Podcast editing is a huge part of the medium as a whole.
For complete beginners, it can be an intimidating barrier to launching a show. Many aspiring podcasters procrastinate worrying on how they’ll actually edit their podcast episodes, prior to publishing them.
But it’s actually never been easier to either edit audio yourself, or to find someone (or something) else to do it for you.
What’s more, there’s nothing to say that you absolutely need to edit your podcast, or exactly how you should do it. It all depends on your own approach, content, and audience.
Here, I’d like to run through the various podcast editing options available to you.
These will depend on your budget, time constraints, and whether or not you prefer to learn new skills, or to outsource the stuff you’ve no interest in doing yourself.
Podcast Editing “Rules”
Firstly though, I mentioned that there’s no single way you “should” be editing your podcast. Certainly, there are good and bad practices, but it’s entirely up to you if you even edit your show at all.
Obviously if you want to create a highly produced podcast or audio drama then, one way or another, that’s going to require a fair bit of editing.
But if you’re just recording yourself talking into a mic, and don’t even feel the need for any intro music, then you can pretty much get away with no editing at all – so long as you’ve recorded it at a decent volume level.
The most common podcast editing tool is what’s known as a DAW – that stands for Digital Audio Workstation. It’s just a posh way of saying “audio editing program”.
DAWs also let you record into them, so it’s basically like having a full recording studio on your computer – providing you at least have a microphone to plug into it.
The most popular beginner DAW is one called Audacity. It’s popular because it’s absolutely free. And it's still more than good enough to build your podcast episode with.
But if you’re looking for a more pro-level DAW with an almost infinite number of functions and capabilities, then Adobe Audition might be more up your street.
And if you’re looking to learn either of them quickly and competently, then we have video courses on both inside The Podcast Host Academy.
Fancy a “Podcast Making” Tool?
Podcast editing is actually the most common thing we’re asked about here at The Podcast Host.
That led to us developing a tool called Alitu, which practically builds your episode for you. It can take care of the processing, editing, and publishing of your podcast, without the need for a DAW.
This is a really simple-to-use tool aimed at “non-techy” people, complete beginners, and podcasters who simply don’t have the time to spend editing their podcasts in the more traditional way.
Hiring a Podcast Producer
Still got absolutely no interest in having anything to do with your podcast editing? That’s perfectly normal. It just means that you’ll probably need to hire someone to do it for you.
There are an ever growing number of producers out there who make themselves available for podcast editing work. These range from freelancers with day jobs, to fully-fledged companies employing teams of podcast producers on their staff.
The route you go down will, as ever, depend on your budget. You’ll find loads of excellent freelancers out there doing great work at a low cost. But, like any other service, there will undoubtedly be a few unreliable folks in the marketplace too.
If you are looking for a producer, then check out Music Radio Creative. They'll give you an instant quote based on your average episode length and the amount of episodes you'd like to commit to.
We even take on some production work ourselves here at The Podcast Host. We frequently work with clients to launch their podcasts through a series of coaching and mentoring sessions. Then we’ll take on the initial editing of their episodes once they’ve been recorded.
No two podcasts are alike (that’s actually a lie, there are at least 500 “entrepreneur” shows with the words “On Fire” in their title, but we’ll brush past that!), so this all comes down to your own unique approach, and aims.
If you’re a hobbyist who’s just looking to chat about a topic close to your heart, then taking some time to learn the basics of Audacity is probably the best option for you. Remember, if you’d like to take a course on Audacity (or Audition) then you can do that inside The Podcast Host Academy.
If you’re someone currently working a day job, but launching your show as part of a side business which you’re serious about growing, then you might be prepared to spend a little money to save on time. In that case, using the “podcast making” app Alitu is probably your best option.
Or, if you’re an established business looking to get a highly polished and professional sounding show right out the gate, then hiring a producer is going to be your best option. Just remember that great sounding audio is more to do with the source material than the editing though, so hire someone who can advise you on your recording setup and work with you on that front too.
Best Podcast Editing Software for Podcasters of All Levels
Is there a single best podcast editing software option out there? Unsurprisingly, no. But, we can tell you some of the best options FOR YOU!
That's because, although all podcasters have much in common, there's also a lot of individual factors to think about with something like this.
People come to podcasting with different backgrounds, skills, experiences, commitments, ambitions, and budgets. And those are just a few factors that might help decide what the best podcast editing software for someone is.
This makes it impossible to recommend one podcast editing software option as “the best” – so I'm going to offer 4 recommendations under the categories Easiest, Free, Going Pro, and Advanced.
Remember, if you're looking a guide to ALL of the types of software you'll need to run a show, check out our main Podcast Software article, for recording, editing, scheduling & planning software, and more!
The Easiest Podcast Software
Are you a complete beginner with no real technical background, and no desire to learn about audio editing?
If so, there's a tool called Alitu that'll let you build your episodes in an incredibly simple way.
It'll take your raw audio, do all the volume leveling and cleaning up for you. It'll let you add in your music, segments, transitions, etc. In fact, it'll even go as far as to publish your episode for you once it's ready!
Full disclosure here – Alitu is our own app.
It was something we developed because so many of you were asking for a completely simple solution to podcast editing. The feedback so far has been brilliant so far too. One user commented that her show “would never have seen the light of day” if it wasn't for Alitu.
So if you're in the “non-techy” and “complete beginner” camp, and the thought of editing and production is really holding you back, we'd love you to give it a try!
Alitu Cost: $28 a month (7 day free trial available)
The Free Option
Maybe you're a complete beginner who's not looking to spend any money, but has some spare time to learn the basics of podcast editing?
A stalwart in the world of podcasting, Audacity is an open source audio recording and editing program. Such programs are also known as DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations).
The fact that Audacity is free makes it the most commonly used DAW in podcasting too.
But being free isn't it's only appeal. It's also packed with enough features to build any type of podcast episode you like.
We actually have a comprehensive video course teaching Audacity too, inside The Podcast Host Academy. But you'll also find enough free tutorials out there to get you up and running if you're working with no budget whatsoever!
Adobe Audition is an excellent podcast software option for someone who wants complete flexibility and control over their projects.
This DAW has everything you need to achieve a level of mastery in audio editing and production.
Audition can take a lot more learning and getting used to because of the amount of features and options in it. But once you've grasped the basics, the stuff you can do with your audio is pretty limitless.
If you're prepared to spend time and money on getting first class audio quality with your podcast, then Audition is a stand out option.
As I said at the start, everyone is different, and it's impossible to pick one single best podcast editing software option. It all depends on where you are at this moment in time in your podcasting journey.
There will always be exceptions, but on a general level here's a summary of my recommendations.
If you're looking to save time and avoid learning anything about audio editing, DAWs, etc, then go with Alitu.
If you're looking to save money, but are prepared to invest some time in learning audio editing, go with Audacity.
If you can afford to spend some money, as well as a little time, you can learn the streamlined DAW Hindenburg Journalist which is designed with audio storytelling in mind.
Or, if you want long term flexibility, and no limits on your quest for audio production mastery, then check out Adobe Audition.
It's also worth noting that – like whatever microphone you use – your editing software is just a means to an end. The quality of your podcast will ultimately be decided by its content, and no editing software or DAW can guarantee you growing an audience.
None can hold you back from growing one either.
So choose something, learn it, and use it to the best of your ability. But don't let it distract you too much from the work that matters most – creating engaging episodes that people want to listen to.
And, if you'd like some more help with any (or every) aspect of running a successful podcast, have a look at The Podcast Host Academy. Our courses in there aren't limited to recording and editing – you'll find ones on monetisation, promotion, and presentation skills too!
The MEE Podcasting Method™: Editing & Production for Real People
I recently ran a survey with every Podcaster on my mailing list, and it turned out to be one of the best things I've done for my business in years.
The main question I asked was: “What are you struggling with in Podcasting?” Well, it turns out that there are a fair few concerns out there just now, but one of the biggest centres around editing and production. I thought it was worth sharing a few thoughts on it straight away.
What Editing Should I be Doing?
So, this is something that came up again and again: how much editing, and what type of editing do I need to do? What processes, what effects, what… torture… do I need to apply to my audio to make it sing like the voice of a lark after the best day of his avian life?
Ok, here's the key:
Do only as much editing as you need to NOT sound like a total berk.
I'm going to call this the Minimum Effective Editing approach, with thanks to Tim Ferriss and his minimum effective dose.
I know that a lot of people are going to disagree with this. I hear you shouting:
“Spend huge amounts of time to create top quality content and the rewards will come.”
“Put in the effort to polish everything you do and your audience with pay you back in spades.”
Well, I don't disagree exactly, but I think the time and effort above should go into your content, and not your editing. That's one reason why, if you've got the budget, it's a great idea to outsource your editing! If you do do it yourself, though, it means you should only do just enough so you're not pissing off your listeners, and no more. They'll appreciate time you spend coming up with great material much much more.
And here's the big reason you should stick to MEE:
If you don't stick to MEE, it's likely you'll stop enjoying your podcast, or you'll stop podcasting.
This isn't the case for everyone, of course. There are plenty of people out there that enjoy production and editing. But for the majority of us, editing is a chore. If you set your standards too high at the start, you just wont sustain it. It'll suck the life out of your podcasting, and you simply wont have time to do it on a regular basis.
On the other hand, stick to MEE™, take as little time as you can to get out a decent product, and you can keep doing it, week after week, growing your audience exponentially as you go.
Automate Your Podcast Production & Publishing
Alitu is a tool that takes your recording, polishes it up, adds your music, and publishes the episode, all automatically.
So, what does this look like if you're editing in reality?
Well, here's the basic method:
Step 1 – Record your Vocals. Don't stop for mistakes, just laugh about them, quickly correct yourself, and continue. DO NOT STOP RECORDING.
Step 2 – Bring the vocals into Audacity, and top and tail it, which just means chopping off the silence at the start and the end.
Step 3 – Amplify the audio to -2db peak amplitude (easy peasy in Audacity – just select your audio track, hit Effect > Amplify, type -2 into the New Peak amplitude field, and Go!)
Step 4 – Export and publish!
That's it – for your first 5 episodes, that's all you need to be doing. Forget about music, forget about editing out mistakes. Be authentic and let it all hang out. Certainly, and most importantly, don't worry about your Ums and Ahs. It's practice you need to sort those out, not editing.
Remember, if you need help with using Audacity to get this done, we've got a full course on the package in The Podcast Host Academy. It starts at the total beginners level and takes you up to expert techniques. If you really want to save time, this'll do the job!
What About Those Big Mistakes?
Okay, okay, I can talk about being authentic, but sometimes I just plain mess something up and say completely the wrong thing. Here's how you edit that quickly and easily.
When I realise I've said something wrong, or I just flub my words, I follow these steps:
Stop and pause for a few seconds
I click my tongue right into the microphone 3 times
I pause another few seconds
I then start again, trying to use the same phrasing I used to start the segment earlier; essentially the last thing that I said that was OK to broadcast.
And then I continue on. At no point do I stop recording, so this is all in one audio file.
What this means is that when I get to editing, the first thing I do after importing my vocals is to zoom in and scroll along to the right. It's immediately obvious when I hit one of these mistakes; the sound wave drops to silence, then there are three lines, the full height of the editing window. I've included an image below to demonstrate.
What I do then is click the playhead to the audio right after the clicks, I listen to how it starts, and then I go back and I find that similar place before the clicks. I click in the silence just before that point, highlight right up to before the audio section after the clicks, and I delete. Mistake gone.
In a 15 minute episode I might make up to 5 or 6 of these mistakes, and it'll normally take me just a few minutes to scroll through and delete them. Try it, it'll change your editing life!
Moving Slightly Beyond: MEE-2
So, once you're a little more established, it starts to become worth adding just a little more polish. At this stage, you'll have a good audience, because your content is gripping, amazing, mind-blowing, from all that time you've saved in editing and spent on thinking instead. Now, you've a chance to make something of this podcast and so polish becomes more justifiable.
But… I still stick to the above state – enough to make you NOT sound a total berk. It's just that, with a larger audience, and a bit more prominence, sounding like a total berk becomes a little easier. Slightly variable audio quality and a complete lack of music and FX is almost expected of those starting out, but if you're becoming a little net-famous, THAT makes you sound a little like a berk.
So, here's the 2nd level MEE, and this is what I do on the majority of my shows:
Step 1. Take my script and record the vocals, including intro, content and end bits.
Step 2. Bring that audio file into Audacity and chop off the silence at the start and end.
Step 3. Follow the mistakes editing process outlined above – find the triple clicks and cut 'em out.
Step 4. Amplify the volume to a standard level – again -2db peak amp.
Step 5. Light compression in Audacity (if help needed, we've a course on this in The Podcast Host Academy)
Step 6. Import my theme music and transition clips.
Step 7. Use the shift tool to move the music and transitions into the right place, overlapping a little with vocals.
Step 8. Export the MP3 and publish!
That's it. I do very little editing on the content. I keep it pretty authentic, forgetting about the little mistakes when I was speaking which are just apologised for and corrected at the time. This has perhaps 1 more step if I'm interviewing someone: I'll import the interview audio, top and tail that as well, and arrange the music and transitions around that. But really, it's just as simple.
How Long Should MEE Take?
During the creation of Series 3 of PodCraft on Creating a Peerless Podcasting Website, I kept a really detailed log of how long everything took. It was a bit of an experiment in daily podcasting where I released an episode a day for a full month. So, I had to stick to MEE™ or I wasn't going to make it through the month – there simply wasn't enough time in the day.
Each of my 20 episodes was around 10 to 15 minutes long, and here's how it broke down on average:
Planning – writing up a bullet point script and research as needed – 30 minutes
Recording – turning on kit, checking levels, etc, and recording a 15 minute episode – 25 minutes
Editing – following the MEE-2 sequence above – 5 to 10 minutes, depending on number of ‘triple click' mistakes.
Of course, I've done a fair few of these, so I've got reasonably quick (although I'm sure I could be quicker!), but there's no reason you should need to take much longer. And you'll be surprised how quick you can get if you refine your process like this and only do what you have to.
Need More Help?
So, that's my process, and what I recommend if you want to do it all yourself.
If you want more help doing it yourself, we have live coaching sessions and a really supportive community inside The Podcast Host Academy. Join us there to make your editing even easier!
Want to Automate Your Editing?
What if you've never used editing software before? Maybe you're concerned that you don't have the budget to outsource your production, but don't have the time to learn it all.
If that's the case, you might want to check out our “podcast making” tool Alitu, which practically builds your episode for you.
Alitu is really simple to use, and will take care of the processing, editing, and publishing of your podcast, without the need for any actual editing software.
So whether you're a complete beginner, or an experienced podcaster looking to drastically cut down on your production time, Alitu could be the answer you're looking for!
How to Find the Best Podcast Music for your Show
There's no rule saying that you must have music in your podcast. Plenty of good podcasts have no music at all. But, there's no doubt that having your own theme tune adds a layer of identity and professionalism to any show.
How do you go about finding music that's suitable (and legal) for you to use? That's what this article is all about: what kind of music you're allowed to use, and where we recommend you find it.
What Kind of Music Am I Allowed to Use?
It's your duty to always make sure you have permission to use whatever music you play on your podcast. Generally, there are 3 options available to you.
Royalty Free Music
With Royalty Free music, you buy the license for a piece of podcast music. This entitles you to use it as and when you wish, for the duration of the license.
Most one-off music purchases give you a lifetime license. A lot of the newer ‘subscription' services give you a license, as long as you have an active subscription.
That doesn't mean you need to go back and remove music from old episodes, when you're no longer paying a subscription. But, with many of these services, you shouldn't be adding tracks to new episodes after that point.
Terms and conditions will vary, however. Be sure to familiarise yourself with this information when you choose a particular platform.
Some Creative Commons licenses permit commercial use, whilst others don't. It's usually pretty clear which are which, though. Read the license carefully to make sure you're covered.
Public Domain
Music goes out of copyright and into the public domain after a certain amount of years. Usually this follows the death of the artist/copyright holder. That law and time period differs from country to country. 70 years after death is a good ballpark figure.
There's a further grey area too. There's a difference between the song itself (which may be in the public domain), and the recording or performance of it. If a musician today performed and recorded an ancient public domain song, they'd be the copyright holder of that rendition, and you wouldn't be allowed to use it without their permission.
Can I Use Copyrighted Music At All?
In short, no. You'll find a lot of info out there about how you can use copyrighted music for “up to 7 seconds”, or debates around what constitutes “fair use” of music. “Fair use” is a defence you can try to use if you get in trouble for using copyrighted music. But why even take the risk of needing a defence when there's plenty legal options available?
Using any copyrighted music in your show means you run the risk of being kicked out of iTunes and Spotify too. This would cause massive damage to any podcast.
Ask yourself, will my listeners unsubscribe because they don't get to hear 10 seconds of Bohemian Rhapsody at the start? If that's the case, then it's time to go back to the content planning stages.
More Legals?
If you want to dive a bit deeper into how the law works with podcast music, check out this interview with Gordon Firemark on Podcraft. He's a media lawyer, and went into some great detail around copyright and fair use.
Where Can I Find Free Podcast Music?
It is possible to get podcast music for free, but, being free, that music is going to be used on a lot of other podcasts.
If you listen to more than a few dozen shows, you'll start to hear the same music pop up, again and again. This doesn't help your audio branding, or make you sound very pro.
If you're on a budget, or purely podcasting from a hobbyist perspective, then by all means go down the free route though. You can always upgrade later on, if you feel the need.
Free Option 1: Incompetech
Incompetech is an extensive library of free-to-use music created by composer Kevin MacLeod. A lot of his work is scored for film and documentary. These can really work well on fictional pieces, if you're an audio drama or documentary creator.
There's a whole load of tracks on there that would certainly fit as the theme tune to a spoken word podcast though. You can use the music on Incompetech for free, and without permission (so long as you credit the site). If you didn't want to list credits, you can buy a standard license for any particular track.
Free Option 2: DigCCMixtr
This is really important. If you intend to make any money from your show, you need to make sure you're using the right license. There are tracks on DigCCMixtr which are non-commercial only. That means if you take any sponsorship, product sales, affiliate recommendations, or even a few little donations, you're breaking the license. In most cases, you must give credit to the musicians.
To me, it's worthwhile paying a little extra to license some commercial music. This helps your podcast to sound unique, as your listeners are unlikely to hear your theme tune cropping up again and again elsewhere.
There are three main options here:
1. Looking for one track for a theme tune?
In this case, you'll want a lifetime license in exchange for a one-off purchase. That means you can buy a track for one single payment, and use it forever more. This is great for regular theme tunes that you want to use for months or even years.
Beware of licenses like this that have a cap on the number of downloads you're allowed, or the length of time it covers. Some have a limit of, say, 10k downloads. Some require renewal every year. Fortunately, such restrictive licenses are pretty rare nowadays. But you should always read the small print, before diving in and paying for a song.
2. Looking for a big range of tracks, loops or effects for regular use?
In this case, a subscription license might be better. That means you pay a monthly subscription for access to many (often thousands) of tracks.
Sometimes the license allows you to use as many tracks, loops or FX as you want on any episode, as long as your subscription is active when the episode is released. You don't have to be subscribed forever, to keep your old episodes active. But, you have to be subscribed when you release new episodes using their music. There are exceptions, though, as you'll find out below.
3. Custom made podcast music tracks
This is pretty self explanatory – you can get totally unique theme tunes or idents, made just for you, by a professional producer or musician. This is totally unique to you and will tend to be great quality. But, of course, it's expensive!
What are the Best Paid Podcast Music Stores?
Here's where we get our music. Just to let you know, we have a partner deal with each, so we get a small commission if you use them. But, don't worry, we signed up for that because we love them all, and really use them in our own work. They're great!
Lifetime License: Foximusic
Foximusic let you buy tracks to use on an unlimited basis, and in any way you like. This is a really simple option for those looking to monetise their content without concern over license terms.
You can buy an individual track for $39, whilst they do deals on bundles of 2 (10% off), 3 (15% off) and 5 (25% off). You also get multiple versions of each track (full song, loop version, short edit version) to give you plenty production flexibility.
Get 15% off any Foximusic purchase by using the coupon code podcraft at the cart page.
Lifetime License: Epidemic Sound
Epidemic boasts a library of over 30,000 tracks, and they add new ones every week. They also have a 60,000-strong sound effect library. This is ideal if you like to do a bit of soundscaping in your show.
Their subscription tier prices are £10 a month for the Personal Plan and £39 for the Commercial Plan.
Try the subscription plans for free for 30 days when signing up here! Try it, keep it if you like it, otherwise unsubscribe before the trial ends and you won’t get charged.
Lifetime License: Jamendo
Jamendo is a hugely comprehensive collection of Royalty Free podcast music. This is where we buy all of our one-off purchase music tracks – those that we plan to use long-term, either as theme tunes or regular music beds. The quality is brilliant, the variety is huge and a ‘standard license' covers commercial use and costs around £35/$50 per track.
The website states that they currently list 200,000 tracks by over 40,000 independent artists, so you're guaranteed to find something you like here.
Jamendo also offers a music composition service, so you can place a request to have your theme tune custom composed by a musician of your choice.
If you use our link above, you'll get 5% off your first track purchase.
Monthly Subscription: Audioblocks
Audioblocks have a huge catalog of excellent music tracks, loops and sound effects – over 100,000 by their last count. You'll find something in there to suit the mood and tone of any podcast series or episode. For the monthly fee (around $15) you can download as many tracks as you like and use them forever.
This is great for people who want access to a variety of music on a regular basis. For example, if you want to use one or two different music beds each episode, just to add polish to an interview, to highlight the key points. Or, if you want to use sound effects to draw attention to things or really visualise things for the learner.
Use our link above for a 7-day free trial so you can test them out before jumping in.
Music With Voice-Over: Music Radio Creative
Music Radio Creative go beyond simply helping you choose music for your podcast. They will also work with you to design tailor made intros, outros, transitions, stingers, and jingles. They collaborate with some of the best voice over talent in the world to craft your message into these segments.
Their client list boasts some of the top podcasters around, like Pat Flynn, Cliff Ravenscraft, and John-Lee Dumas. They are very much the premium option, which automatically makes you think they'd be really expensive. But you can actually get something great for between £100 and £200. Using MRC won't break the bank.
Freelance Composers
There are a surprising amount of musicians out there who upload their material for free use on a Creative Commons basis. A big benefit of going down this route is that you're a lot less likely to bump into another podcast using the same theme tune as you.
Some musicians will also be open to working with you to custom score podcast music if you'd like something unique put together. I've often worked with Kevin Hartnell, who scored my sci-fi audio drama Kraken Mare a few years ago and did a fantastic job with it.
One More Option – Ask a Friend
If you have a musical friend, approach them to see if it would be alright to use one of their songs in your podcast. In exchange, you could always make sure to credit them at the beginning of each episode and direct your listeners to their website. This can be a beneficial relationship for both parties.
You can of course offer to pay them for their music, or buy them dinner, or repay them with a ‘skills exchange'. That could be anything from helping them carry and set up equipment at a gig, to mowing their lawn.
Wondering How to Use Podcast Music Well?
We have a couple of articles around this that you could check out:
We're always happy to coach you through the same process if you're a member of the Podcast Host Academy.
Join us there and we'll help you use music to make your show really stand out.
Here's a course that might help
Editing with Audacity
This course is designed to teach you everything you need to know about recording and editing your podcast in Audacity, from first install to advanced audio quality techniques.
Alitu is a web app that makes podcasting easy. You upload your raw audio, then Alitu polishes it up, adds your music, helps you edit and publishes the final episode.
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Fancy a “Podcast Making” Tool?
The Free Option
Pro Podcast Software
The Advanced Option
