If you are new: Free tools like Audacity or GarageBand are enough. Your goal is “no long dead air, no painful ums, understandable words”—not Hollywood.
Do this first
- Listen once with a notepad; mark only big cuts (false starts, long pauses).
- Remove those; export; done for episode 1.
- Add intro music only after levels are stable episode to episode.
Editing is subtractive: remove what wastes time, then shape what remains. You do not need a film score—just clarity and pace.
First pass: content
Cut false starts, long ums, and repeated points. If a guest rambles, look for the single clearest sentence and bridge to it.
Room tone and breaths
Leave natural breaths unless they distract. Fill cuts with room tone from the same recording so the floor stays consistent.
Music under voice
Duck music so dialogue stays intelligible—roughly 12–18 dB under speech peaks depending on genre. Avoid copyrighted tracks without licenses.
Loudness and export
Normalize or use a gentle compressor/limiter chain you understand. Export MP3 at host specs; keep archival WAV masters.