Once we requested over 500 podcasters which software program they used to file and edit their audio, the bulk advised us it was Audacity. Launched within the Spring of 2000 (twenty-four years in the past!), this free, open-sourced Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) has stood the take a look at of time. In reality, taking a look at its interface can really feel like you’ve travelled again in time, however that’s all a part of its appeal. On this Audacity for podcasts information, I’ll discover the why and the how, in addition to recommend some Audacity options when you determine this outdated warhorse isn’t for you!
Knowledge from the 2024 Podcaster Gear Survey
Is Audacity Good for Podcasts?
The info doesn’t lie, and an enormous quantity of podcasts have been created on the platform for nearly 1 / 4 of a century. It may not be “the most effective” possibility, but it surely’s one for a number of causes:
- Audacity is free
- Audacity is open-source
- Audacity is versatile and highly effective
What Audacity CAN’T Do
As an increasing number of fashionable podcast-focused software platforms search to construct “all-in-one” options, there are a number of notable areas Audacity doesn’t serve. At the very least, but, anyway:
- Audacity doesn’t have a built-in on-line name recorder for distant conversations
- Audacity doesn’t have video manufacturing instruments
- Audacity doesn’t have internet hosting, so you’ll be able to’t publish and distribute your podcast with Audacity
Are these dealbreakers to utilizing Audacity in your podcast? Undoubtedly not. Loads of different instruments concentrate on these processes, and it isn’t like Audacity will price you a further subscription on high of them. That stated, if an all-in-one answer does attraction to you, then I’ll cowl that within the Audacity alternatives part.
Tips on how to Set Up Audacity for Podcasting
One of the simplest ways to determine if Audacity is an effective match for you is to attempt it out for your self. It gained’t price you a penny to obtain, so file and edit some audio in Audacity and see how you discover it. Listed below are the fundamentals:
Putting in Audacity
Go to the Audacity website and select Home windows, Mac, or Linux. Choose your most popular language, and the Audacity Setup Wizard will information you thru the method.
Importing & Taking part in Audio
You’ll want an present audio observe in your laptop for this. Click on ‘File’ within the menu on the high of the display screen. Choose ‘Import’ then ‘Audio’, and browse to search out the file you’d prefer to load up.
Imported audio will seem in Audacity as a waveform. A waveform is the visible illustration of your audio file. The vertical line that runs from left to proper alongside your waveform because it performs known as the Playhead.
- Hit the play button (triangle) to play your audio.
- Hit the cease button (sq.) to cease your audio.
You need to use the Area bar as a brief key to cease and begin taking part in.
All of this work occurs within an Audacity session, which is also called a “mission”.
Connecting Your Gear
Ensure your tools is linked to your laptop and switched on, if applicable. For those who’re utilizing a Home windows laptop, you might want to put in your gear’s corresponding driver, too.
Click on on the ‘Audio Setup’ dropdown menu. Right here, you’ll be able to choose your most popular recording and playback units.
For those who’re utilizing an exterior equipment, comparable to a USB mic or interface, plug your headphones into that, reasonably than straight into your laptop, then set the gadget as each your ‘Recording’ and ‘Playback’ possibility.
Recording Audio
The ‘File’ button is the large, obvious-looking pink circle. For those who hit it, you’ll begin a brand new stereo observe. The Playhead will start shifting throughout the display screen from left to proper, and when you discuss into the mic, you need to see your audio showing on the newly created waveform.
You possibly can cease recording by clicking the ‘Cease’ (sq.) button, or by hitting the area bar.
Enhancing Audio
Enhancing audio is a straightforward course of in Audacity. While you’re working with spoken phrase content material, this lets you take away errors, interruptions, and undesirable sections.
Click on and drag the mouse over the part of waveform you’d prefer to take away. You possibly can then both:
- Hit backspace in your keyboard
- Proper-click and choose ‘Minimize’
- Use shortcut Ctrl + X (PC) or Cmd + X (Mac)
Multitrack Manufacturing
You possibly can add new stereo or mono tracks by clicking the ‘Tracks’ menu on the high. A number of tracks provide the possibility so as to add in different layers or components, comparable to advert breaks or music.
To maneuver tracks round your workspace, hover the cursor excessive finish of 1 (the bit the place you see the observe’s identify), and a wee hand icon will seem. You need to use this icon to pull and drop tracks to a place of your selecting, and that is the way you construct a podcast episode.
Exporting Audio
When you’ve laid out the segments of your podcast episode and need to combine it down into one single file, hit ‘File’ then ‘Export Audio’.
Audacity will ask you when you’d prefer to export it to your laptop, or to a cloud storage drive on audio.com. For those who’re doing this for the primary time, simply go along with ‘Export to Pc’.
You’ll be requested to call your file, choose a saving location, and choose the file format. Sometimes, podcasters export and publish episodes as MP3s. MP3s want a bitrate setting, too. For those who’re doing spoken-word content material, I’d click on ‘Bit-Charge Mode’ and choose ‘Fixed’, then click on ‘High quality’ and select ’96kbps’. Then, hit ‘Export’ whenever you’re achieved.
You now (in idea, at the least!) have a podcast episode, able to add and publish to your podcast hosting account!
Saving Your Work
Saving a mission is totally different from exporting audio. A mission is your multitrack session in its entirety and every little thing that’s rigorously laid on the market. Whether or not you’re engaged on a long-term mission or just don’t have time to complete and export proper now, it can save you your work and are available again to it later. Go to ‘File’ and ‘Save Mission’, then choose an appropriate location in your laptop or cloud drive.
Audacity mission recordsdata show as .aup3, and whenever you open one, your session can be restored.
The above is a really bare-bones method to recording, producing, and exporting audio. Audacity has much more to it than that, and little question, your podcasting plans do, too.
Audacity’s Enhancing Instruments
There are a bunch of enhancing instruments in Audacity’s most important menu. Right here’s a whirlwind tour:
Choice Software
The Choice Software means that you can transfer the playhead to a sure level in your session, and likewise to click on and drag over particular elements of your audio file.
Envelope Software
The Envelope Software helps you to rapidly and simply alter the general quantity stage or manipulate and form your waveform.
In podcasting, that is mostly used to mix music into an episode. Clicking on the waveform with the envelope device will create little ‘nodes’ or management factors from which you’ll drag your audio in or out.
Creating and shifting one set of nodes will alter the general quantity of your waveform. Clicking and dragging two (or extra ) units of nodes will change the form of your waveform. These modifications can be obvious within the quantity of audio because the manipulated waveform is performed again.
Draw Software
The Draw Software is barely accessible when you’re zoomed far sufficient right into a waveform to see the person samples (this pertains to audio sample rates). It lets you actually redraw the form of the waveform, by clicking and dragging these samples.
Some producers use the Draw Software to ‘draw out’ flaws within the audio, comparable to mic pops, however this is usually a time-consuming workflow.
Multi-Software
The Multi-Software offers you entry to the entire enhancing instruments directly. For those who hover over totally different elements of your audio observe, the icon will change. This implies you don’t must hold swapping your device to carry out totally different duties.
Zoom Instruments
There are 5 totally different Zoom instruments. All of them seem like barely totally different variations of a magnifying glass. You possibly can zoom in or out, toggle between most and minimal zoom, match the zoom choice to the width of your audio observe, or match the entire mission to width.
Different Audacity Enhancing Instruments
There are two extra enhancing instruments within the Audacity interface that you simply would possibly discover helpful. With the ‘trim audio outdoors of choice’ device, you’ll be able to choose a bit of audio you need to hold and delete every little thing else round it. Equally, you’ll be able to choose a piece and take away all sound from it by clicking ‘silence audio choice’.
Recording & Playback Ranges
Recording Stage and Playback Stage indicators present you (at a look) in case your audio is simply too loud or too quiet. I prefer to see these bounce as much as across the -12 mark throughout recording and manufacturing. Little sliders on them allow you to regulate the acquire and quantity as you’re employed.
Observe Achieve, Panning, Mute, & Solo
Every audio observe has a management panel of choices on the left-hand aspect of the session. Right here, you’ll be able to toggle off ‘Mute’ (mute the observe) and ‘Solo’ (play solely this observe) choices.
You too can alter the acquire of this particular person observe with its acquire slider or pan the sound left or proper with the same ‘Pan’ slider. Panning can create excessive stereo results in your audio. It’s unusual to have panning in typical spoken-word podcasts, however you’ll discover it used extra within the fiction podcasting and audio drama realm.
Audacity Plugins for Podcast Manufacturing
“Plugins” are elective capabilities, enhancements, and presets you’ll be able to add to Audacity to make it extra highly effective. For those who click on ‘Impact’ within the menu, you’ll discover a tab for ‘Plugin Supervisor,’ which reveals you all of the plugins put in by default.
You possibly can obtain extra plugins on the Audacity website, however the platform has lately integrated with MuseHub, which takes audio results and enhancements to an entire new stage. MuseHub is a “inventive playground” for audio producers, and also you’ll discover a slew of plugins, instruments, apps, and components there. You need to use these to create or allow observe results or presets.
Audacity Presets for Podcast Manufacturing
For those who’re nonetheless early on in your audio manufacturing journey, you would possibly really feel hesitant to mess about with too many settings manually. The excellent news is that Audacity gives loads of presets so that you can experiment with.
Observe Results
The management panel on the left of every observe has an ‘Results’ tab. Right here, you’ll be able to add results comparable to reverb and distortion. After all, these are precisely the sort of results most podcasters don’t need of their audio. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to add and set up preset results designed to reinforce spoken-word audio sound through the Audacity web site or MuseHub integration.
The Results tab will apply these non-destructively to all audio on that observe, that means you’ll be able to merely flip them off or swap them for one more—they gained’t completely change the sound of your supply audio.
Clicking ‘Results’ on a observe’s management panel will even now carry up a ‘Grasp Results’ observe, too. This allows you to apply preset results to your total session as an alternative of your particular person tracks. Once more, that is non-destructive, however something you set right here can be utilized to your full episode whenever you export it.
Noise Discount in Audacity
Whether or not it’s a noticeable stage of hiss beneath your recording, an annoying fixed buzzing sound, or the regular whir of an AC unit, Audacity has a fairly good Noise Discount device that ought to strip it out with out having to regulate any settings. The above video reveals you the way to do this, rapidly and simply. However take a look at our Audacity Noise Reduction guide when you’re on the lookout for a deeper dive.
Audacity Compression Settings for Podcast Loudness
Audio compression, in its most simple kind, is a course of to carry the quietest elements and loudest elements nearer collectively. This gives a way more constant sound and may forestall your listeners from having to repeatedly alter the quantity in your podcast episodes.
Hit ‘Impact’ within the menu on the high of your Audacity session, then ‘Quantity & Compression’ > ‘Compressor’. Audacity has a default preset that can make an honest stab of levelling out your audio. For those who’d prefer to go just a little extra excessive, attempt decreasing the Threshold (say, -40dB) and bumping up the Ratio (attempt 2:1) and see what occurs. Compression is an entire topic of its personal, so take a look at our guide to the Audacity Compressor for a deeper dive.
Audacity Options for Podcasters
Audacity has so much to supply podcasters, and it has improved considerably these previous few years. Based on knowledge from our 2024 Podcaster Gear & Setups Survey, 17% of podcasters use it as their recording software program of selection, whereas 24% use it for enhancing and manufacturing.
However, Audacity isn’t essentially the suitable possibility for you. Perhaps you desire a distant name recorder or internet hosting instruments built-in. Perhaps you run a video element of your podcast. Or, maybe you merely don’t like Audacity’s look and format. Regardless of the cause, there isn’t any scarcity of Audacity options on the market. Listed below are a number of notable ones:
Garageband
For those who use a Mac, you doubtless have Garageband put in by default. It’s designed to look much more beginner-friendly, although it’s, in the beginning, a platform designed with music manufacturing in thoughts. As a podcaster, you would possibly begin to really feel prefer it’s a bit restricted in your wants over time.
Alitu
Alitu is a ‘Podcast Maker’ device, excellent for full novices or ultra-busy creators. Its enhancing instruments are easy however intuitive and fully tailor-made to podcasters, with options comparable to text-based enhancing included. You possibly can file distant calls (or solo episodes), and Alitu will robotically clear up, stage out, and optimise them for you. It will probably even robotically take away uhms, ahs, breath sounds, and lengthy pauses! With its built-in internet hosting instruments, you’ll be able to publish and distribute your present from inside Alitu. The place this platform may not be appropriate is when you’re operating a video podcast, as its video recording and enhancing instruments are nonetheless within the pipeline (though they’re coming quickly!).
Descript
Descript has lots of the similar instruments and options as Alitu, with the added bonus of its in style AI Video Editor characteristic. It doesn’t have a built-in name recorder, but it surely integrates seamlessly with distant video and audio recording device Squadcast. You possibly can’t add and publish a podcast with Descript (but, anyway), so would nonetheless want a separate podcast internet hosting account, however Descript is a robust and modern device and one other very good Audacity various.
Adobe Audition
I’ve been utilizing Adobe Audition for the most effective a part of 14 years. In that point, it has served me properly, enabling me to file, edit, and produce a number of hundred podcast episodes and inventive audio tasks. There isn’t a lot you can’t do in Audition, although it isn’t a beginner-friendly DAW and has suffered from Adobe’s lack of assist lately. I feel the corporate is extra targeted on its video-first software program, Adobe Premiere, today. While Adobe Audition, on a options stage, is a notable Audacity various, I don’t discover myself recommending it to novices. Take a look at Audacity Vs Adobe Audition for an in-depth comparability.
Hindenburg PRO
I’ve minimal expertise with Hindenburg as a DAW, however I’ve solely ever heard good issues from the podcasters who use it (and those that prefer it, REALLY prefer it). It appears to me that Hindenburg has discovered a candy spot within the area, in relation to its pricing, accessibility, and options. For those who like what Audacity does and the way it runs, however discover the look and format dated and cluttered, Hindenburg is perhaps the choice for you.
Conclusion: Audacity for Podcasters
The dictionary defines Audacity as “a willingness to take daring dangers.” Nonetheless, Audacity, our venerable Digital Audio Workstation, is something however dangerous. It’s free and open-source, and it has been round for an extended, very long time. It may not be everybody’s cup of tea, however Audacity has stood the take a look at of time and continues enabling no small quantity of podcasters to make their reveals. Podcasting has benefited immeasurably from this software program and the parents who assist run it, and I hope it continues to be as in style within the years to come back because it has been up till now!
For those who’re nonetheless seeking to store round for the best podcast software or podcast editing software, then now we have full roundups devoted to each. And when you’re on the lookout for extra assist and assist in launching your present, then remember to take a look at The Podcraft Academy. In there, you’ll discover all of our programs (together with one on Audacity!) and downloadable assets, and we additionally run weekly dwell Q&A classes, too.
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