Recently I started my podcast back up and I’ve been feeling extremely inspired about going through the creative process. While getting back on track I was quickly reminded of when I first started a few months ago and how scared and excited I was. I didn’t know where to begin regarding what tools or services to use. There are several different software options to choose from in the podcast space and they all have different pros and cons.
For example…
What hosting provider should you use?
What is the best podcast recording app or application?
What software should you use to edit your show?
These are significant concerns for people new to podcast production and I think they should be met with reliable feedback. That’s why I want to share with you what software services I have been using for the past year for my podcast.
This list will have you covered from setting your show up to having it uploaded to whatever podcast directories you want! The best part about it is that I discovered these through trial and error so you get to hear about my real-world experiences using these various tools. You’ll get an idea as to why I use these tools and what makes them great. You’ll also know what to look out for as well.
Everything I mention in this post will be linked. So without further ado let me break down this list.
(Also as a side note I’ll mention some other software options on top of the services I primarily use)
I must admit the reason I use Libsyn is actually because of a podcasting guide I found on YouTube by Pat Flynn. He’s a well respected and trusted content producer and he’s well known within the podcast community. If you’re not familiar with his work I highly recommend you get acquainted with it especially if you plan on producing a podcast. Click here to check him out.
Anyway back to Libsyn.
Although I didn’t go through the headache of testing multiple hosting providers I know for a fact Libsyn works and it works exceptionally well. For the year that I’ve been using their platform, I’ve been covered and I haven’t felt the need to try another service. There is the possibility that other services have different offerings but in my book, if it’s not broke don’t fix it.
Libsyn allows you to check stats pertaining to your show, you can automatically schedule your episodes to publish at later dates, and options for monetization if your show has a sizeable audience.
There are many other features but these are some of my favorites. You’ll get a better understanding of the platform if you decide to use it as your podcast hosting provider. If you check out Libsyn and for whatever reason end up disliking it there are other hosting providers such as Anchor, Buzzsprout, Podbean, Simplecast and more. Libsyn offers plans as low as $5 and the higher up you go the more they offer.
With hosting covered let’s move on to how you can record your episodes.
What if you managed to secure a dream interview only for you to come to the realization that your guest resides thousands of miles away and you don’t have the ability to interview them in person. Well, I’m glad you asked! You can use an online recording software!
Depending on your recording situation you can either record remotely using an online service or in person. In-person, you can use software such as Audacity (will revisit this soon) or a physical recording device. However, since this post is aimed at discussing software options I’ll focus on that. For my own use, I’ve found Zencastr to be my service of choice and in my opinion, it is a podcast recording app you should be using.
Zencastr is stupidly simple to set up and use so it’s a service that is easy to get attached to. The website is also complemented by a clean user interface and navigating the website is seamless. There are many features to this software but I want to highlight one of my favorites.
What I personally enjoy the most about Zencastr is that you can invite guests to a call by sending them a link and then all you need to do after that is hit the record button. When your done recording you have an audio file for each speaker which you are free to edit. Each episode you record is also stored in your account so you can access it at any time. Be wary because there are limitations to how much you can store depending on your plan.
Also, Zencastr is free to use! The hobbyist plan (Free) lets you record up to 8 hours a month and have up to 2 guests at a time. If you upgrade to the professional plan which goes for $20 a month you pretty much get the same features plus some additional features on steroids
This is a service that offers high-quality audio and its made accessible to any and everyone. This website alone has dramatically changed the way I record my show. Before I transition into what software you should use to edit I want to mention another software option that you can use to record with a guest in person.
Audacity!
I don’t normally use this to record face to face interviews because I prefer to use a recording device but it’s definitely an option. If this seems like something you would be interested in, watch a YouTube video on how to get it set up. It’s pretty straightforward and you most likely won’t need to at all.
Now onto editing!
Editing is something that I believe comes down to preference but even with that said I still want to supply a solution. I have used a few editing programs and in the end, I always end up coming back to Audacity. The Audacity software is a podcast editing app that you can download to Windows, macOS, and Linux. The program is free to use and there are regular updates to the software.
When you first download Audacity it can appear as very intimidating but after a few YouTube tutorials you’ll get the basics down. I’m not going to give you a full breakdown of the service just a quick review. Audacity has a wide set of editing features and after a while, it becomes second-hand nature to use. For anyone new to audio editing its a great beginner program that you can use for years to come.
There are no real drawbacks that I can think of off the top of my head but you can be the judge of that if you decide to download. Some great alternative options consist of Garageband (Only for Apple devices), Adobe Audition, Logic Pro, and more. Some of these other programs have a more difficult barrier to entry so keep this in mind.
Also here is a YouTube tutorial for learning Audacity.
If I were, to sum up, what Auphonic does in one word I would say that it is automation. Auphonic is a website that focuses on the post-production side of podcasting. I discovered it a few months ago and it’s been instrumental in increasing my podcasts sound consistency. Before finding it my audio was amateurish but now all of my audio tracks at the time of publication flow naturally.
This service creates professional-quality audio and you don’t have to do anything outside of input your audio tracks. What I like to do is edit my show in Audacity and once I finish the project I upload the file to Auphonic and it corrects any imperfections with the audio. The website establishes an ideal audio loudness (-16 LUFS), stabilizes loudness, reduces noise/hum, uses an adaptive leveler, and filters.
What I just mentioned are what I would consider to be the selling points of Auphonic but of course, they offer more. To my knowledge, there aren’t too many other tools like this one and it’s been vital in my editing process. Unfortunately, it isn’t free (Starts at $10) but for what it does I wouldn’t expect it to be. It provides more than enough value to warrant its price and I always recommend it to anyone thinking about getting into podcasting. Save yourself time, effort, and frustration by letting Auphonic do what it’s good at.
And that brings us to the end of this week’s post.
The goal of this list was to show you what software will help you right out the gate as a beginner. I use each one of the services I talked about in my production process and in the same sequence. Each program has increased my workflow and simplified a tedious procedure. Do you think this has given you a better idea of how to record a podcast?
If you have any questions about anything you read in this post ask away. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram at @greenemekhi. If you don’t have any questions and you just want to say hi, you can do that too!
Also, tune into my podcast “The Simple Idea”. Episodes every Friday 12 PM EST.
I’ll catch you next week.
The post Tips for Starting a Podcast: What Software to Use appeared first on Mekhi Greene.
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