🎙️ So, you’ve recorded your first podcast episode — first of all, congrats! That’s a huge step.
Now you’re staring at the audio file thinking, “What next?” Should you cut every “hmm”? Do you need fancy plugins? Is it even possible to make it sound good without a studio?
The truth is: yes, you can absolutely create clean, professional – sounding audio — even as a beginner, even with free tools. You don’t need to be a sound engineer. You just need a simple process and a little patience.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through a straightforward step-by-step workflow to help you edit your first episode with confidence — no problem, no overwhelm, just the essentials to get your podcast out into the world.
🛠️ Tools You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- 🎧 A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation): I recommend Reaper (free/cheap and powerful)
- 🎙️ Your audio recording (WAV or MP3 is fine – WAV or AIFF is better)
- 🎧 Good headphones (not your laptop speakers!)
- A good microphone is always the best starting point and an audio interface
- Optional: Basic plugins like noise reduction (most DAWs include one)
That’s it. No need to overcomplicate things on your first go.
📐 The 6-Step Editing Process
Step 1: Import Your Audio into Your Editing Tool
Start by opening your audio editing software. Beginners often use free or low-cost tools like Audacity, GarageBand, or Descript — they’re powerful and easy to learn.
I suggest using Reaper!
- Open your DAW and drop in your raw recording. Label your tracks clearly (e.g., Host, Guest).
- If you’re using multitrack (like a guest interview), import each file into its own track for better control
- Use markers to limit the different parts of you episode (intro, first question, outro, …), markers are also good to choose the best takes of your recordings
🔹 Pro Tip: Rename your files clearly (e.g., “Episode-01-Intro.wav”) so you stay organized.
Step 2: Clean Up Background Noise
Use your editor’s noise reduction feature to clean up unwanted hums, fans, or static.
- Try to use EQ, by removing unwanted frequencies that don’t affect voice.
💡 Many tools have auto-cleanup features, but learning to manually reduce noise gives you better control.
Step 3: Remove Mistakes, Fillers & Silence
Listen through the episode and trim:
- Long pauses (keep some natural breathing room)
- “Hms,” “likes,” or stutters that disrupt flow
- Tangents or repeated takes
- Technical issues or interruptions
Use the cut/split tool in your editor.
Important: Don’t over-edit — keep it natural. Just aim for a clear and engaging flow. Don’t do very small fades because you will always hear the “fake silence”, try using a little of some silence from your recording to make a longer fade.
🎧 Editing Tip: Wear headphones to catch tiny mouth clicks or background sounds your speakers might miss.
Step 4: Adjust Volume and Balance Levels
Make sure all voices are at a consistent volume. This is crucial for listener comfort:
- Use gain sliders per track to balance different speakers
- Apply a compressor effect to smooth out loud/quiet differences
- Normalize final volume to around -16 LUFS for stereo or -19 LUFS mono
Quick win: Many DAWs have compressors that can help you with this two tasks.
Step 5: Add Intro/Outro Music
Adding a short intro and outro gives your show a professional feel:
- Pick royalty-free music from sites
- Import the music into your timeline
- Fade it in/out under your voice using volume automation
- Keep it short: 5–15 seconds is usually enough
The key is making sure the music supports your voice, not competing with it.
Step 6: Export to the Right Format
When your episode is clean and ready:
- Export as wav — podcast directories probably will transform the audio, but it’s better to always keep higher sound quality
- Name the file something clear like [
episode-01-edited] - Add ID3 tags (title, podcast name, artwork) if your host requires it – having good metadata is always important
Now it’s ready for upload to your hosting platform!
✅ Final Tips for First-Timers
- Don’t over-edit — leave in real moments and personality
- Save versions as you go — nothing worse than losing work
- Listen with fresh ears before uploading (take a break, then listen again)
- You will get faster with practice — your first edit might take hours, but soon it’ll be minutes
🧠 Bonus: Stay Organized & Consistent
Keep your podcast editing flow simple and repeatable:
- Use a checklist for each episode (record > clean > trim > export)
- Save a reusable template project with your music, effects, and settings already configured
- Use a Notion dashboard or tracker to manage episodes and production notes
🎧 Bonus: Free Notion Template for starting Podcast Audio Editing
🎯 Ready to Get Started?
Your first edit won’t be perfect — and that’s okay. The most important thing is to get started, stay curious, and improve with each episode. With practice, you’ll learn to hear details and develop your own workflow that feels natural.
Remember: your audience wants to hear your ideas and personality. Clean, clear audio helps them focus on your message, but perfection isn’t the goal — connection is.
Want more podcast production tips? I’m building a free Notion checklist for podcast workflows and an Online Course — reach out if you want early access, or let me know how your first edit goes!
What editing challenge are you facing? Drop a comment below or send me a message — I’d love to help troubleshoot your specific situation.
Comments