People regularly tell me my podcast sounded professional from day 1. And I had zero prior experience with audio.

I was a writer, not a sound engineer.

But I figured out the quick wins that gave me that sound-engineered finish to my podcast.

I’m a lazy guy. So quick wins were all I could face. But these set-it-and-forget-it tactics elevated my podcast above all the other indie podcasts out there.

Now I’m letting you in on the secrets.

Use the Narration Vocal Setting

I use USB mics to record. Cue sound engineers recoiling in horror.

But I watched a video of Pat Flyn setting up his microphones, and he mentions using one of the preset effects, Narration Vocal. If it’s good enough for Pat Flynn and his 60 million downloads, it’s good enough for me.

Add that effect, and suddenly your voice sounds warm and friendly. I wouldn’t know a single thing about mixing the audio for better sound quality. And frankly, I’m too lazy to learn. I’d rather make the podcast. But click this, and the heavy lifting is done for you.

There are a bunch of different vocal settings, so play around and find one that works for you. It’ll become part of your sound that your listeners begin to recognize. And the way the effect works with your specific voice will make it unique.

Turn On The Noise gate

This setting I only just found.

I wanted a way to cut out the breath sounds that would sometimes come through the recording. I Googled around, and the guides were too technical. People were getting technical about setting up, turning on “low pass filters,” and the like, which went over my head.

But someone mentioned a noise gate. You set a threshold sound level, and it cuts off everything below that level. I played around to find where it would cut off extra noise without cutting off our voices, and hey presto. Clean-cut, crisp audio.

Check the box, fine-tune the levels, and you’re suddenly a professional narrator.

Edit Out The Pauses

I know you don’t like listening to your own voice. But you’ll get used to it. You have to listen back and trim down long pauses. Some are fine and can add to the tension or the effect, but you don’t want too much dead air time.

There are AI tools that can do this, but I’ve found them to be a little harsh and cut off parts of words. Best to do it manually

This is the most time-consuming, but you can do it on the couch without a lot of effort, so I still count it as a lazy tactic.

If you’re also Scottish and tend to say “like” a lot, then you can cut back on those as well. Not every um and ah needs to be removed, but if it’s a pause, an um, a pause, and then you start speaking, you just cut all that out.

Use AI to Boost Your Voice

My secret weapon of podcasting.

Once the audio is exported as an MP3, it gets uploaded to Auphonic. Auphonic boosts the vocals while reducing everything else. It means you come through nice and loud, and your listeners aren’t having to crank their phones to max volume just to hear you.

If you have guests on your podcast, it also levels everyone’s voices, so you come out balanced. This is AI working its magic and is the main reason we get compliments on our production quality.

Use a proper mic

This one seems obvious, but splashing out on a decent microphone will upgrade your podcast. I don’t mean spending $500 on the best one out there but $100 on a Samson Q2U will go a long way, and you only have to think about it once.

We upgraded from the Snowball after our second season, and I wish we’d done it sooner. We had the snowball before that, which was fine, but I feel like it doesn’t hold up against the Samson. I’m not a sound engineer, so I can’t comment on what microphone is best.

All I know is that it’s a worthy investment, even if it’s the only investment you make on your podcast.

Recap

1. Find a preset effect you like and stick to it. It will become part of your sound.
2. Use a noise gate. It’ll cut out any unwanted sounds from sneaking into your audio.
3. Edit out your pauses. Dead time is dead boring, so keep the edit tight.
4. Use AI. Auphonic is an editor’s best friend. It ups your podcasting game at the click of a button.
5. Get a decent microphone. Don’t run a marathon in your slippers. But the proper equipment once and have it work for you.

Do these five steps and your podcast will stand out from the crowd.

How I Can Help You

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4) ​Recommended Tools​​– These are the tools I use to grow my podcast. I focus on tools that improve quality and save time.