When you start podcasting, you have an idea that you will have a discussion around a microphone and then release it to be heard.
Not everyone thinks about the production work that goes into making a podcast sound good.
But the more time and energy you put into the quality of your content, the better your show will perform.
It does not take a lot of time and money to give your show enough editing to make it sound good and cut out unnecessary things.
It does not take long to learn how to edit podcasts using some of the most popular editing programs, Audacity, Garage Band, and Auphonic.
How Hard is it to Edit a Podcast?
Editing a podcast is as hard or as easy as you want it to be.
Most people who do podcasting as a hobby are surprised by how simple it can be to edit their episodes once they learn the basics of their podcast editing software.
Most people edit to remove needless dialog or flubbed lines and can learn how to do it quickly, but if you dive deep into the software to get the perfect pitch and gains, it may take a little longer to master.
How Long Does it Take to Edit Podcasts?
Depending on what you want to edit, you can spend a few minutes or several hours going over your podcast.
If you keep notes during your recording and write down a few pauses or missed cues, you can go back and cut them out easily.
However, if you want to go through the show and cut out a lot of instances where someone said “uh”, or to move things around it can take significantly longer.
How Long Does It Take to Edit a 30-Minute Podcast?
Many types of podcasts need to edit out lengthy pauses and censor some language can take a while.
For a 30-Minute podcast episode, you should plan on editing for an hour.
If your edits are more in-depth, you may be in for a 90-minute editing session.
How Long Does It Take to Edit a 20-Minute Podcast?
When you are editing to remove things that keep the conversation from flowing, listening to the episode once is enough.
With the pauses you will take to make edits, it will take a little longer than the episode run time to complete.
A 20-minute podcast episode will take 30 to 40 minutes.
How Much Does It Cost To Edit Podcasts?
Editing can be a time-consuming job.
Your show should sound as professional as possible.
You have to decide if you have the skills to make your podcast sound the way you want it to, or you can pay someone to do the work for you.
- Editing Your Podcast Yourself: There is a lot of software for audio editing that you can use to edit your podcast. Many of them are inexpensive or free. You can find online tutorials to teach you how to use them. With practice, most podcasters can do a satisfactory job at basic audio editing using one of these programs.
- Hiring a Podcast Editor: A professional podcast editor uses higher-end software to make a more polished-sounding episode. They do more editing than you and know a few tricks.
How To Learn How To Edit Podcasts
Learning how to edit a podcast episode is made much easier due to the amount of tutoring available.
If you want to learn how to do some basic cuts or to do some deep edits to get a professional sound, you can find lessons online for free.
You can also pay for online courses that will give you more information.
Watch Videos Online
Watching tutorials online on sites like YouTube can teach you to use editing software.
There are many content creators with a lot of knowledge about the software that makes videos showing the basics and how to do specific things.
Many of them are sponsored by the software companies themselves, giving you more confidence in the information.
Read Articles Online
You can also find many written articles about most of the most popular programs.
The creators of these articles will put step-by-step directions and screenshots for you to follow.
These are good resources because you can reference them repeatedly.
Take a Podcast Editing Course
If you want to learn about a particular software or editing as a whole, a podcast editing course could be beneficial.
Before paying, research the company and read reviews.
Some only focus on particular skill sets, and others require you to purchase software programs separately.
Here are the names of some of the top podcast editing courses and how much you can expect to pay:
- The Podcast Masterclass
- Podcast Engineering School
- Podcast Bootcamp
- The Podcast Host Academy
Learn From a Podcast Editor
Another way you can learn to edit using a particular software is by getting the information from a professional.
You can pay a podcast editor to teach you how to use the software to do what you need.
They may be able to show you what aspects of the program you need to know the most and what is not as important.
What Program Do You Use To Edit a Podcast?
Many audio editing software programs work for editing podcasts available for download.
Some have a price, while others are open-sourced and are free to use.
You may try a few of them before deciding which one works best for you.
Audacity
Open-sourced programs allow people who are practicing programmers to change the code to make it work better or to get rid of a bug or flaw.
Audacity is an open-sourced editing software that is free to download and use.
It allows users to cut, copy, and paste audio clips and has an array of plug-ins that allow noise and vocal reduction.
It is a capable software with few limitations and many consider it one of the podcast basics.
Garage Band
Garage Band is developed by Apple and is available on Apple products such as iOS devices.
The software is comparable in its podcast capabilities to Audacity.
However, Garage Band is used a lot by musicians because the controls for connecting their instruments for recording are much easier to work with.
Auphonic
Auphonic is a popular post-production web service.
It is used a lot by people who do not have the time to put into audio levels to get it right.
Auphonic uses AI-based audio algorithms to get the sound right.
You can also edit the audio with the help of the AI, which helps you identify what needs to be cut.
Alitu
Alitu is a web-based audio editor that allows you to record your show on the site.
After that, you can use it to clean up the audio with leveling and noise reduction.
The timeline also makes it easy to drop clips, theme music, and anything else you want to add directly to the track.
Best Podcast Editing App
Some editing software programs are PC based, and some are apps for devices like phones and tablets.
A few of the most popular have versions that work either way.
Zencastr
Zencastr is a web-based podcast builder that allows users to record their podcast or video calls for free.
It also records all participants on separate audio tracks to make editing easier.
You can pay for additional things that may help grow your brand and give you access to more post-production abilities.
Audacity
There is an app-based version of Audacity that works on both Android and iOS platforms.
That can give you more flexibility and mobility in your podcast production.
Garage Band
Garage Band is made for the iOS platform.
There is an app that works on iPhones and iPads.
The app is popular with musicians because they can easily set up a recording on the go when they perform.
How To Edit Podcasts
There are many ways to edit a podcast using web-based apps, paid audio editing software, and open-sourced programs built over time.
Today, you can edit on almost any device ensuring that a podcast can be done and sound professional by anyone with almost any level of expertise or equipment.
Can You Edit Podcasts on iPhone?
While it may not be as easy to edit an audio track on an iPhone as it would be on a computer with a mouse, it is possible.
Many software programs have apps that will work on iOS devices.
Zencastr, Audacity, and Garage Band all have iOS-compatible apps.
How to Edit Podcasts on a Mac
Many programs are available for PC that will not work on a Mac and vice versa.
Audacity will work on both, and Garage Band is standard on most iOS devices.
How to Edit Podcasts Online
If you do not want to download software that lets you edit your audio track offline, you can find a few websites where you can edit online.
Many of them also allow you to record on the site, even opening a call so you can record with other hosts remotely.
Zencastr and Anchor both have this feature.
How Can You Edit Your Podcast for Free?
While there are a lot of programs you can purchase and websites you can subscribe to, there are plenty that allows you to edit your podcast for free.
Audacity is always a free download, and Garage Band comes pre-installed on many iOS devices.
How To Edit Podcasts on Anchor
Anchor is a unique site because it allows you to edit your show also hosts the file for free.
To edit your show you can click “New Episode” and upload a file or record on the site.
Afterward, you can make cuts, insert ads, and also make sure to optimize for SEO before publishing.
How To Edit Podcasts in Audacity
Audacity is a dynamic program that will let you record or upload an audio track.
When you do that, you can easily highlight pieces you want to cut, copy, or paste.
You can also add tracks and merge them, exporting it all into one file when finished.
Wrapping Up
When you record a podcast, you have only done half the work.
To get a polished audio file that sounds as good as it can, you must make edits.
You can do it yourself by downloading audio editing software.
Or you can invest in a professional service to do it at a cost.
Having an audio file that is edited to be concise and as professional as you can make it will help you attract a bigger audience, which will grow your brand and help make your show as good as it can be.
