You should use Apple’s free GarageBand software for Mac to report and edit fundamental podcasts. Right here’s easy methods to get probably the most out of GarageBand in podcast manufacturing, and proposals for different functions if you want a greater device.

GarageBand was once a implausible entry-level software for each music and podcast manufacturing. For instance, the GarageBand 3 update bundled within the iLife ’06 package deal launched superior chapter modifying and video name recording integration. Nevertheless, a lot of these options have been quietly eliminated through the years, in a lot the identical method iMovie lost many helpful features. You’ll be able to nonetheless use GarageBand for podcast modifying, however it’s not the most suitable choice for many workflows.

This information will concentrate on the Mac model of GarageBand, not the iPad model, though they’re related in some ways. This information additionally assumes you make an audio podcast—video podcasts want a video editor like DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro.

Get Began With Recording

In case you are fully new to creating and modifying podcasts, you’ll want to do some prep work. First, you need to have a pair of headphones or earbuds, in addition to a microphone. Should you’re on a contemporary MacBook, the built-in microphone is surprisingly succesful, or you possibly can join any USB microphone. If in case you have an iPhone, you should use the iPhone’s microphone with Mac apps through Continuity Camera mode.

You should use the ‘Voice Isolation’ microphone mode from the menu bar to take away some background noise, however this will additionally make your recording sound a bit extra like a telephone name with decreased high quality. I personally have a Blue Yeti condenser microphone with a foam pop filter, although a dynamic microphone would probably be a better fit for my current recording space.

You don’t want any particular headphones for recording podcasts, although noise isolation might be a difficulty with some sorts of earbuds and headphones. Many earbuds and open-back headphones permit sound to ‘bleed’ by, so for those who’re recording with different individuals, their voice would possibly come by your headphones and be audible in your recording. I normally stick to Apple’s wired 3.5mm earbuds or my Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones in wired mode, however once more, most headphones are superb.

Crucial step right here is testing your gear to see what one of the best setup is for you. You completely don’t must spend a number of hundred bucks to start out podcasting, and that alone wouldn’t assure an ideal recording setup. After getting GarageBand prepared, strive recording in numerous areas with all your out there audio choices, and see which one you want one of the best.

Create a GarageBand Challenge

GarageBand would possibly already be put in in your Mac, but when not, go download it from the Mac App Store. You’ll be able to open it out of your Purposes folder, the Launchpad, or by trying to find it with Highlight.

GarageBand will present the ‘Select a Challenge’ window by default. Create a brand new challenge with the Empty Challenge template by clicking the Select button.

You may be requested to create a brand new monitor. Choose the microphone monitor possibility, then click on the Create button.

The primary setting you need to change is popping off the metronome and ‘Depend in’ sounds. You are able to do that by clicking the buttons for them within the toolbar, which appear to be ‘1234’ and a metronome. These are useful options for music manufacturing with a constant rhythm, however not a lot for podcasts.

You now have a clean GarageBand challenge with one monitor for voice recordings. You’ll be able to click on the large crimson recording button within the toolbar, or press the R key in your keyboard, to start out and cease the recording. If the recording is already in an audio file, drag it into your GarageBand window so as to add it to the challenge.

After getting an audio clip, you possibly can drag it across the timeline, or you possibly can seize the sides to trim sections. The play, rewind, and quick ahead buttons can be utilized for playback, and the skip again (‘Go to Starting’) button will immediately soar to the beginning of the challenge.

How one can Use Tracks and Sensible Controls

The ‘Sensible Controls’ panel on the backside is the place all of your vital settings are situated, just like the recording stage (not the identical as the quantity), compressor, EQ, noise gate, and different choices. Should you don’t see it, press the ‘B’ key to toggle it, or choose View > Present/Conceal Sensible Controls within the menu bar.

These controls are tied to every particular person monitor, so you possibly can change settings on one monitor with out affecting the opposite. Keep in mind to click on the precise monitor earlier than you begin altering settings.

You’ll be able to create new tracks by double-clicking an empty space within the monitor listing, or by deciding on Observe > New Observe within the menu bar. Should you’re simply recording a solo podcast, or one utilizing a shared recording of a gaggle name, you’re in all probability solely going to make use of one monitor for the voice audio. You possibly can use extra tracks for background music, sound results, advert breaks, or different parts.

Edit a Podcast

Should you’re simply recording a solo podcast, or a gaggle podcast with out particular person recordings for every individual, you’ll largely be engaged on one monitor. For instance, I’ll use a recording of me talking to Copilot on my phone, with each my voice and my telephone’s speaker coming by the identical microphone.

GarageBand is a non-destructive audio editor, which suggests your adjustments to the compressor, acquire, EQ, noise gate, and so forth might be modified or reversed at any level. They don’t modify the audio recordsdata in your challenge. Another editors, like Audacity, have options which are utilized on to audio clips and may’t be reversed after a sure level.

You can begin by trimming the beginning and finish of the recording to suit the content material. Click on and maintain down on the underside left nook of the clip, then drag it to the precise to chop off the elements earlier than the precise introduction. You are able to do the identical motion to the top of the clip by dragging the underside proper nook to the left. In my instance, I eliminated the quiet elements earlier than anybody began speaking.

You would possibly wish to take away background noise subsequent. GarageBand’s predominant possibility right here is the Noise Gate, which mutes the monitor if the sound goes under a sure threshold. We wish to set it excessive sufficient to take away followers, chair noises, and different sounds, however not excessive sufficient to cancel out individuals talking quietly. Choose your monitor, then within the Sensible Controls panel on the backside (press the B key if it’s hidden), click on the Noise Gate checkbox.

With Noise Gate enabled, strive taking part in your podcast and see if any background noise remains to be audible whereas nobody is speaking—you possibly can modify the settings whereas in playback mode. If there’s nonetheless some noise, flip it up till you possibly can’t hear it anymore. If it’s beginning to minimize off somebody’s voice, flip it down. The background noise would possibly nonetheless be audible whereas persons are speaking, however the monitor ought to be silent when nobody is speaking.

You’ll additionally wish to strive the Compressor device. This limits the loudest and softest elements of the recording, so that you (and whoever else is within the recording) will keep at a constant quantity whereas talking. Click on the Compressor swap within the Sensible Controls panel, then modify the dial as wanted. If you would like probably the most constant quantity attainable, set it to the utmost stage. Should you’re recording a spooky podcast or one thing else which may want louder elements, a medium or low setting would possibly work finest.

Now that the audio ranges are improved, you can begin trimming and transferring round snippets. If there’s a piece you wish to take away—an prolonged quiet part, off-topic dialogue, doorbell ringing, or the rest, do X. Drag the playhead to the part then use the Cmd+T keyboard shortcut to separate the clip in half. You too can right-click and choose the ‘Cut up at Playhead’ possibility.

As soon as the clip is cut up, you possibly can drag the ends of the clips to take away the elements you don’t need. After that’s completed, simply drag the second clip to the top of the primary clip. You too can choose the part you don’t need and do Edit > Delete and Transfer to routinely take away the empty area.

You too can drag your mouse to pick a number of clips without delay, or do Edit > Choose All (or Cmd+A) to pick all of the clips in your challenge. For instance, for those who resolve so as to add a brand new introduction, you are able to do the choose all motion to maneuver the whole lot ahead by a number of seconds, then add your new intro to the beginning.

Saving and Exporting Your Podcast

While you’re completed modifying your podcast, click on Share > Export Track to Disk within the menu bar. This can open an export dialog, permitting you to pick the place the file is saved. Choose MP3 because the file sort.

The perfect high quality setting relies on the kind of podcast. If the episode is usually simply individuals speaking, the 128 kbit/s possibility might be a excessive sufficient high quality. Some podcasts go even decrease than that, however GarageBand’s next-lowest 64 kbit/s preset is pushing it. In case your podcast has music or different components that sound noticeably worse when compressed, strive the 129 kbit/s possibility. You’ll be able to all the time export once more if the finished file doesn’t sound nice.

Now that you’ve your file, it’s time to publish it on a podcast platform. Recommendation for which platform is finest is past the scope of this information, however Apple has some recommendations.

Go Past GarageBand

GarageBand is lacking many options which are useful for podcast manufacturing and modifying, similar to chapter marker help, multi-track part inserts and cuts, textual content and art work metadata, and rather more. The dearth of help for multi-track ripple modifying makes multi-track podcast modifying virtually inconceivable, particularly with holding all tracks synchronized. You’ll begin to really feel the necessity for a greater modifying device after some time, for those who haven’t already.

Audacity is one various to GarageBand, and its concentrate on being a recording and modifying device somewhat than being a digital audio workstation (DAW) makes it higher suited to podcasts. Multi-track modifying is significantly better than GarageBand, and its ‘Labels’ feature might be tailored to work as podcast chapter markers. Audacity is cross-platform and simple to make use of, however some options and plugins are ‘harmful’, that means the adjustments can’t be reversed after the undo history runs out.

Apple’s most popular improve path from GarageBand is Logic Pro, which is a full-featured DAW that prices $200 on the Mac App Retailer. Logic Professional isn’t actually constructed for podcast manufacturing both, however it does have significantly better help for multi-track modifying than GarageBand, and it does have chapter marker support.

I’ve been modifying new episodes of my Tech Tales podcast with Logic Professional for some time now, and earlier than that, I used to be utilizing Audacity. A video tutorial from Sam Loose helped me arrange higher keyboard shortcuts, and I made a custom script to automate exporting and chapter marker identification for common podcast platforms.

There are lots of extra audio editors you possibly can strive for podcast manufacturing, similar to Reaper and Adobe Audition. I solely have private expertise with GarageBand, Audacity, and Logic Professional, so I can’t provide a lot recommendation there. Should you’re making a video podcast, try DaVinci Resolve.