Podcast Pontifications

I’ve applied lots of filters to this audio. But if you’re able to detect the filters I applied to the audio, it means I did a bad job of applying those filters. Done right, most people should never know a talented(?) audio engineer was tinkering under the hood. 

But most often, when we apply filters on our Instagram photos, Tiktok videos, and even Twitch streams, we want them to be seen. I’m not talking color correction, exposure adjustments, or subtle enhancements. I’m talking puking rainbows and giant eyeballs that a nocturnal lemur would be jealous of.

Where are the fun filters in podcasting? Sure, we can pitch the voices on the episode up or down or make equalization changes. But that’s not fun. Worse, too many adjustments tend to mask or muffle the information being conveyed, making it difficult to hear what’s being said. 

Have you ever tried to recreate a filter from TikTok or Instagram by using an image editing tool like Photoshop? It’s possible, But doable for the 37 photos you want to post on the way to the parking lot? Not so much.

The same holds true for the digital audio workstations (DAWs) we used to make podcast episodes. We could apply literal bells and whistles to our audio files, but it just takes too long.

Also; podcast episodes don’t last a few seconds. They last minutes. Sometimes hours. If your favorite podcaster found a way to add in a fun filter, would you still find it fun after 15 minutes? Two hours? I'm skeptical anyone would find listening to an hour-long episode voiced by a convincing Roger Rabbit all that compelling

Looking at the mediums where fun filters have been a success, they share one thing in common: incredibly short formats. Perhaps that’s what is needed here: an offshoot format of podcasting designed around short-form, heavily-filtered content.

I know of quite a few apps floating under the radar that are exploring this nascent niche. Some are laser-focused of building “TikTok for audio”. Others are experimenting with making better use of the microphone on the mobile phone that's with us every moment of the day. 

Would the addition of fun filters be the piece that’s been missing from new short-format audio apps? Would content made and shared with one-touch fun audio filtering create community and (oh gods) virality seen in the image and video sharing space? I’m not sure. 

But I tend to not bet against creative people. I think there might be an opportunity to do something like that with podcasting. But I know I’m not the guy to come up with it. Predicting the future is hard. So is figuring out what will click with the next generation of listeners. So I’m not counting this out.

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Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.

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Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th. Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions. Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few. You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com. If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources: 1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion. 2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions. 3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics. 4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. 5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more. We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy