Podcast Production Podcast Editing & Post-Production Workflow

Question 1

What is the standard non-linear editing (NLE) software most commonly used for podcast post-production in the US?

Accepted Answer

Adobe Audition or Audacity (free) / Descript for transcript-based editing

Answer

Adobe Audition is the professional standard, Audacity is the most popular free option, and Descript has become widely adopted for its transcript-based editing workflow that lets editors cut audio by editing text.

Question 2

What is 'transcript-based editing' in podcast post-production?

Accepted Answer

Using auto-generated transcripts to edit audio by deleting text, with the corresponding audio automatically removed

Answer

Tools like Descript generate a synchronized transcript and allow editors to delete words or passages from the text document, automatically cutting the corresponding audio segment — making audio editing as intuitive as editing a Word document.

Question 3

What is 'mouth noise' in podcast editing and how is it typically handled?

Accepted Answer

Unwanted clicks, lip smacks, and saliva sounds removed during editing using noise reduction tools or manual clip deletion

Answer

Mouth noise includes lip smacks, tongue clicks, and wet saliva sounds that appear in close-microphone vocal recordings and are typically removed with spectral repair tools or manual cutting in the DAW.

Question 4

What is the purpose of 'show notes' in a podcast episode and what should they typically contain?

Accepted Answer

Written episode summaries published alongside the audio, containing timestamps, guest links, resources mentioned, and a brief episode description

Answer

Show notes provide listeners with a written companion to the episode containing key timestamps, guest bios and social links, books and tools mentioned, and an SEO-optimized episode description.

Question 5

What is 'batch editing' in podcast post-production workflow?

Accepted Answer

Processing multiple episodes or audio files simultaneously using the same settings to save time

Answer

Batch processing applies consistent operations — noise reduction profiles, EQ settings, loudness normalization — to multiple audio files simultaneously using presets, dramatically reducing per-episode post-production time.

Podcast Production Practice Test

Podcast Production Practice Test

Podcast Production Podcast Editing & Post-Production Workflow