But, if you’re creating video, then you’re also editing it. And that’s where it can start to feel complicated! Video editing goes deep, and a glance at the best video editing software? Well, let’s say they tend to be less “go-kart” and more “airplane cockpit.”

So, let’s get simple. Here, I want to dig into what you really need to get those videos polished up and out into the world. That includes:

• What is the best video editing software out there right now?
• What’s the difference between full software and a web editing experience?
• What’s the best package for each context?
• Can AI help?

End of the day, you just want to turn that magical idea of yours into a message you can put out into the world. So, how do we do that in the best way possible? Let’s take a look: video editing tools, we’re going in!

Just a quick heads up that we use some affiliate links to products we think you’ll find useful. We’d earn a commission should you choose to buy through them, never at any extra cost to yourself. Affiliates help support all the free content we put out there

Standalone Video Editing Software vs Online Video Editing

Remember when you used to download a big bunch of bits and bytes to your computer, and then you ran it there?!

None of this ‘running in your browser’ caper. Instead, it’s there, ready to go, no need for an internet connection, or even a subscription (although even most desktop software is going subscription-based now… )

But, there are some strong online video editing apps emerging now. So I often get the question: do they do the job?

As always, there are pros and cons to both.

Video editing software on your computer tends to offer more power and speed. But, only if you have to have a good enough computer to run it. These packages can be more expensive up front, but actually, many are subscription-based now, too (hello Adobe…). Equally, working on your computer means no massive upload times for huuuge video files.

Whereas, if you edit video online, then once you’ve dealt with the upload, it handles the files for you. No more “Warning: your hard drive is full of GIGANTIC files!”. Processing is all done in the cloud, too, so potentially less wait time for renders and previews. And, for whatever reason, online video editing apps tend to have more assistance built-in. That includes AI features for clipping or transcriptions, and templates for repurposing to a range of platforms.

So, swings and roundabouts.

Here’s my take:

• For full-length video creators > downloaded standalone software wins. The speed, power and control are worth the downsides.
• For shorts creators or low-edit podcast convertors > stay online. They’ll often be more ‘assisted’, saving you time, and much easier to use. Give up some power and control for speed and simplicity.

The only trouble is, there are a range of online video editing apps emerging right now, but many of them simply don’t stack up in terms of performance and reliability. So, you’ll notice that most of the options below are standalone packages. I do have one online recommendation on the list, right now, and I’ll be sure to keep an eye on this over time. So, keep your eyes peeled for updates!

In the meantime, let’s get into it!

Here are five of the best video editing software packages on the market right now.

1. Adobe Premiere

Top choice for long-form video editing on a PC

A long-standing fixture in the video editing world, Adobe Premiere is constantly vying with Final Cut for the title of industry GOAT. “Are you a PC or a Mac?” is generally what it comes down to, and if you’re a PC, then you’re Premiere. Used by professional filmmakers and amateur producers alike, you know it has the chops to hit your video editing needs, whatever they are.

The downside of that is that with great power comes great… well… confusion, frankly! This package can do anything, and as a result, it can feel pretty intimidating at first. Bells and whistles doesn’t quite cut it, and even some relatively standard functions can feel hidden behind a wall of buttons and settings.

What I’d say is, being industry standard, there is a hoard of great courses out there for Premiere. And once you’ve gotten your head around the first layer of functionality (bring in some files, chop them up a bit, apply a few simple effects) it can start to feel more like home.

From there, you can go as deep as you like, or you can stay top layer, and still create some amazing videos.

Final thought: because Premiere is so set up for power and control, there’s very little in terms of ‘assistance’ here. You’re doing it nearly all yourself, unlike some of the emerging ‘assistant’ tools, which help with a LOT. For example, the pre-made titles are pretty basic. The automated or pre-set colour or grading filters are limited. There’s no in-built video stock, or music stock library, to quickly find and insert clips (although Adobe do have add-ons for this. At quite an extra cost, of course!). Transcription and subtitling aren’t built-in or trivial. These are all things that emerging tools are just ‘taking care of’ for us. Sure, you give up a bit of creative control when they do, but it’s so easy… it’s probably worth it!

Price

• $28 per month (or $48 per month as part of Creative Cloud)

Adobe offers Premiere as a standalone subscription or as a part of the Creative Cloud package. If you already have Creative Cloud (Audition? Photoshop?), then you have Premiere. But, if Premiere’s going alone, then you’ll be paying $28 per month for the privilege.

Pros

• Pinnacle of video editing functionality: you want to do it, you can do it.
• Fast, powerful, and you have full control over everything
• Lots of creator support: huge variety of tutorials, courses & case studies

Cons

• The learning curve is steep
• Very little assistance or automation

Try Adobe Premiere

2. Filmora

A great, low-budget video editor if you value quick polish over editing power

Filmora is a modern take on video editing. Half way between the old-school, super-power editing packages and the new-school heavily assisted browser-based editors. It’s downloadable, standalone and runs fast on a range of systems. It has a lot of the functionality of Premiere and Final Cut, but it stands out in what it helps and automates.

First, I love the fact that there’s a music library and video stock library built right in. It saves so much time in doing quick, first cuts of a video. Search for some b-roll, preview, drop it in, skim through the music, listen to a few, drop that beat on top. I know this exists elsewhere, and it’s possible to add it to Premiere, or Final Cut, but it’s just implemented seamlessly here in Filmora.

Next, getting the polish right. Skim through those colour filters, and test them out. Pick that lovely “sunset” one. Hit the transcription button and have the whole thing transcribed, fast. Then, browse through the templates and pick a caption format you love. Finally, let’s get some text effects in. Point out things on the screen, ask for a subscribe and pop up links in a really stylish way. There are a bunch of options. And there are good, stylish, modern ones here too, not just the ‘Arial’ text or the 90s News channel titles of Premiere.

I’ve worked a lot in both platforms now, and Filmore definitely lacks some of the speed and polish of Premiere. But, what it lacks in those areas, it makes up for in efficiency and assistance, as described above. Plus, of course, it’s a whole lot less expensive.

Price

Filmora comes in either annual or one-off purchase prices. Here’s how they break down:

• $99 ‘perpetual’ plan – one-off purchase of the current version of Filmora
• $69 annual plan – subscribe annually for every future update

Pros

• Great selection of music and film stock to rapidly polish up your video
• Wide range of colour filters and effects
• Good selection of in-built callouts, templates and transitions

Cons

• Lacking in some of the power features and pure speed of Premiere or Final Cut

Try Filmora

3. Final Cut Pro

Top of the heap, best-in-class video editor for the Mac

Frankly, I could just copy and paste the paragraph from Premiere above and pop it in here… Shall I?

Okay, better not; probably a bit lazy. Suffice to say, Final Cut is the other industry standard, and can do everything Premiere can do. At least all the things that matter to us as normal content creators.

Similar cons, too: with great power… yea, spiderman gag again. This one’s complex, too, but worth it if you dig in.

So, if you’re a Mac, and you’re happy to get into the weeds, then you’re Final Cut.

Price

FCP is a one-off purchase price of $299. Buy it once, use it forever. Remember that concept?

Pros

Literally the same, on all fronts, as Premiere, with one little extra

• Pinnacle of video editing functionality: you want to do it, you can do it.
• Fast, powerful, and you have full control over everything
• Lots of creator support: huge variety of tutorials, courses & case studies
• One-off purchase price, so no commitment to an ongoing subscription.

Cons

• The learning curve is steep
• Very little assistance or automation
• Expensive one-off cost, but cheaper than a permanent subscription, long-term

Try Final Cut Pro

4. Camtasia

Best choice for educators using screen recordings and webcam capture

Camtasia is worth a mention for anyone whose videos are mostly in the screen capture or slideshow area. It’s a package designed for recording your screen and popping your face on as an overlay. Commonly used for tutorials, courses or demos and really popular with teachers, it offers a range of ways to highlight parts of the screen or demonstrate how to do things. The callouts are also really useful, being able to point out features, buttons or functionality in the final edit.

Camtasia also makes it nice and easy to record a set of slides, either with a voiceover alone, or your webcam overlaid.

If you’re making a more traditional video, the editing experience probably isn’t best suited. Stick to Filmora for the easy version of this, or Premiere/Final Cut for the full experience. But, if most of your footage is teaching on your computer, or doing slide-based tutorials, then Camtasia is a great option.

Price

$299 for a perpetual license, which gets you the current version and one free upgrade.

Pros

• Excellent at screen recording and webcam capture
• Easily edit screen captures to highlight parts of the screen through zooms & callouts
• Record slideshows with PowerPoint and Keynote

Cons

• Not at it’s strongest with traditional video editing with a range of clips, layers, etc.

Try Camtasia

5. Veed

Fully-featured online video editing package with excellent shorts and clipping features

Veed is the most fully featured online video editor that I’ve found so far. It’s quite similar to Filmora in both strengths and functionality. Feasibly, you could create a full-scale video production in Veed, fully in your browser.

It includes all of the standard video editing requirements, stock footage, stock music, title templates and effects.

It also includes transcription generation and subtitling for your videos, which can be a real boon for accessibility.

As I’ve mentioned, it’s definitely a bit slower and more clunky to work on video in your browser, so I wouldn’t recommend spending hours in here, polishing up your latest long-form video podcast or YouTube video.

But, where Veed does excel is quick hits: clipping up an existing video and repurposing it into shorts for social. It even comes with a whole range of effects that can add dynamism and fun to your video.

And if you’re just repurposing a full-length podcast recording, cleaning it up a little and perhaps adding a few effects, it can do the job quite nicely.

Price

• Free: 1GB Upload limit and export with a Veed watermark
• $18 / month: Remove watermark and export up to 25 minutes
• $30 / month: AI-powered editing and stock audio
• $59 / month: AI Avatars, custom templates, video analytics and calls to action.

Pros

• Online platform means you don’t have to manage files or worry about computer capabilities
• Lots of templates for social media and shorts
• Great for fast clipping and creating shorts

Cons

• Not the place to spend hours on a detailed edit for long-form video

Try Veed

6. FlexClip

FlexClip is a web-based editing platform built for creators who want to polish up their videos fast, with no film degree required. Its drag-and-drop editor feels familiar if you’ve used Canva or Descript, and it includes templates, audio waveforms, and a solid media library to help you turn around slick video clips in less time than it takes to untangle your headphone cord.

FlexClip’s standout features include AI-powered tools for generating scripts, matching clips to text, and even editing images (like removing backgrounds or adjusting contrast to make that dark wool yarn actually visible). Its transcription and captioning are accurate and customizable, though be warned: if your timeline isn’t locked before you generate subtitles, you might burn through credits needlessly.

I especially liked the option to feed in a blog post URL and have FlexClip spit out a short, image-matched video – ideal for repurposing written content. While the AI-generated clips aren’t perfect out of the box, they’re a solid starting point, and you can tweak scenes, media, and narration as needed.

Pricing is flexible: the free tier works for basic clips (up to 10 minutes, 720p), while paid plans unlock longer exports, higher resolution, more stock assets, and way more AI credits.

Price

• Free tier: 720p exports, 10-minute limit, limited stock/media use
• Plus ($11.99/mo billed annually): 1080p exports, 5 stock clips per project, 3,600 AI credits/year, no watermark
• Business ($19.99/mo billed annually): 4K exports, unlimited stock use, 9,600 AI credits/year, 1TB hosting, reseller rights

Pros

• Online platform means you don’t have to manage files or worry about computer capabilities
• Beginner-friendly interface with drag-and-drop editing
• Handy AI features for script generation and video matching
• Great for repurposing blog posts into video content
• Good value at lower tiers

Cons

• Subtitle generation can waste credits if timeline isn’t finalised
• AI-generated clips may need manual tweaking
• Stock library lacks some specific visuals

Try FlexClip

7. Movavi Video Editor

Movavi is a recent addition to our best video editing software roundup, suggested by Matthew. He has used it for almost a year and says it helps him create polished videos, even though he admits he does not know much about video production.

Movavi Video Editor is one of those programs that manages to feel both approachable and surprisingly capable. Think of it as that rare
middle ground: you don’t need weeks of training just to cut a clip or
apply an effect, but you still get plenty of features for creative
content creation.

The interface is clean and drag-and-drop friendly… and it gets even
better under the hood. What really makes Movavi shine is the way it
bakes in helpful automation without taking control away from you:
AI helps with background and noise removal, motion tracking, and
even automatic subtitle generation in multiple languages.

You also get a solid collection of effects and audio assets, including
titles, stickers, filters, transitions, music, and sounds. If you’re looking
to move quickly from idea to polished video, I think it’s more than up
to the task.

Price

• Free trial: 60-second video export limit, some advanced features unavailable, watermark on the output videos.
• $19.95 / month: No watermark, all features, free updates
• $69.95 / year: Includes major and minor updates + 3 effects packs
• $94.95 lifetime license: One-off payment, free updates within the current version + 3 effects packs

Pros

• Easy to get started, drag-and-drop editing
• AI tools that save time
• Built-in collection of effects and music
• Cross-platform: runs smoothly on Windows and Mac

Cons

• Advanced editors like Premiere Pro easily outgrow its simplicity
• Gets laggy on complex projects with high-resolution clips

Try Movavi

What’s Your Choice?

That’s the list! What’s going to be your video editing software of choice?

Is it Premiere or Final Cut for the full-powered experience?

Filmora for a decent middle ground and a bit of assistance?

Or Veed to get your video editing into the cloud and take advantage of as much assistance and repurposing as you can get your hands on?

Whatever video editing app you choose, I hope it gets your creator juices flowing! Have fun

And, once you’re up and running with your video editing software, here’s how to put your podcast on YouTube!

With the right approach, you can remove pretty much all of the tech stress from the process.

AI or ML-based tools can automate so much of the techie work now, so it’s almost crazy to spend time on it yourself. Things like normalisation and noise reduction, or adding music and transitions, or editing out every um and ah…. They’re all engineering tasks that take you away from what matters: your content!

So, let’s look at a tool to do all of those things and more, so you can keep your mind right where it should be – delighting your listeners

The tool in question is Alitu – a podcast creator app which started in 2017, and has served many thousands of podcasters since. Let’s get into it – welcome to Alitu, your new podcasting assistant

What is Alitu?

It’s a podcast creating tool which does all of this:

• Audio & Video Call Recording & Solo Recording
• Automated AI Audio Cleanup (noise reduction, EQ, etc)
• Automatic removal of ums, ahs, silence, breaths & filler sounds
• Automated Production tasks (theme music, transitions)
• Generated Transcriptions
• Exporting short marketing clips from your full show
• Audio Editing by Text (rapid edit like a word doc)
• Audio Editing by Waveform (polish the detail)
• AI Generated Episode Titles & Descriptions
• Podcast Hosting & distribution
• Chapter markers, support links & location search

Alitu is a web-based app which aims to make it as easy as humanly possible for you to create a podcast, from recording, to editing, to publishing.

You start by uploading your audio from anywhere, or recording a call right into the app with up to 10 guests.

Then, Alitu cleans up your audio. It does noise reduction, volume levelling and EQ to make you sound crisp. And it can remove all of your filler sounds – ums, ahs and the rest – giving you really easy review of what it’s taken out. It can even remove dynamic noise, like dog barks or an ambulance going by. Listen to it below

Next, once the audio’s all cleaned up, you get to production. Alitu can set up your theme music so it’s added automatically. Fades and transitions are added for your theme music automatically, and you can add more between any sections you like. Using the drag and drop episode builder, you can bring in regular clips anywhere in the episode, such as adverts or segment intros. You can edit clips here, too, to remove any mistakes.

That editing is as fast as it comes – both text-based and waveform-based, so you can skim through the broad strokes in text, and refine the detail on the waveform (only if you want to!).

When you click ‘Preview My Episode’, Alitu creates your final file, perfectly optimised in the right format for podcasting, and you can publish it directly from inside your Alitu account and push it out for the world to hear.

Alitu also gives you the option to download your shiny new episode and then publish it to your hosting platform of choice, or publish directly with one click to seven of the most popular hosting platforms. You don’t need to use Alitu’s own hosting if you don’t want to .

What Makes Alitu Unique?

Alitu is unique because it simplifies the process, but also offers you as much control as possible over the content and the distribution. It combines ease of use with creative control like no other app.

As an example: filler sound cleanup, Alitu’s magic filters can highlight every um, every ah, and every other filler. You can blanket remove them all, in one click. OR you can take creative control: scroll through, review each one, make fine adjustments as needed, and THEN remove them.

Alitu’s biggest strength is its intuitive, powerful and time-saving audio editing tool. It integrates both waveform editing and text-based audio editing, and offers magic filters to help automate a lot of your work. It’s a really powerful approach, simplified and podcast-specific, compared to normal audio editors.

You can rapid-edit the broad strokes of your episode using the transcript, just like you would with a Word doc. And then you can polish up the detail using the waveform editor.

Alitu speeds up editing by offering a 1-click preview, so you can listen to a cut instantly without all the normal skipping and clicking. And it has a playback speed control, so you can edit at 1.5 or 2x speed.

Alitu also saves a whole lot of tech stress and time by combining call recording with cleanup and editing, so you avoid dealing with file downloads and uploads, or worrying about formats. Simply record a call right inside Alitu, and it’ll be cleaned up immediately, and popped into your file library.

Finally for publishing, it has its own hosting built-in, or it also links directly to all of the most popular podcast hosting platforms. Even if your favourite host isn’t listed, it’s super simple to download your finished episode from Alitu, and then upload it directly to any host.

One final feature, loved by many Alitu users, is the ‘video export’ option, where you can create a video version of your episode, right inside the app. An image, a title and a moving waveform are laid over your audio, so you can use it on YouTube, or any other social platform.

What’s New With Alitu?

New features for podcasters are being added to Alitu all the time. It’s in a constant state of enhancement and improvement.

Just a few of the improvements through the past few years:

• Chapter markers (Mid 2025)
• Video call recording (Early 2025)
• Podcast 2.0 – Podping, funding support & more (Spring 2025)
• Magic Filters – remove ums, ahs, silences (Late 2024)
• text-based audio editing (Summer 2023)
• AI-assisted copywriting (Spring 2023)
• Podcast hosting (Autumn 2022)
• Transcriptions (Summer 2022)

Reportedly coming soon, later in 2025:

• Full video workflow – video recording, cleanup & editing

How to Make a Podcast Episode in Alitu

Let’s take a look at the process, to show you how Alitu works. Nothing like a proper case study to give you the full rundown!

Here’s my episode plan, for today:

1. Episode intro – just me, recording solo
2. Main content – guest interview via online call
3. Sponsor slot
4. News segment – me and a co-host, recording in person

You might not need to do all of these, but it’ll help me show you all the different ways there are to get audio into Alitu. Let’s get making!

Step 1: Recording My Interview

So, I start by scheduling a call with my guest and sending them an Alitu call recording link.

At the right time, I pop onto the link, as do they, and I see the call recording screen.

Here, I can record my call, with all the normal features you’d expect. I can mute my mic if I need to. I can get the invite link again, to invite more people. I can lock the room, so no one else can enter. And I can type things into the call chat if I need to share some written info with my guest.

Once the call’s done, I hit ‘End Call’ and the recording is finished up. At this point, Alitu will clean up the recording – applying noise reduction, volume levelling, hum reduction – and pop it into my library for use in any episode in future.

Step 2: Creating the Episode

Now, I’m ready to put the episode together. So, I click ‘Add an Episode’ on the Alitu dashboard. This takes me to the episode details screen. This sets the ID3 tags for the episode, and the info carries over onto your Podcast hosting platform, once you publish.

If you don’t have this all ready right away, though, you can add it or change it later, so let’s move along!

Next, we add our recordings to the upload screen. This is where we put clips into the app, in various different ways. The first option is to upload directly, as you’ll see below.

But clicking ‘Add Your Audio’ shows the other methods, including recording into the app and adding from your library.

So, I can start by adding my call recording, from above, into the episode first. I click ‘add’ above, on the latest call recording. In the library, you can rename these files, so you can make them a bit easier to find and keep track of, too.

Next, I want to record my episode intro right into the app. I’ve got a bullet point script I made for this, based on the call we recorded, so I pull out the script and hit record.

Final one, I upload a pre-recorded news segment, made using my Tascam DR05, in person, with a friend. To do that, I just click on the upload box, and select the file from my computer, or drag it right from my desktop into the Alitu window.

You can do this with any externally recorded clip, from a Zoom call to a conference presentation, and Alitu will clean it up and add it to your episode, just like the rest.

At this point, you can even merge clips, if you happen to have a recording which is split for each participant. You often get these from double-ender type tools, which record each speaker separately. As long as the clips are synchronised (meaning each is the same length and the speakers are in sync) Alitu can clean them up separately, and join them together for you.

Now, I click upload, and the files are all on their way into Alitu, to be cleaned up!

Step 3: Episode Builder for Music & Extra Clips

The episode builder is where you add theme music, rearrange your clips and add any regular clips from your library (such as adverts, segment intros, music transitions, etc). You can also access editing, here, but I’ll show you that next.

For the episode builder, you can see that my theme music has been added automatically and a fade is added from music to voice, both for the intro and outro music. You can edit the music length and fade length (how the two clips overlap, and fade in and out) using the little round fade icons. And, you can add new clips to the timeline using the + icon.

So, I’ll start by adding my sponsor slot for the week. I recorded that weeks ago since it’s running on my show for two months. I just add it in from my library, then, I can drag it into the right position. I can also add our musical transition for the new segment in the same way, so I end up with seven clips on the timeline.

And that’s the episode constructed. Music is added, fades are in, and all clips are included. Almost ready to publish!

But, first, there were a couple of things I need to edit out…

Bonus: Free Music Library

Quick Aside: It’s worth noting that Alitu includes a big free music library which all Alitu members can use within their podcast, with no limit. Each theme ‘pack’ has a number of variations, including full-length theme music tracks and short two to ten-second transition clips, stings or bumpers. There’s even a loop, for each track, so you can create voiceovers with a music bed behind it of any length.

Step 4: Editing out Silence & Mistakes

When I was recording my call, I know we had a bit of a chat at the start, to introduce each other, and then again at the end, when I thanked the guest for coming on. I want to edit these out.

So, I find the call recording on the episode builder and click edit. This is what I see.

I can easily click around on the clip and play any part, to find the sections I need to edit. I can zoom in for the detail, and then I click and drag to select sections to edit out.

This is commonly used to edit out the silence at the start and end of each clip, as well as any big mistakes within a recording, or noises, silence, etc.

At this point, I might also run the magic filters, to get rid of any of my ums and ahs or other filler sounds. It can also cut out all the longer silences that I might have in my recording. Each of these edits is shown on the timeline, so I have full control over them. I can remove them, if I think the filler sound is better to keep in, or I can adjust the edges to make the cut better if I like.

OR, I can just leave them be, trust the magic of the feature, and never have to worry about an UM again!

I can also use the text-based editing feature if I want to speed up editing the ‘broad strokes’. I use this a lot for skimming through and trimming out the fat of an interview. I can see the parts where we went right off track really quickly, this way.

It’s also useful for finding mistakes, since I can use ‘code words’ to mark edit points. I still use click editing for this sometimes, but now I can also use code words, like “Edit this part” or “Highlight here”, to really easily find sections I want to do something with.

Once I’ve done my broad editing in the text, I’ll go through each edit and click the preview button.

The end result, after you’ve made a few edits, might look like this. The red lines on the waveform show ‘finished’ edits, and the currently open one is the active edit. You can see the same on the transcription. But you can always go back and change any edit at any point.

To finish up, click ‘Done’ in the top right, and you’re taken back to the episode builder. Now that we’re finished editing, we can export the episode!

Remember, too, that you can listen back through any audio file in Alitu at 1.25x, 1.5x, or even 2x speed. This means you can edit your show in half the time it would take with most other audio production packages!

You can take some final steps during editing if you want to, but these ones are more optional.

Alitu’s constantly evolving toolbar lets you do the following:

• Mute: Silence any word, sound or part of your recording without changing the cadence and flow of the conversation.
• Bleep: Bleep out curse words, or anything else you need to hide during a chat. Sometimes used purely for the funnies!
• Add Silence: This lets you space things out, to give them room to breathe. Add silence and space wherever you like.
• Clip: Pick out a clip from the larger episode and export it as a separate file. Great for marketing and social media.
• Split a clip at any point: so you could chop one big interview in half and then insert ads, extra segments, transitions, etc.
• Background Music: Add a layer of background music anywhere in the recording. Adjust volume, length and fade in/out as you need to.

Step 5: Publishing Your Episode

You have a few options when it comes to publishing.

Alitu has its own podcast hosting built in, which includes everything you need, from full download stats to a hosted podcast website.

Or, you can also connect to a bunch of the most popular hosting sites, as shown in the screenshot below.

Once you’re connected up, then a ‘Publish to XYZHost’ button appears below the preview player, and you can publish with just a few clicks using that.

If you’re wondering about hosting, you can check out our favourite podcast hosting platforms here.

Alitu now has AI-Generated titles and descriptions built in. Simply click the ‘Write Using AI’ button, as shown below, and Alitu will suggest a set of titles to you. Select one, and then have a read through the description that’s been written for you too.

Worth giving it the human touch, but this feature saves dozens of minutes compared to starting with a blank page!

So, now, I’ll just click ‘Publish with Alitu’ and send the episode right over. Done!

Alternatively, I can download my finished episode, and upload it anywhere else I like. This is useful if you use a hosting platform that Alitu hasn’t integrated with yet, or you want to publish elsewhere, like Soundcloud.

Finally, there’s the option to publish a video version of the episode, using the ‘Create Video’ button. This produces a visual version of your episode by adding a background image, your title and a moving soundwave. You can publish this to YouTube or even make a video podcast.

Alitu Will Transcribe Your Podcast Episodes

Providing written episode transcriptions is an essential part of your show’s accessibility and growth. Podcast transcription can be expensive, though, and you can easily end up paying upwards of $20 per episode.

The good news? Alitu will now automatically generate transcripts for you, at no extra cost. This is yet another feature we’ve been excited to add to Alitu’s many offerings, and the feedback has been great so far.

Podcasting 2.0

One important trend in podcasting is the open podcasting 2.0 movement. It’s encouraging standards which keep podcasting as a free, open medium and which improve the way RSS feeds work for us. This helps both podcasters and listeners long-term.

For example, Alitu now incorporates:

• Funding Tag: allows podcasters to set a funding method (Patreon, Paypal, etc) which listeners can easily access from their listening app
• Location Tag: If you do local or location-based podcasting, this makes you much easier to find.

These are just two recent additions, joining the more functional tags like custom text and license, as well as other Podcast Standards initiatives like Podping.

Summary: How to Make a Podcast in Alitu

And there you have it! How to make a podcast episode in as little time and with as little stress as possible, using Alitu.

Get a 7 Day Free trial of Alitu now

Here’s a summary of what Alitu does to help you make your podcast:

• Audio cleanup, including noise reduction, hum reduction, levelling and voice EQ.
• Upload external recordings, including double-ender clips
• Audio or Video Record yourself or a call, right inside the app
• Automatically add theme music and fades
• Free music library, with full-length tracks, stings & loops
• Add a teaser clip before your theme music
• Edit podcasts in half the time by changing the playback speed
• Use Magic filters to automatically cut out my ums, my ahs, my silences and breath sounds.
• Add silence & bleeps when needed, or mute parts that aren’t
• Create pro-sounding music-backed clips using the Music Clip maker
• Access your library of regularly used clips, such as ads or segment intros
• Podcast-specific audio waveform editor to remove silence & mistakes
• Text or transcription-based editing to speed up your production
• Split clips to insert another in between
• Add ID3 tags/metadata and send that to your host
• Creates the final file – correct format, bitrate and standard loudness
• Transcription – auto-generates a written transcription of your episode
• AI-Generated Episode Titles & Descriptions to help you with your copywriting
• Publish direct to your hosting provider (including Buzzsprout, Captivate, Transistor, & more)
• OR, host your podcast via Alitu’s dedicated podcast hosting
• Create a video version of your podcast for YouTube and elsewhere

And remember, if you’re still at the stage of launching your show, then be sure to check out our full How to Start a Podcast guide. That’ll take you through everything else you need to know, from planning, to equipment, to promotion.

Related Article

How to Start a Podcast: Your Lightning Fast, No-Sweat Guide, from Launch to your 1st 100 Listeners

Terrified of making your own podcast? Confused about how everything works? Fear not, we’ll be with you every step of the way.  Find out more »

What’s Dynamic Audio Insertion?

When you hear a separately recorded ad in a podcast, chances are the producer didn’t edit it into the episode themselves. The podcast’s media host can “stitch” a new audio clip into the podcast episode. For example, Podbean uses dynamically inserted ads, helping podcasters who use Podbean for hosting to monetize their shows.

But, dynamic audio insertion (DAI) isn’t just for advertising. It’s also a feature that can help keep your content fresh, lively, and engaging.

In this case study, dynamic insertion is used to help promote a call for voice feedback as part of a ‘question of the month’ segment. This means the ads for the questions are up-to-date across the entire back catalog.

Let’s look at other ways to punch up your podcast with dynamic content.

Creative Uses for DAI

Sometimes, podcasters need to correct or clarify a point in their episode after publication. Rather than re-recording and editing the entire episode, dynamic content insertion can add a short recording to the published episode where appropriate.

For example, when comedian Norm MacDonald passed away in 2021, Marc Maron re-published a 2011 episode of WTF, in which he’d interviewed MacDonald.

Using dynamic content insertion, he could also introduce the original episode for his audience with this new context, and demonstrate how it holds more meaning for him in hindsight.

When we create a podcast with dynamic content, our show can remain evergreen, even as the context changes.

Give Audiences a Reason to Replay

TED Talks Daily published a “mystery episode” to experiment with dynamic content, using PRX’s Dovetail publishing platform. Although the download numbers for the episode’s first day were typical, the episode’s numbers climbed as audiences returned to hear how the audio had changed. 

“When compared to the eight episodes before and after, ‘The Mystery Episode’ earned 10% more than the average downloads at seven days post-drop and had 7% above average at Day 18.”

Raise the Stakes or Add Humor

Not only can dynamic audio insertion increase engagement, but it can also add meaning. Neutrinowatch, “a generative semi-fictional podcast,” is a particularly interesting case. There are seven episodes, and each episode changes daily. For example, in the episode “Wendy, Watch The Stars,” an AI responds to a crank question. She answers the question and puts the heckler in their place. Depending on when you download the episode, her answers include different phrases and insights. 

Send Your Audience to Your Website or Email List

The ever-popular Welcome to Night Vale wrapped up a storyline about divergent timelines using dynamic audio insertion. In episode 133, Are You Sure?, audiences could hear one of three randomly selected endings. However, if the audience wanted to experience all three episode endings, they can visit the podcast’s website.

What if you could get your audience to sign up for a mailing list in exchange for hearing alternative content for your show?

Experimentation can encourage the audience to interact with your podcast. I still think it’s magic.

Where to Insert Your Dynamic Content?

The terms “pre-roll,” “mid-roll,” and “post-roll” refer to the part of the episode where dynamic content insertion occurs.

A mid-roll insert happens at some point during the main content. It’s the most sought-after spot as it’s least likely to be skipped. But pre-roll is ideal if you’re adding an update or caveat to the intro of an old episode, as Maron did with his Norm MacDonald episode.

Post-roll, on the other hand, is ideal for adding fresh Calls to Actions to old episodes. Here, you’ve delivered the value, and it’s only your most engaged fans who are still listening.

Best Podcast Hosting Sites in 2025 (With 4 Free Options)

Read article called: Best Podcast Hosting Sites in 2025 (With 4 Free Options)

Give Your Podcast Creative Freedom with Dynamic Content

Dynamic content enables podcasters to adapt easily. Using DAI, you can quickly correct mistakes or misinformation. Your stories can be enhanced for repeat listening and deeper understanding. Your CTAs can always remain relevant and up-to-date.

Dynamic inserts aren’t just for ads. They can also make your back catalog more appealing to potential sponsors. If you’re curious about monetizing, our full guide to podcast sponsorship will help you get started, even if your download numbers are on the modest side.

In this article, I am excited to introduce to you a new reverb tool from iZotope/NI, Equinox.  This tool has the potential to elevate your podcasts to the next level, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro.

What is Equinox?

Back in the not-too-distant past, soundies worldwide drooled over the sound of the reverbs from Exponential Audio. Equinox is reviving the sound of these reverbs by utilizing the Exponential Audio algorithms and combining them with the adaptive unmasking technology we’ve seen from Aurora. 

Equinox boasts 1,250 presets geared toward giving you a lush, immersive sound for dialogue, soundscapes, or experimental music. 

The best part? Equinox is a multichannel reverb, which means it supports immersive formats like surround/atmos/binaural for mixing.

For individuals with a license for the Exponential Audio reverbs Stratus and Symphony, Equinox allows you to replace these plugins in a Pro Tools session with Equinox while carrying over plugin settings. At this time, only Pro Tools is supported for this feature.  Automation and auxiliary output information is currently not supported at the time of this review.

Zotope provided me with a review build of Equinox.  Some elements may differ slightly from the official release.

Crafting Reverb in Seconds

The team at iZotope has taken care to assist users who are new to more complex tools like Equinox without hindering control for more experienced users. Equinox features a “Filter” section where users can select what “flavour” of reverb they would like to have. 

For podcasters, you’ll mostly focus on the Space and Size filters, but you may want to play with the Effect filter if you are doing sound design for audio dramas. 

So, what do these filters do exactly? They suggest factory presets based on your needs. For example, under “Space,” I clicked “Tight,” and for “Size,” I selected “Small,” which brings up the Smooth Vocal Booth preset.

As you can see, the settings are changed, but you can make manual tweaks, add more effects for more complex textures, or enable unmasking. If you’re ever unsure what a setting does, hovering over it will give a brief explanation.

Equinox and Unmasking

Equinox has an unmasking function, but what exactly does that mean?

Frequencies need a lot of coaxing to “play nice” with each other.  When you have the dry signal of say a voice recording and add reverb, you are adding frequency content to the overall signal.  This can lead to frequency build-up, also better known as “mud”. This can have an ill effect on the intelligibility of both the dry audio and the reverb.

Did you know you’re supposed to EQ your reverb? This is how audio professionals deal with frequency buildup issues. However, now, with unmasking tools, you no longer need to listen for this manually, saving you a tremendous amount of time and leading to cleaner-sounding mixes. Equinox uses a simple UI to set up unmasking between the dry and reverb applied to the audio. 

What Does This Mean for Me?

Your dry audio will remain intelligible with little to no loss in transient details, while your reverb will be more defined. That means you can have a large reverb with a long tail without the source audio sounding washy or muffled, or with tight/short reverbs to make a voice-over recording sound “larger”.

Now, is it 100% effective? Not always, but the unmasking technology has vastly improved since I first came across it in Neutron 4 Advanced from iZotope. With letting Equinox unmask the reverb applied to a source sound in real-time, there is definitely a noticeable difference!  Equinox allows a user to make manual adjustments if needed.  Having this tool built-in also helps with plugin insert clutter. This can help simplify plugin chains inside a DAW.

Equinox: UI

The UI has a lot going on, but iZotope did a good job of balancing sections that separate features so as not to overwhelm the user and keeping it concise enough that there’s no need to constantly flip between windows to make adjustments. It uses a “dark mode” colour pallet, which is great for people with screen brightness sensitivity.

Equinox: Performance

It’s always recommended that if you haven’t built your own PC for audio productions, at the very least, use a laptop that is advertised as a gaming laptop to meet the minimum hardware specs of the audio processing applications you’ll be using. 

In my testing, Equinox wasn’t a glutton on CPU/RAM and ran quite smoothly. The version of the plugin I tested was in its review build, and I didn’t run into any time crippling glitches or performance issues. I was running it in a 100-track session with multiple occurrences on auxiliary sends (FX sends) with no issues. 

This is a breath of fresh air for a Windows user, as QC for tools on the Windows side has started to take a downward hit again as developers favour Mac stability.

Sound Samples

Here’s a quick spoken-word before-and-after. I used a darker-sounding mic, and Equinox opened it up, making it brighter and livelier, but the effect is subtle in this use case. The tool will undoubtedly shine more with multi-sound source sessions like audio drama.

Equinox Cost & Conclusion

Equinox is set to be priced at $249 USD. A special discount price of $149.20 USD will be available until April 30^th, 2025. 

This plugin is a great addition to a toolset for time-saving capabilities with professional results. Its filter feature can help a less experienced user zero in on where to start with a preset, yet it has enough manual functionality for tweaking for a more seasoned user.

Reintroducing the sound of Exponential Audio for reverbs is very exciting, as those sounded amazing! They were an industry favourite for many years. With Equinox, a user will be able to easily create ear candy for their listeners! 

Here, we list some of the best podcast production companies around to help you make the right choice. Let’s take a look!

A quick heads up, this article includes affiliate links to some of the services mentioned to help support the free content we produce.

TLDR – Just Find Me a Podcast Producer!

Quick answer, eh? Well, here are four of the best options for you:

1. Full-service production ($1000+):

Castos Productions

Post-production of your audio podcast episodes can be frustrating and time-consuming. The good news is – it doesn’t have to be that way! Outsource your whole podcast production to expert audio producers – with full training in producing professional shows – all you will have to do is record each episode and send the unedited files to Castos for further production.

2. Detailed editing in your Creation Platform (from $295): Alitu

Alitu Productions

Podcast-maker tool Alitu is designed to make DIY editing & publishing as easy as clicking a few buttons, no technical knowledge needed. But now, the Alitu Productions tier offers an editing service, too, so you can record in the app, have it edited for you, review it, and publish, all in one place.

3. Limited budget pick: Fiverr (Sub-$100)

Go with freelance sound engineer and podcast editor adamglider on Fiverr. We’ve tried him, and he’s great. You’ll get podcast production packages there for as little as $64, depending on what you need.

4. Got very specific needs?

Work with us!

At The Podcast Host, we don’t just teach podcasting – we’ve been editing and producing them for more than fifteen years. If you’d like us in your corner when it comes to making your content shine, get in touch and tell us more about your needs, plans, and ambitions.

Why Hire a Podcast Producer?

Most people get into podcasting because they have something to say. They have a message, and they want to share it with the world.

And, though there’s more to podcasting than just getting behind the mic and hitting record, all of these other tasks are often seen as necessary rather than enjoyable.

Of all the jobs involved, there are two that seem to cause the most grief among podcasters of all levels of experience.

Fed Up Editing?

Whether you call it editing, mixing, or post-production, there are a few reasons why you might dread this stage of making an episode.

Some find it difficult, time-consuming, or just flat-out boring.

Even taking a minimum effective editing approach involves opening up a DAW or editing software program, and just the thought of that can lead some podcasters to procrastination and even “podfading”.

Bored Writing Shownotes?

You probably didn’t get into an audio medium like podcasting for the thought of sitting down and knocking out 400-500-word blog posts every other week.

And whilst some podcasters love to write, others could really do without it.

Even in a world where AI can generate show notes for you, some podcasters still want that human touch, or don’t have the time or confidence to edit generated text into something they’re happy to put their name to.

Like editing, there’s a range of options available to you when choosing your preferred style of shownotes.

But whether you’re writing bullet points or something more akin to a small ebook, they’re still going to require your time and attention.

Outsourcing: Hire a Podcast Producer

So you might now be tempted to quote the immortal words of Homer Simpson – “Can’t someone else do it?”

The good news is that there’s a plethora of services and freelancers out there who’ll edit, produce, write shownotes, and offer a whole range of other podcasting services on top of that.

But, sometimes having too much choice is hard work in itself, so if you’re in the mood to delegate everything, let us point out some options for you.

Podcast Production on Fiverr

If you’re looking to hire a podcast producer, then Fiverr is a freelancer marketplace where you can get all sorts of help with your content. It’s a really easy platform to navigate and use, though not without its risks, as there are a lot of questionable services on there, too.

With that in mind, we’ve hand-picked a few services for you below. These are all freelancers we’ve used in the past and have been very impressed with.

Podcast Producers For Hire

• adamglinder – from $64
• radioorg – from $106

Shownotes Writers for Hire

• mabendroth15 – from $57

Podcast Artwork Designer for Hire

• c7productions – from $172

Hiring a Podcast Production Agency

Hiring a freelancer is a great option for many. But some prefer to have the weight of a full podcast production company behind them. This means that inevitable real-life stuff like illness and holidays are much less likely to interrupt your release schedule. So, what are your options here?

Lower Street

Want to produce a next-level podcast that stands out from your competitors? Want to create a differentiated show and be sure you find the audience you’re trying to grow?

Want expert guidance from research, planning and scripting through guest booking and recording to post-production and distribution?

Skip the awkward years & launch a great show right away with Lower Street‘s podcast production services. Lower Street handles every step of podcasting for enterprises, high-ticket agencies, and consultants to nail your podcast strategy, content, and promotion from the very first episode.

Alitu Productions

Podcast maker tool Alitu is designed to make DIY editing as easy as humanly possible. But if you still just don’t have the time or the confidence, Alitu Productions is a fully managed tier where the editing is done for you.

It means you can still use Alitu for recording and publishing your show, but right in the middle, the Alitu team will edit the show for you. The cool thing here is that there’s no sending of files, or downloading and review. It’s all done inside the Alitu dashboard – you can preview and review it there, send over your comments, and finally publish, all in the same place.

Apply for the Alitu Productions service here

If you didn’t know already, Alitu’s our sister app, originally started by Colin to help you and all readers of The Podcast Host. So the Alitu service, just like this blog, is designed by podcasters for podcasters!

Castos Productions

Castos Productions takes the hard work of post-production off of your hands, leaving you free to grow your show and connect with your audience.

Their podcast editing service is staffed by their own team of seasoned audio engineers, talented show note writers, and producers, who’ll take care of every aspect of your podcast after you record an episode.

We Edit Podcasts

We Edit Podcasts are another company that can take care of almost all aspects of your show. They offer everything from transcription to video editing. WEP have a nice Podcast Pricing Estimator feature on their site, too, so you can get an idea of your own bespoke costs.

The Podcast Host

Yep, us!

Podcast production is one of the foundations of our business here at The Podcast Host. We’ve been editing shows for over fifteen years and know this type of work inside out.

We can teach you how to edit your own show, OR, we have a tool that’ll practically do it for you. But if you’re still looking to work with a dedicated podcast producer, then please tell us a bit more about your unique needs and wants. We look forward to hearing from you!

Podplistic

Podplistic specialises in remote and hybrid production, helping creators and organisations record high-quality podcasts, videos, and documentaries from their own spaces, online platforms, or live environments. Whether your host is in person and your guests are remote—or everyone’s in a different location – Podplistic works around that to create a quality production.

They’ve worked with some big names too – including The Financial Times, The Economist, and The New York Times.

They cover the whole range of production requirements, from standard episodes to end-to-end production support across podcasts, video content, and documentary projects. One area they specialise in is inclusive and accessible production. They work to get the most out of your host, your guests, and your audience.

Summary: Hiring a Podcast Producer or Podcast Production Company

Just to summarise, then. Here are your options.

Work With Us

If you’re interested in working with us to help bring your show to life (or, take it to the next level) then we’d love to hear from you.

Limited Budget Podcast Production

Looking for regular episodes edited and need to keep costs down to a minimum?

• Fiverr Freelancer: adamglinder
• Fiverr Freelancer: radioorg

Full-Service Podcast Production Companies

Need a comprehensive production service that includes shownotes, publishing, social media promotion, and transcriptions?

• Castos Productions
• Lower Street
• We Edit Podcasts
• Podplistic

Creation App Podcast Production

Finally, Alitu has all the tools you need to record, edit, and publish your show, even if you don’t know a single thing about audio production.

What’s more, if you like the idea, look, or sound of Alitu but still want help with the editing, then Alitu Productions gives you the best of both worlds. With Alitu Productions, Alitu will be your recording and publishing workspace, and your very own producer will work in there alongside you to help bring your show to life!

Podcast editing. For complete beginners, it can be an intimidating barrier to launching a show. Many aspiring podcasters procrastinate, worrying about how they’ll actually edit their podcast episodes before publishing them.

Listen, follow, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice!

But it’s never been easier to edit audio yourself or find someone 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 that are available.

These will depend on your budget, time constraints, and whether or not you prefer to learn new skills or outsource the stuff you’ve no interest in doing yourself.

Just before we jump into part one, a quick heads up. We use the odd affiliate link in this article, which we’d earn a small commission from if you were to buy through it. This is never at any extra cost to you, though – and we only use affiliate links for stuff we recommend and use ourselves!

Alright, let’s get on with this whirlwind tour of podcast editing…

How to Edit a Podcast

At its most basic level, podcast editing is cutting out unwanted bits from your recordings.

In almost all podcast editing software programs, this is done by showing you a visual representation of your audio, known as a waveform. You then find the parts you want to chop, highlight them, and delete them like you’d delete text in a Word document.

Podcast editing can also be done on what’s known as a multitrack. As the name suggests, you’re working with multiple audio tracks here. In a multitrack editor, you’ll drag your clips, trim them, and arrange them into a fully-fledged podcast episode. This is a common way of mixing in different segments, clips, and podcast music.

Then, there’s the production side of podcast editing. This is where you can run effects and processes designed to reduce background noise, boost volume, and gently enhance your audio. This can be done with preset effects or plugins. Some audio editing software (like Alitu) will take care of this automatically using AI audio cleanup tools, so you don’t need to spend time learning it all.

How Long Does it Take to Edit a Podcast?

Unsurprisingly, there’s a big “it depends” answer to this one. Let’s use two different podcasters as an example.

Quick & Dirty Podcast Editing

In the first instance, our podcaster opts for a “Minimum Effective Editing” approach. They’ll build this into their recording process—any time they make a mistake or get interrupted, they’ll click their fingers three times in front of the mic. This creates a very obvious visual marker in the waveform, so it’s quick and easy to chop out later on.

They’ll do a “top and tail”, chop off the unwanted stuff at the beginning and end of the recording, and use pre-sets or automation to add some music and do the production and processing work. If this show is about 30 minutes long, it’ll take no longer than 15 minutes to edit. That’s pretty fast.

Thorough Podcast Editing & Production

In our second example, our podcaster records lengthy interviews where finger-clicking isn’t really an option. They can use a notepad to jot down potential edit timecodes, but they prefer to focus 100% on the conversation. Later on, this lengthy interview will need a full listen-through, which can take double its time. As a ballpark, a one-hour recording will need two hours of editing.

Not only that, but our podcaster likes to go for the “highly produced” approach, layering in music beds for mood and effect. Picking out music from a Royalty Free source and then working it into your content can easily add another hour to your podcast editing.

Production-wise, they might be interested in the granular control and maximum optimisation here, too. This would mean taking each separate recording and manually applying things like Compression and EQ. Again, this can add another hour to your workflow if you really get into the weeds.

Overall, our second podcaster could expect to spend three to five hours editing their hour-long episode.

A Rough Average Podcast Editing Time: One Hour

Both examples are on the extreme ends of the spectrum, and for most podcasters, the reality lies somewhere in the middle. If you wanted the ultimate stab in the dark figure, let’s say that podcast editing takes, on average, around an hour. But there are so many variables, caveats, and exceptions.

What Are the Podcast Editing “Rules”?

Now that we’ve covered the basics, you’ll realise that there’s no single way you “should” be editing your podcast. Indeed, 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 will require a fair bit of editing.

But if you’re recording yourself talking into a mic, and don’t even feel the need for any intro music, then you can get away with no editing at all.

So, how do you decide on your own approach? Here are a couple of resources to help guide you.

Beginner

For solo, co-hosted, or interview podcasts, you can get away with very little editing.

• How much editing should I do in my podcast?
• The Minimum Effective Editing approach

Advanced

Documentary and drama-style shows take a lot more podcast editing work. They work brilliantly when done well, but for most podcasters, they are overkill.

• Creating a ‘Highly Produced’ Podcast – full Season of the Podcraft Podcast
• How Do You Edit and Produce an Audio Drama Podcast?

Should I Use a DAW for My Podcast Editing?

The most common podcast editing tool is what’s known as a DAW – which stands for Digital Audio Workstation. It’s just a posh way of saying “audio editing programme”.

DAWs also let you record into them, so it’s basically like having a full recording studio on your computer—provided you have a microphone to plug into it.

The most popular beginner DAW is 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 almost infinite functions and capabilities, then Adobe Audition, Hindenburg, or Reaper might be more up your street.

Best Podcast Editing Software for Podcasters of All Levels

Read article called: Best Podcast Editing Software for Podcasters of All Levels

Below, you’ll find our complete comparison between Audacity and Audition, which will hopefully help you decide which one (if any) you’d prefer to use.

Beginner

Just looking to choose the best fit for you and your show?

• Best Podcast Editing Software for Podcasters of All Levels
• Audacity vs Adobe Audition – Which DAW Should I Use?
• Reaper Review – a Collaborative Option for Recording and Editing Podcasts

Advanced

Want to learn more about DAW-based audio terms, tools, and techniques?

• Destructive Vs Non Destructive Editing for Podcast Production
• The Audacity Compressor – Fix Your Podcast & Audio Volume Issues
• Audacity Noise Reduction – How to Remove Background Noise
• Adobe Audition Review – Plus My Favourite Audition Tools for Podcasting

What About Podcast Editing Apps & Tools?

Podcast editing is 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. You can also record your show inside Alitu (call recording or solo), and it has extra features like music, transcription, and built-in hosting. That means you can start publishing to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and 100 other places the minute you hit ‘save’ on your first episode.

Alitu has a lot of features, but it excels as a standalone podcast editing tool. You can even edit via text, or at double speed, and it can automatically remove filler words, breath sounds, and long pauses. Alitu will cut hours off of your production workload.

One of the latest features to be added is the ability to create or edit podcast cover art. This means you have everything you need to podcast, all under one roof.

In short, Alitu is a 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.

Of course, there are some other great apps out there, too. The bottom line is that these days, you don’t need a DAW to edit your podcast. In fact, you can podcast without ever having opened one in your life.

Beginner

Looking for some simple podcast editing tools?

• Alitu: The Podcast Maker App
• Best Podcast-Making Apps: Simplify Your Podcasting Process
• EditPoint – Take a Walk & Produce Your Podcast

Advanced

Or maybe you DO prefer more of a DIY approach. In which case…

• Podcast Production Plugins: 4 Ways to Take Your Audio to the Next Level

Editing Filler Words, Breath Sounds, & Long Pauses

You can get really “surgical” with podcast editing, and spend time removing every uhm, ah, long pause, and annoying breath sound. I’ve never endorsed this approach because, quite simply, it takes too long, and the workload causes a lot of podcasters to quit altogether.

However, when Alitu recently rolled out automatic filler word, breath, and silence removal, I couldn’t resist giving it a wee shot. Despite working alongside the team that makes Alitu, I still use Audition for most of my audio work. This is purely because I’ve been working with it for 14 years and know it inside out.

Anyway, I uploaded a 40-minute interview to Alitu, let it do its thing, and it cut a whole 4 minutes from my audio. I was pretty amazed. I did a full listen-through at double speed (another feature of Alitu) to make sure it still sounded okay. A handful of jarring edits needed undoing (a feature that’s quick and easy), but that was really it. A big improvement to my audio at no extra time cost to me. What’s more, by saving 700 listeners 4 minutes each, that adds up to over 46 hours!

Is Text-Based Podcast Editing a Thing?

Yes! One of the simplest ways to edit audio is to take a written transcript of your audio, highlight the words, sentences, or sections you’d like to remove and delete them. Text-based editing will then delete the corresponding audio, so if you can compose a text message to your best pal, you can edit a podcast.

Text-based podcast editing is becoming more popular these days, and you’ll find it in a growing number of tools, from Alitu and Descript to Riverside and Hindenburg.

Should I Hire a Producer to Do My Podcast Editing?

Still got no interest in having anything to do with your podcast editing? That’s perfectly normal. It just means you’ll probably need to hire someone to do it for you.

There is 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 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 here are some options for you.

Hiring a Producer: Options

• Alitu Productions offers fixed-price, done-for-you editing services. You record your show in Alitu, or upload from anywhere, then an editor will edit it for you, ready to review right in the same place.
• Music Radio Creative will give you an instant quote based on your average episode length and the number of episodes you’d like to commit to.
• There are plenty of podcast editors available for hire on Fiverr. Check out adamglinder and radioorg if you want to go down this route.
• You might also want to see our full guides on what to look for in a podcast production company and how to hire a podcast producer.

Hardware for Podcast Editing

It almost goes without saying, but a capable computer is an essential part of the podcast editor’s toolkit. There are a few considerations when buying a laptop or computer for podcasting, which we cover in our dedicated guides. If you plan to run Pro Tools on your ZX Spectrum, be prepared to drink many cups of tea whilst you wait.

If you’re using a laptop or computer, then it’s an assumption that you’ll be using a mouse, too. But there are much more intuitive and comfortable ways to edit podcasts, especially if you spend a lot of time on production.

Two of our podcast editing experts, Sarah and Dev, have drawn from the gaming world to give them more tangible control over their software and protect themselves from nasty conditions like RSI. Sarah uses the Stream Deck, whilst Dev uses an Xbox controller. And, as you’ll see from our reviews, they like these setups a lot!

Podcast Editing Summary: Your Content. Your Audience

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.

Podcast Editing for the Hobbyist or “Toe-Dipper”

If you’re a hobbyist just looking to chat about a topic close to your heart, 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), you can do that inside the IndiePod Community.

Podcast Editing for the Small Business or Side-Hustle

If you’re someone currently working a day job, but launching your show as part of a side business that you’re serious about growing, then you might be prepared to spend a little money to save a lot of time. In that case, using the “podcast making” app Alitu is likely your best option.

Podcast Editing for the Company or Brand Podcast

Or, if you’re an established business looking to get a highly polished and professional-sounding show right out the gate, hiring a producer will 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. Remember, we can help you with all of this and more, so get in touch today and tell us exactly what you need!

In podcasting, small mistakes left unaddressed become bad habits. These errors can make audiences stop listening, putting the whole podcast on a one-way trip to Podfadeland. 

Participants in our Podcast Discovery survey told us about some Frequently Annoying Quirks that put audiences off a show. I also asked our Indiepod Community members for podcast turn-offs, and their answers were consistent with the Discovery Survey results.

I’ll explain some of these annoyances so that you can compare them to your episodes. Then, I’ll show you how to fix the quirks. Finally, I’ll show you how to determine if your podcast is annoying. 

Some of these annoyances are easy to define and fix, others less so. Let’s look at the annoying podcast elements that happen with delivery, editing, dynamic audio insertion, and intention. 

Delivery (Or, How Hosts Present Themselves)

Some of the annoying podcast elements that respondents mentioned involved mic technique, enunciation, and speed. 

“The voice of the podcast host is very important. [In some specific cases] I just can’t listen to it because both hosts are high-pitched squawkers.” 

Dear Reader, I listened to the podcast the respondent mentioned. The squawking paled in comparison to the hosts’ plosives on consonants. The mic picked up activity in their soft palates and vocal folds that would take a speech therapist to explain.

We’ve all seen videos of podcasters or radio presenters who cuddle up to the microphone like a kid with a teddy bear. It’s probably to make sure the mic is in the shot, so we think, “Hey, check out that fancy mic; this must be a pro.” But if you can feel your breath rebounding off the mic and onto your face, the audience feels like they’re getting an obscene phone call.  

Though people usually tune out flaws in their speaking, the microphone doesn’t.

2 Simple Ways To Improve Your Presentation

The simplest ways to improve your vocal clarity are to make sure that: 

• your mouth is the right distance from the mic
• your microphone is stable. 

Microphones can pick up sounds you don’t realize exist, like resting your hands on a table or swiveling in a chair. Our guide to mic technique for podcasters explains this in detail. 

Stop mouth noises before you start recording, with proper hydration and a pop filter, and avoid caffeine and dairy before you record. Our guide to what causes mouth noises and how to prevent or reduce them includes how to fix them in the editing stage if necessary. 

Cadence & Clarity 

A succinct version of an evergreen survey response is, “I always need to listen at 1.3 speed. I hate slow narration and long, drawn-out scenes.” Is “speed-listening” a trend because of podcasters’ rate of speech, or because they ramble? 

Humans can understand speech faster than people can speak it: about three words per second, according to a 2018 University of Maryland study. But that depends on clarity and cohesion.  Speed isn’t the issue if your podcast script makes sense and you speak clearly.  

Clear enunciation helps your audience digest your ideas and saves time when transcription software transcribes your dialogue. More accessibility means audience growth! 

Speak in your natural rhythm. When you listen to your audio, note where to remove distracting silences. Clarity and speed work together to make your podcast more effective. Not only can your audience understand you, but also, they won’t get bored. 

Editing 

Other annoying podcast elements mentioned by audiences involved editing issues, such as volume leveling or mismatched cuts. 

One respondent said, “A podcast’s audio levels and general quality should be good enough that I can clearly understand everyone while driving without changing the volume constantly.” Another said, “Over-editing where the answers do not match the questions or missing pauses will kill it for me.” 

These errors show that the podcaster didn’t listen to their completed audio before publication. If you don’t respect your audience or topic enough to make sure it’s presented properly, why are you making a podcast in the first place? 

Pro Editors’ Best-Kept Secret

It’s common sense, yet many podcasters skip this. Listen to your podcast episode from beginning to end before publishing. Shocking, right? Pretend the podcast is new to you. 

• Do you find yourself adjusting the volume during playback? 
• Is the information clear and consistent? 
• Do the insights follow a logical pattern? 
• Would you need help understanding the dialogue? 

If any elements distract you from the show’s topic, jot it down. Then, go back and polish the episode. 

Our podcast editing guide can help you find the right editing process for you and your show. Whether you want to spend five hours or five minutes per episode making it sound just right, there’s editing software and strategy to help you.

Good film editors watch every frame of their work. Why not give your podcast the same attention? 

And, while we’re on the topic of editing…

Adverts

Sponsorship and ad reads are part and parcel of podcast monetization. Unfortunately, though, when mismanaged, they can grate on your audience. 

One survey respondent told us, “I appreciate that podcasts have to make money somehow, but if they keep interrupting the podcast to play me the same clips from another podcast, I’ll usually switch off and unfollow, no matter how good the content was. That’s especially the case if I’m trying to work through a back catalog and have to listen to the same trailers two or three times in every episode.”

In our Discovery Survey, 92% of respondents told us they tolerate ads within reason, and 3% said they enjoyed listening to ads when they were relevant. The important word is “relevant.” Ads may pay the podcasting bills, but they can drive away new listeners when they barge in like a wedding crasher at a funeral. 

Auto-inserted dynamic ads can also play right in the middle of a word or sentence. Most hosting providers have tools that enable you where to set these timecodes, but if you neglect to do it, they might just let the computer decide for you. 

So take care not to push your luck with ad breaks, pay particular care when positioning any dynamic inserts in your audio, and ensure they are as relevant as possible to your audience.

Tone & Intention

As the old saying goes, check yourself before you wreck yourself. Our survey respondents showed us how the wrong tone and intention can turn a podcast into a nightmare. 

“I don’t enjoy in-jokes and irrelevant chat at the start.”

“I can not stand tuning into a new podcast, and the co-hosts start by having a lengthy catch-up amongst themselves, taking ages to get to the promised topic.”

“One bloke purely talked to his existing audience about his plans for an offer. I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I gave up after 5 minutes.  He hadn’t considered he could be talking to someone for the first time.”

“Every podcast that I have tried and not stuck with has had one common denominator – an irritating host.”

Small talk is only fun for the people having it. While a show where the hosts have camaraderie is great, the audience queued up the show to hear about a particular topic. Give the audience what you promised in the description. 

“But how can I seem human and approachable if I don’t talk about my pets and favorite TV shows?” 

Reframe your perspective. Knowing your audience is crucial for more than promotion. Without keeping your audience in mind while recording and editing, you’re talking to hear yourself talk. If you’ve ever surveyed your audience or communicated directly with them, then you can imagine your audience. If not, ask yourself: 

What’s your podcast’s purpose? You have a message to share with others, but why does it matter for them to hear it? Write that on a big piece of paper and post it up where you can see it while recording. 

Who’s your ideal listener? Some people put pictures of their kids near their mic, to remind themselves that their kids could hear what they say. You can search in Google Images with a basic audience description, such as “HVAC technician” or “librarian.” True, you’ll find stock photos, but you can also find pictures of real people who are similar to the folks you want to reach. 

Remember, people are listening. It could increase your empathy for your audience. 

How to Find Out if Your Podcast is Annoying

When we put effort and enthusiasm into our podcasts, we might overlook (or ignore) some mistakes that stand out to others as much as an alarm bell. What, how, and who to ask are all essential to getting helpful feedback. 

What to Ask (& How)

Ask specific questions about your podcast. If you don’t know what to ask, then: 

• Find the places where you feel insecure in your podcasting process; ask about those.
• Identify the places where you felt overconfident. Ask about those. 

The more specific your question is, the easier it is for people to answer it helpfully. There’s a big difference between “What do you think of my show?” and “Are the volume levels consistent or jarring?” 

Take the feedback objectively. It’s not about you; it’s about the audio.

Who to Ask

Some folks are the wrong people to ask. Don’t ask your close friends or family. They’ll prioritize your feelings instead of being honest. And your dad might not know how to explain that you set the wrong bitrate. 

Asking other podcasters is always a good idea, provided your question is specific. Podcasting communities can be helpful for this. Our Indiepod Community is a good place to discuss podcasting challenges and strategies. Also, Facebook and Discord have many podcasting discussion groups. 

If your budget allows it, get a professional opinion. Many podcasting pros offer checkup services or podcast audits. For example, members of our Podcraft Academy can request a 4-minute Feedback Session. You provide four minutes of your podcast and some questions; we do our best to answer them and help you improve.

There’s Always Room for Improvement

Some think podcasting is as easy as talking. In reality, it takes a well-thought-out plan and robust workflow to make one podcast episode seem effortless. Flaws are bound to happen, but they’re fixable.

Nobody wants to bring other podcasters down, but if we don’t criticize each other’s work when it’s warranted, eventually, podcasts become unenjoyable. 

As independent podcasting gains momentum, some idiosyncracies that podcasters let slide can alienate people new to podcasts. Not only does it hurt individual shows to let mistakes slide, but it can also harm the medium. 

Is your podcast annoying? Maybe, maybe not. But when you set your ego aside and focus on specific ways to improve your podcast, not only does your podcast improve, but you’ll grow your audience.

Data from the 2024 Podcaster Gear Survey

Is Audacity Good for Podcasts?

The data doesn’t lie, and a massive amount of podcasts have been created on the platform for almost a quarter of a century. It might not be “the best” option, but it’s a good one for several reasons:

• Audacity is free
• Audacity is open-source
• Audacity is flexible and powerful

What Audacity CAN’T Do

As more and more modern podcast-focused software platforms seek to build “all-in-one” solutions, there are a few notable areas Audacity doesn’t serve. At least, yet, anyway:

• Audacity doesn’t have a built-in online call recorder for remote conversations
• Audacity doesn’t have video production tools
• Audacity doesn’t have hosting, so you can’t publish and distribute your podcast with Audacity

Are these dealbreakers to using Audacity for your podcast? Definitely not. Plenty of other tools specialise in these processes, and it isn’t like Audacity will cost you an additional subscription on top of them. That said, if an all-in-one solution does appeal to you, then I’ll cover that in the Audacity alternatives section.

How to Set Up Audacity for Podcasting

The best way to decide if Audacity is a good fit for you is to try it out for yourself. It won’t cost you a penny to download, so record and edit some audio in Audacity and see how you find it. Here are the basics:

Installing Audacity

Go to the Audacity website and choose Windows, Mac, or Linux. Select your preferred language, and the Audacity Setup Wizard will guide you through the process.

Importing & Playing Audio

You’ll need an existing audio track on your computer for this. Click ‘File’ in the menu at the top of the screen. Select ‘Import’ then ‘Audio’, and browse to find the file you’d like to load up.

Imported audio will appear in Audacity as a waveform. A waveform is the visual representation of your audio file. The vertical line that runs from left to right along your waveform as it plays is called the Playhead.

• Hit the play button (triangle) to play your audio.
• Hit the stop button (square) to stop your audio.

You can use the Space bar as a short key to stop and start playing.

All of this work happens inside of an Audacity session, which is also known as a “project”.

Connecting Your Equipment

Make sure your equipment is connected to your computer and switched on, if appropriate. If you’re using a Windows computer, you may need to install your gear’s corresponding driver, too.

Click on the ‘Audio Setup’ dropdown menu. Here, you can select your preferred recording and playback devices.

If you’re using an external kit, such as a USB mic or interface, plug your headphones into that, rather than directly into your computer, then set the device as both your ‘Recording’ and ‘Playback’ option.

Recording Audio

The ‘Record’ button is the big, obvious-looking red circle. If you hit it, you’ll start a new stereo track. The Playhead will begin moving across the screen from left to right, and if you talk into the mic, you should see your audio appearing on the newly created waveform.

You can stop recording by clicking the ‘Stop’ (square) button, or by hitting the space bar.

Editing Audio

Editing audio is a simple process in Audacity. When you’re working with spoken word content, this allows you to remove mistakes, interruptions, and unwanted sections.

Click and drag the mouse over the section of waveform you’d like to remove. You can then either:

• Hit backspace on your keyboard
• Right-click and select ‘Cut’
• Use shortcut Ctrl + X (PC) or Cmd + X (Mac)

Multitrack Production

You can add new stereo or mono tracks by clicking the ‘Tracks’ menu at the top. Multiple tracks give you the option to add in other layers or elements, such as ad breaks or music.

To move tracks around your workspace, hover the cursor over the top end of one (the bit where you see the track’s name), and a wee hand icon will appear. You can use this icon to drag and drop tracks to a position of your choosing, and this is how you build a podcast episode.

Exporting Audio

Once you’ve laid out the segments of your podcast episode and want to mix it down into one single file, hit ‘File’ then ‘Export Audio’.

Audacity will ask you if you’d like to export it to your computer, or to a cloud storage drive on audio.com. If you’re doing this for the first time, just go with ‘Export to Computer’.

You’ll be asked to name your file, select a saving location, and pick the file format. Typically, podcasters export and publish episodes as MP3s. MP3s need a bitrate setting, too. If you’re doing spoken-word content, I’d click ‘Bit-Rate Mode’ and select ‘Constant’, then click ‘Quality’ and choose ’96kbps’. Then, hit ‘Export’ when you’re done.

You now (in theory, at least!) have a podcast episode, ready to upload and publish to your podcast hosting account!

Saving Your Work

Saving a project is different from exporting audio. A project is your multitrack session in its entirety and everything that’s carefully laid out there. Whether you’re working on a long-term project or simply don’t have time to finish and export right now, you can save your work and come back to it later. Go to ‘File’ and ‘Save Project’, then pick a suitable location on your computer or cloud drive.

Audacity project files display as .aup3, and when you open one, your session will be restored.

Audacity Tips & Tools

The above is a very bare-bones approach to recording, producing, and exporting audio. Audacity has a lot more to it than that, and no doubt, your podcasting plans do, too.

Audacity’s Editing Tools

There are a bunch of editing tools in Audacity’s main menu. Here’s a whirlwind tour:

Selection Tool

The Selection Tool allows you to move the playhead to a certain point in your session, and also to click and drag over specific parts of your audio file.

Envelope Tool

The Envelope Tool lets you quickly and easily adjust the overall volume level or manipulate and shape your waveform.

In podcasting, this is most commonly used to blend music into an episode. Clicking on the waveform with the envelope tool will create little ‘nodes’ or control points from which you can drag your audio in or out.

Creating and moving one set of nodes will adjust the overall volume of your waveform. Clicking and dragging two (or more ) sets of nodes will change the shape of your waveform. These changes will be apparent in the volume of audio as the manipulated waveform is played back.

Draw Tool

The Draw Tool is only available when you are zoomed far enough into a waveform to see the individual samples (this relates to audio sample rates). It enables you to literally redraw the shape of the waveform, by clicking and dragging these samples.

Some producers use the Draw Tool to ‘draw out’ flaws in the audio, such as mic pops, but this can be a time-consuming workflow.

Multi-Tool

The Multi-Tool gives you access to all of the editing tools at once. If you hover over different parts of your audio track, the icon will change. This means you don’t need to keep swapping your tool to perform different tasks.

Zoom Tools

There are five different Zoom tools. They all look like slightly different variations of a magnifying glass. You can zoom in or out, toggle between maximum and minimum zoom, fit the zoom selection to the width of your audio track, or fit the whole project to width.

Other Audacity Editing Tools

There are two more editing tools in the Audacity interface that you might find useful. With the ‘trim audio outside of selection’ tool, you can select a piece of audio you want to keep and delete everything else around it. Similarly, you can select a section and remove all sound from it by clicking ‘silence audio selection’.

Recording & Playback Levels

Recording Level and Playback Level indicators show you (at a glance) if your audio is too loud or too quiet. I like to see these bounce up to around the -12 mark during recording and production. Little sliders on them enable you to adjust the gain and volume as you work.

Track Gain, Panning, Mute, & Solo

Each audio track has a control panel of options on the left-hand side of the session. Here, you can toggle off ‘Mute’ (mute the track) and ‘Solo’ (play only this track) options.

You can also adjust the gain of this individual track with its gain slider or pan the sound left or right with a similar ‘Pan’ slider. Panning can create extreme stereo effects in your audio. It’s uncommon to have panning in typical spoken-word podcasts, but you’ll find it used more in the fiction podcasting and audio drama realm.

Audacity Plugins for Podcast Production

“Plugins” are optional capabilities, enhancements, and presets you can add to Audacity to make it more powerful. If you click ‘Effect’ in the menu, you’ll find a tab for ‘Plugin Manager,’ which shows you all the plugins installed by default.

You can download more plugins on the Audacity website, but the platform has recently integrated with MuseHub, which takes audio effects and enhancements to a whole new level. MuseHub is a “creative playground” for audio producers, and you’ll find a slew of plugins, tools, apps, and elements there. You can use these to create or enable track effects or presets.

Audacity Presets for Podcast Production

If you’re still early on in your audio production journey, you might feel hesitant to mess about with too many settings manually. The good news is that Audacity offers plenty of presets for you to experiment with.

Track Effects

The control panel on the left of each track has an ‘Effects’ tab. Here, you can add effects such as reverb and distortion. Of course, these are exactly the kind of effects most podcasters don’t want in their audio. However, you can add and install preset effects designed to enhance spoken-word audio sound via the Audacity website or MuseHub integration.

The Effects tab will apply these non-destructively to all audio on that track, meaning you can simply turn them off or swap them for another—they won’t permanently change the sound of your source audio.

Clicking ‘Effects’ on a track’s control panel will also now bring up a ‘Master Effects’ track, too. This lets you apply preset effects to your entire session instead of your individual tracks. Again, this is non-destructive, but anything you set here will be applied to your full episode when you export it.

Noise Reduction in Audacity

Whether it’s a noticeable level of hiss under your recording, an annoying constant buzzing sound, or the steady whir of an AC unit, Audacity has a pretty good Noise Reduction tool that should strip it out without having to adjust any settings. The above video shows you how to do that, quickly and easily. But check out our Audacity Noise Reduction guide if you’re looking for a deeper dive.

Audacity Compression Settings for Podcast Loudness

Audio compression, in its most basic form, is a process to bring the quietest parts and loudest parts closer together. This offers a much more consistent sound and can prevent your listeners from having to continually adjust the volume on your podcast episodes.

Hit ‘Effect’ in the menu at the top of your Audacity session, then ‘Volume & Compression’ > ‘Compressor’. Audacity has a default preset that will make a decent stab of levelling out your audio. If you’d like to go a little more extreme, try lowering the Threshold (say, -40dB) and bumping up the Ratio (try 2:1) and see what happens. Compression is a whole subject of its own, so check out our guide to the Audacity Compressor for a deeper dive.

Audacity Alternatives for Podcasters

Audacity has a lot to offer podcasters, and it has improved significantly these past few years. According to data from our 2024 Podcaster Gear & Setups Survey, 17% of podcasters use it as their recording software of choice, while 24% use it for editing and production.

But, Audacity isn’t necessarily the right option for you. Maybe you want a remote call recorder or hosting tools built-in. Maybe you run a video component of your podcast. Or, perhaps you simply don’t like Audacity’s look and layout. Whatever the reason, there is no shortage of Audacity alternatives out there. Here are a few notable ones:

Garageband

If you use a Mac, you likely have Garageband installed by default. It’s designed to look a lot more beginner-friendly, though it is, first and foremost, a platform designed with music production in mind. As a podcaster, you might start to feel like it’s a bit limited for your needs over time.

Alitu

Alitu is a ‘Podcast Maker’ tool, perfect for complete beginners or ultra-busy creators. Its editing tools are simple but intuitive and entirely tailored to podcasters, with features such as text-based editing included. You can record remote calls (or solo episodes), and Alitu will automatically clean up, level out, and optimise them for you. It can even automatically remove uhms, ahs, breath sounds, and long pauses! With its built-in hosting tools, you can publish and distribute your show from within Alitu. Where this platform might not be suitable is if you’re running a video podcast, as its video recording and editing tools are still in the pipeline (although they are coming soon!).

Descript

Descript has many of the same tools and features as Alitu, with the added bonus of its popular AI Video Editor feature. It doesn’t have a built-in call recorder, but it integrates seamlessly with remote video and audio recording tool Squadcast. You can’t upload and publish a podcast with Descript (yet, anyway), so would still need a separate podcast hosting account, but Descript is a powerful and innovative tool and another superb Audacity alternative.

Adobe Audition

I’ve been using Adobe Audition for the best part of 14 years. In that time, it has served me well, enabling me to record, edit, and produce several hundred podcast episodes and creative audio projects. There isn’t much you can’t do in Audition, though it isn’t a beginner-friendly DAW and has suffered from Adobe’s lack of support in recent years. I think the company is more focused on its video-first software, Adobe Premiere, these days. Whilst Adobe Audition, on a features level, is a notable Audacity alternative, I don’t find myself recommending it to beginners. Check out Audacity Vs Adobe Audition for an in-depth comparison.

Hindenburg PRO

I’ve minimal experience with Hindenburg as a DAW, but I have only ever heard good things from the podcasters who use it (and those who like it, REALLY like it). It seems to me that Hindenburg has found a sweet spot in the space, in relation to its pricing, accessibility, and features. If you like what Audacity does and how it runs, but find the look and layout dated and cluttered, Hindenburg might be the alternative for you.

Conclusion: Audacity for Podcasters

The dictionary defines Audacity as “a willingness to take bold risks.” However, Audacity, our venerable Digital Audio Workstation, is anything but risky. It’s free and open-source, and it has been around for a long, long time. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Audacity has stood the test of time and continues enabling no small amount of podcasters to make their shows. Podcasting has benefited immeasurably from this software and the folks who help run it, and I hope it continues to be as popular in the years to come as it has been up until now!

If you’re still looking to shop around for the best podcast software or podcast editing software, then we have full roundups dedicated to both. And if you’re looking for more help and support in launching your show, then be sure to check out The Podcraft Academy. In there, you’ll find all of our courses (including one on Audacity!) and downloadable resources, and we also run weekly live Q&A sessions, too.

Let’s get specific: I’m looking closely at those tools that offer a similar experience to Descript. And that means text-based editing in particular. What other tools offer good text-based editing for podcasters?  

So, let’s dig in: Does Descript still look like a good option for podcast editing? And does it still lead the way in transcription-based editing? Here we go!

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Descript

I remember when Descript first came out, and the draw of text-based editing. I mean, if it works, you can save loads of time! Skim through that transcript, find the right sections to trim, pick out those crutch words, and spot highlights really easily.

I tried it out on Podcraft to see how good it was, but it was still pretty early. The cuts were quite harsh, and the transcript accuracy was still a little low. That’s maybe just me, though. One of the downsides of being Scottish: transcription services took a long time to figure out how to train on our accents!

But now (especially in the age of AI tools!), auto-generated transcripts are really good!  

That applies to every transcript-based editor, though, not Descript alone. So, text-based editing, by itself, isn’t really a strength for Descript any longer. Plenty of the Descript alternatives can do this just as well. So, let’s concentrate on the unique features of each.  

One oft-talked-about USP in Descript is its overdub feature. This is an AI-powered tool which can replicate your voice. So, if you find yourself editing out an errant sentence but really wish you’d said something else instead, you can have Descript create it for you! Write in the sentence, and Descript will simulate your voice, filling that gap.

The results aren’t perfect, but they are very good, and it’s ideal for small corrections. Be aware you need a higher tier Descript subscription to use this to the full. Otherwise, you’re limited to their 1000-word vocab. And most likely, you’ll use at least a few words outside of that list, as Lindsay did in this example…

Descript Strengths

• Well-developed, powerful interface for text-based editing. 
• Easily navigate your entire recording, and removal of filler words
• Overdub feature with AI-generated voice to help you fix mistakes
• “Studio sound” feature to upgrade the audio quality of your recording
• Good video production features and templates, with extra such as AI assisted eye tracking.

Descript Weaknesses

• The full Descript experience is currently only available in a downloaded app, rather than web based, which ties you down to one computer and means handling your own files. Not a huge deal, just sometimes inconvenient. (Editor’s note: this is changing, update below!)
• Doesn’t include native call recording, although it does integrate closely with recently acquired Squadcast. (More on this below)
• Refining text-based edits can be quite fiddly. It’s possible, but the waveform and the edit handles are very small and can be hard to work with.
• Not specifically podcaster-focussed, Descript serves a range of use cases, and it can feel cluttered in-app, or a higher learning curve for the average podcaster.

A couple of qualifications for the weaknesses above:

First, Descript has just launched a beta version of it’s own web-app (Autumn 2023). It’s still missing some features of the full Descript app (eg. recording, direct export, auto-levelling). We’ll make sure to update this when it’s fully released.

Secondly, the Squadcast integration is also likely to smooth itself out (and build directly in) over time, so keep your eyes peeled if truly integrated recording is important to you.

Pricing

• Free: 1hr of transcription / editing per month.
• $15 / month / editor: 10 hours of transcription/editing
• $30 / month / editor: 30 hours of transcription/editing

So, Descript is a great tool with a few weaknesses to consider. But is it the best ‘Podcast Maker’ for you? 

Well, let’s dig into some of the best Descript alternatives when it comes to podcast production and text-based audio editing. 

Alitu: the All in One Podcast Maker

Alitu is a podcast maker app that focuses on offering an all-in-one solution for making your podcast in as easy and stress-free a manner as possible. 

Here’s a list of what Alitu offers:

• Call and solo recording
• Audio cleanup (noise reduction, levelling, eq)
• Audio editing, both text and waveform
• Automated removal of ums, ahs and fillers
• Add segments, theme music, transitions, fades
• Transcription for every episode
• Podcast hosting & distribution

So, theoretically, Alitu podcasters never have to use any other app when running their show. Descript offers audio cleanup, but not native call recording or podcast hosting. The hosting is a big deal, of course, since this is the one true essential in podcasting. Hosting is how you publish your show online, and then submit it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all the other directories.

Here’s more on choosing podcast hosting if you need it!

Alitu also concentrates on minimalism and simplicity. This means the learning curve is near zero, and it automates a lot of the process. But the trade-off is that you give up some flexibility in how you make your show. For example, you can’t add background music over just part of a recording (although there are workarounds with their clip genie…) or add sound effects behind a voice. Descript does allow more powerful multitrack editing, if you plan to do a lot of voiceovers, effects or ambience music.

But, for the 90%+ of podcasters who just run a straightforward show with intro music, a few recordings, and an outro, it does a great job. 

Alitu allows for a lot of the ‘highly produced’ type polish through one of its most unique aspects: its episode builder. The episode builder is a block-based podcast interface which pieces together all your show’s parts. It adds your theme music and transitions automatically, and you can put together podcast opens, interview recordings, adverts (with background music!), sponsor reads, outros, and all the rest, right inside there. 

Alitu released its text-based editing in September 2023, which ties into its podcast-specific audio editor. You can skim-edit using the text and then review and refine the cuts quickly and simply on the standard audio timeline. 

Alitu Strengths

• Episode Builder: automatically add your theme music, transitions, and drag-and-drop add all your segments.
• All-in-one platform: everything in one place for an efficient price and slick workflow, including podcast hosting for publishing online, and to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the rest.
• Audio cleanup, to reduce background noise and enhance voice.
• Magic Filters to remove filler sounds (um! ah!) & silences
• Skim edit with text, then use the podcast-specific audio editor to review and refine cuts.

Alitu Weaknesses

• No video feed in call recording. Alitu is audio only. 
• No multitrack editing, so you can’t layer music upon voice or voice upon voice in more complex productions.
• All-in-one price, so if you already pay for separate recording or hosting tools, you may end up paying more.

Pricing

Alitu has a simple one-price policy:

• $38 per month for full access to recording, editing, transcripts and podcast hosting.

There are no limits on recording and editing and a 10hr limit on transcriptions per month. You get hosting up to 1000 downloads per month included (enough for most podcasters until you start to see a lot of traction) and industry-standard upgrade pricing from there.

So that you know, Alitu is run by The Podcast Host’s sister company, so we are related! But our team at thePodcastHost.com is committed to being fair and impartial in all the reviews we do, and our comparisons with Alitu are no different. 

Riverside.fm

Riverside started out as a call recording company, heavily leaning on video. They’re one of the best call-recording platforms out there, with a whole bunch of special features in that area, from social media production tools to AI clipping. 

But, in 2023, they also released their own text-based editing tool, built into Riverside.

If you’re a video producer, Riverside is a potent tool. This might be a video version of your podcast, it might be social media clips, or it could be an entirely different stream of content to promote your show on YouTube. The production studio offers some great options in terms of layouts and captions, and the AI clipping tool produces some good-looking results.

Equally, if you run an interview show, even audio-only, Riverside still has a lot going for it, and the text-based editing only adds to that.

Riverside are a company that’s known for fast innovation, and they’ll often release tools in a fairly basic form before developing them over time (e.g. the fact that their editing was released without a timeline zoom initially – made it very hard to make or refine those edits! That’s now fixed, though.)

The text-based editing they’ve released is very good, though. Highlighting and removing works well. You can click a word a little ahead of your edit and hit space to preview.

The main downside remains the ability to refine those cuts. You can zoom in on the timeline at the bottom and adjust the cut edges, but the waveform is so small that it’s hard to use it as a guide. A little fiddling can get you there, but both Descript and Alitu offer more detail to help refine those cuts.

But, if you’re producing a lot of video and like Riverside’s developing production features (AI clipping, etc.), then this could be the ideal option for you.

Riverside Strengths

• Video production tools, including layouts, captions, and AI clipping
• Video call recording: easy to use and top quality

Riverside Weaknesses

• Refining your text-based cuts is tricky due to the very small audio timeline and handles.

Pricing

Riverside has a range of pricing tiers to let you jump in at a price that suits you. Here’s what you get with each:

• Free: Allows you to record and export single-track video with a Riverside watermark and edit that recording before exporting with text.
• $19 per month: 5 Hours of recording. Text-edit and export those recordings in full-quality video, no watermark.
• $29 per month: As above, but 15 hours of recording and therefore editing, plus downloadable transcripts.

As of right now, these are the core ones worth considering, and I’ll be sure to update this article as the market develops.

It’s a fast-moving area, as AI opens up the world of fast, accurate and cheap transcripts, so expect a lot of existing podcasting tools to add this feature in in future!

In the meantime, if you’re looking for all of the editing options, outside of purely transcription-based editing, check out our article:

• Best Podcast Editing Software

And, if you’d like to chat with other like-minded podcasters about their experiences with text-based editing, hop into our IndiePod Community – it’d be brilliant to see you in there!

One thing that’s been a constant pain point for our audience over the past decade is editing and production. People don’t start a podcast because they want to become audio engineers, after all. Editing and production is simply a means to an end. And for many, it’s a significant barrier.

That’s actually why we designed and built our ‘Podcast Maker’ tool Alitu – to make podcast editing and production as simple as humanly possible. But the aim of this Minimum Effective Podcast Editing guide is to help you regardless of which tool you use to do the job. Let’s kick off by answering one of the most frequently asked questions:

What Editing SHOULD I be Doing in My Podcast?

This is something that comes 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 Podcast 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 the 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 who 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 won’t sustain it. It’ll suck the life out of your podcasting, and you simply won’t 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.

Following the MEE Podcasting Method

So, what does this Minimum Effective Podcast Editing look like 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 your podcast software (e.g. Audacity or Alitu), and top and tail it. This 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!). Volume levelling all happens for you automatically if you use Alitu.

Step 4

Export and publish!

That’s it – for your first five 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.

With that said, Alitu can now remove every uhm, ah, awkward silence, and annoying breath sound for you, automatically!)

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 flub my words, I follow these steps:

1. Stop and pause for a few seconds
2. I click my tongue right into the microphone three times (you can also clap three times if you prefer)
3. I pause another few seconds
4. 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.
5. 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.

Then, I’ll move 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 delete. Mistake gone.

In a 15-minute episode, I might make up to five or six 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 the Minimum Effective Podcast Editing: 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 did on the majority of my shows back when I used Audacity:

Editor’s Note

This process is all much easier (and, in many cases, automatic) with Alitu, but understandably, you might opt for Audacity because it’s free. There are also lots of other great podcast editing software options on the market, too!

Step 1

Take my script and record the vocals, including intro, content and end bits, inside Audacity.

Step 2

“Top and tail” – 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

Apply light Noise Reduction and Compression in Audacity.

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!

Remember, this is a much more straightforward and automatic process with Alitu, and you can test it out for yourself, free of charge, to find out for yourself!

That’s it. I do minimal editing on the content. I keep it pretty authentic, forgetting about the little mistakes when I was speaking, which I just apologised for and corrected at the time. This has perhaps one 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 the Minimum Effective Podcast Editing Method Take?

During the creation of one of our early Podcraft seasons, 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 quickly you can get if you refine your process like this and only do what you have to.

More Minimum Effective Editing Techniques

By this point, you’re armed with enough info to go and make a quality podcast that you can actually sustain and stick at.

But, there are even more tools you can add to your podcast superhero utility belt if you want to become an efficiency machine.

Until now, we’ve largely focused on Audacity because it’s free. I mentioned at the start, though, that we built ‘Podcast Maker’ tool Alitu to make editing and production as quick and as simple as humanly possible. Then, we added a whole suite of other features for podcasters, too. You can publish directly to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms, from directly within Alitu, for example.

Sticking with production, though, here are a couple of ways to shave hours off even the most detailed and thorough of editing jobs…

Automatically Remove Filler Words, Silences, & Breath Sounds

At the touch of a button, Alitu can remove every uhm, ah, annoying breath sound, and overly long pause from your recording. These are clearly marked, so you can still listen through (at double speed; see below) and make sure they all sound good to your ear. If there are any that sound a bit too jarring, you can quickly and easily undo them.

Editing Your Podcast Via Text

Alitu automatically generates transcripts of your audio, and you can use these to make cuts and edits. You simply select and delete unwanted text, and that removes these sections from the corresponding audio. It’s like magic!

Editing at Double-Speed

What if you’ve got a lengthy audio file and need to listen through it to find and make any edits? Alitu is a great option here because of its Playback Speed setting. You can now listen through recordings in their entirety, making edits along the way, in up to half the time.

It’s worth noting that you can do this in Audacity, too. So if you’re not fussed about text-based editing, and are happy to buy your hosting and call recording elsewhere, then that’ll work for you just fine!

Looking for More Editing Efficiency Help?

So, that’s my Minimum Effective Editing process for podcasting, and what I recommend if you want to do it all yourself.

If you can afford to have someone else do it for you, though, that can give you more time to concentrate on refining your content. Check out how much it costs to outsource podcast production. 

A final note on Alitu, though, it really can eliminate the need to outsource, even if you’ve no interest in learning about editing or spending any real time doing it. Remember, you can try it out, free for seven days, and see for yourself. You’ll be amazed at how much time (and money!) it can save you.