Podcast Booth

1. Podcast Booth must be scheduled to use

2. Use is for current University of Utah Students, Staff and Faculty

3. 2 Factor Authenticated

4. 1 hour appointments. Maximum of 3 hours per day

The Podcast Booth is a user scheduled media production space located in Protospace: Level 2 of the Marriott Library. Users are defined as current Students, Staff and Faculty at the University of Utah. It does require a valid Unid and password to record.

It is meant to complement the Audio Studio located in the Faculty Center, located on Level 1 of the Marriott Library.

Podcasters do not need to conform to the schedule of Media Studios staff to record podcasts for curricular or personal content. The Podcast Booth is available all hours the Library is open to the public.

However, it is not a drop in service. Schedule time on the Library Scheduler:

The Podcast Booth is a soundproofed space, with a Mac computer applying the audio recording software Audacity. Podcasters record using a Snowball microphone and can export their audio files to a cloud based storage system such as Ubox, Google Drive or Dropbox. They can also export audio to external hard drives.

The Podcast Booth is intended to be for recording purposes only. Podcasters can edit their 'casts at the Media Editing computer stations near the booth or they can take their files to edit on personal devices elsewhere.

Podcast Booth Recording Instructions

Setup:

1. Recordings must be scheduled on the Library Scheduling System
2. If lights are off, turn them on via the switch at lamp base
3. Close door to Podcast Booth for soundproofing/privacy
4. Turn/toggle computer monitor on. Login with Unid & password
5. Double click Audacity digital recorder icon in upper right corner
6. Make sure both green-taped connectors are interconnected or it won’t recognize the Snowball microphone input
7. Position Snowball Mic on foam block to bring the microphone closer to your mouth
8. Check Audacity template: Microphone at full volume. Blue Snowball microphone listed

Recording:

1.Make sure monitor speakers on cabinet are powered off or you may encounter feedback in the recording

2.Click red recording button on Audacity template. Blue colored waveform sound information will fill in the track

3. When finished, remain quiet and record 10 seconds of room tone for noise reduction in post-production

4. Press keyboard spacebar to stop recording

Playback:

1. Turn on monitor speakers on top of cabinet

2. Drop cursor point on waveform. Scrub backwards on the Audacity track to where you want to listen

3. Press keyboard spacebar to play sample audio. Press again to stop

Export your sound file:

1. Audacity à File à Export à Export as MP3
2. Options:

• External USB hard drive. Place cable into USB 4-slot drive velcroed to table
• DO NOT save to Desktop to retrieve later. Files are wiped within 24 hours
• Cloud sites: Export file to Documents folder. Login to web and upload to sites such as Ubox, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.

Exit procedures:

1. Logout of computer

2. Turn off monitor speakers

3. Return any cables to previous connections for next users: green connectors connected. Snowball mic tethered plugin for input to computer

4. Remove any trash or personal items

5. Lost and Found at West Entrance

6. Leave door open to air-out the booth

If you encounter unusual equipment issues that cannot be fixed by following the instruction guide located on the table or 

If you have a reservation and there is someone in the Podcast Booth

• Immediate assistance at either the Protospace Help Desk or the Knowledge Commons Desk.
• Email: Robert Nelson: Robert.nelson@utah.edu for input/troubleshooting the Podcast Booth