Podcast Booth Instructions

  1. Ensure all the equipment is plugged in. The microphone should be plugged into an input on the back of the audio interface, and the audio interface plugged into the computer via USB. Ensure the 48V button on the interface is pressed and the light is on. Also make sure the input and output knobs are turned all the way down to prevent damage to audio equipment and ears.
  2. Launch the Focusrite Control app from desktop, then turn up the input and output to the desired level and ensure the mic is picking up sound by looking at the meter on the app and the front of the audio interface.
  3. Launch the podcasting software (Adobe Audition or Audacity) from the desktop. If using Audition, you will need to use your adobe student account and will be redirected to your USU login.
  4. In the software, open Preferences and make sure the audio hardware matches the following settings:
    1. Audition:
      A Preferences window with the Audio Hardware section open. In this section, the Device Class "ASIO" is selected, the Device "Focusirite USB ASIO" is selected, an I/O Buffer Size of 16 is selected, a Sample Rate of 48000 Hz is selected, the Attempt to force hardware to document sample rate option is unselected, and the Use machine-specific device defaults option is selected
    2. Audacity:
      An Audio Settings window with Interface, Playback, Recording, Quality, and Latency sections open. In the Interface section, the Host "Windows WASAPI" is selected; in the Playback section, the Device "Speakers (Focusrite USB Audio)" is selected; in the Recording section, the Device "Analogue 1 + 2 (Focusrite USB Audio)" is selected and Channels is set to "1 (Mono);" in the Quality section, the Project Sample Rate is set at 48000 Hz, the Default Sample Rate is set at 48000 Hz, and the Default Sample Format "32-bit float" is selected; in the Latency section, the Buffer length is set to 100 milliseconds and the Latency compensation is set to -130 milliseconds.
  5. Adjust input to avoid clipping and record your audio.
    • NOTE: On Audacity you may need to raise the levels on the Record Meter to pick up more sound, as the soundwaves can be really small without doing this:
      An arrow points to a section on the Audacity top toolbar. The section is distinguished by a microphone icon followed by a slider scale with values from -54 to 0 listed. The slider sits at the -30 mark.
  6. Save and Export the file, then log out and turn off the computer when finished. The audio interface can be left on.

Helpful Videos on Starting a Podcast

Audition

Audacity