Recording and Editing a Podcast with Audition CS6: The LearnMore Podcast

Introduction

Software Version Reminder: The operation screens and paths in this article are based on Adobe Audition CS6; window configurations, menu names, and functions may vary slightly in different versions. Please refer to your actual version.

After naming the title, I suddenly realized, "This sounds too much like a thesis title, oh my god!" But whatever, I'm going to use this title!

A while ago, I started a business called "LearnMore Education" with my partners, and they've always wanted to record podcasts. I also felt that our casual conversations actually had a lot of potential for podcasting.

So we rented a small recording studio and started our podcast recording journey.

In the blink of an eye, we've reached the sixth episode! Below is a product placement introduction for our fun and entertaining podcast XD.

Spotify Link:LearnMore Podcast

Apple Podcast Link:LearnMore Podcast

It's currently available on major platforms. Here are two links that we've seen are popular in our backend. If you like them, please support us! :D

Because the three of us have backgrounds as science teachers, and also have very different personalities and values, we often unintentionally veer off-topic and talk about things like, "Wait, why does this also involve science?"

Of course, it's mostly a clash of values ​​(?). I personally really love our podcast.

Now, back to the point, why did I suddenly want to write this article?

Actually, when I decided to start recording podcasts, I had absolutely no experience in this type of audio editing and post-production.

Of course, I had absolutely no idea how to record.

Since being assigned the technical responsibility, I've looked at a lot of information online, but it's all very incomplete. There's almost no article that can recommend simple podcast editing and post-production for beginners.

If there are any that are somewhat complete, most of them are for selling courses or products.

I admit that this type of technology and knowledge does need to be sold, so I don't think there's anything wrong with that approach.

However, for beginners wanting to get started with podcast recording, the initial expense of purchasing equipment and renting a recording studio is already quite substantial. Adding the requirement to purchase courses makes the barrier to entry seem rather high.

But since podcasts are uploaded online, there's a concern that without proper post-production and editing, listeners might become dissatisfied and stop listening.

This leads many beginners to give up due to these hurdles, which is a real shame.

"I also want to listen to more interesting podcasts!" So I decided to introduce the entire process of our podcast recording, editing, and post-production.

Of course, there's no absolute standard for editing and post-production; it depends on each person's recording environment and equipment. This is just a basic process for reference.

Of course, I'm a science teacher myself, so there will inevitably be a little bit of theoretical content in the introduction XD, so please bear with me (what do you mean by bear with me?).

It's worth mentioning that because this article focuses on the most basic podcast recording and editing, the software introduction will also take a very basic approach and won't be as in-depth as a textbook.

Interested readers can research it on their own!

A disclaimer first (again, my legal profession kicks in).

Why Choose Audition?

Before doing any specific research, the editing software I used was Audacity, a fairly common free editing software.

Initially, it was mainly used for editing phone ringtones, so very simple editing was sufficient.

However, the recording studio we rented wasn't a true recording space. Besides poor soundproofing, it was right next to a road, so there were frequent ambulance sirens and firecracker noises during holidays.

Not to mention the noise from the air conditioner's water tank and strange chirping sounds inside.

Simply using Audacity was definitely unusable; more advanced editing software was needed.

Later, because my background in graphic design and video editing is entirely Adobe-based, I ultimately chose Audition, also from the Adobe suite, for audio editing.

Audition's powerful features, especially its excellent noise reduction capabilities, and the ability to adjust various sound effects through the Effect panel, make it arguably my absolute favorite audio editing software.

Furthermore, Audition can handle recording directly, making it incredibly convenient.

However, its downside is that it's a paid software; of course, something this good can't be free.

I happen to have a subscription to Audition CS6, so I can continue using it.

However, given Adobe's current subscription model, after the free trial period, Audition alone costs NT$672 (including tax) per month.

If you want to use multiple Adobe software programs simultaneously, such as Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, etc., then subscribing to Adobe Creative Cloud is recommended. The monthly price is 1680 yuan (currently available at a cheaper price of 966 yuan).

Readers can decide which plan to use based on their needs. Below is a link to the official Adobe website.

Adobe's official website

Because I'm using Audition CS6, we will primarily use the CS6 interface when explaining recording, editing, and post-production.

Readers using CC or later versions don't need to worry. CC and later versions offer more features, and all the CS6 functions mentioned here can be found in Audition CC and later versions.

This article mainly focuses on the entire process from recording and editing to post-production, and tries to explain the principles behind post-production adjustments.

Please refer to the software version differences yourself (but seriously, the differences between versions aren't that significant).

Equipment and Environment for Recording a Podcast

Choosing a Recording Space

In the initial stages of recording a podcast, we believed the most basic requirements were a relatively good space and a decent microphone.

Therefore, we found a shared office to renovate.

Because it was originally a single room on one floor, further divided into different offices using partitions, the initial soundproofing was naturally very, very poor.

It was so bad that even the slightest sound would be heard by the neighbors, let alone recording a podcast.

So we tried to solve this problem using sound-absorbing cotton, spending an entire afternoon covering the whole room with it.

Now it's a very comfortable place, and also our office for meetings and discussions.

It's also where I sometimes come here to take a nap when I have free time between trips.

There are actually many types of sound-absorbing cotton, but not many look good together, so my team spent a lot of effort finding this type of flat sound-absorbing cotton.

For aesthetic purposes, our partner also designed the wall trim (the black strip) using different color schemes.

Readers interested can find it on shopping platforms; I won't go into detail here XD.

Compared to traditional, uneven, wavy sound-absorbing cotton, flat sound-absorbing cotton is relatively more aesthetically pleasing and less prone to shedding. Its sound insulation effect isn't particularly bad either, so I highly recommend it to readers looking for attractive sound-absorbing cotton.

Here's an interesting little story: after we finished covering the entire wall with sound-absorbing cotton, we tested it and found it had absolutely no sound insulation effect.

We almost thought we had bought completely useless sound-absorbing cotton, or that we would have to rent somewhere else—it was quite alarming.

Just as my colleague was dejectedly sweeping outside, for some reason, dust from outside was swept into the room when the door was closed.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered a bunch of huge gaps under the partition, offering absolutely no barrier to the outside world. No wonder the soundproofing was zero.

Sealing up the gaps underneath with sound-absorbing cotton made a big difference; it was truly terrifying.

Readers might ask, "Isn't it necessary to rent a very high-end recording studio? Won't the sound quality be terrible?"

Ideally, it would be best, making post-production much easier. However, if the initial recording budget is limited, a basic studio environment is sufficient. Noise levels can be improved in post-production.

Choosing a Microphone

My ideal setup would be a computer, a mixer, and a corresponding number of XLR microphones with pop filters. However, buying this entire system is extremely expensive. Therefore, I want to offer a simpler approach.

To avoid making post-production too laborious, at least the microphones should be of a certain quality, but I won't be using a mixer or XLR microphones.

Our team later used a HyperX QuadCast USB microphone with a built-in pop filter. Why did we choose it? Mainly because it was the microphone we used for recording online courses, and we had one readily available.

Of course, this is a relatively high-priced microphone. Besides being partially directional, it also has omnidirectional pickup range. If we didn't plan to buy any other microphones, it was a very good choice.

We also purchased it during the League of Legends World Championship due to a sponsor discount. The price was actually just over 3000 RMB, which isn't extremely expensive for a microphone.

A decent microphone recommendation

This article has no sponsored content; it's just a recommendation of a decent product. That's stated upfront.

Because this microphone has full-range pickup, as long as the distance between the three or four people being recorded and the microphone is equal, there won't be any problems during recording.

But even so, we actually spent a lot of time adjusting it during recording, lol.

Therefore, to be precise, for podcast recording, we only prepared a relatively soundproof recording studio, one microphone, and one computer—that's all.

Huh? Don't know what the "Good Boy Curse" is? Then you can listen to our podcast that talks about this topic (insisting on recommending it).

【Think or Sink】EP.1 - Do You Believe in Fate?

The Audition CS6 Interface and Window Setup

Whether you're using Audition for recording or editing, you need to have a basic understanding of the interface.

The Audition interface I use is in English and hasn't been localized. Therefore, readers can refer to the screen layout to find the necessary windows.

Generally, the Audition interface looks like this when I'm editing or recording:

This section shows the windows I frequently use for editing or recording. You can open them all in the Window menu in the top left toolbar for quick access later.

Editor Panel

The above image shows a blank screen when no audio file is selected. If an audio file is present in the Files window, double-clicking on it will display the audio file's waveform in the Editor window, as shown below.

The vertical scale on the right shows the audio level in decibels.

Readers with a background in natural sciences should be familiar with the decibel value. Decibels express a ratio relative to a reference value; sound pressure level (dB SPL) commonly uses the threshold of hearing as its reference, but decibel values are not inherently positive.

Audition displays digital audio levels in dBFS: 0 dBFS is the maximum signal amplitude the digital format can represent, and lower levels appear as negative values. Exceeding this limit can cause clipping distortion. It does not mark the maximum sound level a human can tolerate, and it cannot be directly converted into sound pressure level.

This representation is the same in Premiere and Audition.

The Editor window contains a playback panel where you can play and speed up existing audio files. You can also record from a completely blank audio file by pressing the red button, which we will explain further later.

To examine the details of the entire audio file closely, you can see several magnifying glass icons in the lower right corner, as shown below.

The first two from the left are for vertical zoom. Clicking them will change the decibel value on the vertical axis, which can be used to observe detailed changes in decibel levels.

The third and fourth from the left are for horizontal zoom. Clicking them will show a local waveform within the entire audio file. This is generally used when you need to fine-tune specific sections or remove inappropriate language (?).

Clicking the far right of the magnifying glass will return the entire audio file's waveform to the screen, quickly reverting to the state before horizontal zoom.

Files Panel

This is the temporary data storage area within the Audition software. If you want to open a specific audio file in Audition, you can click the folder icon in the upper left corner or drag the audio file across the window into the Files window.

Dragging a file into the Files window will display information such as the audio file's duration, sample rate, and whether it is mono or multi-channel.

Effects Rack Panel

I personally prefer to call it the Effects Rack, but if you frequently need to find information online, searching for "effects" is more efficient.

This window is related to all the effects used in post-production; you'll add them here.

Of course, you can add audio effects not only from here, but also by clicking the toolbar in the upper left corner of Audition, where you'll find an "Effects" section where you can select the desired effects.

We'll explain how to add effects and which common effects are available later.

History Panel

I generally use this window to see what actions I've taken with the audio file and to know which part to return to if I want to go back to the previous step.

Because audio files, unlike edited files, don't clearly show what's been changed, and you can't keep going back to listen to the differences between before and after editing, I think this window is essential.

Levels Panel

Because people listen to podcasts through different media such as mobile phones and computers, and besides the playback software adjusting the volume, the hardware can also adjust the volume.

Therefore, when editing, I use absolute decibel values ​​as a reference. This makes me heavily reliant on the Levels window to observe which decibel levels are too high and might make listeners uncomfortable.

Generally, I keep the decibel level between -15 and -6 dB. For levels exceeding -6 dB, I use dynamic adjustment effects, which we'll discuss in more detail later.

Match Volume Panel

A necessary step when uploading a podcast to the platform is volume normalization.

It's located in the same area as Effects Rack but on a different tab, so I won't include a picture here.

We'll leave this aside for now and discuss it later XD, otherwise, the window introduction section will become too complicated.

Selection/View Panel

I generally use this window less for basic editing and more often when stitching dialogue clips with the opening and ending music.

Tools Panel

Because these tools are quite important, let's discuss the buttons I use in my editing process in more detail.

Waveform: The interface for each audio file, and the main interface that will be used when recording. It allows editing of individual audio files, and even applying irreversible (Process) effects. The interfaces we've seen so far are primarily based on Waveform.

Multitrack: The interface for combining multiple audio files, and also the main interface used for editing dialogue in podcasts. We'll show you what the interface looks like and how to enable it when we discuss dialogue editing later.

Show Spectral Frequency Display: In Waveform mode, for a specific audio file, you can see the intensity of each audio file at different frequencies. This is a very important reference window when we do noise reduction later, which we'll discuss later XD.

Razor Selected Clips Tool: This tool has a blade-like icon. Clicking it transforms the mouse cursor into a blade, allowing you to select a specific audio file and split it into two parts. Because this action splits a single audio file into two, it's considered a multi-file operation and is only available in Multitrack mode.

Move Tool: This tool allows you to move the position of an audio file with the mouse. It's generally used in conjunction with the Clips tool to cut and then drag the clip forward or backward.

Selection Tool: The leftmost tool resembles the Time Selection Tool found in Word. It selects all audio files within a specific time range, making it the most commonly used tool in general editing. Other Selection Tools are less common and will not be discussed further here.

Spot Healing Brush Tool: This is used in conjunction with the sound spectrum and is the primary tool for noise reduction. Please remember its location, as we will use it extensively in noise reduction later.

The above content covers the entire Audition window introduction. Although we haven't covered much more, this article mainly focuses on podcast editing for beginners, so knowing the general outline is sufficient.

Recording a Podcast in Audition

After the basic introduction and equipment overview, we can start recording a podcast!

First, open a new Audition window, then position your microphone appropriately and connect it to your computer.

One important point to note is that with only one microphone, it's impossible to individually adjust the microphone for different people speaking simultaneously. Therefore, try to keep the microphone at a similar distance from each person.

If someone is speaking very softly, move closer to them; conversely, move further away from louder speakers.

Confirming the Input Hardware

If recording with a laptop, since laptops often have built-in microphones, and if you also have an external microphone, Audition may not use the microphone you want.

Therefore, you need to pre-configure to ensure a better microphone is used.

At this point, find Edits→Preferences→Audio Hardware in the top left toolbar of Audition.

You can open the hardware device window below. At this point, just confirm that the Input device in the red box is the microphone we need.

Since I'm using a HyperX microphone, the audio source shown on the screen is indeed this microphone, which is correct.

Creating an Audio File and Starting the Recording

In the upper left corner, go to Files → News → Audio File to open the basic settings window for recording audio files.

The File Name field is a temporary audio name in Audition. You can change it to another name after recording, which is fine.

It's worth mentioning the Sample Rate, Channels, and Bit Depth.

Of course, if you don't want to read this information, you can directly set the values ​​shown in the image above. If you want to know more, please continue reading.

You can think of sampling rate as the pixels in a camera. In a camera, the higher the pixel count, the finer the sampling, resulting in better image quality.

In audio, sampling rate is the "number of discrete audio samples per second." Naturally, since the audio we hear is composed of sampled discrete audio signals combined into a continuous audio file, the more samples taken per second, the closer the sound quality will be to the original sound, and the better.

Generally, for regular music or podcasts, a setting of 44100Hz is sufficient. For content that relies more on sound quality, such as commercials, voice-overs, or even ASMR, a higher sampling rate is required.

Next, let's talk about audio channels. Many readers will immediately think that this means choosing stereo, not mono.

Well, an audio channel is essentially the direction from which sound originates. Generally, it refers to the left and right audio channels, representing the two directions of sound originating from the audio source.

When a person speaks, the sound is generally heard from a single direction. Because sound diffuses, it seems like both ears hear the speaker, but the content heard is actually the same.

Stereo, on the other hand, involves different directions of sound. In other words, the so-called "three-dimensional" effect isn't simply about hearing in both ears. If both ears hear the same thing, it's not stereo; that's still mono.

During recording, human speech is recorded unidirectionally, but in post-production, we convert mono to stereo, making the left and right channels identical.

Therefore, while podcast recording is mono, post-production doesn't allow only one ear to hear the sound; it's still made stereo.

Finally, let's talk about bit depth. This value refers to the vertical range of volume that can be sampled. A higher value results in a wider dynamic range, closer to the original sound.

Although some articles suggest choosing 16, because the final playback difference between 16-bit and higher bit depths may not always be obvious to listeners; however, higher bit depths still provide more dynamic range during recording and editing, our team's podcast recordings, even 1 hour and 20 minutes long, never become too large to upload to the platform.

Therefore, using 32 is perfectly acceptable.

After opening the file, you can directly press the red round button to start recording.

Since this is a single audio file, it's in Waveform mode.

A special reminder: during recording, someone must check to ensure there's a consistent waveform and that the sound doesn't exceed 0 decibels (causing pops). Try to keep the sound level in the negative; it will be easier to process in post-production!

After recording, you can press the red round button again to stop recording, and the audio file will appear in the Files window.

Because our team's recording and editing times differ, I always export the files as WAV files for later editing.

Exporting the Recorded Podcast

In the top left toolbar, you can find File→Export→File to open the export settings profile.

Because subsequent editing and sound effects will be added, I recommend exporting a high-quality WAV file to prevent the sound quality from deteriorating during later editing.

After exporting, double-check that the export was successful. If everything is correct, close the Audition window; the recording is now complete.

Editing Dialogue and Reducing Noise in Audition

Essential Concepts and Interface Overview

Because podcasts consist of long conversations, it's practically impossible to film them in one take. There's also the possibility of saying the wrong thing or saying something inappropriate XD. There will inevitably be many parts that need to be cut or rearranged.

Moreover, unless you're in a top-tier recording studio, ambient noise is unavoidable. Therefore, these two steps must be taken before any subsequent audio quality enhancement.

First, because dialogue editing breaks down the original complete audio file into numerous smaller audio segments, we'll be using Multitrack mode.

As mentioned earlier, Multitrack is used when editing or merging multiple audio files. We'll refer to it as a "Multitrack Session."

In the Audition software when it's empty, clicking Multitrack in the Tools window will bring up the Session settings window.

At this stage, we only need to edit the dialogue and reduce noise, so we can use the settings from the original audio file.

After creating a new Multitrack session, you'll find that the overall window structure remains largely unchanged, except for the Editor, which becomes more complex.

This is why it's called Multitrack; it actually provides several audio tracks for your audio files.

You might say, "Isn't one audio track enough? Why do I need so many?"

Well, some people might want to add background music to later dialogue. In that case, you have to put the dialogue on one track and the background music on another.

Editing Dialogue

This part deals with situations where there might be stuttering, pauses, entire segments that need to be cut, or segments that need to be replaced.

First, in Multitrack mode, put the previously recorded podcast audio files into the Files folder and drag them into one of the audio tracks.

The main technique is to use the Razor Selected Clips Tool, the blade-shaped tool, to cut out the part you want to edit.

As we know, this is definitely not enough if you want to edit out various slips of the tongue or stutters.

Therefore, we must use the two magnifying glasses mentioned earlier to zoom in on the entire waveform to the part that can be edited in detail, like the image below.

After using the blade tool to click on the part you want to cut, a cutting line will appear, and the original audio file will be split into two parts, as shown in the image below.

Therefore, you can keep using the blade tool to cut the audio file into many segments, as shown in the image below.

The separated audio files can be selected and deleted using the Delete tool, or moved using the Move Tool.

A common technique in podcast conversation editing is deleting specific segments and then moving subsequent audio files to the front.

We can use the mouse to select all the subsequent audio files, creating the brighter segments shown in the image below, and then use the Move Tool to drag these audio files over and combine them with the preceding audio files.

The selected audio file must closely match the preceding audio file. Therefore, we select the magnet icon in the Editor window and then drag it using the Move Tool to ensure close matching.

A yellow line will appear if they are closely matched.

Sometimes, if you drag too far, a very obvious yellow cross will appear as shown in the image below, indicating that the two audio files overlap in that area.

Using this editing method, you can basically handle all stuttering, pauses, and paragraph transitions in dialogue.

Reducing Dialogue Noise

When editing dialogue, I listen to the entire audio file simultaneously. To save time, I edit out stuttering during pauses while simultaneously addressing noise.

Before understanding noise issues, it's essential to have a basic understanding of sound spectrum diagrams. This can be done using the previously mentioned "Show Spectral Frequency Display" (in Waveform mode).

First, it's crucial to understand that the pitch of a human voice isn't a single frequency, but rather has varying intensities at each frequency. These intensities combine to create a unique waveform, or what we call phonology in physics.

This graph describing the varying intensities of sound at different frequencies is called a "sound spectrum diagram."

After a podcast recording is complete, Audition can directly generate a spectrogram of the sound, showing the results as shown in the bright red graphs below.

Notice that the vertical axis on the right corresponds to the frequency values ​​of the sound, while the horizontal axis represents the time points. You can compare this to the waveform above.

In the graph, brighter colors indicate greater intensity, while lighter colors indicate lower intensity.

Generally, noise can be divided into three categories: persistent background noise, extremely short-lived noise (such as knocking or electronic sounds), and temporary noise (such as the sound of an air conditioner radiator).

However, we can ultimately treat them as two categories: extremely short-lived noise and temporary noise.

First, let's talk about how to handle extremely short noises. When editing dialogue, you might hear strange, very short noises. Most of the time, when you review the spectrum analysis, you'll find something unusual – a bright signal even though there's no speech.

Because it appears very briefly, we need to use what's commonly called an "OK Brush," specifically the Spot Healing Brush Tool in the Tools window.

This tool is somewhat like a finger; it's like using your finger to erase the unwanted part. Since the area you want to remove varies in size, you can select the finger size, but we generally call it "Heal."

This method can be used to process both horizontal and vertical transient noise, as long as the frequency range of the noise can be clearly identified.

Next, let's address longer-term noise or ambient background noise. A characteristic of this type of noise is that it's "difficult to pinpoint the exact location and frequency of the noise."

Below, we'll show you what this type of noise looks like in the spectrum analysis graph.

The noise from the air conditioning tank is clearly mixed with the speaking sound, making it difficult to separate.

Background noise exists throughout the entire recording process; erasing it segment by segment using the Heal tool would be too time-consuming.

The approach for background noise and continuous noise is the same, because it's difficult to remove with the naked eye, but its approximate location can at least be identified. Therefore, we need to first tell Audition what the noise looks like, and then let it separate it automatically.

So we first need to find a segment of "no sound but with noise." Taking the water tank sound and background noise as examples, these are the areas highlighted in blue and red boxes in the image below.

However, because the frequencies of these two noises seem different, although the method is the same, we will process one part at a time. Here, we will use the sound of the air conditioner's water tank as an example.

First, use the selection tool to select the "no sound but with noise" segment highlighted in blue.

Then, in the top left toolbar of the window, click Effects → Noise Reduction/Restoration → Capture Noise Print. This tells Audition which part of the noise you want to remove.

This is similar to creating a noise fingerprint.

Next, select the audio clip you want to remove the noise from, and in Effects → Noise Reduction/Restoration, select Noise Reduction (process).

Why is it labeled "process"?

This means that this action directly changes the waveform itself, and it's an irreversible change.

Of course, you can go back to the previous step; it's not truly irreversible. However, compared to other effects that don't affect the original waveform, noise reduction does affect it, hence the need for this reminder.

Try to make the red and green parts as close as possible. This indicates more precise noise removal.

Of course, you can also use the Advanced settings to determine your noise reduction performance, smoothness, etc. Readers can experiment with these settings themselves, and also use the play button in the lower left corner and the on/off effect button on the far left to listen to the noise reduction effect.

If it sounds okay, just press Apply.

After noise reduction, the entire spectrogram looks much cleaner. Try listening to see if the noise reduction was successful. Then use the Heal tool to completely remove any remaining noise!

The method for handling background noise is the same: select a segment with background noise but no speech as the noise fingerprint. The only difference is that the entire segment of the audio file needs to be selected for noise reduction.

I won't go into too much detail about this part!

Improving Podcast Sound Quality in Audition

After dialogue editing and basic noise reduction, for convenience, I will first export the complete dialogue file as a WAV file, then create a new file to integrate and improve the audio quality and create the final podcast file.

Why not directly use the multitrack file of the edited dialogue file for processing?

Because the edited dialogue files will typically contain a huge number of fragmented segments, adding effects to each segment individually when upgrading the audio files later would be incredibly time-consuming. Therefore, it's essential to export them as a single WAV file first.

Opening the Final Audition Session

A complete podcast will include intro music, the dialogue in the middle, and outro music. More varied podcasts may also include bonus features and highlights.

To combine all these elements into a single audio file, you must use Multitrack Session.

Therefore, open another Multitrack Audition file, but this time, set it to "Stereo," because the intro and outro music will mostly be in stereo.

In this mode, the original mono dialogue files will be forcibly converted to stereo, but the content heard from different channels will be the same (pseudo-stereo).

After enabling this mode, drag all the necessary audio files into the Files window for later use.

Preparing the Intro and Outro

This isn't strictly necessary, but I personally like the complete feel, so I always included opening and closing music when recording podcasts.

It's important to note that podcasts are for profit, so there are music copyright issues. You must obtain permission from the original authors before using their music.

To avoid this problem, I subscribed to Artlist for the opening and closing music of my podcasts. This allows me to download various copyrighted music and obtain licenses within a certain period.

I'll write a separate article about Artlist to explain its copyright usage and benefits later; here's a link for now.

Artlist Link

As a video creator and streamer, to safely avoid copyright issues, you should stick to platforms like this.

If you need to edit purchased audio files that are too long or too short, you can use the razor tool mentioned earlier, or simply drag and drop the audio file at the beginning or end.

Arranging the Required Audio on Tracks

Readers familiar with LearnMore Podcast will know that our recent episodes begin with a funny clip or highlight reel before the opening bell and music.

These audio files overlap to some extent; it's not a one-to-one sequence where one audio file is played before the next one appears. Therefore, they are overlapped in a similar way.

Wouldn't it look strange if both audio files were playing in the overlapping area?

Yes, that's why there needs to be a fade-in/fade-out setting. When you click on each audio file with the mouse, you'll see a symbol in the red box shown in the image below. Dragging it creates fade-in and fade-out effects.

The operation in this part is consistent with Premiere.

This setting prevents overlapping audio files from clashing and avoids the abrupt cut-off feeling of one audio file finishing before another plays.

Overview of Adding Effects

To improve sound quality, we rely on various effects in Effects Rack. The method for adding each effect is the same, so I'll discuss it separately.

To ensure that each episode of LearnMore’s podcast sounds consistent, I've created a standard operating procedure (SOP) for all effects. Since our recording environments and microphone distances are largely similar, I've also templated most effects.

This method speeds up the process.

Even in Multitrack mode, the Effects panel is on the left, in the Effects Rack section. If you can't find it, check the tabs or bring it up using the Windows key.

Select the audio clip you want to add an effect to. In the Effects Rack panel, click the triangle arrow next to it (the red box in the image below) to select the effect you want to add.

The VST and VST3 at the bottom are plugin effects. You can find many cool effects online; many people have downloaded a bunch.

But personally, I think Audition's built-in effects are quite good. You should familiarize yourself with the built-in effects first!

Select the desired effect, and the corresponding effect panel will pop up. After setting it, close the effect panel.

Path: Amplitude and Compression → Amplify

After adding the effect, you can observe the volume change before and after adjustment through Input and Output. Of course, you can also listen directly by playing back the audio.

Because of our microphone, I often add 5dB before adjusting various effects to avoid it being too quiet.

This is something I do before adding any effects, but I still decide whether to increase the decibel level depending on the specific situation.

The following explains the effects I always use during editing and their order.

Effects Rack—Graphic Equalizer (20 Bands)

I used English because I'm not sure how to translate it accurately. This panel divides all sound frequencies into 20 bands, allowing you to adjust the volume for different frequencies.

Path: Filter and EQ → Graphic Equalizer (20 Bands)

Adjusting sound frequencies is more noticeable in post-production for singing; it's less noticeable in conversational podcasts.

Generally speaking, a general principle can be followed: increasing the volume in the 50-150 Hz range can enhance chest resonance; increasing it in the 150-250 Hz range can increase the fullness of the sound; and above 2000 Hz can improve brightness. Appropriate gain is beneficial.

The three members of the Learn More trio consist of two men and one woman. The two men have sufficient chest resonance, so the low frequencies don't need much adjustment (especially since this isn't singing), and the high frequencies also don't need much modification, as it would make the overall sound very strange.

Therefore, only referencing online settings, making slight adjustments within the 8000 Hz range, and using the preset effects for the rest, without much change.

Dynamics Processing

Path: Amplitude and Compression → Dynamics Processing

This effect can increase the volume of sounds at a specific decibel level. Generally, the volume of human voices recorded in podcasts falls within -15dB, and background noise is located at relatively low decibel levels.

The vertical axis represents the output volume in decibels, and the horizontal axis represents the input volume in decibels. Under normal conditions without adjustment, it should be a straight line with a slope of 1.

In other words, the input and output decibel levels should be the same.

If you see a slope that is not 1, then it has been adjusted.

Therefore, this effect can be used to increase the volume of sounds within -15dB, making the sound more solid.

Some people would reduce the volume below -60dB, but since I do noise reduction myself and want the recording to sound more natural, I didn't do that.

Parametric Equalizer

Path: Filter and EQ → Parametric Equalizer

The coefficient balance section also adjusts the volume for different frequencies. Here, I directly use the Loudness Maximizer internal modeling group.

This can further elevate the sound's feel.

Single-band Compressor

Path: Amplitude and Compression → Single-band Compressor

This audio quality adjustment is a relatively important technique in my opinion, because podcasts, especially Learn More, are prone to having loud laughter segments.

Normally, the voice might be relatively soft, but when laughing, the volume becomes very loud, even distorting, which is very painful for listeners without additional processing.

Therefore, sounds exceeding a certain dB level must be compressed to prevent them from becoming excessively loud. This is where dynamic sound adjustment comes in.

There are actually many plugins available online for dynamic sound adjustment, but I personally think Audition's built-in settings are excellent (definitely not because I don't want to learn anything new)!

Let me briefly explain the meaning of these settings. Readers can adjust them to suit their recording needs.

Threshold: This controls the compression level. It determines the volume at which compression begins. If set to -25dB, compression will not occur below -25dB, but will begin above -25dB.

Ratio: This determines the compression ratio. A higher ratio results in more powerful compression. For podcasts like LearnMore’s, which mostly consist of talking rather than singing, the peak compression ratio spikes very quickly during laughter, so I use 10:1. For singing, you can use 4:1 to 5:1.

Attack: The start time for compression. This determines how quickly compression should begin when you feel it needs to start. It's measured in milliseconds; I set it to 1ms, so I start compression almost immediately upon any fluctuation in volume.

Release: The release time. This determines how long you compress before releasing.

Output gain: The compressed volume. This is fine; leave it as is.

After these settings, even at extremely loud volumes, LearnMore’s podcasts maintain a volume of approximately -6dB, allowing listeners to shout without discomfort.

Quick Adjustment Option—Mastering

Path: Special → Mastering → Select Make Room For Vocals.

I saw this while searching for information on YouTube. I secretly uploaded it to the LearnMore Podcast a couple of times for people to listen to, but it didn't seem to have any significant effect XD.

I heard that its effect makes it sound like it was recorded in a recording studio. I'm not entirely sure about the effect myself, but if you're really too lazy to adjust it like before, you might want to give it a try.

Exporting the Processed Audio

Select the .sesx file created because of Multitrack, in File → Export → Multitrack Mixdown → Entire Session.

Since there's still the final step of audio file standardization, I'll export the WAV file first instead of converting it to MP3.

This final audio file is exported first. Firstly, it's to have a high-quality backup for later editing, and secondly, it allows me to listen to it carefully again to check for any issues.

Because the final step involves compressing to MP3, problems are harder to detect in lower-quality MP3 files, making debugging more difficult.

Normalizing Podcast Loudness in Audition

Besides maintaining consistent volume within each segment of each episode, the volume should also be adjusted to be consistent across different episodes.

This prevents listeners from having to adjust their phones repeatedly after finishing one episode, which is very annoying. This is due to improperly set loudness (LUFS) values.

Therefore, besides maintaining a consistent distance from the microphone during recording and avoiding sudden changes in volume, post-production should also utilize decibel amplification or dynamic adjustment to prevent uneven volume and distortion.

I won't delve too deeply into hardcore content here; interested readers can find relevant information themselves.

To be honest, I haven't studied this part much myself, lol.

Drag the already exported and organized WAV file into the Match Volume window.

The LUFS settings vary across platforms; generally, the smaller the negative number, the louder the volume.

For common platforms, Spotify uses -14 for maximum volume, while Apple Podcasts uses -16.

The "Match to" field specifies which standard to use as the reference for Volume Matching. Select "ITU-R BS.1770-2 Loudness".

Regarding the Loudness setting, I initially used -18 based on online resources, but recently listeners have reported that the volume is generally too low. I'm considering changing it to -16 or -14.

This is to accommodate the fact that most users on our platform are Apple podcasters, and also because many of our listeners likely listen in noisy environments, so a higher volume might be better.

After setting it up, there's an "Export Settings" option in the lower left corner. Clicking it allows you to select the file format to export.

Because I will be hosting the podcast on the SoundOn platform, which has certain format restrictions on files, adjustments and compression will be performed in this final stage.

Link to SoundOn's podcast file format specifications:SoundOn File Format Specifications

Therefore, according to SoundOn's specifications, our Audition settings are shown in the image below.

Besides the export path, special attention needs to be paid to the Sample Type and Format Settings. If they differ from what is displayed, you can click the "Change" button next to them to make changes and selections.

After clicking "OK," it's not finished yet. You need to return to the original Match Volume window and then click "Run."

Give it some time, and it will eventually produce an MP3 file that can be uploaded and has its volume adjusted. Then you can upload this file to the platform.

We at LearnMore currently use the SoundOn platform. The user interface is very intuitive and it can automatically upload to major platforms (except for a few that require manual upload).

You can also view podcast traffic and various data through the SoundOn platform alone. I think it's great and I recommend it to everyone.

Conclusion

After writing such a long and detailed explanation, I've finally covered the entire podcast process, from recording and editing to post-production sound quality adjustments.

This article was born out of a feeling that there isn't a single article online specifically for podcast beginners. Often, there's too much information, and many articles even contain sponsored content, whether selling courses or podcast merchandise.

This often makes beginners feel like they need a huge investment to start recording a podcast, which discourages them.

Therefore, this article aims to provide the minimum information you should know "when you're just starting out recording a podcast." We ourselves have used the same equipment and technology to record several podcast episodes and have a small audience.

We hope this article will be helpful to readers who want to record their own podcasts!

Of course, last but not least, we want to promote our podcast channel again.

A channel made up of three nature teachers - LearnMore.

Spotify Link:LearnMore Podcast

Apple Podcast Link:LearnMore Podcast

We would be extremely grateful if you could help us track our subscriptions! :D We will continue to strive to release better and higher-quality programs!