Imagine receiving messages from your listeners saying you sounded professional from your very first episode.
That happened with Generally Spooky History because we used Auphonic from day 1. We were joking about cringing at our first episode, and listeners started telling us how they assumed we’d done it before because the quality was so high.
That’s what Auphonic can do for your podcast, and is why I never release an episode without it.
I’ve been using it for the last three years and am here to share exactly why you should consider using it.
What Auphonic Does
Auphonic is a web-based audio production software that uses AI to clean up and improve your podcast audio files.
It has a load of cool features: loudness normalizer, intelligent leveler, filtering, encoding, noise reduction, content deployment, metadata management, API, presets, batch processing, and machine learning.
Of course, what we really care about is the fact that it takes your regular audio and makes it sound like it was given a golden kiss from a sound engineer.
I know nothing about sound engineering. Not a damn thing. But I know that the audio that comes out of Auphonic is night and day better than when it went in. Check out an Episode of Generally Spooky History to hear what I mean.
Pros of Auphonic
I’m a big fan and a power user, so these are all from my experience.
Boosts Quiet Voices
If someone can’t hear your podcast, they won’t listen. You need to make sure you can be heard in a noisy car or from someone’s phone sitting on the side of the couch.
People won’t try hard to hear you, they’ll just go to a different podcast. Auphonc solves this problem by boosting your vocals so you sound nice and loud.
This increases your podcast’s accessibility and, thus, the number of listeners you can acquire. It’s 2024. There’s no excuse for bad audio.
Removes Background noise
While boosting your vocals, Auphonic uses AI to remove background noise. I record at home, and like you, I’ve been caught out by the neighbor firing up their lawnmower or a bin lorry rumbling past.
I actually live surrounded by fields, so I’ve had tractors and combine harvesters interrupt my recording.
Auphonic removes these background noises, leaving only your voice and music. This gives the impression that you’re in a recording studio surrounded by sound panels and heavy curtains. The more professional you sound, the quicker you generate trust.
Levels Audio Across Mics
Finally, Auphonc levels audio, so if you’re recording multiple microphones, everyone sounds the same. You don’t have one host absolutely shouting at you while the other is whispering.
This can be very useful if you do interviews online and can’t guarantee the quality of the person recording at the other end.
Cons
The only problem I found was that it can be too harsh when cutting. We got some friends to record Patreon ads for our podcast. Most of them recorded on their phones, and we uploaded the audio files to Auphonic afterward.
My wife’s stepmum recorded using a very breathy low voice, and after going through Auphonic, it cut some of the words out. We’ve never had this happen from a regular recording but it’s something to be aware of.
You get two hours of free production a month so you can test it out with your voice and see how it works.
If you are very particular and like full control over your sound, Auphonic won’t be for you. It automatically does its thing. You get to choose the settings that go in at the start. For me, with zero experience in post-production, that’s just fine. But for you, maybe it’s not.
If it sounds like it is, click here to make your free auphonic account.
How Best To Use It
There are some cool-sounding features I haven’t even bothered with trying, like auto-cutting silence or removing mouth noise. I don’t trust these and would rather do it manually so I can ensure quality control.
What I do with Auphonic is very simple.
I upload my audio, choose Voice Cleaner (keep music), and hit Start Production.
Then I wait for it to finish, download the finished file and upload it to my podcast host.
Pricing
Auphonic is a Freemium tool. You get 2 hours of free production every month, or you can pay for additional one-off credits or a subscription.
I have had the small 9-hour per month subscription for the last three years without canceling. I can’t live without it. Occasionally, I’ve had to buy extra credits, which roll over until you use them all.
It is very reasonably priced for the quality of the product you receive. Brandon from the Mad Fientist first suggested I use this, but he told me he never needed more than the free account because his show came out monthly.
Who’s It For
- Indie Podcasters
- Podcaster without sound engineer experience
- Solo creators
If it’s you, at home, with a microphone, then Auphonic is the best tool you can use to appear more professional.
If mastering sounds like getting a lot of practice rather than switching dials on a soundboard, then yes, let Auphonic do the work for you.
If you can pay for an editing service that can provide mastering for you, then you won’t need auphonic. You can pay someone to do it for you. But for us solo podcasters, Auphonic is your new best friend.
Final Verdict
There’s a reason Auphonic is one of my top recommended tools for podcasting.
If anybody asks me about starting a podcast I point them towards Auphonic. It was what helped me launch my show with a band and is a favor I am happy to pay it forward.
Feel free to experiment with the other available features and report back in the comments so others can learn. I didn’t want to talk about things I didn’t understand, so have stuck to the features I know and love here.
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