Incredible music.
In the key of easy.
How to record a podcast episode on your computer for free. Once you've got your podcast recording equipment, next it's time to get voice recording software on your computer so you can record, and edit your podcasts. There's lots of different types of software you can use, depending on whether you use a Mac or a PC, including: Free. Scale podcast production without sacrificing quality. Create timely content and publish faster with intuitive and flexible software. Easily generate brand assets. Your podcast is a brand asset, so quality should match. Sound and look your best with studio-quality audio and video. Perfect for teams of all sizes. Adding plugins is not an option. Price: $79.90 for macOS. Compatibility: macOS, iOS, web-based. TwistedWave is a simple podcast editing software that also features audio recording options, that allows you to record and edit all new episodes of your podcast. See Listen to podcasts on all your devices. Open Podcasts for me. In the Podcasts app on your Mac, click Listen Now (or any item) in the sidebar. Hold the pointer over the show or episode you want to play, then click the Play button. When the episode plays, you see the playback controls at the top of the Podcasts window.
GarageBand is a fully equipped music creation studio right inside your Mac — with a complete sound library that includes instruments, presets for guitar and voice, and an incredible selection of session drummers and percussionists. With Touch Bar features for MacBook Pro and an intuitive, modern design, it’s easy to learn, play, record, create, and share your hits worldwide. Now you’re ready to make music like a pro.
Start making professional‑sounding music right away. Plug in your guitar or mic and choose from a jaw‑dropping array of realistic amps and effects. You can even create astonishingly human‑sounding drum tracks and become inspired by thousands of loops from popular genres like EDM, Hip Hop, Indie, and more.
More sounds, more inspiration.
Plug in your USB keyboard and dive into the completely inspiring and expanded Sound Library, featuring electronic‑based music styles like EDM and Hip Hop. The built‑in set of instruments and loops gives you plenty of creative freedom.
The Touch Bar takes center stage.
The Touch Bar on MacBook Pro puts a range of instruments at your fingertips. Use Performance view to turn the Touch Bar into drum pads or a one-octave keyboard for playing and recording.
Plug it in. Tear it up.
Plug in your guitar and choose from a van-load of amps, cabinets, and stompboxes.
Design your dream bass rig.
Customize your bass tone just the way you want it. Mix and match vintage or modern amps and speaker cabinets. You can even choose and position different microphones to create your signature sound.
Drumroll please.
GarageBand features Drummer, a virtual session drummer that takes your direction and plays along with your song. Choose from 28 drummers and three percussionists in six genres.
Shape your sound. Quickly and easily.
Whenever you’re using a software instrument, amp, or effect, Smart Controls appear with the perfect set of knobs, buttons, and sliders. So you can shape your sound quickly with onscreen controls or by using the Touch Bar on MacBook Pro.
Podcast Recording Software Mac Free
Look, Mom — no wires.
You can wirelessly control GarageBand right from your iPad with the Logic Remote app. Play any software instrument, shape your sound with Smart Controls, and even hit Stop, Start, and Record from across the room.
Jam with drummers of every style.
Drummer, the virtual session player created using the industry’s top session drummers and recording engineers, features 28 beat‑making drummers and three percussionists. From EDM, Dubstep, and Hip Hop to Latin, Metal, and Blues, whatever beat your song needs, there’s an incredible selection of musicians to play it.
Each drummer has a signature kit that lets you produce a variety of groove and fill combinations. Use the intuitive controls to enable and disable individual sounds while you create a beat with kick, snare, cymbals, and all the cowbell you want. If you need a little inspiration, Drummer Loops gives you a diverse collection of prerecorded acoustic and electronic loops that can be easily customized and added to your song.
Powerful synths with shape‑shifting controls.
Get creative with 100 EDM- and Hip Hop–inspired synth sounds. Every synth features the Transform Pad Smart Control, so you can morph and tweak sounds to your liking.
Learn to play
Welcome to the school of rock. And blues. And classical.
Get started with a great collection of built‑in lessons for piano and guitar. Or learn some Multi‑Platinum hits from the actual artists who recorded them. You can even get instant feedback on your playing to help hone your skills.
Take your skills to the next level. From any level.
Choose from 40 different genre‑based lessons, including classical, blues, rock, and pop. Video demos and animated instruments keep things fun and easy to follow.
Teachers with advanced degrees in hit‑making.
Learn your favorite songs on guitar or piano with a little help from the original recording artists themselves. Who better to show you how it’s done?
Instant feedback.
Play along with any lesson, and GarageBand will listen in real time and tell you how you’re doing, note for note. Track your progress, beat your best scores, and improve your skills.
Tons of helpful recording and editing features make GarageBand as powerful as it is easy to use. Edit your performances right down to the note and decibel. Fix rhythm issues with a click. Finesse your sound with audio effect plug‑ins. And finish your track like a pro, with effects such as compression and visual EQ.
Go from start to finish. And then some.
Create and mix up to 255 audio tracks. Easily name and reorder your song sections to find the best structure. Then polish it off with all the essentials, including reverb, visual EQ, volume levels, and stereo panning.
Take your best take.
Record as many takes as you like. You can even loop a section and play several passes in a row. GarageBand saves them all in a multi‑take region, so it’s easy to pick the winners.
Your timing is perfect. Even when it isn’t.
Played a few notes out of time? Simply use Flex Time to drag them into place. You can also select one track as your Groove Track and make the others fall in line for a super‑tight rhythm.
Polish your performance.
Capture your changes in real time by adjusting any of your software instruments’ Smart Controls while recording a performance. You can also fine‑tune your music later in the Piano Roll Editor.
Touch Bar. A whole track at your fingertips.
The Touch Bar on MacBook Pro lets you quickly move around a project by dragging your finger across a visual overview of the track.
Wherever you are, iCloud makes it easy to work on a GarageBand song. You can add tracks to your GarageBand for Mac song using your iPhone or iPad when you’re on the road. Or when inspiration strikes, you can start sketching a new song idea on your iOS device, then import it to your Mac to take it even further.
GarageBand for iOS
Play, record, arrange, and mix — wherever you go.
GarageBand for Mac
Your personal music creation studio.
Logic Remote
A companion app for Logic Pro.
Choosing the tech stack for your first podcast sure can be a hassle, right?
We’re going over 11+ podcast tools we’ve tested for you, each for a slightly different use case. Note you won’t need all of these. Three apps will be enough for recording and editing:
- A tool for recording and editing.
- A solution to keep your audio clear.
- A platform to create sound effects or music for your intro section, commercial breaks, or ending and call-to-action.
You can follow this with extra software for hosting your podcast or promoting it to your network.
But first…
What to consider when creating your podcasting tech stack
To help you sort through this list and choose the ones that match your requirements, here’s a brief list of points to pay attention to when you’re trying the podcast software yourself:
- What features you need
- If you want a tool to help with both recording and editing
- What your budget’s limits are
- What device you’re going to use to record the podcasts
- If you want the apps to have a quick learning curve or are willing to take the time to learn a feature-heavy app
- What the user reviews say in terms of usability and functionality for both the host and guest
Let’s get to the list of the best podcast software to try out! We’ve tested and ordered these so each tool will have a unique purpose or suit a separate type of user.
Audacity – your podcast recording best friend, for free
This is a common choice among podcasters thanks to its free plan that offers all the editing features you might need at the start. The open-source podcasting platform isn’t the most user-friendly one though but this is because of its complexity.
Core Audacity features you’ll find helpful include the Silence Finder that lets you split recordings into shorter tracks without manually deleting silence time or Synch-Lock Tracks for multitrack editing. The tool also comes with sound effects like echo or distortion so you can use it to later edit your audio for diverse purposes.
Platforms: Mac, Windows
Best Podcast Editing Software Mac
Krisp – to maintain clear audio recordings
Ever dreamed of skipping post-recording audio tweaking? You can now simply record your podcasts or interviews with Krisp turned on and it will automatically block all background noises. The extra HD voice and room/acoustic echo removal features make for clear sounds — just like recording in a professional studio.
The noise-cancelling tool works with any third-party app that allows adding Krisp as the audio input. All you have to do next is cut your audio snippets, sync them, and you’re done.
Platforms: Mac, Windows
GarageBand – for that intro jam
If you have a Mac, you already have this music creation app installed on your device. The tool is free to use and actually has a mobile app (unlike Audacity) you can use to record sounds on the go.
Its main use is for creating music though. While not as extensive as a professional music production tool, GarageBand is perfect for first-time podcasters who need to record a memorable intro song, background jams, or create their own sound effects.
Platforms: Mac, iOS
Podcast Recording Software For Mac
Zencastr – user-friendly podcast recording
This podcast software takes literally no time to learn as its super intuitive interface makes it easy to understand what each feature does. This makes it the perfect choice if you want to invite multiple people to join the podcast recording.
There’s also a smart pop-up that lets you know if all sound and video checks have been done before you start recording. Both audio and video recording options are offered along with basic audio file editing options.
Platforms: Your Chrome or Firefox web browser
Auphonic – for advanced post-production sound editing
Not happy with Audacity’s editing capabilities? Bring your audio into Auphonic to balance the speaker level and restore audio. The tool is free to use for up to two hours but Auphonic is only designed for post-production.
If you need to keep your voice clear for live events or even during the actual podcast recording, you’ll need Krisp which works in real-time. So with Krisp you don’t need to do the extra step because you record clean audio as you go.
Platforms: Your browser
Hindenburg Journalist – record interviews even on the go
The Hindenburg Journalist is a podcast recording software that’s only a fit for beginners if you’re planning on using it to record interviews on the go. If you only need to record on the field, get the Hindenburg Field Recorder mobile app but keep in mind the cost for this is separate from the main Hindenburg Journalist product.
Most advanced features are part of the Pro version of the tool which provides automated sound levels and VoIP call recording. In fact, it’s the Pro plan that’s marketed as being better suited for podcasters thanks to its post-production capabilities of editing multiple tracks. This advanced product also supports online call recording from apps like Skype or FaceTime.
Platforms: Mac, Windows, iOS
Adobe Audition – podcast editing software you can also use for professional music creation
I specifically enjoyed how seamlessly the audio recording in Adobe Audition integrates with the editing options as you can literally edit as you record. You can design sound effects, sync different audio files, and clean up your recordings on these.
This is an Audacity and GarageBand alternative you might already have access to if you’ve purchased a full Creative Cloud subscription. This tool will be handier than other choices for people who also want to create videos for their podcasts or YouTube channel.
Platforms: Mac, Windows
Logic Pro X – for the Mac user who needs to produce that bop
Looking for an advanced version of GarageBand? Enter Logic Pro X. This audio-editing tool comes with all the nitty-gritty of sound. The interface is similar to the GarageBand one so you can move files from one tool to another and continue editing them.
Still, you might find the tool’s not exactly the best fit for podcasting since it’s so advanced. The sole use you’ll have from Logic Pro X is when recording intro and ad music or sound effects for your podcast. But, hey, at least you can get as creative as possible with them.
Platforms: Mac, iOS
Riverside.fm – because you’ll need video too
Riverside.fm acts as a common studio room where you can invite all of your podcasts guests and record audio independently. Provided both you and your guests have the right tech stack, you’ll be able to record 4K videos so you’ll no longer have to worry about the quality of the recording. But the handiest functionality is that it actually uploads the recording as you’re hosting the podcast. So once you’re done, downloading everything takes just a couple of seconds.
The Magic Editor feature takes you through a step-by-step editing option without the complicated interface. This editor also comes with basic options to filter background noise and equalize your audio — only available in post-production.
Platforms: In the web browser
Note:SquadCast and the Zencastr podcasting tool I already mentioned as alternatives. All of them are super intuitive and ensure that any guest will be able to seamlessly connect to the online recording studio with their devices in check.
Buzzsprout – because you’ll need hosting (and stats)
Often, the most complicated part of a podcaster’s life is actually knowing what to do with the final audio file. Buzzsprout helps you host your podcast and get it listed in your preferred directories. Let it do its job for a couple of weeks and you’ll end up with solid insights into what apps and devices listeners use or their demographic profile.
You know those podcast players that podcasts add in their blog posts? Yes, many of them are created using Buzzsprout so you can improve accessibility. Plus, there’s a built-in transcription integration you’ll surely find helpful if you want to provide a complete user experience, regardless of the platform.
Platforms: In the web browser
Bonus: Wavve – short audio snippets for social media
No listeners, no podcast. That’s why we’re adding Wavve as a must-have tool for promoting your podcast. I’m sure you’re already familiar with those Instagram posts you can play for a preview of an upcoming episode. That’s Wavve at its best.
This platform makes it easy for you to share an otherwise large audio file by breaking it into smaller chunks. And it’s super fun to use as you play with different templates and animations. If your listeners prefer distinct platforms, you can use the Wavve Link option to create one landing page with all possible link options for them to choose from.
Platforms: In the web browser
Back to you!
Now that we’ve gone over all of these options you probably have a rough idea of what you need. Want to handle multiple tracks and sync them easily? A single tool like Adobe Audition will do the trick. Need to connect with guests and maintain HD sounds? Pair Krisp with podcast software like Riverside.
What are your favorite podcast editing and recording software options? Are you using any podcast apps we haven’t reviewed yet?
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