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I'm Against Podcasts

washingtonpost.com

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Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#121

Post by ghaff »

michaelbuckbee wrote: post #103
ianai wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When do people take in their podcasts? I’m thinking it’s during he work commute or at work?

I did a bit of a study of this as I was involved with a podcasting related startup at one point. It's really varied: - Most podcast consumption is via smartphone - A big chunk of that is on iOS (because default Podcast app placement is inconsistent across Android flavors) - Heaviest consumption during commutes - Significant consumption during the workday: white collar people listening in the background - often from t…

I guess I've never really understood the background sound thing. It's not like I need silence; I have no trouble working in a coffeeshop for example. But I mostly don't even turn on music as background much less something like a podcast. And, when traveling with people, one thing that always drove me crazy was the person whose initial reflex on walking into a room was to turn on the TV as background.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#122

Post by 99052882514569 »

bunderbunder wrote: post #35
ukyrgf wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sound is from excessive EQ and limiting held over from trying to get the most out of the limited bandwidth of broadcast radio.

My understanding is that, more specifically, it's a sound that's very carefully tailored to the acoustic environment in which NPR is typically consumed: a moving car. I once heard an interview with an NPR audio engineer where he related how he'd epoxy the studio microphones' bass roll-off switches in place because the setting that most people thought made their voices sound better also made them harder to understand…

>the setting that most people thought made their voices sound better also made them harder to understand over highway noise.

I'm looking at you, Roman Mars of '99% Invisible'.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#123

Post by dspillett »

ianai wrote: post #75
bunderbunder wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I, too, dislike the "eavesdropping on other people's tipsy pub conversation" genre of podcasts. I generally don't love the professionalized "least common denominator of an NPR listening audience's tastes, delivered in carefully rehearsed NPR voice" podcasts, either. My solution is to not bother with those podcasts. There are so many others that I find to be more worthy of my time. Admittedly, it's probably a small fr…

When do people take in their podcasts? I’m thinking it’s during he work commute or at work?

If I'm out for a slow run (music or silence work better for a fast run, silence for a trail run as part of the point of that is enjoying the sounds as well as the sights of nature as I trundle around), pottering around the flat doing chores, sometimes on the train when I'm travelling.

Though some of what I listen to isn't really podcasts - it is panel shows and other radio output that gets mixed in with the podcast output of the BBC and other sources.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#124

Post by floren »

doe88 wrote: post #48

Listening a big chunk of my free time to various podcasts, I reluctantly come to the conclusion that the biggest enemy of podcasts is thinking and introspection . Where before I had moments in my day where I let my mind freely wander and think to the issues I'm currently working on or others, now I rarely have these moments anymore as I listen to podcasts more. I wish I reverted a bit, but it's difficult, listening p…

I've commented about it before--I was listening to podcasts way too much and it destroyed my creativity. I've cut down to 3 shows, which comes out to about 3-4 hours of content a week, and I try to save it for washing dishes, cooking dinner, or driving. My suggestion: trim the fat, pick a couple podcasts you really enjoy and unsubscribe from the rest, then resist the urge to hit 'play' as you're getting dressed in the morning.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#125

Post by manigandham »

Tor3 wrote: post #107
Talanes wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The commenters over there are falling into the same trap hard. So many variations of "Why would I listen to this when I could just read the information quicker?" Who are these people who cannot fathom that people may want to listen to something mildly informative while they are otherwise unable to focus on reading? Or just have an easier time absorbing information audibly rather than visually? Or even that someone wo…

It's not about valuable time, it's about the low bandwidth. That's why I also, in general, don't watch Youtube videos that try to explain theoretical concepts. It's like watching paint dry, when I could just read it in a small fraction of the time if the material is available in written form. At least Youtube videos are useful where the visual is important, e.g. repair instructions. Podcasts don't even have that. The…

You can speed up videos. 3x is easy and efficient.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#126

Post by pkroll »

jldugger wrote: post #44
jetrink wrote: post #10

I think this whole piece is a pretty bizarre exercise. > I consider [podcasts] an enemy of music. [...] With all of the world’s unheard songs beckoning us with their endless mystery, why would anyone choose to waste their precious listening hours on a podcast? This isn't just comparing apples and oranges, it's arguing that apples are the enemy of oranges. "With so many delicious oranges uneaten, why should anyone was…

> "With so many delicious oranges uneaten, why should anyone waste their time consuming a mealy, flavorless apple?" Well, you're not wrong, apples are a garbage fruit. And podcasts interviewing people via cellphone lines is a garbage podcast. If any podcaster is worried about inconveniencing their guests by asking for quality recordings, consider that the viewership takes a lower view of their guests when audio quali…

I'm fine with the rest of your comment, but no, no NO you just don't get to say apples are a garbage fruit without contention, just no. Apples are great. Not all (I'm looking at you, Red Delicious), but I'd much rather eat an apple than an orange. (I'd much rather have fresh orange juice than any form of apple juice, if that takes the edge off my orange-hate.)

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#127

Post by soylentcola »

ianai wrote: post #75
bunderbunder wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I, too, dislike the "eavesdropping on other people's tipsy pub conversation" genre of podcasts. I generally don't love the professionalized "least common denominator of an NPR listening audience's tastes, delivered in carefully rehearsed NPR voice" podcasts, either. My solution is to not bother with those podcasts. There are so many others that I find to be more worthy of my time. Admittedly, it's probably a small fr…

When do people take in their podcasts? I’m thinking it’s during he work commute or at work?

Usually I listen on the way to/from work (I have a short commute so it often takes a few days to finish longer material) or while working on my house/cooking/some other activity where I like having a story to occupy my mind.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#129

Post by dspillett »

ghaff wrote: post #121
michaelbuckbee wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did a bit of a study of this as I was involved with a podcasting related startup at one point. It's really varied: - Most podcast consumption is via smartphone - A big chunk of that is on iOS (because default Podcast app placement is inconsistent across Android flavors) - Heaviest consumption during commutes - Significant consumption during the workday: white collar people listening in the background - often from t…

I guess I've never really understood the background sound thing. It's not like I need silence; I have no trouble working in a coffeeshop for example. But I mostly don't even turn on music as background much less something like a podcast. And, when traveling with people, one thing that always drove me crazy was the person whose initial reflex on walking into a room was to turn on the TV as background.

> I guess I've never really understood the background sound thing.

I sometimes find complete or near complete silence off-puttingly artificial. It puts me in mind of an exam room. Any sound that does happen (including my typing) seems oddly exaggerated and therefore a little distracting.

If I'm properly concentrating I don't notice, so often I'll put on something short for background noise as I start a period of trying to get something done and don't replace it when it finishes as the need has passed.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#130

Post by floren »

viridian wrote: post #71
fivre wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hell, I can deal with shitty microphones, I just wish people would figure out that you need to record all speakers' audio independently and not rely on Skype or Discord or whatever relaying it to a single location. Robovoice is the worst.

You don't need to necessarily have independent audio streams to have good audio, just independent sources. I did a podcast up until January, and as the person doing the editing, I found zero benefit to having one input stream per microphone, and ultimately I eventually just started outputting the multiple inputs as a single dual channel stream. Podcasts that aren't in person are rough to listen to though, for sure. T…

Independent streams really helps me when editing. If I'm talking and one of the other guys' dog barks at the mailman, I know I can just keep talking and silence the dog later.

You're right, though, that the hardest part of recording remotely is avoiding collisions / incremental back-off problems. Then you have to cut out the "No, you go ahead" and people have a real bad habit of then following up with "I was just going to say, ..."

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