Contribute

So you want to do a podcast ?

Well you've come to the right place.

Our goal here at HPR is to make it as easy as possible for you to get a podcast released. We take care of the hard bits so you don't need to.

Recording your first show is always a daunting prospect but over 200 people like yourself have done it and so can you. First there are some things you need to be aware of before you upload a show.

Stuff you need to know

This is some points that you should be aware of before you start.

You are agreeing to license your show CC-BY-SA
All our shows are now released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported , which means that while you continue to retain your copyright to your show you are allowing us (and everyone else) to use it provided we give you attribution and that we release it under the same license. Click the link for more information.
You have permission to redistribute your show in it's entirety
Never include content, e.g: music, in your show that you do not have permission to redistribute. Try to avoid using any content in your show that can not be redistributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license. If you are redistributing under another Creative Commons License or by arranged permission please make note of the restrictions when you upload your show. We can then signal that so that others who redistribute HPR content can filter your show out.
You show will not be moderated
We do not vet, edit, moderate or in any way censor any of the content on the network, we trust you to do that. Aside from checking snippets for audio quality/spam checking, we have a policy that we don't listen to the shows before they are aired. This is a long standing tradition arising from the fact that HPR is a community of peers who believe that any host has as much right to submit shows as any other.
Your show will be signaled as containing explicit content
Given that we are an open forum for free speech we signal all our shows as "explicit" with the assumption that the listeners will apply the required discretion when playing the shows in public. The fact is that the majority of our content is technical in nature and is therefore is often considered appropriate for any audiences. If you feel that your show will be considered inoffensive then you can signal that when you upload the show.
When dealing with content that is "explicit" or contains material that would best be suited for a mature audiance, it has become traditional to include a short warning at the very beginning of the show before the intro, to allow listeners time to switch off the episode should they so desire.
Scheduling Rules
Please be aware that we cannot predict when your show will be out, but sooner of later it will be released. Sometimes a new host will jump to the top of the queue, while other hosts seem to be waiting a long time. This is because all the shows at HPR are scheduled according to the Scheduling Guidelines, which apply to everyone without exception.

You want to record a show but have no idea how to.

The quickest way to get started is to use out call in numbers to record a show over the phone. Simply call:

Pick up a telephone and dial:

USA: +1-206-309-2217
UK: +44-203-432-5879

Listen to the introduction
Talks to us, and include your name and email address
Press the # when you are finished and hang up.

That's it. Your show will be automatically sent to us and we will take care of the rest. If you want to send us an email to admin here at hackerpublicradio.org with some shownotes that would be great but it's entirely optional.
Don't forget to end by pressing the # sign. If you don't your show will be lost and that makes us sad.

(Thanks to K5tux for supplying the service and finux for the UK number)

Recording with a portable media player

Many of today's portable media players support recording audio out of the box. Search for "Voice Recorder", to see if there is a application for your smartphone. Whichever option you have close to hand, try and set the recording to the best quality format (WAV or FLAC), and set everything else to the highest setting. It's always the goal to get the best quality audio but here at Hacker Public Radio we value content over quality and so long as it's audable we'll take it.

Then just record your show and attach it to an email adressed to admin@hackerpublicradio.org and we'll do the rest.

Recording/Editing using your Computer

The majority of podcasters use Audacity.

Audacity Can Record

Audacity is a free, easy-to-use and multilingual audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems..

First open the Intro Clip as this will have all the correct setting applied (Project Rate of 44100Hz).
Next you can either record your show in audacity itself or import the file you recorded earlier and edit it as you wish.
Finally use File -> Import to import the Outro Clip. You will need to line all the tracks up using the time shift tool.

When you have finished editing your podcast you can export it.

Confirm that the Project Rate is set to 44100 Hz (bottom left)
File -> Export and select FLAC File
Click Options... to reveal FLAC Export Setup
Set Level to 8 (best)
Set Bit depth to 24

We mix down to mono by default so if you want stereo then make note of it in the shownotes.

Audacity Export Settings

When you are ready you can contact admin@hackerpublicradio.org to get access to the FTP server. For more technical information see the README file and the Sample Show notes file.

Recording Interviews with the Phone

If you want to record a one-to-one interview with someone then you can use Skype in conjunction with Skype Call Recorder. If everyone is using skype then it won't cost you anything otherwise you will need to pay for skype out service.

Recording round table discussions

If you would like to record with multiple participants then you can use Mumble. Connect to mumble.openspeak.cc Port: 64747 .
Walk through the audio wizard and the pop into the Hacker Public Radio room. Once you are ready press the recording button, select multichannel and then start. That will record multiple tracks, one for each participant which you can edit and then submit.
Kwisher made a Mumble tutorial which you might find useful and delwins has produced a number of short shows shows on the configuring audio quality.

Audacity Can Record

Questions ?

Whether you want to do one show, or you have other plans, just email "admin" at "hackerpublicradio.org", and we’ll get in touch with you with all you need to know about getting your show published.
You can chat with other podcasters using IRC in the #oggcastplanet channel on the freenode.net network. Follow us on identi.ca (use the tag !hpr) and on Twitter (use the tag #hpr). We have a Facebook and LinkedIn group, so please join and spread the word.

Requested topics

If you would like to record a show on one of these topics, please email "admin" at "hackerpublicradio.org", and we will take it from the list.

How did you get into podcasting/linux/geekdom?
What podcasts you listen to and can recommend
What’s in your bag? Tell us what tools/gear/stuff you keep close at hand.
What got you into Linux?
Your favorite Android applications.
Your favorite desktop applications.
Your favorite browser extensions.
A introduction to Wireshark.
How to set up your own blog.
Choosing a artistic design for website, business cards etc.
Music Theory
Installing a VPN to your home network
Init and Sydtem.d
Episodes for the LPI, or the Netwoking series.
Beginning Audio Series for HPR and OSMP Release
Hackintosh computers - what are they, why would you want one.
Grub 2.0 introduction and customization.
FM Transmitter hack to listen into internet streams
How I Got Into Accessible Computing
how to do knitting
how to build a house
bitcoin howto hpr0788"
how to solder hpr1037, hpr1047
how to weld
how to fix a car
Reviews of stream playing software, (for linuxheads who don't want to keep a browser tab open all the time)
Reviews of stream ripping software on linux
Beginners guide to gnuplot

Still Nervous

Fellow listeners like yourself contribute the shows and so we know how hard it is to do that first show. You're probably worried that we won't like the topic -well don't be, have a look at our archive to see how diverse the contributions have been. You're probably worried about the quality of your audio, that you sound funny, that English isn't your native language, that you suffer from a speech impediment, that your show has loads of ummms and awws in it, well don't. Well we have seen it all and at the end of the day the show is about the content and not the quality of the audio. That's not to say we won't help you with ways to help you improve the audio if you wish, or narrate your script if you can't or won't record it yourself. Drop into the IRC channel #oggcastplanet where there are people who will help.

A barely audible show is better than no show at all. If you have any questions about audio quality, then drop into the #oggcastplanet on freenode.

Promotion

Feel free to use the promotional material to spread the word in your podcasts, or have them played on to other shows.

Audio Promos for HPR

Audio Promos for HPR contributions

HPR Business Cards

We would like to have some mini-business cards made. The idea been to give them out at shows, to people interested in recording a show or to potential interviewees. They can also be used to add a touch of professionalism to recorded dvd’s and cd’s. There can be one version of the back but we have a lot more freedom with the front as there can be up to 100 different versions in a print run. So if you send in a version it’s very likely that it will get printed. Let your imagination run wild but keep in mind that the design should embody what HPR is about (good luck with that !)

The site moo.com where we are thinking of getting them printed has design guidelines and the size you are working to is 874 x 378 pixels @ 300dpi.
More information

Graphic Art

The HPR Oval sticker in ai, svg and tif format - design by pokey, execution by Code Cruncher.

H acker Public Radio