What tools will I need for creating a podcast and what things should I keep in mind when recording? With the tools, please suggest Windows, Mac and Unix tools :)
I'm aware that monotones are a really bad idea, what about quiet background music, is it good or bad?
Edit: How is this related to programming? I want to create a podcast about something programming related and with the very varied knowledge bases here it seems a good place to ask.
and this is programming how exactly? other than that, try soundforge if you've got a load of cash. there's also open source audacity, and it's portable so have a look at portableapps.com for it
For podcasting recording software, I would recommend Audacity, an open source, cross-platform sound recording application.
I would then couple this with a semi-pro microphone such as the Samson C01U, which is extremely good quality wise and should be cross-platform compatible.
At some point, I think you'll find the free Levelator software from the Conversations Network useful.
A couple of blurbs from the Levelator description:
Have you ever recorded an interview in which you and your guest ended up at different volumes? How about a panel discussion where some people were close to microphones and others were not?
The Levelator is software that runs on Windows, OS X (universal binary), or Linux (Ubuntu) that adjusts the audio levels within your podcast or other audio file for variations from one speaker to the next, for example.
Behringer got a nice package:
http://www.behringer.com/PODCASTUDIO-FIREWIRE/
It's not too expensive (ca. 199 € for the Firefire version, and ca. 100 € for the USB version which includes somewhat inferior hardware), but contains really good hardware and some software.
The hardest thing about the podcast is the content itself (speaking clearly and in the right speed, having a good pace throughout the show), but just like blogging this is something that can be learned through practice.
The rest is then just finding a Host, but usually a small shared hosting is good enough for the beginning and when you happen to become popular you can always look for a dedicated podcast hosting.
The things you have to check are the ways of offering standardized ways to retrieve them. For iTunes, Apple has Guidelines. For Blogs, there are Plugins and ways to create the RSS Feeds so that they can be accessed through Podcasting software. Have a look at Podpress or the source of the Stackoverflow Podcast RSS.
Audacity (open source) is an excellent choice, with lots of features you would find in Sound Forge. There is a bit of a learning curve to doing the sound clips and splicing things together, but it gives you a very nice interface for adding music loops and handling the volume control for them (i.e. fading the music in and out - beginning and end of your show).
If you like, you could play some music at the beginning and the end of the podcast, but I would suggest not to use any background music.