The Audio 101 Show (Part 2)

Episode Summary: Part 2 of the Audio 101 series — editing and post-production, from noise reduction through final export, with the glossary terms every podcaster eventually needs to know.

What You’ll Learn

• The full post-production glossary: noise reduction, normalization, EQ, compression, and more
• The exact settings used for noise reduction and high-pass filtering on every episode
• How to hit broadcast loudness standards using LUFS and the Match Loudness panel
• 2 one-click tools (Essential Sound panel, Auphonic) for a faster editing pass

Part 1 covered pre-production and recording fundamentals. This episode covers what happens after the recording is done.

Editing

The goal is shaping the story, cleaning up gaps and mistakes, and producing a naturally sounding episode — fixing “ums” and “ahs,” deleting dead air. Work left to right, start to finish. Keep it simple and avoid over-cleaning.

Post-Processing: Plugins, Filters & Effects

1. Noise Reduction

Usually applied right after editing. Tip: record 3–5 seconds of quiet room tone before anything else, giving the noise reduction plugin a clean sample of ambient noise to work from. In Audition: capture a noise print from that room-tone section, then apply Noise Reduction (a common setting used here: 60%). Noise reduction filters measure ambient room noise and scan the full recording to remove it — doing this early matters, since raising overall volume before noise reduction also amplifies the noise itself. Use sparingly — aggressive reduction makes voices sound distinctly strange.

2. Normalization

Pulls overall volume up to a target decibel level without affecting dynamic range (the gap between the loudest and quietest moments). In practice: normalizing an entire track to -3dB pulls up the whole track proportionally, so even the quietest parts get a little louder.

3. EQ (Equalization)

Equalizers work across frequencies: low end on the left, mids in the middle, highs on the right. The approach used here: apply a high-pass filter at -80dB on every episode (often called “rolling off the low end”), removing low-end rumble picked up as room noise. A slight high-end boost via a shelf adds a bit of air/treble to the voice, and sweeping through the mids catches trouble frequencies for subtle cuts (around -4dB) when needed. Great resource: the EQ cheat sheet from The Podcaster’s Studio.

4. Dynamic Range

Simply the gap between the loudest and quietest parts of a recording.

5. Compression

Tames dynamic range for a more comfortable, consistent listening experience — without over-compressing, which produces that exaggerated “boomy radio announcer” sound. Compression reduces the loudest transient peaks, narrowing the gap between loud and quiet, then makeup gain brings the overall volume back up — the net effect is a fuller, louder-sounding mix even though the peaks themselves got trimmed.

6. De-Esser

Removes sibilance from strong consonant sounds — not used personally, but worth knowing since it’s common in most podcasters’ chains.

7. Hard Limiting

A widely recommended final step on the master track, ensuring the audio can never peak above 0dB.

Exporting

Loudness compliance is measured in LUFS — mono podcasts should target -19 LUFS, stereo -16 LUFS. The authority on this topic: Paul Figgiani at ProduceNewMedia.com.

Match Loudness panel in Audition: set the target to -19 LUFS with a limiter at -1.5dB. Audition handles the rest — the final file meets broadcast standards, and the limiter guarantees the loudest peak never clips above -1.5dB.

Final export settings used here: mono, 44.1kHz, 128kbps .mp3.

Easy Editing Tools (One-Click Options)

1. Adobe Audition’s Essential Sound panel — applies noise reduction, EQ, dynamics/compression, de-essing, and limiting in one pass, smoothing levels automatically.
2. Auphonic — excellent, easy, and free.

Show Notes & Links

• Episode 57: The Audio 101 Show (Part 1)
• The Podcaster’s Studio EQ Cheat Sheet
• Loudness Compliance (Produce New Media)
• Auphonic

Related Episodes

• Episode 57: The Audio 101 Show (Part 1)