7 Must-Have Podcast Editing Tools

Are you using podcasts to showcase some of your professional skills or do you handle such projects on behalf of your clients?

Whatever, the situation, you need high quality podcast editing software to get a professional, crisp result.

You have a good range of options to choose among, some free, some paid-for and some available on a subscription basis.

Investing in the right podcast editing tools is going to be very important – you’ll be spending your money in the best possible way and getting an excellent outcome when editing podcasts.

So, what tools should you test out for better podcast editing?

The following list will acquaint you with some of the best choices and the reasons why these software products are worth a try.

If you’re a complete newbie in the world of podcast making and editing, Alitu is going to be an excellent choice.

With Alitu, you can record your audio directly into the app. It will handle volume levelling and the audio cleanup.

The process is almost 100 percent automated, which makes Alitu excellent to work with while you’re expanding your skillset.

Now, since this is a beginner’s app, you shouldn’t expect miracles as far as quality goes.

Still, you will get a decent outcome and Alitu’s also reasonably priced.

Price: 32 dollars per month, 7-day free trial

Features: 

  • record solo or remotely with guests 
  • easy uploading of multiple recordings
  • automated audio cleanup
  • effortless trimming and cutting of recordings
  • a chance to add music, create theme music, add fades to music or voice
  • very easy drag and drop editing

Pros:

  • excellent for inexperienced users
  • user-friendly and intuitive
  • automated functionalities for speed and convenience
  • free music library is available
  • integrates with popular podcast hosting platforms

Cons:

  • web-based rather than native (which can be a plus for some people)
  • audio quality not optimal (especially if you count on the automated processes)
  • audio settings cannot be tweaked manually
  • lacks the advanced features available with some pro tools for more experienced users

Free of charge, Audacity is another excellent choice for beginners in the world of podcasting.

This open-source tool allows for effortless podcast recording and editing, giving you the core functionalities required from such software.

A couple of additional tools are also available to give you a bit more flexibility than just the completion of basic tasks.

Because it’s intuitive and effortless to master, Audacity is often the first tool that brand new podcasters go to.

You can handle essential corrections and when you’re done, the finished file can be exported in an array of suitable formats.

Price: Free

Features: 

  • record live audio or digitize recordings from media that aren’t a microphone or a mixer
  • import, edit and combine audio files, multiple exports available
  • easy editing with cut, copy, paste and delete tools
  • unlimited sequential undo
  • a couple of fun effects also available
  • compatible with multiple OS 
  • requires a fairly small amount of RAM – great for installation on just about any computer

Pros:

  • free
  • very user-friendly, perfect for first-time podcast editors
  • includes a noise removal feature
  • a good library of effects

Cons:

  • doesn’t have advanced features for more complex editing
  • somewhat outdated user interface
  • doesn’t have optimal plug-in support

If you’re really serious about professional podcast editing, consider an investment in software like Adobe Audition.

Called a “professional audio workstation,” Adobe Audition has extensive capabilities, including some more advanced features.

For a start, there’s a huge library of audio templates and presets.

Audition also has powerful noise reduction capabilities, advanced compression and track restoration.

Batch processing also makes the handling of multiple podcast projects a fairly effortless task.

Price: starting at 20.99 dollars per month, free trial available

Features: 

  • built-in presets
  • both single and multi-track recording available
  • powerful noise reduction
  • advanced compression and track restoration
  • both waveform and multitrack editors available
  • loudness meter for effortless monitoring
  • some automated editing options available

Pros:

  • excellent price to quality ratio
  • huge library of royalty-free sound effects
  • a number of featured are geared especially towards the needs of podcast editors
  • has a number of professional features you wouldn’t find with other editing products
  • batch processing is highly effective

Cons:

  • many features, can be challenging for inexperienced users
  • interface isn’t the most user-friendly one
  • no help guide/lack of resources for new users

If you’re a fan of Apple products, you’ll definitely enjoy GarageBand.

This is Apple’s free DAW for all compatible iOS and macOS devices.

While it’s advertised as a music creation studio. GarageBand can also be highly beneficial and practical for podcasters and podcast editors.

The fact that the tool syncs across Apple devices you own is very cool and allows you a ton of flexibility when doing your job.

Intuitive and fairly easy to use, GarageBand is fairly popular for audio recording and editing.

And while it does lack advanced features, the fact that it’s good and free of charge makes up for the missing functionalities.

Price: free of charge

Features: 

  • multiple editing tools, including pitch and track velocity changes
  • a good library of effects and presets
  • visual equalization and compression available
  • iCloud backup available
  • effortless file sharing, including sharing to SoundCloud

Pros:

  • free of charge and practical, great for beginners
  • excellent recording tools
  • very easy basic editing and file sharing
  • works across all compatible devices
  • various instrumental presets

Cons:

  • does not have advanced editing features
  • only compatible with Apple devices
  • no dedicated mixer screen
  • in-app purchases may be required

While geared towards the needs of music engineers and editors, Logic Pro does give podcasters access to a good range of recording and audio processing features.

Just like GarageBand, it works with iOS devices. Logic Pro, however, does come with some more advanced functionalities.

It’s better suited to the needs of people who have more experience and a need for top of the line editing tools.

Audio editing is easy and there’s a good range of effects to choose among.

The interface is fairly clean and simple and you’re likely to master Logic Pro editing quickly.

Unlike other programs in the list, it’s available for a single payment and you’ll be free from having to deal with a monthly subscription.

Price: 199 dollars, free trial available

Features: 

  • a large collection of plugins compatible with Logic Pro
  • integrated Dolby Atmos tools for better mixing and exporting
  • 3D object planner for precise positioning
  • logic remote app available
  • high quality fade-in, fade-out effects

Pros:

  • very powerful editing capabilities, especially for podcasts featuring music
  • free trial available, giving you access to all functionalities
  • professional audio quality
  • can work with GarageBand files
  • single fee, no subscription-based model

Cons:

  • only works with Apple devices
  • more suited to the needs of music producers rather than podcasters
  • more expensive than some of the other options out there

Auphonic is mainly recognized for the numerous automated post-production processes.

If you’re looking for a tool that will allow quick editing and excellent results, you’ll be pleased with what this one has to offer.

Furthermore, Auphonic is especially created for the needs of podcasters, radio show creators and audio broadcasters – relevance of the functionalities is thus guaranteed.

Once you start using Auphonic, you can create your own presets.

In time, this will definitely make editing faster and much more customized to your individual needs. Keep in mind, however, that Auphonic does not offer direct recording.

You will have to upload your audio files before you can commence work on them.

Price: free for two hours of audio per month, 11 dollars per month for nine hours up to 99 dollars per month for 100 hours of editing

Features: 

  • Intelligent leveler and loudness normalization
  • Automatic noise reduction
  • Multitrack algorithms for automatic ducking, noise gate and cross talk removal
  • Automatic speech recognition
  • Multiple output formats
  • Automatic content deployment to Dropbox, Google Drive, cloud storage, Facebook, YouTube, SoundCloud and others

Pros:

  • Lots of automation enabled
  • Reasonably priced plans
  • Excellent for newbies and inexperienced audio editors
  • Speech recognition and audio transcription available
  • Exports to various platforms and cloud storages

Cons:

  • Doesn’t have a built-in recording capability
  • Doesn’t support some advanced editing options
  • Can be expensive if you’re doing numerous hours of editing per month

Last but not least comes Hindenburg Journalist.

As the name suggests, this tool has been created especially for the needs of radio journalists and broadcasters.

Because of its nature, Hindenburg Journalist is also perfect for podcasters and podcast editors.

One of the tool’s best aspects is that it offers a lot of automation to ensure excellent audio quality.

Thus, even if you haven’t been a sound engineer for a decade, you’ll still get to produce professional podcasts that sound exceptional.

There are also three versions of the software, each next one giving access to additional features and advanced options.

Price: 95 dollars for the Journalist version, going up to 500 dollars for the HABC Narrator version, free trial available

Features: 

  • Auto leveling function
  • Auto noise reduction in the Journalist Pro plan
  • Built-in Skype recorder in the Journalist Pro plan
  • Direct podcast uploading to SoundCloud or Libsyn
  • Mobile recording for iOS devices
  • Various effects available

Pros:

  • Excellent price to quality ratio
  • Lots of automation available to speed up editing
  • Very easy setup and deployment
  • Supports an array of audio files

Cons:

  • Can be somewhat expensive
  • The Journalist plan excludes many of the essential features
  • Missing a few advanced podcast editing tools

Conclusion

Due to the fact that podcasts have gained a lot of popularity over the past years, numerous editing and post-production tools have become readily available.

As you can see from the list above, there are excellent options for all budgets and experience levels.

Needless to say, the podcast editing tools mentioned above aren’t the only choices.

If you need something a bit more specific, you can easily discover such a software product. All you have to do is narrow down your criteria and use them to select relevant suggestions.

Finally, don’t hesitate to spend a bit of money on a pro tool that unlocks advanced editing options.

Whether you’re podcasting by yourself or doing editing for clients, a polished outcome will be imperative.

Amateurish post-production is going to make the wrong impression and you simply can’t afford doing a mediocre job.

The right tool is important and so is your ability to make the most of such editing software.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *