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So you want to go beyond podcast recording and hosting to learn podcast editing. That’s a great idea! Nearly every job in the podcasting industry will require you to know at least a little bit about every aspect of the podcasting process, including how to edit a podcast.
In this post, we’ll go through exactly how to edit a podcast, how long the podcast editing process takes, what podcast editing software to use, and what to focus on in your first edits.
Once you learn podcast editing, you’ll be one step closer to launching your own podcast, or getting a job at your dream podcasting company.
Just keep reading to learn everything you need to know about podcast editing.
How Long Does It Take to Edit a Podcast?
As a general rule of thumb, we find that it takes approximately twice as long to edit your podcast as the amount of raw audio you have recorded.
So, for example, if you have recorded one hour of raw audio, it will most likely take you at least 2 hours to edit that audio into a polished podcast episode.
However, note that how long it takes to edit a podcast depends on many factors. These can include:
- How fast the host(s) and guests (if applicable) speak
- How focused or distracted the discussion is
- How clean the raw audio is (Are the volume levels pretty consistent to start with? Is the audio free of background noise?)
- Your personal skills as a podcast editor
As you become more familiar with how to edit podcasts, you will likely need less time to edit your episodes. However, when just learning how to edit podcasts, you should plan to spend at least double the amount of time in editing as there is raw audio to edit.
How Much Raw Audio Should You Record For Your Podcast?
We generally find that the amount of raw audio recorded for a podcast episode should be at least two times the goal length of the finalized episode.
So, if you know you want your episodes to be at least 30 minutes long, your goal would be to record about an hour of raw audio for each episode. This recording length is recommended because most podcast conversations naturally go off on tangents, reference unnecessary information, etc.
It’s better to have the option to edit out content later and keep only the very best parts of the recording, rather than to settle for boring or subpar content because cutting it would mean not having enough audio to meet your episode’s goal length.
How Long Does It Take to Edit a 30-Minute Podcast Episode?
Based on what we’ve already discussed in this post, it’s reasonable to expect that it will take you at least two hours to edit a single 30-minute podcast episode. This is because you will ideally have recorded an hour of raw audio for your episode, and can expect it to take you about two hours to edit down that hour of content.
Again, as you become more comfortable and skilled as an editor, it may take you less than this amount of time to edit a 30-minute episode. Likewise, if you don’t mind listeners hearing your hosts and guests get off-topic, stutter, say filler words like “um” and “like” often, it may also take you less time.
However, for those just getting started with podcast editing and who want to create focused, easy-to-listen-to final episodes, two hours is a reasonable editing expectation for an episode of this length.
How to Record Raw Podcast Audio Offline to Edit Later
As we’ll see in a moment, there are many options to choose from when it comes to podcast editing software today. Many of these programs allow you to record your podcast over the internet and right into the software editor for easy access later.
However, if you want to record your raw podcast episode offline and import it into your software for editing later (perhaps due to a slow internet connection or some other reason), that is entirely possible.
To record your raw podcast offline there are a few routes that you can go. The simplest is to use the microphone and camera (if you’re doing a video podcast) on your laptop or phone. Record your podcast as an audio recording or video right on your computer, and then import it into your editing software later. Note that you will not get the highest quality recording with this method but, as we’ve noted in this post, all you really need to get started podcasting is some kind of microphone and camera (if you want to have a video component). You can learn more about podcast equipment setups for beginners here.
Once you’ve recorded your raw podcast audio offline, you can import the recording file(s) into the software editor of your choice. Note that it is a good idea to have picked out and at least experimented with your editing software first, as some podcast editing softwares may require you to record or convert your audio into a specific file format for uploading.
Once you are ready to edit your podcast recording, simply import it into the podcast editor of your choice, which should then allow you to edit your audio and video accordingly.
Speaking of podcast editing software, let’s see what some of our options are, shall we?
Podcast Editing Software: 6 Options to Get Started
When it comes to finding the best podcast editing software, we take the stance that the best software for you is the one that you feel most comfortable with and that will allow you to start learning right away.
The following is by no means a complete list, but it is a solid place to start if you want to learn how to edit podcasts.
It’s also worth noting that the world of AI is bestowing upon us more and more AI-enabled audio and video editing features. Many of the tools in the following list have at least some kind of AI-enabled editing assistance included in them. However, note that in most cases AI has not yet caught up to human expertise when it comes to audio and video editing.
1. Descript
Descript is our preferred podcast editing software of choice because it is simple and easy to use for podcast editors of all levels. For beginners, it’s nice that Descript automatically transcribes the audio for your podcast into an editable text format, which you can than edit almost as if it were a Word document.
When you want more control over the specific edits, you can also use the timeline feature of the software to make micro edits that the more generalized text editor might not catch.
2. REAPER
Don’t let it’s 90s-style design fool you. REAPER is a favorite among podcasters and podcast editors on Reddit. Among other positives, users there like that it comes with a free trial, is decently advanced for inexpensive audio editing software, and that there are many tutorials on YouTube and the REAPER Blog (no association) on how to use it.
3. Audacity
Audacity is free, open-source editing software. For beginning podcast editors especially, this a good option if all you need right now is to learn the basics.
4. GarageBand
GarageBand has been around since the early 2000s and comes free on all Mac and iOS devices, which makes it an accessible editing software option for many new podcasters.
5. iMovie
Similar to GarageBand, iMovie is a free audio and video editing application from Apple that comes free on all Mac and iOS devices. Due to its sheer accessibility among Apple users, it’s an easy way for many people to get started with podcast editing, especially if your podcast has a video element to it.
6. Adobe Audition
A bit more complicated than the other editing software on this list, Adobe Audition is a great post-production tool for more technically advanced podcast editors.
Like many Adobe products, Audition offers a lot of power, fine-tuning, and control, but beginners may find it a bit daunting. As a comparison, we might say that Adobe Audition is to Descript what Adobe Photoshop is to Canva. Yes, they are good tools, but there are other ways to reach a similar end with less headache.
What to Look For When Editing a Podcast
What you enhance or remove from your podcast episodes will depend on the goals of your podcast itself, what kind of tone you want your show to have, and what is important to you as a podcaster (or podcast producer, editor, etc.).
In general, however, most podcast editors will seek to improve the raw audio of a podcast episode by making the following changes:
- Normalize the volume of different speakers’ audio so all voices in the episode are at about the same audio level.
- Cut out stuttering, misspeaking, and filler words like “um,” “uh,” and “like.”
- Shorten long or awkward pauses.
- Rearrange sections of the conversation so the discussion is easier to follow if the host(s) and/or guest(s) got off-topic.
- Cut out irrelevant or non-valuable segments of the discussion.
- Add in music, sound effects, or other audio elements if these are used in your podcast.
- Adjust the lighting, color, and presentation of host(s)/guest(s) if the podcast includes video.
Tips to Speed Up Podcast Editing
As you have probably gathered from the information in this post, podcast editing can be very time-consuming, especially if you are a perfectionist with a keen attention to detail. While every podcast episode will always require some level of editing, there are a few things you can do to speed up the editing process in recording.
For Better Podcast Audio:
- Record in a small room or closet to prevent audio with an echo.
- Minimize background sounds and noise as much as possible. Don’t fidget while recording or hold drinks or other items in your hands.
- Try to ensure all speakers are using similar microphones and recording in similar environments to ensure consistency in the audio. This will save you from having to adjust the audio levels as much in editing later.
- Have an outline of what you want to talk about and all discussion points you want to include in the episode ahead of time. This can keep your conversation more focused and save time in editing later.
- Record several takes of intros, outros, and asking listeners to rate and subscribe to the show. This will give you more options to pull from later if the first version you do isn’t the best.
For Better Podcast Video:
- Use an HD camera or SLR camera to get high-quality video from the start.
- Film in a well-lit room with a light source in front of the host(s)/guest(s)
- Connect with your audience through the camera, looking into the camera when introducing and signing off of the episode to create a more engaging video experience.
Start Learning How to Edit Podcasts Today!
All in all, learning how to edit a podcast can be a bit of a learning curve. But as you learn more about the editing process, get more comfortable with your editing software, and take steps to keep editing in mind while recording, you can quickly grow your podcast editing skills.
