Ken McGuire

Tag: Podcasting

  • Work Continues on KilkennyMusic.com

    Work Continues on KilkennyMusic.com

    KilkennyMusic.com

    Work continues on KilkennyMusic.com. Having resurrected the site at the end of January after about 18 months of relative inactivity, this weekend replaced the straight up blog style design used to get things back on track with a more interactive magazine style for the homepage. The Mashable-inspired MashMenu is a handy plugin to use for navigation as well.

    With the content side of things returning, it was back to catching gigs on camera at the weekend with KRB, Riain, Evan Prendergast and Feibhar Baldwin-Wall all on stage at Billy Byrne’s. Photos first, then video.

    Similarly, from March, the plan is to return to podcasting.

    Funnily enough, it was around March time each year over the past 4-5 years that the interest in podcasting for me swells up. First with the Playlist Mix, then with trying Indie Switch for a month or two, followed up by last years testing of the waters with the Stereo Mixtape, the format for which will likely be borrowed for the latest round of KilkennyMusic.com podcasts.

    The on-air experience gained having presented for KCLR for the past two years should hopefully lend itself both to the lead podcast and similarly with the return of the One Take Sessions as an on-air offering.

    Let’s see how it goes…

  • A Facelift for PlaylistMix.com

    Anyone following the Playlist Mix on Twitter over the weekend (or myself for that matter) would have spotted some talk of design work going in the run up to the 45th show. That design work got pushed live last night. It’s possible it will be a bit rough around the edges on IE users – I say possible because I haven’t had the chance to check and correct anything Internet Explore-wise but I’m happy with the new layout.

    The podcast itself returned to normal service a week ago following a winter break and has also moved to Sunday nights for 2009 (a lot more accessible to me the way things work around here).

    You can grab the 45th show here (show link – direct mp3 link) or listen to last week’s show here.

    Of course, if you’re in tyre-kicking mood I’ll be getting back to things around 3pm today so feel free to let me know what you think. In terms of planning, the Christmas break did wonders for me as I’ve been able to get a nice plan in place for additional podcast elements in terms of interviews, video and more content between tracks. Plus, the new schedule is a big plus.

    Check out PlaylistMix.com and let me know what you think, or grab a listen to the latest podcast below.

    Playlist Mix Podcast show #45
    [audio:http://playlistmix.com/podpress_trac/web/122/0/podcast045.mp3]

  • 40th Playlist Mix Podcast Lands

    Bloc Party
    Creative Commons License photo credit: wonker

    The first of this week’s podcasts is finally online. I’ve got to learn not to go browsing around MySpace with 20 tabs open on the laptop while ProTools is bouncing out the show.

    Especially when it’s getting close to 1am and you’re already tired.

    Technical difficulties aside, you can listen to the 40th Playlist Mix here or click here to download the show (27mb mp3). There’s music from Bloc Party, Ingrid Michaelson, Gum and more. You’ll also get a listen to the current radio advert for The Devious Theatre Company‘s ‘War Of The Worlds’ which wraps recording this Sunday.

    The Sound System Podcast with KilkennyMusic.com records and airs tonight and will likely feature a lot of chat, recaps and mental flashbacks from the 2008 Irish Web Awards in Dublin on Saturday gone.

    Playlist Mix #40
    [audio:http://www.playlistmix.com/podpress_trac/web/94/0/podcast040.mp3]

  • Breaking 100 Podcasts

    Ken McGuire's home podcasting setup

    I started podcasting on a monthly basis back in November 2006 (though it could have been every three weeks to coincide with the One Take Sessions).

    The monthly turned tri-weekly, turned fortnightly, back to tri-weekly and now weekly. That’s just with KilkennyMusic.com who during the week (yesterday in fact) managed to deliver the 61st Sound System Podcast. Admittedly, if we kept the same schedule throughout the year and didn’t take a summer break we’d be a lot closer to the one hundred mark for that particular podcast.

    In March 2007 I started the Playlist Mix, abandoning the podcast after three shows. PodCamp Ireland in Kilkenny (September 2007) gave me the much needed inspiration to set out a regular podcast schedule for that show, and as of this Tuesday night gone (again, incorporating a summer break due to a hectic three-show schedule with The Devious Theatre Company) the Playlist Mix has reached show number 39.

    Put the two together – you get 100 podcasts, which considering the average lengths of the podcasts (45 minutes and 30 minutes respectively) you’re looking at over 65 hours of podcast content, chat and music.

    Then I got involved in the weekly PodCamp Ireland podcasts as well, but that’s another story altogether.

    There’s an awful lot of learning in producing 100 podcasts, something I’m putting into the production of a further two podcasts (one monthly show due to start in November) and something that has also opened the doors to professional work through podcasting. Both podcasts have settled into a nice groove and with the Sound System Podcast in particular (which went from a four-host show to a two-host show) I’m delighted that it’s taken on a life of it’s own, something these two gents know all to well about in recent weeks.

    So for this week, why not check out the 61st Sound System Podcast (download) or the 39th Playlist Mix (download) and let me know what you think.

  • I’m Going To Destroy Kilkenny And Carlow

    Alone
    Creative Commons License photo credit: fdecomite

    As Damien mentioned earlier this morning and I blurted out on Twitter yesterday, I’ve finally been able to announce my current project, albeit almost a week past my original October 1st deadline.

    Myself and a few of the other deviants are taking on HG Wells’ sci-fi classic ‘The War Of The Worlds’ in a production to be broadcast between 9pm and 10pm, Thursday October 30th this year on KCLR 96FM. While we won’t be doing an actual live performance, we’re taking on all the production (as usual), both pre and post for the show. Just when I thought my evenings were coming back to me and all…

    If you want to listen in online, you’ll be able to do so by visiting the KCLR 96FM website. For those who miss the live broadcast, we’re going to look at making a podcast series out of the production (perhaps four mini chapters as well as a full-length release) for release from DeviousTheatre.com in the day or two after broadcast.

    I did manage to squeeze off a QIK of the announcement yesterday, in doing show highlighting the new DeviousTheatre.com (relaunched) along with matching top and pants for the MySpace and Bebo.

    So why destroy Kilkenny and Carlow? Well, we figured the station Orson Welles so gracefully attacked back in 1938 has already been done and given we’re getting nice airtime on local radio, we thought we’d localise the production, also coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the original broadcast that rocked the US at the time of its release.

    Castlecomer will fall, Kilkenny City will lay in ruins and poor Carlow just won’t know what hit it.

    Is this a first for Irish theatre as well? Podcasting productions in that manner? I’d like to think it is but should really do a bit more looking into the subject.

    That’s enough coming up for air… back to the real world for my Tuesday evening.

  • Playlist Mix 37 Goes Live

    Pato Banton

    Recording in a studio with no lights is no fun. Just like stubbing your toe is no fun. When you do the two together and podcast in the dark, it’s bound to become a little interesting.

    As I wait on this week’s KilkennyMusic.com podcast to upload I point you in the direction of the 37th Playlist Mix podcast featuring this 90s reggae-loving gem (above), Pato Banton.

    The 37th podcast brings you another 30 minutes or so of podsafe and independent music, six acts, six tracks and some background in between. It arrived online later than expected, due to unforeseen technical difficulties with lights, a crashing browser and ultimately electricity but it’s there for all to grab now.

    You can download here (about 28mb) or stream below. You can also check out PlaylistMix.com for the podcast archives, see past shows and subscribe via the feed (opens iTunes) to find out what I’ve been listening to during the week and just what’s been hitting my inbox.

    Playlist Mix 37
    [audio:http://www.playlistmix.com/podpress_trac/web/87/0/podcast037.mp3]

  • Playlist Mix 36 Released

    Vesta Varro

    They Playlist Mix podcast series returned two weeks ago after a light summer break and I’ve just released the 36th Playlist Mix this evening, a little earlier than usual.

    I’m doing well of late in the battle to set a definite finishing time work-wise during the day so I can free up more time in the evenings. More time in the evenings means earlier podcasts, earlier to bed and less of a fight with myself on a Wednesday morning before phoning into the PodCamp Ireland podcast show.

    It was PodCamp Ireland last year in Kilkenny that gave me the much needed kick to put the Playlist Mix on course and since last October I’ve managed to release 32 podcasts. I’d be looking at close to 50 had it not been for the serious lack of any evening-time in the summer thanks to producing and acting in two back-to-back performances from May to August with this devious bunch.

    As always on the podcast there’s six tracks from six different acts with music this week coming from Vesta Varro, Planet Rewind, This Is Fiction, Annie Golliath, Satellite State and Ro Tierney who I had as a guest at the One Take Sessions in Kilkenny last year.

    I’ll be catching Vesta Varro in action in Kilkenny this weekend but until then, enjoy the podcast. Comments always appreciated 🙂

    The podcast has also been longlisted / nominated for Best Podcast at the 2008 Irish Web Awards, another fine night in store for the Irish web community this October 11th in Dublin.

    Playlist Mix Podcast #36 – Download @ 27mb
    [audio:http://www.playlistmix.com/podpress_trac/web/83/0/podcast036.mp3]

  • Podcamp Ireland Podcasting Setup




    Podcamp Ireland Podcasting Setup

    Originally uploaded by kenmc

    I meant to get this posted to the blog a week ago or so – my podcasting set up for the Wednesday morning call for PodCamp Ireland.

    In the run up to PodCamp on the 27th in Kilkenny (this month) myself, Bernie Goldbach and Krishna De have been chatting every Wednesday morning at 9am for a one-hour podcast show.

    There’s regular interviews, some banter between ourselves, a hosting/domain tip from Blacknight’s Michele Neylon and a few other bits thrown in for good measure.

    So while you might hear me on a Wednesday morning, this is what I’m looking at in one corner of my office.

    Note: the description was actually in the flickr profile but the jist of what you’re looking at (outside of the laptop and second monitor) is a shielded Shure SM58 (stand cut into the desk) feeding through a Digidesign Mbox 2, connected via USB to the MacBook Pro. All audio for the MacBook on the call is routed through the Mbox, allowing me to use the SM58 with Skype.

  • Podcasting Takes Time, But They’re Coming Back

    As I mentioned yesterday, I’m currently ‘Smitten‘. In a pure theatrical sense that is. Since the third week of May this year for three nights a week or more, plus weekends (taken up with theatre and gigs) I’ve been spending my nights at a variety of rehearsal venues, nights I had previously dedicated to other things I thoroughly enjoy such as the Sound System Podcast and the Playlist Mix.

    Now that we’ve hit show week on our second of three productions for the year I can look forward to having my evenings come back and getting into the podcasting groove again.

    There’s a perk in this for me as for the third production, I’m looking at producing a radio play. We had been speaking to one radio station to look at carrying the play in October but whether the show goes across the airwaves or not, we’re going to be releasing it as part of a short series of podcasts from the theatre company, a nice way for us (as the theatre company) to embrace podcasting and reach a new audience.

    What I’m also looking forward to is returning to the Playlist Mix (Tuesday nights) and the Sound System Podcast with KilkennyMusic.com (Wednesday nights). Producing podcasts, the way we’ve gotten into producing them, can take anywhere up to 3 hours if you allow a half hour for pre-production and notes.

    While the Playlist Mix will return with it’s regular and healthy dose of podsafe music, the Sound System Podcast will be showcasing highlights from gigs since May this year, for the first few shows with five weeks worth of live music to offer (20 live tracks) though an overall format change has not yet been decided by myself and co-host Ross Costigan.

    Thanks to my theatrical commitments and weekend engagements, three hours is a lot to ask when you’re in “show mode”. So from the first week of September, both podcasts (which collectively have almost reached the 90-mark in the last year) will be returning to an iTunes store near you.

  • More From The Playlist Mix

    I’ve hit podcast #32 in the Playlist Mix series and it’s been a while since I flagged it here on the blog.

    If you’ve never heard of the Playlist Mix Podcast (possible if you’re a new reader!), it is a weekly podcast I release running 30 minutes or less and featuring six independent or podsafe acts from around the world.

    I gather music from the Podsafe Music Network, Garageband, CD submissions from acts I work with in Ireland and through KilkennyMusic.com and ultimately, email submissions from listeners and bands alike. The mix is rather eclectic. My own listening habits are by no means genre specific. If you had stopped me in traffic this morning you’d catch me with some downtempo jazz on; into the office and I’m in rock mode; out and about and I’m fuelled by indie or reggae tunes.

    To that extent, each week’s mix is often a reflection of what I’ve been listening to as well as a means to showcase new tracks and artists arriving in my inbox. I’m not much of a fan of day-time radio so when I’m on the road I like to have a short mix of tunes with me – a 30-minute weekly dose of the Playlist Mix tends to do the trick for me 🙂

    The latest podcast was released yesterday with music from Plunkett, The Riot Before, Ghostface Killah and more… have a listen below, click here to subscribe via iTunes or check PlaylistMix.com for previous shows.

    Playlist Mix #32 (Download @ 27mb, 128kbps)
    [audio:http://www.playlistmix.com/podpress_trac/web/72/0/podcast032.mp3]

  • PodPress Ain’t Dead Yet

    Some late night trawling of Jaiku yesterday highlighted a stir around the popular podcasting plugin for WordPress, PodPress.

    I use PodPress for delivery of both the Playlist Mix podcast and Sound System Podcast with KilkennyMusic.com and much to my surprise last night I had read online that development on the plugin had ceased and the site had been whipped down.

    This, however, appeared due to a “domain registration snafu” as Jeff at Weblogs Tools Collection points out.

    The plugin is, in fact, alive and well and the next version is almost set for release. The current version, 8.8, has been around for a while now but the plugin is working fine in WordPress 2.5 so there was no major panic on when the next version would be out. But when the thought of it disappearing altogether arises, it puts many a podcaster into a spin.

    But all is well in the world and users of both Joomla and Drupal will be happy to hear that there are ports in the pipeline for both CMS options.

  • More From The Playlist Mix Podcast (And Podcasting)

    The 27th Playlist Mix podcast has gone live and it marks (at least technically) a full year since the launch of the podcast. Granted, after three shows I took the bones of five months away from the podcast to decide whether or not I would make a full run of it but having revived the podcast in October last, it has become a weekly habit of mine and I’m delighted I decided to press ahead.

    Such to the point that my 2008 diary (I keep a physical diary for the music / theatre side of life) is marked with podcast recording dates straight up to the end of December which should see the Playlist Mix having well passed the 50-show mark and the Sound System Podcast having passed the 70 or 80 show mark, that podcast too having gone weekly late last year.

    There is an element of ease at this point in recording a solo podcast, the gremlins instead tending to hold off until the Wednesday night when the Sound System Podcast records for KilkennyMusic.com (listeners to both podcast shows might realise).

    The transition from working in Adobe Audition to working in ProTools has been a slow one. The last two weekends away in Sligo have given me time to toy around with different recording setups, discover the ins and outs of the various plugins at my disposal, find out where things are hidden in the menus, learn off a few keyboard shortcuts, that kind of thing. But, I’m adapting.

    From a podcasting point of view I will say that I’m delighted with the purchase of the Mbox 2 (Factory bundle) from Digidesign. It’s a purchase I had been toying with for far too long but its sheer portability (lighter and more suited to a podcasting environment compared to the Digidesign 002 rack we used in the live environment) is worth the investment. It’s lightweight, fits in my laptop bag or backpack (depending on the setting), packs 2 XLR / line / DI inputs as well as phantom power for the condenser (which I must get back!). The fact that it’s powered via USB as well helps portability matters, meaning there’s room for high quality recordings wherever I wind up.

    Given the nature of the One Take Sessions and recordings for their respective podcasts it’s a certainty it will be travelling with me every three weeks to the venue (it will actually be there tonight as well as we welcome Bonnefires, John O’Hanlon, Nassau Royal and Joey Ryan to Kilkenny – Cleere’s Theatre tonight at 9:30pm).

    Anyway, check out PlaylistMix.com for this week’s podcast or see the links below to play / download.

    Playlist Mix Podcast #27 (Download @ 26mb)
    [audio:http://www.playlistmix.com/podpress_trac/web/62/0/podcast027.mp3]