How good a podcast sounds is half recording quality and half post-production. This page explains what post-production includes, so you know what to ask for and what to prepare.
The six steps
- Editing: cut fillers, long pauses, slips and re-recorded sections, and reorder segments.
- Noise reduction and clean-up: room noise, mouth clicks, plosives and desk bumps.
- Level balancing: host and guests at the same volume, so listeners aren't constantly adjusting.
- Voice treatment: EQ to remove muddy or harsh frequencies, so the voice is easy to listen to but still sounds like the person.
- Intro, outro and music: the regular opening, closing and transition music, with the balance between voice and music controlled.
- Export: at the loudness and format the platform recommends (usually MP3 or WAV), plus a transcript or summary if needed.
What to prepare
- The raw recording of each episode (one track per speaker is best; a mixed file works too)
- Intro and outro music and any fixed lines (if you have them)
- Time points of sections you want cut (if any)
- The publishing platform and the episode length you want
How pricing works
We assess by episode length, number of speakers, recording quality, and whether you need a transcript or social clips. Send us one episode's recording, we assess it and write a formal quote, and production starts once both sides confirm and payment is made. Weekly shows suit a monthly plan.
Frequently asked questions
We record remotely and the guest's audio is poor.
Post-production can narrow the gap between the two sides and improve the overall sound, but the improvement depends on the quality of the guest's file. Ask guests to record a local track as well and send it to you afterwards.
Can you make a video version too?
Yes. The audio can be combined with cover art, subtitles and waveform animation into a YouTube video, or cut into vertical shorts. See short-form video.
