MP3 Encoding Tools

If you're producing an audio podcast, you're probably best producing it in the MP3 format. Although it isn't the best audio codec available, it is by far the most compatible and plays on virtually any computer or portable media device. It may not have all the bells and whistles of other formats, but your audience is far less likely to have technical issues, which means you'll get fewer negative comments on your blog.

Virtually any editing platform you're working on should have built-in MP3 encoding capabilities, but on the off chance that it doesn't, a number of standalone MP3 encoding applications can get the job done; one such application is shown in Figure 1.

iTunes: iTunes isn't really an encoding application, but it converts audio files to mp3 on import if you choose to do so in your preferences.

LAME-based encoders: Despite the ironic origin of the name (Lame Ain't an MP3 Encoder), LAME is an open source MP3 encoding library that is used in almost all free MP3 encoding applications. There are probably hundreds of these available; google "MP3 encoder" and see for yourself.


Figure 1: WinLAME is one of many free MP3 encoders available.

Encoding Tools

You should understand clearly by now that your podcast must be encoded in a format that is suitable for Web distribution. To do this, either you must use a standalone encoding application or export directly from your audio-editing or video-editing software. If you want to be a real podcasting hot shot, you may want to encode an enhanced podcast or offer video podcasts for various portable media players. If so, you'll probably want to invest in a multi-format encoding solution. In addition to enabling you to encode a single file into a number of different formats, they let you tweak all the encoding settings so you can get the highest possible quality encoding.

Your decision about which encoding software to use will be based on a number of factors:

Are you encoding audio or video podcasts (or both)?

If you're producing audio podcasts, do you want maximum compatibility across media players, or would you rather produce a cutting edge podcast with features that may not work on all players?

If you're producing video podcasts, how many formats do you want to produce?

Podcasting purists consider podcasts to be MP3 files. But video podcasts are becoming increasingly popular, and there are serious cross-compatibility issues with video podcasts. Portable media players support different codecs, and some people may not have the required player software installed to watch your video podcast on their computer.

We'll talk about these issues a little later in the chapter. To begin with, let's start with the simplest case. We'll assume that you're producing an audio podcast, and for maximum compatibility you're using the granddaddy of all podcast formats, the MP3 file.