Creating a Podcast: Post Production

Having recorded your podcast, some basic editing must be done in order to go from the raw file to the finished podcast.

There are many Digital Audio Workstations available for these purposes. Apple computers come with GarageBand installed. Pro-Tools can be used on Mac OS or Windows, and Audacity is an open source digital audio software package which is freely available online.

Again, simplicity is key to success, especially when starting out with your podcast. If the thought of editing audio in a digital workstation fills you with a sense of untold dread and horror, consider drafting a more scripted podcast that requires no heavy editing after the initial recording has been completed.

If however, the idea fiddling about with digital effects and cropping sound files fills you with glee, then naturally, you will have more options as far as post-production is concerned.

Some basic familiarity with the principles of audio editing however, will benefit you in creating your podcast. It can be helpful to edit out the bumps, creaks, coughs or lengthy ‘ehhhhh’ moments where one isn’t quite sure what next to say.

There are a great many tutorials on basic audio editing available on YouTube, don’t be afraid to get stuck in and familiarise yourself with the basics. Again, familiarity with both hardware and software will remove many of the obstacles to production of your podcast.

Audacity is a free, easy-to-use, software that can be used for audio editing and podcast creation.  

It can be used with a wide variety operating systems.

For further information and help see www.audacityteam.org/help/

Having recorded an illuminating and deeply insightful discussion which you wish to now share with the world at large, you will need to consider online hosting and distribution of your podcast.

For around €100 a year, SoundCloud offer unlimited hosting on their website, along with the ability to track analytic data regarding your global listenership. Your SoundCloud profile will allow you to upload an image for each specific episode of your podcast, along with a brief description of the material contained therein, along with a link back to Social Media pages such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram etc.

By signing up to iTunes as a podcast creator, you can also distribute your podcast on that platform, using an RSS feed drawn from your SoundCloud profile, and which disseminates your podcast across a wide variety of podcast sites and platforms.