The Pros and Cons of the Top 5 Podcast Recording Software Options

Welcome to Podcasting Q&A, where we help You launch, grow, and monetize your Show. In this episode, we'll be discussing the pros and cons of the top five podcast recording software options that we recommend the most. As podcasting has gained popularity in recent years, there have been many audio editing software options that have come out. Some of these options are geared towards professional-level audio editing, while others are more user-friendly for beginners. In this article, we'll be breaking down the pros and cons of each software option, so you can decide which one is best for you.

Audacity

The first audio editing software that we recommend is Audacity. Audacity is the most popular Podcast editing platform in the world, and for good reason. One of the biggest pros of Audacity is that it's free. You can download it directly from Audacity's Website and start using it right away. Audacity also has a lot of editing capabilities built right into it. You can Apply normalization effects, compressor effects, EQ settings, fades, and cross-fades. All of the editing techniques and strategies that you learn in your podcasting Journey can be done in Audacity.

However, Audacity does tend to be a bit buggy, especially when it comes to software updates. Recently, Apple updated their operating system to Catalina, and it broke Audacity. If you used Audacity to edit your podcast episodes, you could not do that in Catalina. It took a while for Audacity to Create a software patch that would restore that capability to all of their Mac users. The other thing to be aware of with Audacity is that it does what's called destructive editing. So if you cut out a piece of your audio and then save the file, you can't get that audio back.

GarageBand

The Second software option on our list is GarageBand. GarageBand comes pre-installed on just about every Apple device that you can imagine, whether it's a MacBook, an iMac, iPad, iPhone, or any other i-thing. One of the biggest pros of GarageBand is that it's free and pretty easy to use, especially when you start comparing it to Audacity, which has a lot of capabilities built into it but can take a while to learn how to use the software. GarageBand's a lot more intuitive and easy to understand.

However, one thing that you need to be mindful of when you're editing in GarageBand is that it has very limited export capabilities. So a lot of audio editing software, when you export your project to make your final MP3 or WAV file, you have a bunch of fields that you can fill out. You have a bunch of things that you can customize to make sure that your file turns out exactly the way that you want it. GarageBand does not. The other thing that GarageBand cannot do is set the loudness level. So if you want to set your podcast episodes to the industry standard of negative 16 LUFS for stereo files and negative 19 LUFS for mono files, GarageBand can't do that.

Alitu

The third software on our list is Alitu. Alitu is an internet-Based recording and editing software that works on any device. What's really cool about Alitu is that they have done their very best to speed up the editing process as much as possible. You can bring in your intro and outro into every single episode. You don't have to add it every single time; you save it once, and Alitu brings it in. When you import audio files, whether it's an interview file or a narration file or background music, it will automatically do some mixing and mastering to that. And then at the end of the edit, once you're done, you can publish directly into podcast hosting companies like Buzzsprout. So removing the step of having to export the file, download it to your computer, log into your podcast host, upload the file, it removes all those steps.

However, one drawback of Alitu is that you are kind of limited in the mixing and mastering that you can do because so much of the process is automated to really simplify the workflow, that just gives you fewer toggles that you can adjust. And so if that is something that you are really passionate about doing, then don't use Alitu.

Hindenburg Journalist Pro

The fourth audio editing software that we recommend is Hindenburg Journalist Pro. It's the one that we use to edit all of our podcasts here at Buzzsprout. The reason is that it has everything that you need in a professional-level audio editing software without the complexity that you don't. If you've ever looked at Adobe Audition and just immediately felt overwhelmed and confused about what to do or how to do it, you are not alone. Hindenburg has a lot of those same level of features that you're going to get in a software like Audition or even Logic Pro X, but it's a lot more intuitive. You can Blaze through a podcast edit in Hindenburg Journalist Pro so much faster than you can in any other audio editing software, simply because of how intuitive it is and how simple the tools and the effects are to use.

However, the only drawback to Hindenburg Journalist Pro is that it is an investment. Audacity is free, GarageBand is free, Alitu is really affordable. Hindenburg Journalist Pro is priced as a pro-level audio editing software. But if you are committed to podcasting for the long haul and you know that over the months and the years, these little time savings that you get from using a software like Hindenburg Journalist Pro is going to be worth it to you, we highly encourage you to go for it.

Descript

The final recording software that we have started recommending recently is Descript. What's really unique about Descript is that rather than bringing in the audio file, looking at the waveforms that are populated based on your audio, and then editing that, Descript creates a transcript. When you go to edit your podcast episode, you can either edit it using the waveform in the timeline, or you can just edit the transcripts, and it will make those changes to the audio underneath. Some of our favorite features from Descript are being able to edit the transcript and knowing that it's going to edit the audio underneath it, features like overdub, which allowed you to fix mistakes, things that you didn't say that you wish that you said, or that you said incorrectly, without having to go back and rerecord the microphone. And then even things like automatically removing filler words. Those are huge time savers.

However, when you edit the transcript, it often doesn't give you exactly what you want in the audio because it is interpreting the audio waveform, it is trying to make some decisions for you, but sometimes that doesn't actually sound the way that you want it to. So you will need to go back, listen to it all the way through, once you make all your edits to make sure that it is going to turn out and sound the way that you want it to, and that's just an extra step that you have to do with the scripts that you wouldn't have to if you were editing purely based on the waveform.

Pros and Cons of Each Software

Audacity
- Pros: Free, lots of editing capabilities built-in
- Cons: Can be buggy, destructive editing
GarageBand
- Pros: Free, easy to use
- Cons: Limited export capabilities, can't set loudness level
Alitu
- Pros: Automated editing process, saves time
- Cons: Limited mixing and mastering capabilities
Hindenburg Journalist Pro
- Pros: Professional-level editing capabilities, intuitive interface
- Cons: Expensive
Descript
- Pros: Unique transcript-based editing, time-saving features
- Cons: Transcript editing can be inaccurate

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many great podcast recording software options available, each with their own pros and cons. Audacity is great for podcasters on a budget who still want the full suite of audio editing options. GarageBand is perfect for Mac users who are just getting into podcasting and want something that's easy to use. Alitu is a great solution for busy podcasters who are always looking for ways to speed up their workflow without sacrificing audio quality. Hindenburg Journalist Pro is the best option for professional-level audio editing without the complexity that you don't need. And Descript is a unique option for those who prefer transcript-based editing and time-saving features.

FAQs

Q: What is the best podcast recording software for beginners? A: GarageBand is a great option for beginners who are just getting into podcasting and want something that's easy to use.

Q: What is the best podcast recording software for professional-level editing? A: Hindenburg Journalist Pro is the best option for professional-level audio editing without the complexity that you don't need.

Q: Can I edit my podcast using a transcript? A: Yes, Descript is a unique option that allows you to edit your podcast using a transcript.

Q: Is Audacity free? A: Yes, Audacity is a free audio editing software that you can download directly from their website.

Q: Can I use Alitu to publish my podcast directly to my hosting company? A: Yes, Alitu allows you to publish directly to podcast hosting companies like Buzzsprout, saving you time and hassle.

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