Everywhere I go, I see people with iPods. They started with less than 1GB of space, went up to 2GB and 4GB, and then there were rumors roaming the web about an astoundingly huge 30GB version… with video. And now we have an 80GB version that has music, movies, games, internet, and just about anything else you could think of. These things do just about anything you want except execute a hit on a world dictator. Not to mention that you don’t even have to use buttons on the little suckers anymore. Everything is touchscreen.
And all you have to do to be a part of it all is to simply own one. But what about those people that want to take it a step further? There are bloggers all around the world wanting to get their word out, and what better way to do it than the net? And what better format than audio. You spurt your random nonsense into a microphone, send that crap to cyberspace, and every person on the planet with an internet connection has access. And the peeps over at X-OOM have the studio to help you make your dreams of being a world-wide-blabbermouth come true. Today I’m checking out X-OOM’s Podcast Studio, and I’ll check out the joys of podcasting for myself. But first, check out the info:
X-OOM Podcast Studio
- Your radio, your show and your Podcast
- The all-rounder for your podcasts
- Podcast Director: creating, managing, updating and publishing your own podcasts
- Podcast Publisher: assistance with entering your podcasts in various podcast directories
- Podcast Manager: subscribing and managing podcasts
- Also supports video podcasts
- Audio Recorder: recording music and sound from unlimited audio sourcesX-OOM Podcast Studio is the leading software for anyone who wants to become active in the area of podcasting. Use this easy method for creating, managing, editing and publishing podcasts, or for simply saving them to your PC.
With X-OOM Podcast Studio you finally have the possibility to create your own podcasts in just a few steps. Let your fantasy run free and enjoy the easy operation of X-OOM Podcast Studio.
Record music or sound from unlimited sources, which are connected to your PC, or convert your audio CDs to your desired format.
You can also process your audio files with the integrated Audio Editor. The “Podcast Director” assists with the straightforward and automatic publishing of your creative and unique podcasts, for millions of potential listeners. Instantly transfer your unique podcasts to the various portable storage media (USB stick, iPod™, Sony® PSP™, PDA, Smartphone, CD or DVD).
In addition to this, you can subscribe and manage podcasts with the “Podcast Manager”.
The choice ranges from newscasts about science and technology to lifestyle, religion and audio books.
It offers a multitude of options, and different ways to get your word out. Podcasts are no longer limited to iPods. PSPs can access the internet, and your audio blog. But the question remains the same. How does it perform? Well, my friends, that’s what I’m here for.
Out of the box, there’s not much to look at. It comes in packaging that is really way too big for the 31-page book and CD inside. It definately would take up much more space on your shelf than it rightfully should. Unless you don’t care about that kind of thing, that is. Personally, I don’t like wasted space. That’s why I think they should do away with nursing homes. Ooooh, too soon?
So now you know what’s in the box. Let’s see what’s in the software. I have my normal tester on the chopping block right now replacing the motherboard, so I’ll be testing this on my lower-grade machine. The guts consist of an Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz processor, 1GB of Kingston RAM and a 160GB Seagate HD. Install is quite simple and quick, considering the software only takes up around 20MB of space. But make sure you have a flash drive or a little extra space on your hard drive to store your audio data. Most audio doesn’t take up room, but if you plan on storing all your podcasts for later access, I suggest and external HD or Flash Drive.
Using my digital audio recorder, I recorded a short message to you readers, and am going to upload that for you to check out as a podcast created by the X-OOM software. I kept it short and sweet, so you won’t have to listen to my annoying accent and droning sarcasm for very long. So I finished my recording, and using the Podcast editor was able to cut out my stutters and loud “P”s. It was pretty simple to use, which is something that is always a plus for those who have never messed with anything like this.. like me. Once I was done editing, I converted the audio to an iPod capable format and saved it to my desktop.
The best way to make sure that you are heard is to upload your audio to iTunes and your RSS Feed on your website. But since I have the pleasure of using the tools and I don’t have to screw around with websites, I zipped mine up and sent it to the big bossman to allow you folks the ability to download and listen. But for the do-it-yourselfer, the book guides you through how to upload your audio to your RSS, iTunes, or to an infinite number of FTP servers. You can even rip your audio CDs and upload the music from that, if piracy is your thing. I’m sure the folks at X-OOM respect the RMA that is in place, however.
All in all, the software was easy enough to use. It provided a number of ways to distribute your casts and didn’t take your cranium through the ringer to do it. Although I would personally have liked to have seen better audio editing tools. You have the options to apply filters, crop, and soften or heighten audio. But a wider variety of pre-installed plugins would have been an obvious plus. Other than that, I think this product would make a great addition to any blogger’s and/or podcaster’s software collection. I can only imagine what it’s going to be like when Penthouse Forum goes Podcast. I await eagerly.
Listen to the OCmodshop Test Podcast created with X-oom Podcast Creator.
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