For the most part, garbage in creates garbage out. And when you're on a super tight schedule, the quality of that garbage becomes a matter of perspective. What would be an immediate re-record session suddenly becomes "good enough" when you don't have any time left.
But here's the revelation that I had when doing an audio drama this way: what you think is garbage turns out to be genius! I like to call them Happy Accidents, but I had so many of them that it started to become art - good art! In fact, the more constraints you have, the better you get at becoming resourceful.
Before you know it, it's not garbage anymore - it's the best you could do with the resources and time you had. And the end result starts to take on a life of its own based on your individual voice and style.
That's when it hits you: Quality is subjective!

Quality Between the Pauses

Introducing Part 8 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.

Listen to PAUSE for Dramatic Effect

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!

Does Your Podcast Need a Rescue?

Your podcast isn’t broken, it’s just stuck. Howdy! I’m Kyle Bondo, host of Not Easily Squished, podcast producer, US Navy veteran, and the guy people call when their show needs a tune-up. If you haven’t published in months or even years, but still love your show? I built this podcast for you.
However, if this podcast is not enough, then you need my Podcast Rescue: A 7-Day Tune-Up for Stalled Shows. In just 7 days, I’ll help you figure out what’s working, what’s not, and how to hit record again with confidence.
You’ll get a full diagnostic, a personalized rescue plan, two coaching sessions, and even a review of your next episode. No fluff. No overwhelm. Just results. Spots are limited, so please don’t wait to join the waitlist now at PodcastWorthy.com. Let’s get your rescue underway today!

About Not Easily Squished

Not Easily Squished is the official podcast of Oncetold, a scrappy podcasting 2.0 education and technology company just outside Fort Worth, Texas. Follow your host, Kyle M. Bondo, as he takes fragile podcast ideas and transforms them into fierce audio concepts that are Not Easily Squished!

The Fine Print
PAUSE for Dramatic Effect bonus episode #08 was originally published by Gagglepod on November 24th, 2019. Copyright © 2025. Not Easily Squished, PAUSE for Dramatic Effect, Gagglepod, and Oncetold. All Rights Reserved. No ideas were harmed during the making of this podcast.

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.