Music & AudioBeginnerPreview
Podcast Editing for Clients
Learn the exact technical workflow and business systems professional podcast editors use to deliver broadcast-ready episodes for clients on time and at a profit. Covers noise reduction, filler-word and silence editing, loudness leveling to -16 LUFS, show notes, and package pricing.
Aspiring and new freelance audio editors who want to edit podcasts for paying clients without prior post-production experience.
Course content
Workbook & downloads
Put the course into practice — a printable workbook plus editable templates you can fill in and reuse.
Preview the workbook
This workbook turns the course into a working toolkit you can use on real client episodes. Each section mirrors a course module, with exercises to build skill, worksheets to capture decisions, and checklists to keep every episode at a professional standard. Use the templates to track files, price packages, and run a repeatable per-episode process from intake to delivery.
Setting Up Your Editing Environment and Receiving Client Audio
Establish your tools, file system, and intake process so you start every project organized and never lose or mis-edit a file.
Exercise: Tool Selection Test Drive
Import the same five-minute raw clip into Reaper and into Descript, then perform the same three edits in each: remove two filler words, cut one long pause, and apply noise reduction. Time yourself in each tool and note which felt faster and why.
- Which tool let you complete the three edits faster, and by how many minutes?
- Which kind of show (solo, interview, music-heavy) does each tool suit best for you?
- Which one tool will you commit to learning deeply first, and what is the reason?
Worksheet: Client Intake Brief
Fill out one brief per show before you accept the first episode. Reuse it every episode so you never re-ask the same questions.
- Show name
- Host name and contact
- Editing style (light / tight)
- Typical raw episode length (minutes)
- Recording platform and export format requested
- File transfer method (Dropbox / Drive / WeTransfer)
- Intro and outro music (provided / source / licensed yes-no)
- Standard ad placements
- Words or phrases to always keep or always cut
Checklist: Pre-Edit Intake Checklist
- Raw files received in the highest-quality export available
- Separate (isolated) track received per speaker, not a single mix
- Files renamed with your standard convention (Show_Ep_Role_RAW)
- Folder structure created: 01_RAW, 02_PROJECT, 03_DELIVERABLES
- Entire client folder backed up to a second location
- Editing style and any host notes confirmed in writing
Cleaning the Audio: Noise, Levels, and Repair
Practice the technical cleanup that produces a clean noise floor and a balanced, loudness-correct mix.
Exercise: Sample and Reduce the Noise Floor
On a noisy raw clip, select 1 to 2 seconds of room tone, capture it as a noise profile, and apply reduction across the track. Run it three times at 6 dB, 12 dB, and 20 dB of reduction and compare.
- At which reduction amount did the speech first start to sound watery or robotic?
- What integrated noise-floor reading (in dBFS) did you reach with your best setting?
- How did adding a high-pass filter at 80 Hz change the low-end rumble?
Exercise: Hit the -16 LUFS Target
Load a balanced two-speaker edit, open the Youlean Loudness Meter, and adjust master gain until the integrated reading lands at -16 LUFS with true peaks no higher than -1 dBFS. Then balance the two speakers so each sounds equally loud.
- What integrated LUFS did the raw mix start at, and how much gain did you apply to reach -16?
- Which speaker needed adjustment to match the other, and by how many dB?
- Did any peaks exceed -1 dBFS before you added the limiter?
Checklist: Audio Cleanup Checklist
- Noise reduction applied with no watery or robotic artifacts
- Noise floor at or below -60 dBFS
- High-pass filter at 80 Hz applied to each dialogue track
- Plosives, mouth clicks, and harsh sibilance addressed
- Loud breaths reduced rather than fully deleted
- Speakers balanced to equal perceived loudness
- Integrated loudness at -16 LUFS with peaks limited to -1 dBFS
Editing for Flow: Cuts, Filler Words, and Assembly
Build speed and judgment in content editing and assemble a complete, branded, publish-ready episode.
Exercise: Ripple-Delete Speed Run
Take a five-minute interview clip and remove all filler words, false starts, and pauses over one second using ripple delete, cutting at silent gaps or zero crossings. Play across each edit to confirm it is seamless.
- How long did the five-minute clip take you to edit, and what was the finished length?
- Where did you intentionally leave a filler word or pause to keep it sounding human?
- Which edit point needed re-doing because it clicked or sounded abrupt?
Worksheet: Episode Assembly Plan
Plan the structure of one real episode before assembling, noting every element and its level relative to the voice.
- Intro music source and license status
- Intro length (seconds) and music duck level under voice (dB)
- Main content start timestamp
- Ad read placements (timestamps) and baked-in or dynamic
- Transition stings between segments
- Outro call to action and credits
- Outro music fade-out length (seconds)
Checklist: Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Full episode listened from the very start including intro music
- No abrupt cuts, clicks, or unnatural pacing at edit points
- Both speakers balanced and loudness consistent throughout
- Music bed sits roughly 18 to 22 dB under the voice
- Intro, ads, and outro in correct places at correct levels
- Integrated loudness still near -16 LUFS after final changes
- Last ten seconds (outro and fade) clean
- Exported to correct MP3 (mono 96 kbps or stereo 128 kbps, 44.1 kHz)
Show Notes, Deliverables, and Running the Business
Produce publish-ready written deliverables and turn your workflow into a priced, contracted, repeatable service.
Exercise: Write Notes That Get the Episode Opened
For one finished episode, write a full set of show notes: a summary, three to seven chapter timestamps, all mentioned links, and three alternative episode titles. Pull timestamps from your QC listen or transcript.
- Which of your three titles is most specific and benefit-driven, and why?
- How many chapter markers did the episode naturally need?
- Which links or resources mentioned in the episode would the audience most want?
Worksheet: Three-Tier Package Builder
Define your own Basic, Standard, and Premium packages with concrete deliverables, turnaround, revision limits, and price.
- Basic: deliverables included
- Basic: turnaround (business days) / revisions / price (USD)
- Standard: deliverables included
- Standard: turnaround (business days) / revisions / price (USD)
- Premium: deliverables included
- Premium: turnaround (business days) / revisions / price (USD)
- Monthly retainer option and price
- Surcharge rule for raw episodes over a set length
Worksheet: Client Agreement Essentials
Draft the core terms for a new client before episode one, covering scope, timing, revisions, payment, and file handling.
- Chosen package and exact deliverables
- Turnaround in business days from receiving raw files
- Included revision rounds and what counts as a new request
- Payment amount, schedule, and method
- Deposit or prepayment required for first project (yes/no)
- Where raw files are dropped and how the finished episode is delivered
Checklist: Per-Episode Delivery Checklist
- Final MP3 placed in 03_DELIVERABLES with correct name
- Show notes, timestamps, and title options written
- WAV master archived in the project folder
- Files delivered through the agreed transfer channel
- Invoice sent per the agreed schedule
- Episode status updated to delivered and paid in your tracker
Your Action Plan
- Install Reaper and create a free Descript account, then learn the ten most-used shortcuts in your chosen primary tool
- Set up your standard folder structure and file-naming convention and create one reusable client intake brief
- Practice the full cleanup chain (noise reduction, high-pass, click and plosive repair) on three different raw clips
- Calibrate your ears and tools by leveling one episode to exactly -16 LUFS with peaks at -1 dBFS
- Do a timed ripple-delete editing pass on a five-minute clip and aim to cut your time on the next attempt
- Assemble one complete episode with intro, outro, music ducking, and ad placement, then run the QC checklist
- Write a complete set of show notes plus three title options for one finished episode
- Define your Basic, Standard, and Premium packages with prices, turnaround, and revision limits
- Draft your client agreement essentials and set up free invoicing (Wave, PayPal, or Stripe)
- Combine all steps into your single per-episode checklist and edit one real or volunteer episode end to end
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