Podcast Editing: A Step By Step Guide From Beginner To Advanced

For a beginner, editing a podcast is one of the biggest hurdles to launch their own show. Many beginners don’t know how to edit podcast episodes before they actually publish them.

The truth is: editing a podcast is easier than you think. You need not be worried about your podcast episodes. You can do it on your own after learning some simple tips, or you can get it done by experts.

Moreover, you need not edit your podcast all the time. It all depends on the content and your audience.

Here, we will explore all the podcast-related solutions that you can learn. You can choose the best solution that suits your budget and time constraints.

Podcast Editing Rules Explained

There are good and not-so-good practices being used in podcast editing. Although it is hard to identify the single best editing method, you can still avoid some bad practices.

One thing, you must remember is that audio drama or highly produced podcasts always needs to go through the process of a fair bit of editing.

People who just want to record themselves into a microphone, and want to share it with their friends, can go without editing.

These resources will help you whether your podcast needs editing and how to go about the task of podcast editing.

How To Edit Podcast For Beginners

Interview podcasts, co-hosted or solo podcasts may not require heavy editing.

Step 1: Start with recording your audio. Don’t get distracted by the mistakes you commit. Take it easy, rectify the mistake, go on recording your vocals. Never stop recording even after you have made some mistakes.

Step 02: Upload the vocals into Audacity. It is an open-source, cross-platform audio software. After uploading, do some simple editing. It should not go beyond basic editing. Edit out the silence from the beginning and the end, and you are done.

Step 03: Audacity gives you the option to amplify your audio to -2db peak amplitude. All you need to do is just selet your audio track. Press the Effect > Amplify, type -2 into the New Peak amplitude field.

Step 4: Export your audio and publish it.

You should follow these rules for the initial 5-7 episodes. Instead of worrying too much about music, and editing mistakes, you should try to come across as someone who is authentic. Practice will make you perfect. You will learn editing rules slowly.

Advanced Podcast Editing Rules

Should You Use Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

DAW that stands for Digital Audio Workstation is the most popular podcast editing tool. There are many Digital Audio Workstations available in the market. The most popular DAW is Audacity. DAWs allow you to record and edit your audio. Since Audacity is absolutely free, you should use it to create your podcast and grow your audience.

Do you want to go beyond the basics? are you looking for more pro-level DAW? If yes, then you should choose from Adobe Audition and Reaper. Both these tools are equipped with features that let you do advanced functions.

Popular Podcast Editing Apps And Tools

Don’t want to use any DAW — free or premium one? No problem. You can podcast without ever visiting the website of any DAW. There are many podcast-making apps available for beginners that you can use to edit your podcast.

We have shortlisted some of the best Podcast making apps for beginners:

Alitu

Alitu is made for podcasters who want to sound good, focus on the content, and automate the difficult parts of editing and production. You can use this tool for slide, dice and rearranging your episodes.

Explore its drag and drop tools that are very simple to use. Once you become familiar with its tools, you will be able to cut down your editing time to minutes. You can also record or audio in Alitu with guests.

Anchor By Spotify

First thing first. Anchor is absolutely free. No hidden cost, no free and premium version. It is one of the most popular Podcast tools for first-time podcasters to pros. The best thing about this tool is that it provides advanced analytics and insights that you can use to understand and grow your podcast audience.

Spreaker

This tool is the perfect one for running live shows with audience participation and monetization. You can create, distribute, host, and monetize your podcast with Spreaker. What more do you need?

This free podcast software gives you lots of freedom in recording, distributing, and analyzing your podcast. You can also download its app on your desktop. Android And iOS versions are also available.

Podbean

This platform offers solutions for both podcast listening and podcast creation. If you are interested in monetizing your podcast then explore its premium tools.

You can get started for free. There are so many features to choose from to start your podcast and grow your audience.

It distributes your podcast to all destinations: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, the Podbean Podcast App and more. Get your podcast heard by people all over the world.

Descript

Record. Transcribe. Edit. Mix. Descript lets you take control of your podcast. You can edit audio by editing text. Drag and drop tools are available to add music and special effects. Use this tool for live collaboration, multitrack recording, fixing audio mistakes by typing.

Why Do You Need Podcast Production Plugins?

Do you need podcast production plugins when the DAW you are using gives you all the advanced features? The answer is both yes and no. Some DAWs and software have tools for noise reduction, compressor, limiter, and equalizer. But you will not find all these tools in one software. At the best, they will provide 1-2 features mentioned above. For the rest of the things, you will have to go elsewhere. Hence, you need podcast Production Plugins that can take your podcast to the next level.

Noise Reduction Podcast Production Plugin

Both Adobe Audition and Reaper provide you tools to remove unwanted noise. However, you will be disappointed if you are using Pro Tools as it does not include a noise reduction tool. Similarly, Reaper’s ReaFir is not easy to locate. Audition provides an excellent noise reduction tool.

If your DAW does not provide a noise reduction tool, or the built-in option is not up to the mark, you can use SoundSoap and RX Denoiser. Both these plugins are excellent ones. Many may get put off by the intimidating price of RX. If you are looking for a denoise-only plugin, SoundSoap could be a great alternative.

Compressor Podcast Production Plugin

Most DAWs have in-built features for compression lessens. They work best for boosting quieter signals and reducing louder signals. Compressor of every DAW performs the same functions. Still, if you are looking for something more than you can explore iZotope Ozone.

This plugin features a multi-band compressor is designed to enhance your vocal with a natural doubling effect, adding richness and depth.

Limiter Podcast Production Plugin

If you want the signal not to exceed the -1dB value, some DAWs will disappoint you as most of them don’t have advanced features. You can choose from either a free or pro version of the limiter plugin. Waves L1 stands out from the rest, it gives you great control in your limiter.

Equalizer Podcast Production Plugin

An equalizer allows you to increase or reduce specific frequencies of an audio signal. It also lets you edit out signals that you don’t want to have in your audio. With an equalizer, you can easily remove traffic or HVAC voice.

Some sorts of EQs are offered by almost every DAW. They perform identical functions and differ only in graphic and parametric EQs. If you want to purchase a separate EQ plugin, you should go for be iZotope’s Ozone. It provides you eight bands of EQ. It also has EQ matching that you can use to get your microphones and other elements to sound more like they are in the same space.

Summing Up

We have explained all the tips and tools for podcast editing. Still, you may not be comfortable with editing your podcast yourself. You may want to hire a professional editor who can edit your podcast. Seeking professionals’ help for podcast editing is perfectly normal.

Many professional editors — both freelancers and full-timers — are available for podcast editing work. It all depends on your budget and the requirement. If you are not running a fully-fledged company, it is advisable to use the above-mentioned tools and software for podcast editing. If you have a team of podcast producers, you should hire professional editors. If you are interested in hiring a professional podcast editor, then you should visit Fiverr, where plenty of podcast editors are available for hire.