasting 101: Illustrated Tips for Newbie Podcasters is a good resource for podcasters-to-be. Written back in October 2004 (the bronze age of podcasting), it is still valid today.

Tod gives advice on recording, mixing and a few hints about microphones. Since Tod works for a broadcasting corporation he is also in a position to give some tips on interviews.

Tod is now also a podcaster himself, and his frequent “vote for me” appeals are a bit annoying. I guess professional radio people get obsessed with numbers; here at Acecast there is no chase of the big numbers — this will become evident in the next show which will feature some fairly sinister electronic music only. Sorry — I am supposed to be all positive here, so please read Tod’s I Love Radio blog and the Podcasting 101. The “101” contains the following bit of advice which I took to my heart when starting out with Acecast,

Using your natural voice.

Something funny happens to some people when they get in front of a microphone. They suddenly start speaking in what they believe to be “radio voice” — usually coming off sounding like over-the-top newscaster Ted Baxter from the Mary Tyler Moore show.

The best voice you can use on the radio is your own. Speak the way you normally do. While you certainly want to speak clearly and perhaps gently emphasize some words, that doesn’t mean you should Punch! Every! Word!

…

So don’t worry about your voice. Focus on being able to read cold (without practicing first which, paradoxically, comes from lots of practice) and on your ability to find and tell a good story. That’s what matters.