All of us know the great patriotic propaganda pieces of the 20th century. Uncle Sam’s “I Want YOU” and Rosie the Riveter’s “We Can Do It!” posters are enshrined as iconic pieces of Americana. In those days, the term "propaganda" was not necessarily a negative term. Most people understood the word to mean a nation’s state-sponsored advertising campaign. Unfortunately, infamous political figures such as Joseph Goebbels and Hanoi Hannah used the medium for nefarious purposes and the word "propaganda" now comes with a decidedly negative connotation.
It took a small act of bravery for MixMeister Technology to decide to use the term when christening their podcast software – Propaganda. The podcast software’s excellence not only earned it a TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award but also may contribute in a small way to help the term ‘propaganda’ itself recover from its bad reputation.
This podcast software’s interface is tidy and straightforward, supports storyboard editing, drag-and-drop arrangement of audio files and quick right-click edits. In truth, we could not think of a way to make this podcast software easier for both the novice user and the experienced podcaster.
Although Propaganda is an all-in-one podcast software solution; the program itself is useless unless you have some hardware to go with it. Among these is of course, a computer capable of running the software. That should not be a problem; any desktop system built this side of 2003 should run Propaganda with no problems.
You will also need to acquire some sound recording equipment. Chief among them, a microphone capable of capturing every syllable you utter in the highest quality possible. Propaganda is compatible with almost every microphone or other audio input device on the market, so make sure you buy one that does you and your podcast justice.
You will also want to invest in a pair of high-quality headphones before you start using the software. A computer’s integrated speakers are fine for listening to a podcast once it’s done. However, you need to be able to hear what you are saying while you are saying it as well as in the editing phase. Desktop speakers just will not do the trick.
Once you have everything you need and are ready to record, just hit the red "Record" button located above the media library. Then just start talking or playing music, depending on what type of podcast you are producing. When you’re done recording a particular clip, the file will automatically appear in your media library. From there you have the option to drag it into your playlist or timeline for editing and fine-tuning.
This podcast software also allows you to import audio files from a variety of sources easily. You can even record from your sound card or VoIP conversations. Propaganda also records audio pulled from a CD. The only thing podcast software lacks is the ability to pull audio from a video file. However, if you need an audio sample from a video file, you could simply record the audio from your sound card while playing the video clip.
Propaganda posses all the editing tools you need to create a basic or elaborate podcast. This podcast software contains the basics, like cropping, mixing and track splitting. Additionally it has a “snap to beat” tool. This allows your sound effects and transitions line up directly on a specific beat. Producing a professional-sounding podcast that is almost indistinguishable from those produced in high-budget studios.
All edits are easy to execute. Simply import your audio clips to the library, drag selected clips to the playlist and then move them around as you please in the storyboard. The storyboard also displays a waveform view and a VU meter.
Propaganda possesses the best editing interface of any software we reviewed. Among other tools, you get a mouse scroll zoom, volume sliders and useful right-click tools, such as the ability to insert a variety of markers or reverses.
When you’re ready to publish with this program, you simply click the publish button and choose to either upload it to their podcast host or to your own. After choosing your host, you just add your titles and descriptions, select the bitrates, and choose your website and FTP server; it is as easy as that. Of course, after you enter in your host and FTP information the first time, it can do it automatically for subsequent posts.
In terms of formats, this podcast software publishes in WMA, MP3 and WAV and can generate XML and HTML files. Unfortunately, Propaganda does not support video files.
This podcast software arranges its workspace into three intuitive sections. The top-left section is where you find your media library. This section houses all your sound files. This section also allows you to import files from anywhere on your computer’s hard drive by clicking on the plus symbol located on the library toolbar.
Located directly to the right of the import button is the red Record button. Connect your microphone or other audio device to your computer and click this button when you’re ready to roll. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. Once you push that record button, you have a hot mic and everything you say is recorded for the entire world to hear. Hopefully, it’s something meaningful.
It is inevitable that after a while, your media library is going to become quite full. Despite your best organizational efforts, some sound clips or music pieces will become hard to find. To combat this problem, Propaganda included a search function located directly above the media library. Simply type in the name of the clip you are looking for and Propaganda will search your whole library and retrieve the wayward file for you.
The top-right section of the podcast software houses Propaganda’s playlist. This is where you arrange your sound files that make up the podcast episode you are currently working on. Using the playlist is the easiest way to arrange your clips. To add a clip to a podcast episode, simply drag the sound file out of the media library and into the playlist. From there you can assemble the clips in the order you want them played in your final product.
Located above the playlist is the podcast software’s playback control panel. This familiar layout is identical in look and function to any control panel you find on a VCR or DVD player that you have owned for the last 30 years. The buttons (from left to right) are Play/Pause, Stop, Scan Back and Scan Forward. The control panel allows you to preview your work before you publish your podcast.
The bottom half of this podcast software’s interface is where you find your timeline. This is where you will do most of your editing and fine-tuning of your sound files. Any sound or video editor should be very familiar with how this works. However, if you are not either of those, not to worry – Propaganda made it quite simple to learn.
The sound clips on the timeline are a visual representation of the clips you have arranged on your playlist. Each track on the timeline dedicates itself to a single sound file. You can add sound files to the timeline the same way you add them to the playlist. Just drag them from the media library to their proper place on the timeline.
Both novice users and seasoned podcasters will enjoy the well-organized user interface. The more we worked with this software, the more we enjoyed this program. Everything is easy to figure out and logically arranged.
The first thing you encounter when you launch Propaganda is the welcome tutorial. This tutorial walks you through all aspects of the podcast software. The pleasant tone of the woman voicing the tutorial will remind you of a car GPS system guiding you home. The tutorials cover all the basic aspects of the program.
If you ever have technical problems with this podcast software, their official website has a support tab that contains many useful features. Options in the support page include Lost Keys, Problem Solving, Software Updates and More Help. The latter provides a technical support request form for contacting their knowledgeable representatives.
In a world that is fast moving toward a digital subscription model for consuming content, there are shockingly few programs designed exclusively to create digital podcasts. Among the few that exist, Propaganda is clearly the best all-in-one software solution available.
Among its stand out features are the ability to record, edit and publish your podcast all from within the confines of this easy to use podcast software.
This podcast software is just the thing for launching your message or music into the podcasting arena. Podcasting does not get any simpler than MixMeister Technology’s Propaganda.
