Audio & Podcast Editing

Edit podcasts and audio for clean, professional sound quality.

Usage

1. Import all audio tracks and sync if recorded separately
2. Clean up: noise reduction, remove mouth clicks, de-ess sibilance
3. Edit content: remove filler words, long pauses, tangents, and mistakes
4. Mix: level all speakers to consistent volume, add music/SFX
5. Master: compress, limit, normalize to -16 LUFS (podcast standard)

Examples

• Basic podcast edit chain (Audacity/GarageBand): Step 1: Noise reduction (capture noise profile from silence, apply at 6-12 dB reduction). Step 2: EQ — high-pass filter at 80Hz (removes rumble), slight boost at 2-5kHz (clarity). Step 3: Compressor — threshold -18dB, ratio 3:1, attack 10ms, release 100ms. Step 4: Normalize to -16 LUFS. Total processing time per hour of audio: 15-20 minutes
• Removing filler words: Search for waveform patterns: "um" shows as a short low-energy burst between pauses. Select and delete, then close the gap. Don't remove ALL fillers — some natural hesitation sounds conversational. Remove the distracting ones (3+ "ums" in a row, 5-second pauses, false starts)
• Multi-track interview mix: Record each speaker on a separate track (use Zencastr, Riverside, or separate recorders). Normalize each track independently. Gate or duck the non-speaking track to reduce room noise bleed. Pan slightly: host at center, guest at -10/+10. This creates subtle spatial separation

Guidelines

• Target loudness: -16 LUFS for podcasts (Spotify/Apple standard), -14 LUFS for YouTube. Use a loudness meter, not peak meters
• Record in the cleanest environment possible — no amount of post-processing fully fixes a noisy recording
• Leave 0.5-1 second of "room tone" at the start for noise profile capture
• De-essing (reducing harsh "s" sounds) is often needed for close-mic'd vocals — subtle 3-6dB reduction at 5-8kHz
• Export as MP3 128kbps mono for podcast distribution (small file, standard quality). Keep a WAV master for archival
• Edit with headphones, not speakers — headphones reveal noise, clicks, and level issues that speakers mask