Here is the debut episode of what I will call the Z-Cast, until I come up with a better name or I am chased off the internet. It is a first effort so it has all the flaws of every first effort, but you have to start somewhere. Every actor has his first role. Every surgeon has his first operation. Every hit-man has his first kill. I have a long way to go between here and good, but I’m hoping it is fun learning how to make the trip. Of course, comments and commentary are encourage.
The Z Blog
Direct MP3 link: episode_1.mp3
tks. needs to be on the blog,
Very good.
You have a good radio voice I will listen to your podcast on my way to work. Now to figure out how to do that…
Just above this is a link to the mp3 file. If you have a USB port in your vehicle you can download the mp3 onto a stick and listen to it that way. Or you can put it on your phone perhaps and listen to it in your vehicle that way.
I download a number of podcasts and listen to them in the car.
Using Beethoven’s 9th symphony as opening bumper music adds even more class. Good stuff.
re: Gavin Mcinnes I remember when he did his interview with the Daily Show and they reliably edited him to look like a badthinker, but later on his own show he figured his ace up his sleeve was the big rebuttal from TGMS where he countered everything. He seemed to honestly believe this was some kind of strategy. He obviously wants a mainstream show on Fox as he complained about being overlooked constantly. what does he think will happen even if they gave it to him? It would be snatched away as soon as he engaged in any realtalk or… Read more »
Listening now, Z-man. You sound great, very listenable. Hearing occasionally what sounds like saturation–your mic may be a little close. Since you asked…the sound Derbyshire and other podcasters use between segments is a “stinger”.
You nailed the most important thing–CONTENT! Hard to believe this is your first podcast–outstanding job!
Thanks. The mic I’m using is cheap so you really can tell when I’m too close or too far away. I’ll have to invest in better gear at some point.
Stinger? That’s a great term. Radio guys have great lingo.
You also gotta take care of that squeaking chair.
ZMan, what equipment are you using, if you don’t mind my asking?
I tried the Blue Yeti, but it never worked properly so I bought this one and that’s what I’m using. I’m just using Audacity for now to record and edit.
I’m basically using $30 worth of gear right now.
One thing you can try with your current mic is compression. Record at a lower level (more distance to the mic), then after recording run a compressor on the audio. If you’re using Audacity it’s an option under Effect. You might have to fiddle with the parameters but the defaults are a good start. This will boost the level even though the original recording is well below saturation.
Thanks. I’ve been playing around with it, but for free software, it has a lot of features.
“The science of global warming is pure junk science, and billions have been squandered because we allowed a moral argument to be a proxy for scientific arguments, and that’s a good lesson. Science is not about preferences or choices, science is about science, and scientists who are going around talking about consensus, or the right thing to do, they are not talking about science anymore, they are talking about morality, and if that’s what they want to do, they should become priests, not scientists!”
The Z Man, The Z-Cast podcast episode 1
It was the cheering audience at the end that made me spray the coffee.
Joined your LD 50 podcast experiment. Survived. Audio is fine. One trick a buddy of mine who one of the half dozen “voices” that do movie trailers and like uses when not in a professional studio is placing the microphone in the “v” of a standard wheelie suitcase opened and stood upright on a desk. Taking out the intro, the segment lengths were good-really expected more “wandering”. You really managed to avoid that. Spot on about evolution (or lack of) in the climate business. And it is a business. To contrast, have worked professionally with catastrophe modeling for that last… Read more »
I know you’ve really been sweating the audio quality but I have to say it seemed very good
lili is available i think. this iz Z cast:
https://youtu.be/B4BZrSj2VU4
All good. Voice great. My question is, who are you going for? It seems as if this one was for a more general audience than your readership, because I already knew everything of which you spoke. Not the case here, where what it does is ring my bells with an ah-ha!
Well done,easy voice in conversational tone. Interesting topics well framed…well done sir.
Wonderful podcast. I don’t keep up with Gavin McInnes but I do follow twitter feeds of superb writers like Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec.. There’s so much wrong with ‘American media “reporting” – what you suggested about the dullest member of elite families falling into journalism is likely as good an explanation found anywhere. The past 2 generations of young men and women have been so throughly brainwashed by the schools & universities to reject gender norms to the nth degree, I wonder if our culture can ever recover. Mike and Jack write with verve and that is what I… Read more »
Z-man, you have a marvelous speaking voice. You may have stumbled into a new avocation
Z: It is obvious you are very intelligent, your speaking voice is great and you have a lot of knowledge to impart to dirt people like me. Having said that . . . I’m a reader not a listener–I can scroll and skip and not miss much. Vocal, not nearly so much. I skipped at least half your podcast because 54:23 is far too long to hold my attention. Advice: Break it up into no more than 10 minute segments. If you wish to continue this format, fine, but please don’t give up what you have been doing. I have… Read more »
I may break these up and post the parts on a YouTube Channel. That way, I have a full episode on Spreaker and clips on YouTube.
I hope that you do this as my home desktop will not play the podcast for some reason and at work I cannot access your site; Websense blocks it as a “blog”.
I’ve become a aware that I’m getting blocked by some services. One thing I’m going to do is add an e-mail version of my posts.
Looks like the muse has really got a hold on you. She’s going to spirit you past some comfortable boundaries.
“I’ve become aware that I’m getting blocked by some services. ”
A badge of honor, don’t you think?
You have expressed my request. Please do so.
Good stuff, Z man. More of this.
I enjoyed PodCast Alpha, “Z” -wise. A very decent first effort. I look forward to the next and ‘hearing’ you climb that Learning Curve in the new medium.
So far, I like it, and not just for the Beethoven!
Great job Z, if you didn’t tell us it was your first I would never have known. Content was outstanding!
Thanks. I have a lot to learn about audio, but I’ll eventually figure it out.
Audio sounds fine. Better & clearer than half the podcasts out there.
You might ask Corbett how he got his shit together, I’m sure he’d be happy to share.
Sorry, but your friends are right. You do have an NPR voice 🙂 Not a bad thing really. The monotone delivery projects a sense of honesty. I like Bill Whittle but after awhile you feel like he’s trying to sell you a car. Some bumper music in between segments would be nice . Just to let your audience know that one piece has ended. Gives a person the opportunity to pause and then come back later. Would venture to say your voice and delivery would be up there in the top 10% of conservative speakers. There’s a ton of them… Read more »
Minimum bid for the original z-man podcast is $750. Happy bidding.
http://Www.ebay.com/zman-podcast-1
No returns or refunds but this is truly a part of history.
Anywho, good start, look forrward to more.
Side note. Did you know Derbyshire pronounces his name Darb ba shure?
Maybe only in England or at his house for all I know.
60 million people in England and their precursors have pronounced it that way for longer than the US has existed..
Hard walls, ceilings, and floors can produce a harsh echo-y audio. Carpets, rugs, etc. deaden the natural reverb. I used to test microphones for the company that makes most of the cockpit voice recorder ‘black boxes’ in use today. Reflected sound was a big problem for microphone testing.
Z….you knows I love ya to death…….but the very first thing that popped in my head was………54 minutes? Oy. That’s daunting.
I’m at 4:30 right now……and I’ll stick with it…….but I’m not sure if even Z can fill an hour. I’ve been known to check out Lionel’s webcasts, and even with his clever vocalizations and face-making I only get to around the 15 minute mark until the ADHD we are are afflicted with in the Modern Age kicks in. Just some constructive criticism, and meant only as such.
Z, you nailed it.
May not have “NPR voice”, but you do have DMV…Deep Male Voice,clear and resonate. I rarely listen to podcasts because I dislike being talked at. Yours was interesting,throughout. Eyes peeping over the fence,still tickled at that one. Good stuff,Z-Casterman.
The podcast was enjoyable as a sensory experience with an emotionally comforting element. The written blog is multi-faceted, as reflected in the different perspectives of the comments. The podcast will likely attract a more youthful strata of followers. That kind of energy is good.
Today’s right is made up of social awkward teenage dudes, lonely middle aged men, rent seeking women, neo nazis, and People of Color looking for a come up
Everyone in the world fits into one or more of those categories!
Which one describes you, boy?
. . . and one President.
The Huntley-Brinkley report…. Wasn’t this Beethoven clip their theme too?
(“Good night Chet” “Good night David….and good night, for NBZ-man news”
Nice job. Excellent podcast. Well thought out, as usual. I don’t always agree with you, (mostly I do) but I find you thoughtful and well informed/educated on your subject matter. And your voice is fine for broadcast. Even timber and good inflection. Why, it is almost as if you have strength of conviction and don’t feel the need to shout down opposing views. Thank you.
Zman! Do a podcast with Whiskey!
I think your voice is great for a podcast, and the name is fine, Z is your brand. The only thing I’d suggest is to cut down on all the “you know” space filler, you know?
@~38mins
I think what the alt-right wants is a big-tent for whites because those other groups, even Asians, are already permitted to express political ethnic or racial interests. The explicit rule on Jews should go without much explanation. While Jews like Paul Gottfried are ersatz alt-right forerunners, Jews have overwhelmingly been a force of subversion within the historic right. The quintessential example being the Neoconservative movement working to expel the Paleocons.
People should definitely be able to group themselves along the lines that matter to them and exclude outsiders — freedom to discriminate on any grounds whatsoever would peacefully solve a lot of America’s problems. And it must be annoying for NWEuropean-origin people who want to converse online without censoring themselves to have their conversations overheard and sometimes denounced at points by outsiders — kind of like having women jump on you for discussing women in an non-self-censored way: one wants to say, “ladies, we actually LIKE a lot of you for the most part; it’s just a natural thing for… Read more »
Your first 30 seconds was the NBC Nightly News theme from circa. Excellent first effort. You held my interest for 54 minutes.
circa 1980
Ya gotta go back earlier than that, pal. =)
Well done. My only constructive criticism is the length of your introductory music segment (approx 35 seconds). The music itself is a fine choice but (personally) I prefer the podcast to start as soon as possible. If you can manage it technically, I’d fade the music down at about 10 secounds as you begin your introductory remarks (and if adventurous enough, fade up on your closing comment) . Am looking forward to the next.
Actually, I was enjoying the Beethoven so much I was sorry when it ended.
For some reason i was expecting a NY accent!
If you want people to actually listen to the podcast, you need to post it on a service like libsyn which generates an RSS feed that podcatchers can use to download the podcast automatically.
Looking at it a bit further, it seems that the service you’re using does provide an RSS feed – you need to give us the URI for the RSS feed so that we can subscribe.
I first found you through your interview on Grace and Steel. You have a fine voice and a good presence on radio ( or podcasts, or whatever…).
I too just recently listened to the Grace & Steele podcast where you headlined. You did a fine job on the show, and I have read your blog every day since. Look forward to listening to the podcast.
Nice job Zman. Looking forward to additional installments.
It is interesting how we can cherry pick our entertainment and news sources from the microcosm of bloggers, you tubers and podcasters available on the Internet. This one straw revolution has morphed into a global Mandelbrot set. You have utilized the power of sound to birth a new universe. Beam us up.
Good work. Well done.
I read 4 or five times faster than I listen. I only listen to podcasts in the car.
I download them to CD’s
Do not make podcast’s longer than 79 minutes.
I am not alone………
Excellent. Interesting opinions and perspective. Please make this kind of podcast part of the blog.
Excellent job. Good content and analysis. Definitely keep the applause at the end, I liked that.