Workflow
Editing a podcast doesn't start when you open the software, but when you take the files off the recorder. An organized workflow saves you hours, stops you losing an entire episode and makes every week faster than the last.
Why you need a method
At first everything seems simple: you record, open the file, cut a little and export. But five episodes in you have folders called “final”, “final2” and “final-for-real”, you don't know which music you used last time, and one day you discover the only copy of an interview was on a card you've formatted. A workflow is simply deciding once how you do things and repeating it the same way every time. That way you don't depend on memory and can focus on what matters: that the episode sounds good and makes sense.
Backups: the 3-2-1 rule
The first thing you do when you finish recording, before you even listen to anything, is copy the original files. The classic rule is 3-2-1:
- 3 copies of the material: the original plus two more.
- On 2 different media: for example, the computer's drive and an external drive.
- 1 copy off-site: in the cloud or on a drive you keep somewhere else.
It might seem over the top for a podcast, but an interview with a hard-to-get guest can't be repeated. And don't wipe the recorder's card or the remote platform's recording until you've checked that the copies open and play.
Never edit or overwrite the original files. Always work on copies or inside a project that doesn't modify them (most editors work non-destructively). If something goes wrong, you can always go back to the starting point.
Folders and file names
Create one folder per episode, always with the same internal structure. When everything is in its place, finding something a year from now takes seconds.
| Folder | What it holds | Example file |
|---|---|---|
01_originals | What comes off the recorder or the platform, untouched | ep023_2026-10-08_ana_track1.wav |
02_project | The editor's project file and its dated copies | ep023_project_v02.aup3 |
03_music_sfx | Theme music, stingers and effects with their licenses | theme_license.pdf |
04_exports | Master in WAV and the publishing version in MP3 | ep023_master_-16LUFS.wav |
05_publishing | Cover art, description, show notes and social clips | ep023_description.txt |
For names, follow a few rules: episode number with leading zeros (ep007, not ep7, so they sort properly), date in year-month-day format, no accents, no spaces and no word “final”. If you need versions, number them: v01, v02.
Don't
Interview final GOOD (2).wav
Do
ep023_2026-10-08_interview-ana_v02.wav
The stages of editing
Editing an episode isn't one task but several, and it pays to do them always in the same order. If you EQ before cutting, you're working on material you'll throw away later; if you normalize before mixing in the music, you'll have to do it again.
- Prep: import, sync the tracks if there are several, and skim through.
- Cleanup and cutting: remove mistakes, long silences and one-off noises. See cutting and cleaning.
- Voice processing: noise reduction, EQ and compression, usually in that order.
- Assembly and mixing: place the theme music, stingers and music, and balance the levels of everything.
- Mastering: set the final loudness (LUFS) and add a limiter so nothing goes over.
- Export: a WAV master for archiving and the MP3 for publishing.
Some programs apply effects directly to the file (destructive) and others store them as instructions you can change later (non-destructive). With the second you can go back at any time; with the first, save versions often.
A project template
If your podcast always has the same structure, don't start each episode from scratch. Set up a template project in your editor with everything that repeats:
- The tracks already created and named: “Host”, “Guest”, “Music”, “Effects”.
- The intro and outro theme music already in place.
- The effects on each voice track already loaded with your starting settings (filter, EQ, compressor).
- The limiter and loudness meter on the master output.
- The project settings:
48 kHzor44.1 kHz, matching your recordings.
Each week you duplicate the template, save it in the episode folder with its name and drag in the new audio. You easily save half an hour per episode, and the sound stays consistent from one episode to the next.
Edit notes while recording
The trick that saves the most time doesn't happen on the computer, but while you record. Keep a sheet of paper or your phone handy and note the approximate time of everything that will need fixing: “12:40 redo question”, “25:10 dog barks”, “31:00 good bit for a clip”. If the episode is an hour long, you won't have to listen to all of it hunting for the mistake.
If you slip up, leave two or three seconds of silence and repeat the sentence from the start. You'll see the gap in the waveform and know there's a cut to make. Some recorders and programs also let you drop markers with a button while recording.
Wrap the episode up properly
When you export, listen to the whole final file, or at least the start, the end and a few random points, on headphones and also on your phone's speaker. Then save everything you need to publish in 05_publishing and back up the finished project. An episode is done when you could reopen it a year from now and understand what you did.
- Copy the originals before anything else and follow the 3-2-1 rule.
- One folder per episode, always with the same structure, and names without spaces or “final”.
- Edit in stages and in order: cleanup, processing, mixing, mastering and export.
- Use a project template with tracks and effects ready to go.
- Note the times of mistakes while you record.
Your turn: your episode template
Set up today the structure you'll use for all your episodes: folders, names and a template project.
- Create an episode folder with the five subfolders and save it as a model.
- Open your editor, create the named tracks, place the theme music and save it as a template.
- Record five minutes while noting the time of each slip, and check how long it takes to find them afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
How should I organize my podcast files?
Create one folder per episode with fixed subfolders (originals, project, music, exports and publishing) and use names with the episode number and date, without spaces or accents.
In what order do you edit a podcast?
First you clean up and cut, then you process the voice (noise reduction, EQ and compression), then you mix with the music, and finally you set the loudness and export.
Where should I keep podcast backups?
Follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies, on two different media, with one of them off-site, for example in the cloud.