Interview with Andrew Sims of Mugglecast

Andrew Sims is the host and producer of MuggleCast, the most popular Harry Potter podcast in the world.
I had the great opportunity recently to ask him a few questions.

Tell us a bit about MuggleCast, and its history.
MuggleCast started back in August 2005 when its parent website, MuggleNet.com, decided to look into the possibility of running a podcast. At the time, podcasts were still just blooming in popularity so we weren’t sure how much of a success ours would be. Our original idea was to just do a short podcast with a roundup of the latest Potter news. As we started brainstorming though we kept thinking up bigger and better ideas. Eventually by release time we worked up a great show that everyone who visits MuggleNet loved from the start.

How do you record and edit MuggleCast?
Five of us will gather on Skype and record the show together. We all press record on our own computers at the same time, then once we finish everyone sends their audio files over to me. We also use Google Docs (formerly Writely) to collaborate on a weekly show schedule which we all put together on our time.

As for editing, I will run two filters on each audio file in Soundtrack Pro: Compressor and Noise Reduction. Both of these combined will equalize the audio files so they can easily be edited without much adjust on the audio levels. I use Noise Reduction because everyone frequently has noise coming from their computer fans and such. I put the cleaned up files into a Soundtrack Pro Multi-track Project and start editing. I delete the parts of each person’s audio file where they are not talking so the show sounds as clean as possibly. The whole process takes about 3-4 hours depending on the length of our raw recording.

How long does it take to produce MuggleCast every week?
We’ll start planning the show typically within hours of the release of the previous week’s episode. I’ll send around an email to everyone seeing when they can record during the week, and the day that fits 5 of us is the one we always choose. Typically we record at night since it works out best with everyone’s schedules. I would say a total of 15 hours is put into the producing part (planning, recording) and another 5 or 6 for editing and release.

How long is an average MuggleCast before you edit it down?
We try to aim our shows for an hour but this is very hard to do because we never really know how long we’ll be talking about certain topics. Recordings are usually 75-85 minutes per week, and we shave off about 15 minutes of goofing around, screwing up, etc. As we’re all teenagers and young adults, it’s hard for us to completely stay on topic sometimes!

Who made the MuggleCast theme song? How did they make it?
A few weeks after we started MuggleCast, someone sent that theme song into us. They had created it themselves and let us use it. I unfortunately don’t know any more about the background of it…we should probably have them on our show for an interview sometime! Haha…

You should…
Anyways, how does using a Mac affect the way you produce Mugglecast?

I honestly don’t think the show would be as well edited as it is every week if I were using a Windows computer. Ever since I started gaining interest in Macs a few years ago I realized they were great for Audio and Video work. Soundtrack Pro, while sometimes a little buggy, is a very powerful program that suits our podcasts’ needs perfectly. I use a MacBook Pro and a Mac Mini to edit the show, and both of them get the job done in a reasonable amount of time.

Would MuggleCast be the same if you had to produce it on a PC?
I’ve tried using Adobe Audition before and it seems pretty advanced but the interface does not look easy to use. Maybe I’m just inexperienced with Audition, but Soundtrack Pro really presents powerful features in a very easy interface. I’m all about the UI [User Interface] of programs, and Soundtrack Pro looks good and works great. And no, Apple’s not paying me to say these things.

Would you say MuggleCast would be around today if Apple hadn’t
integrated Podcasting into iTunes?

Apple’s podcasting feature in iTunes was certainly a huge influence in our decision to create MuggleCast because it brought podcasting mainstream, in my opinion. The day I saw MuggleCast finally up on iTunes I couldn’t believe my eyes that we were actually published – that’s when I realized we could really make something out of this. Since Microsoft really hasn’t pushed the podcasting bandwagon yet, I’d say our podcast probably wouldn’t exist without Apple.

How has MuggleCast changed your life?
It’s changed my life in a few ways. Foremost, it’s introduced me to a ton of new people who I’ll be friends with for life. It’s sort of like a sports team… we’re putting out a podcast together as a team each week, and the result ( i.e. the feedback) is always great. It’s also helped me pursue my desire of becoming a professional broadcaster. If it weren’t for the podcast, I don’t think I’d be nearly as interested in broadcasting as I am now. It has made me realize that I have the potential to become a broadcaster and this is a great way to kick start it.

Well thank you so much Andrew.
Readers: you can check out MuggleCast at its official site, or you can subscribe to it in iTunes.

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