Podcaster’s Review: Auphonic

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t get to publish your podcast right away after recording. It still has to go through post-production. In the podcasting world, post-production is deemed a necessity. In other words, it’s not something you can just forego.

You need to remember that most listeners won’t tolerate bad audio. In some instances, people are able to get away with a bad video. However, when it comes to sound, people aren’t as forgiving. Suffice it to say, if you want to keep things looking polished and professional, you need to consider audio editing a must.

There are several ways to edit audio. Auphonic is one of the many services used by podcasters for audio post-production. This is a paid web-based service that can also be used for broadcasts, podcasts, movies, radio shows, and other formats.

What it does

This service uses algorithms in processing audio to create an automatic post-production platform for different use. Just upload the audio file and Auphonic will do the rest of the work.

It automatically levels, tails, and tops your audio. Auphonic also does basic cleanup on your files. Key features include: loudness normalizer, intelligent leveler, filtering, encoding, noise reduction, content deployment, metadata management, API, presets, batch processing, and machine learning.

Auphonic processes different audio and video files in various file formats. It also offers integration to Dropbox, Libsyn, and other services. Although it is a web-based service, you can also purchase a desktop app if that’s your preferred working medium.

Auphonic pros

As a web-based service, it is easy for anyone to go through their audio without spending much money. You don’t have to pay costly upfront fees for the audio cleanup you need. However, you do need to create an account on the site.

It is user-friendly so expert post-production knowledge is not necessary. Just upload your files and the system will work its magic. Its algorithm can identify music and voices separately so everything is processed differently. Instead of doing all the manual editing yourself for hours, Auphonic will return your file within minutes.

Being web-based, the operating system is not really an issue unlike the other post-production applications and software. You don’t have to worry about compatibility as well.

Auphonic cons

Many podcasters dub auphonic as a free-mium. Although it is technically free, you may need to pay extra if you want to process more audios. Also, you are only granted 2 hours free access every month. If your audio exceeds two hours, then you may need to purchase recurring credits, that are reset every month, or one time credits, that are valid for an unlimited time and can be used after you have used up your free or recurring credit.

Even if the pricing is not too high, (only ranging from $11 and up), Auphonic can be expensive for the quality and amount of work that it does. It isn’t an affordable post-processing option, especially for those who are serious podcasters with longer audio files to work with.

Another thing that you should note is that Auphonic is automatic. It uses algorithm to run through the audio or video file. This means you do not have full control over how your sound quality will turn out. Even after running your file through the service, you will still hear hums and other audible background noises that the algorithm might have missed. If you are very particular with the general sound and quality of your podcast, then Auphonic is not the most suitable post-processing solution for you.

The verdict

There is no doubt that Auphonic is a cost-effective method when it comes to post-producing your podcast. If you do not go beyond two hours of audio every month, then you don’t need to pay anything for a simple cleanup and leveling of your files.

Auphonic is good enough for those who just want the basic post-production output. However, it cannot offer you the best quality. You cannot even expect good service. It only provides you with basic solutions. An automatic service is different from having a real person check and edit your audio thoroughly. The human factor makes a huge difference in the quality compared to just having an automatic service normalize and level your podcast.

While having a professional audio engineer edit and go through your recorded files can can cost money, it is well worth the investment. For starters, you are assured of quality output. In addition, editing is undoubtedly more thorough. That means you can rest assured all the unnecessary noises and verbal slips are taken off.

If you want professional audio editing service you can afford, get in touch with the team of experts at Podcast Engineers. Their professional audio engineers will make sure you will be able to present a podcast you can truly be proud of!

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