Orcast / How to edit a podcast
From recorded conversation to a podcast edit.
A practical workflow for editing a multicam video podcast. Bring your recordings together, sync cameras by sound, review the cut and export your episode.
Keep the original recordings together.
Put the camera and microphone files from one episode in a shoot folder. Keep the originals available for sync and any later XML import. Check that the tracks share usable sound before you start cutting.
Five steps. One conversation.
Stylized Orcast illustrations. Play each step separately; the app’s controls may look different.
Bring in your episode
Drop the shoot folder onto New project or choose it from your computer. Check the detected video and audio files, add anything missing, then continue.
Guest, Host and Wide are example names. Use the files from your own recording.
Match the cameras and microphones
Choose the number of speakers and how the microphones were recorded. For each camera, select Close-up or Wide and match it to the right sound recording.
With separate microphones, match each close-up to that speaker’s track. The full guide covers other recording setups.
Line everything up by sound
Continue to Cut. Orcast uses shared recorded sound to align the cameras and microphones. Review the alignment and choose the pace of camera switching.
Check sync before exporting. Results depend on the sound captured in your recordings.
Review the conversation
Play the automatic cut in Edit. Check who is on screen, listen across camera changes and refine the moments that need your attention.
Camera switching is only part of the edit. Check pacing, mistakes, sound and the story you want to tell.
Choose where the edit goes next
Export an MP4 or a layered FCP7 XML timeline for Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. Check the exported result before publishing.
Keep source media available when importing XML. Speech recognition can save a separate SRT subtitle file; subtitles are not burned into the video.
What makes podcast editing slow — and how to skip it
Orcast can automate camera sync and switching. Review the result yourself or hand the exported timeline to an editor for sound, story and visual finishing. The amount of work saved depends on your recording and requirements.
Cameras and audio recorders may start at different times. Orcast compares their shared sound to align the recordings. Check the resulting sync before finishing the edit.
Cutting captions and finding short moments for social eats a whole extra session. Orcast recognises the speech in the same project and leaves the subtitles as a separate SRT file next to the recording they were recognised from, so the raw material for clips is there when you finish.
Your video files are never uploaded — the app reads them where they are and builds the edit on your computer. To work out the cut, Orcast sends its online engine only technical audio data and your settings and gets the edit plan back, so an internet connection and a free email sign-in are needed.
Cutting the video side specifically? See video podcast editing and multicam editing software. Weighing the cost of doing it yourself vs an editor? See podcast editing cost.
How to edit a podcast — FAQ
How do beginners edit a podcast?
Start with the original camera and microphone files. Sync them, set up each camera and review the automatic cut. Then refine the pacing and sound, remove unwanted moments and check your export. The visual steps above show the Orcast workflow.
What software do I need to edit a podcast?
For audio-only, any DAW or audio editor works. For a video podcast you need something that can sync cameras and switch angles — that's either a full NLE like Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, or a tool like Orcast that does the sync and switching automatically and then hands you a finished mp4 or a layered timeline XML (FCP7 XML). Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve open that XML directly.
How long does it take to edit a podcast?
Processing time depends on the recording, your computer and the chosen options. Orcast automates sync and camera switching; allow time to review the edit and export it.
Can I edit a podcast automatically?
The mechanical parts, yes. Orcast automatically syncs the cameras, cuts to whoever is speaking, and can recognise the speech and save subtitles as a separate SRT file — then gives you an editable timeline. The creative calls (what to keep, how to pace it) stay yours; the repetitive work is done for you.
Is Orcast free to try for editing my podcast?
Yes. It's free to install and free for the first 5 minutes of every edit — enough to sync your cameras and see the auto-cut on a real episode. Those 5 minutes export for free too. Pro removes the length limit — the whole episode. Your video files are never uploaded — only technical audio data goes to Orcast's online engine, which works out the cut, so an internet connection and a free email sign-in are needed.
Also see: Interview transcription and subtitles · Podcast editing software for beginners
Your next episode.
Start with the first cut.
Bring your camera and microphone recordings together. Build a first cut in Orcast, then make it your own.
Continue your workflow
Detailed Orcast guide · Download for macOS · Download for Windows