Podcasting Q&A

Norman from Antifool asks, "What is the best way to record someone using a phone for a podcast interview?" TL;DR In recent years the number of new software options for podcasters has increased quite a bit. Some of them are great for experience podcasters that want every bell and whistle imaginable. While others are focused on streamlining the process as much as possible. So in this episode, we'll share the pros and cons of the top five recording software options that we use and recommend at Buzzsprout to help you decide which one is best for you. 1. Audacity Audacity is the most popular podcast recording and editing software in the world (and for good reason). It's free to download, it's available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux, and has the full suite of audio editing features. Just be aware that Audacity tends to be a bit buggy (like, won't work because Apple updates their OS kind of buggy) and does destructive editing. Destructive editing means that if you delete a portion of your audio and then save your project file, you can't get that audio back. 2. GarageBand GarageBand comes pre-installed on just about every Apple device you can imagine (Macbook, iPad, iPhone, etc.). Like Audacity, it's free to use. Unlike Audacity, it's easy to learn quickly so you spend less time learning the software and more time editing your episodes. One thing to keep in mind is that GarageBand's export settings are severely lacking, so if Loudness Normalization or bit rate modes are important to you you'll need to pair it with some additional software. 3. Alitu Alitu is an internet-based recording and editing software that makes it super easy to create episodes. You can automatically add your intro and outro to every episode, it applies mixing and mastering effects to your audio files as you upload them, and you can publish your episodes directly into podcast hosts like Buzzsprout. But all that efficiency and ease of use means there are fewer things to customize. So if manually setting your compression levels is important to you, look elsewhere. But if you are a busy podcaster looking for ways to speed up your workflow, Alitu is a great solution. 4. Hindenburg Journalist Pro Hindenburg Journalist Pro is everything you could possibly need in a podcasting editing software. It's intuitive, easy to work with, and allows you to publish episodes directly to Buzzsprout. Because it's a pro-level software, Hindenburg Journalist Pro is a more sizeable investment, but if you're a Buzzsprout podcaster you can use the link in the Resources tab of your Buzzsprout account to get a 90-day free trial and test drive it for yourself before deciding if you want to invest in it longterm. 5. Descript Descript takes a fresh and innovative approach to editing podcasts. Rather than generating a waveform of your audio files, Descript creates an accurate transcript of your recordings. Then to edit your podcast episode you just edit the words on the screen. How cool is that? Just make sure to listen back to your episode from start to finish before you export it as sometimes the algorithms aren't as precise as you'd like them to be. Record your podcasting question at Speakpipe.com/Buzzsprout to be featured on a future episode. Review Podcasting Q&A in Podchaser to let us know what you think of the show.