(A Podcast About) Making Better Podcasts

Trailer

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 12:01:00 -0400

Welcome to (A Podcast About) Making Better Podcasts.

The power of audio is nearly limitless. With nothing but a microphone and a laptop, you can create podcasts that truly move people, inspire them, confound them, comfort them, make them laugh, cry, scream, shudder, lull them to sleep, or rouse them to action. But to do this consistently, you need to understand the building blocks of audio storytelling: things like format, structure, narrative, rhythm, texture, and intention.

Episode 1: Format

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 09:20:00 -0400

How many people will be speaking? Where will they be when they do? Are they talking to the audience or each other? These are the most basic questions about the shape of your podcast, and different answers to them can yield wildly different results.

On the premiere of (A Podcast About) Making Better Podcasts we dive headfirst into the possibilities of format. And no, it doesn’t have to be an interview.

Want to know more? Subscribe to this series (and leave a like and review) wherever you get your podcasts, read weekly posts from the whole CitizenRacecar team on our blog, Notes on Good Podcasting, follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram, and feel free to reach out any time: pitcrew@citizenracecar.com

Episode 2: Narrative

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 09:25:00 -0400

Everyone knows that a good podcast has to tell a story, and that a good story has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end… but what exactly does that mean? Something remarkably specific, it turns out, as well as enormously important.

Join David and special guest Michael Shaw Fisher of the Los Angeles Film School for high adventure, the wisdom of the ancients, an old dog, a stolen lottery ticket, and the secret key to not being boring.

Episode 3: Segments, Bits, and Callbacks

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 09:30:00 -0400

Ears are connected to brains, and there’s nothing brains like better than recognizing things. In today’s episode, we talk about something broadcasters have always known and podcasters need to learn: about how callbacks, running bits, and recurring segments tickle those neurons and keep people coming back.

Episode 4: Input

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:01:00 -0400

(A Podcast About) Making Better Podcasts is back! And we’re kicking off this new batch by going very deep into the most fundamental building block of the medium: sound itself—what it is, how it works, and how it’s captured.

Want to know more? Subscribe to this series (and leave a like and review) wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram, and feel free to reach out any time: pitcrew@citizenracecar.com

Episode 5: Output

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:01:00 -0400

We continue our exploration of the basics of sound recording with a journey through the mysterious and magical world of Post-Production. Mixing and beyond, a trio of expert practitioners take us through the art and science of making sound sound better.

Thanks to our special guests in this episode, Alex Bouwer, Jose Miguel Baez, and Cheryl Otternritter of Ott House Audio.

Episode 6: Music

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

There’s nothing better than music…and there’s nothing more powerful for adding emotional lift and forward motion to your podcast. But how do you use it in a way that adds without dominating? And where do you get good music to use? Let’s explore!

Episode 7: Process

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

We've talked about so many individual elements that make up a great audio story: format, narrative, structure, sound design and more... but how do you go about putting them together into a cohesive whole? In this episode, we take a real-word example and look at the step-by-step of how we went from a vague idea to a pile of tape to a broadcast-ready segment.

Enjoying the series? Like and follow the show wherever you get your podcasts. What to know more? Read David's blog, The Media Drive and follow CitizenRacecar on LinkedIn and Instagram.