Frequently Asked Questions
General
- What is a podcast?
- Is this free ?
- Who do I contact if I have podcast issues?
- What if I only want to podcast specific days?
- How do I sign up?
Access
Recording
- What is required to create a podcast?
- What rooms are podcast-ready?
- What microphone should I use?
- Where should I clip the microphone?
- How do I start recording?
- How do I get the start time just right?
- I go over the end of lecture - how can I record longer?
- What do the microphone lights mean?
- What if my voice is not loud enough over the room speakers?
- How do I know if the mic is working in a small classroom?
Please note, we do our best to capture and distribute podcasts, but occasionally
podcasts may not be available due to operator error or hardware failure.
- What is a podcast? [Back to Top]
- A podcast is a recorded file that you can download to a computer, iPod, or any
MP3 player for later use. You can even automatically download new lectures as
they are published by subscribing to iTunes.
See a complete description about podcasting at Wikipedia. - Is this free? [Back to Top]
- Yes, there are no charges to faculty or students for audio podcasts.
- Who do I contact if I have podcast issues? [Back to Top]
- For classroom assistance, contact Media Services at
(858) 534-5784, mediacenter@ucsd.edu
For signup and scheduling questions, contact ACS/IWDC: (858) 822-3315, iwdc@ucsd.edu - What if I only want to podcast specific days? [Back to Top]
- If there are specific class dates that you don't want podcast, please email iwdc@ucsd.edu and they will stop the recording on that day. You can also leave the wireless microphone off and nothing will be recorded.
- How do I sign up? [Back to Top]
- Ensure you are in a podcast-ready lecture
hall (classrooms are not setup for podcasting).
To sign up for the Podcast service, please sign the Podcasting Agreement. - Is an iPod required for playback? [Back to Top]
- No. A computer with iTunes (or similar podcast/media player software) can work just as well.
- How do students find podcasts? [Back to Top]
- Students can get information about subscribing and downloading podcasts at podcast.ucsd.edu
- How soon is the podcast available? [Back to Top]
- Usually within minutes of the lecture ending.
- Who can access my podcast? [Back to Top]
- Podcasts are available to anyone who locates the podcast.ucsd.edu web site. This means that anyone in the world could listen to and/or download the mp3 files.
- How long does my podcast stay on the server? [Back to Top]
- The files will be available until the end of the quarter.
- Can I request to have a podcast removed? [Back to Top]
- Yes. Please send your request to iwdc@ucsd.edu.
- Why don't I hear the movie audio? [Back to Top]
- If you play a movie or audio clips through the Media Station during class, audio will not be recorded. This is so copyrighted material is not broadcast. Your podcast will have silent spaces where audio is being played.
- What is required to create a podcast? [Back to Top]
- Ensure you are in a podcast-ready lecture hall (classrooms
are not setup for podcasting).
To sign up for the Podcast service, please sign the Podcasting Agreement. - What rooms are podcast-ready? [Back to Top]
-
Audio podcast-ready:
- Center Hall 101, 105, 109, 113, 115, 119, 212, 214, 216
- Cognitive Science Building 001, 002
- Galbraith Hall 260
- Humanities & Social Science Building 1330
- Ledden Auditorium (HSS 2250)
- Pepper Canyon Hall 106, 109, 121, 122
- Peterson Hall 108, 110
- Price Center Theatre
- Robinson Auditorium
- Solis Hall 104, 107
- Warren Lecture Hall 2001, 2005, 2205
- York Hall 2622, 2722
- Peterson Hall 108
- York Hall 2622, 2722
- What microphone should I use? [Back to Top]
- Use the yellow wireless microphone that is located inside the Media Station in order to be recorded. The wired microphone connected to the wall is not connected to the recording device.
- Where should I clip the microphone? [Back to Top]
- Clip the wireless microphone to your collar about 8 inches from your mouth.
Try to clip it right in the center, and not to the side. - How do I start recording? [Back to Top]
- You don't need to do do anything special. Just put on your microphone and transmitter as usual. Recording will start at the lecture's scheduled start time and stop at the scheduled end time.
- How do I get the start time right? [Back to Top]
- Your podcast starts at the beginning of your scheduled lecture time regardless of when you turn the microphone on. The podcast start time will most closely match with your cell-phone time, not the clocks in the lecture halls which are sometimes a few minutes off. The recording will stop at the end of your scheduled lecture time regardless of when you turn the yellow wireless microphone off.
- I go over the end of lecture - how can I record longer? [Back to Top]
- Contact iwdc@ucsd.edu, and we can record a few minutes longer.
- What do the lights on the microphone indicate? [Back to Top]
- The light on the wireless microphone will be green when the battery is good and red when the battery is low. When the light is red, please feel free to change the battery. There are new batteries available inside the Media Station, and battery recycling on top of the Media Station.
- What if my voice is not loud enough over the room speakers? [Back to Top]
- Please do not adjust the volume control on the wireless microphone. The volume level for the podcast is preset. If you feel your voice over the room speakers is not loud enough, please call the Media Services' Help Desk at 534-5784 and we will send a technician.
- How do I know if the mic is working in a small classroom? [Back to Top]
Refer to the audio level meter in the room.- Meter at rest; microphone turned off. The normal range (-20 to –3 db) is green. Zero is yellow. Peak and overload range is red.
- Normal level (in the green)
- Brief peaks (occasional yellow or red; level not hot enough to cause distortion)
- Overload (audible distortion likely)