Quit hating on Audacity already
Podcast editing has become a standalone industry in its own right. Not too long ago, it was something viewed with hidden contempt by sound engineers, something to pay the bills because, let’s face it, the skills of “sound engineers” aren’t exactly in high demand.
But podcasting has become so popular, entire businesses are founded on editing other people’s shows, my business included.
All that to say that there’s always a bit of a debate in podcast editing circles about what is the best DAW, or digital audio workstation.
Personally, I started recording audiobooks with a free software called Audacity in 2012; when I began dabbling in podcasting 3 years later, it just made sense to use the DAW I knew. It was when I made it my profession a few years later that I learned “sound engineers” have a snooty attitude toward Audacity.
To this day, I have no idea why these so-called professionals view it with such contempt. They go on and on about all these technical terms that their software does, that Audacity doesn’t do. Quite frankly, I’ve never really needed these things in 4.5 years of editing podcasts for a living. I’m sure their DAW has more bells and whistles than Audacity, but I use it because 1) I know it like the back of my hand and don’t see a need to learn a new platform; and 2) It puts out a great product, that being podcasts. If I was editing an episode of Better Call Saul, I probably wouldn’t use Audacity, but it does what I need it to do 😉
I may be exaggerating the attitude that some have toward Audacity, but it’s not by much. I suppose people take pride in their work, but one doesn’t need a sound engineering degree to create a podcast. So a DAW that would be required to edit Better Call Saul would be overkill for a podcast.
What is needed to create a podcast is a compelling message that people need to hear. To that end, you need decent sounding audio with all the puzzle pieces put in the right place; you need a catchy title, compelling show notes, have it scheduled and promoted. One must be in tune with the message and mission of the show they’re editing, the market that is listening to it, and much more. Big picture, audio editing is maybe 25% of the process, and it probably isn’t even that much. So with respect to all the antisocial sound engineers out there who poo-poo Audacity for no other reason than it doesn’t cost anything to download, it does the job for me, thank you very much.
It’s why I view podcasting as an art form. Sure it’s a marketing tool, so you view it as an investment rather than an expense, but it’s also a reflection of the person who’s name is listed in the “author” field on your favorite podcast player. If it’s clear little or no thought is put into producing the podcast, seems to me they’re not very imaginative when it comes to conducting their business. People listening in may not articulate those exact words, but they’ll be thinking it in the subconscious.
The real work is in the head and the heart.