Do you need a sound library to make an audio drama? No. No, you don't. You can get away with making your own special effects. It might not be exactly what you want. But it has a few advantages:

1. You get to decide what the sound is rather than settling for what's available

2. You don't have to search for a sound for hours

3. You own it

Will it be perfect? Maybe. But for a daily or homebrewed audio drama, sometimes, good enough sounds can work when you're in a rush. When you get yourself a budget and have the money to pay for a sound designer you can afford to be picky. Until then, constraints are your sound design's best friend!

Introducing Part 6 of 13 parts in my Between the Pauses mini-series that explores my thoughts while making my first audio drama: PAUSE for Dramatic Effect! If you're interested in the complete first season of Pause for Dramatic Effect you can download and listen to it for free at PAUSEforDramaticEffect.com or wherever you find your podcasts.

I would love for you to tell me how you think the story of Pause for Dramatic Effect turned out by giving it a rating and review or sending a Boost using one of the latest Podcast 2.0 apps which you can find at Podcasting2.org. If you don't have a Podcast 2.0 app, I would highly recommend Podcastguru.io or Truefans.fm to get all the new podcast features you didn't know you were missing!

Meanwhile, I'm now the founder of a new podcasting education and technology company called Oncetold. If you're ready to tell your story and start your own podcast then you need Oncetold at oncetold.com.

Checkout my new Valueverse music podcast called Flowgnar, a music podcast featuring Valueverse artists who grind the trail, flow over the drops, and climb the gnar. Each episode turns your off-road workout into a personal adventure by turning curated Value 4 Value playlists into pure endurance fuel. Embrace the flow while you chew the gnar! Ride or run at your own risk! Learn more at Flowgnar.com or LNBeats.com.

Not Easily Squished podcast episode #012 was originally published by Oncetold on September 2nd, 2024. What Are You Waiting For by NoiseWorld licensed via AudioJungle.net. Copyright © 2024. Not Easily Squished and Oncetold. All Rights Reserved.

Do you need real voice actors to make an audio drama? No. No, you don't. You can get away with your friends and family. It might not be great. It might not even be in person. But it will be recorded, edited, and done. When you get yourself a budget and have a real cast, then you can be picky. But when you're in a rush, sometimes good is the best you can hope for. Especially if you're going to do this as a daily audio drama! It is just one of the constraints that forces you to get creative when creating an audio drama.

Introducing Part 5 of 13 parts in my Between the Pauses mini-series that explores my thoughts while making my first audio drama: PAUSE for Dramatic Effect! If you're interested in the complete first season of Pause for Dramatic Effect you can download and listen to it for free at PAUSEforDramaticEffect.com or wherever you find your podcasts.

I would love for you to tell me how you think the story of Pause for Dramatic Effect turned out by giving it a rating and review or sending a Boost using one of the latest Podcast 2.0 app which you can find at Podcasting2.org. If you don't have a Podcast 2.0 app, I would highly recommend Podcastguru.io or Truefans.fm to get all the new podcast features you didn't know you were missing!

Meanwhile, I'm now the founder of a new podcasting education and technology company called Oncetold. If you're ready to tell your story and start your own podcast then you need Oncetold at oncetold.us.

Check out my new Valueverse music podcast called Flowgnar, a music podcast featuring Valueverse artists who grind the trail, flow over the drops, and climb the gnar. Each episode turns your off-road workout into a personal adventure by turning curated Value 4 Value playlists into pure endurance fuel. Embrace the flow while you chew the gnar! Ride or run at your own risk! Learn more at Flowgnar.com or LNBeats.com.

Not Easily Squished podcast episode #011 was originally published by Oncetold on June 12th, 2024. What Are You Waiting For by NoiseWorld licensed via AudioJungle.net. Copyright © 2024. Not Easily Squished and Oncetold. All Rights Reserved.

Are you an imposter? Of course not because Mr. Murphy is a lair! He is fear. Fear of embarrassment, fear of judgment, or fear of making a mistake. But that's all Imposter Syndrome is -- fear of the unknown! But what if it all works out? Do you know what will happen if you don't listen to that voice? The worst thing that could happen -- You could learn something. However, nothing happens if you quit and let Mr. Murphy win.

Introducing Part 4 of 13 parts in my Between the Pauses mini-series that explores my thoughts while making my first audio drama: PAUSE for Dramatic Effect! If you're interested in the complete first season of Pause for Dramatic Effect you can download and listen to it for free at PAUSEforDramaticEffect.com or wherever you find your podcasts.

I would love for you to tell me how you think the story of Pause for Dramatic Effect turned out but giving it a rating and review or sending a Boost using one of the latest Podcast 2.0 app which you can find at Podcasting2.org. If you don't have a Podcast 2.0 app, I would highly recommend Podverse.fm or Truefans.fm to get the all the new podcast features you didn't know you were missing!

Meanwhile, I'm now the founder a new podcasting education and technology company called Oncetold. If you're ready to tell your story and start your own podcast then you need Oncetold at oncetold.us.

Not Easily Squished podcast episode #010 was originally published by Oncetold on June 5th, 2024. What Are You Waiting For by NoiseWorld licensed via AudioJungle.net. Copyright © 2024. Not Easily Squished and Oncetold. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to Part 3 of 13 parts in my Between the Pauses mini-series that explores my thoughts while making my first audio drama: PAUSE for Dramatic Effect! If you're interested in the complete first season of Pause for Dramatic Effect you can download and listen to it for free at PAUSEforDramaticEffect.com or wherever you find your podcasts.

Audio Drama is all about systems. A system for writing your scripts, a system for recording your audio, and a system for weaving it all together. You should write your systems down and then follow them each time. It will help you speed things up.

Know that editing your audio "In Post" is a myth and, as it turns out, super hard to do right. To avoid this problem, always read your scripts out loud multiple times and with the voice actors. If it sounds weird out loud this is the time to change it.

Do not underestimate the potential for technology to fail you. Always save your raw recordings to a safe place first, then make a copy. And only after you have a copy, work with only the copies and never the raw files. This way if you make a mistake, delete the wrong file, or have the power go out, you haven't lost everything!

I would love for you to tell me how you think the story of Pause for Dramatic Effect turned out but giving it a rating and review or sending a Boost using one of the latest Podcast 2.0 app. If you don't have a Podcast 2.0 app, I would highly recommend Podverse.fm or Truefans.fm to get all the new podcast features you didn't know you were missing!

Meanwhile, I'm now the founder of a new podcasting education and technology company called Oncetold. If you're ready to tell your story and start your own podcast then you need Oncetold at oncetold.us.

Not Easily Squished podcast episode #009 was originally published by Oncetold on May 27th, 2024. What Are You Waiting For by NoiseWorld licensed via AudioJungle.net. Copyright © 2024. Not Easily Squished and Oncetold. All Rights Reserved.

When you take that voice and try to sound like someone else -- that's a whole new world! In audio drama, professional voice-over actors -- or just voice actors -- use their voice as a tool. Many of them can sound like 3-5 different people. They're so good at changing their voice that you probably didn't even know the voice of two different characters was the same person.

I started thinking if I could make myself sound like different people. As a child, I used to play G.I. Joe in the backyard. Each of the Joes battling the evil forces of COBRA had their own voices. Stands to reason that if I could do it as a kid, I could still do it as an adult. This left me with a challenge -- could I be multiple characters in my own audio drama experiment? Turns out. You Can! I became the voice of several of my own characters. And now I'm here to tell you what happened and what I learned in Part 2 of my 13 part mini-series. Learn more at NotEasilySquished.com.

Welcome to Part 2 of 13 parts in my Between the Pauses mini-series that explores my thoughts while making my first audio drama: PAUSE for Dramatic Effect! If you're interested in the complete first season of Pause for Dramatic Effect you can download and listen to it for free at PAUSEforDramaticEffect.com or wherever you find your podcasts.

Value 4 Value funding models help your voice actors get paid for their performances. Learn more at value4value.info or jump right in with a new Podcasting 2.0 app!

I would love for you to tell me how you think the story of Pause for Dramatic Effect turned out but giving it a rating and review or sending a Boost using one of the latest Podcast 2.0 app. If you don't have a Podcast 2.0 app, I would highly recommend Podverse.fm or Truefans.fm to get all the new podcast features you didn't know you were missing!

Meanwhile, I'm now the founder of a new podcasting education and technology company called Oncetold. If you're ready to tell your story and start your own podcast then you need Oncetold at oncetold.us.

Not Easily Squished podcast episode #008 was originally published by Oncetold on May 16th, 2024. What Are You Waiting For by NoiseWorld licensed via AudioJungle.net. Copyright © 2024. Not Easily Squished and Oncetold. All Rights Reserved.

To design, create, produce, and promote a daily podcast, you have to have your ducks in a row. It requires planning -- lots of planning -- a solid format that you can use as a template. But what happens when you decide to make that podcast a scripted, fictional audio drama with voice actors, sound effects, and music? Does THAT work? Can THAT work as a daily podcast? Well, you don't have to wonder because I did just that and now I'm here to tell you what happened and what I learned. Learn more at NotEasilySquished.com.

Introducing Part 1 of 13 parts in my Between the Pauses mini-series that explores my thoughts while making my first audio drama: PAUSE for Dramatic Effect! If you're interested in the complete first season of Pause for Dramatic Effect you can download and listen to it for free at PAUSEforDramaticEffect.com or wherever you find your podcasts.

I would love for you to tell me how you think the story of Pause for Dramatic Effect turned out but giving it a rating and review or sending a Boost using one of the latest Podcast 2.0 app. If you don't have a Podcast 2.0 app, I would highly recommend Podverse.fm or Truefans.fm to get all the new podcast features you didn't know you were missing!

Meanwhile, I'm now the founder of a new podcasting education and technology company called Oncetold. If you're ready to tell your story and start your own podcast then you need Oncetold at oncetold.us.

Not Easily Squished podcast episode #007 was originally published by Oncetold on May 08th, 2024. What Are You Waiting For by NoiseWorld licensed via AudioJungle.net. Copyright © 2024. Not Easily Squished and Oncetold. All Rights Reserved.

To become an Audio Experience (AX) designer, you need to exercise your creativity. One idea is to use a game I created called the Podcast Design Builder (working title) to play with other creatives. The idea is to create a podcast idea in 30 minutes after being given only a few randomly determined design constraints. Can you do it?

How to Play the Game

• The host invites 2-4 guests to create 10 design requirements (5-10 minutes).

• Each of the players spends some time creating a rough podcast idea (5-10 minutes).

• Everyone shares their rough podcast idea with the host asking clarifying questions.

• Everyone then explores each other’s creation (Pros/Cons, Open Forum).

• If there needs to be a winner, the host, the guests, or the audience decides.

Download the Rules

Podcast Design Builder is free to play and free to download. If you do try this game out, come up with your own house rules, or even put this into a podcast episode, please let me know!

• Podcast Design Builder Rules [PDF]

Notable Quotes

"Designing a podcast is hard."

-- Kyle M. Bondo

"If you exercise your creative muscle then your next idea will not be easily squished."

-- Kyle M. Bondo

Podcast design is an act of communication. However, a common mistake made by most podcasters is thinking of ourselves as only audio communicators. We’re fortunate to speak the audio language fluently, but we need to be able to translate that thinking into visual and performance mediums as well. In other words, we need to be bilingual but not in the way you would expect.

Notable Quotes

"Think about the way the same two lines can be spoken, but have very different meanings: 1. [EXCITED] Let’s Eat Grandpa!! 2. [SOFT] Let’s Eat, Grandpa. The first way makes it sound like your Grandpa IS the meal -- while the second way is an invitation for your Grandpa to join you for a nice meal. The same spoken words just performed very differently. This is what I mean about being bilingual."
-- Kyle M. Bondo