Orcast → How to edit a podcast
How to edit a podcast, step by step
Editing a podcast is really a handful of jobs: clean up the audio, sync your cameras if it's a video podcast, cut to whoever's speaking, add subtitles, and export. Here's each step the manual way — and the shortcut, where Orcast does the sync and the switching for you and hands you a finished timeline. Free to start on your computer.
The two ways to edit a podcast
The manual way: import everything into an editor, sync the tracks, top-and-tail the episode, cut to the right camera through the whole conversation, drop in subtitles, then export. For a weekly show that's a few hours every single episode.
The automatic way: Orcast does the sync and the camera switching by who's speaking, and gives you a finished edit on a timeline. You spend your time on the calls only a human should make — where to trim, what to cut for length — not on the mechanical work.
The steps to edit a podcast
Clean up the audio first
Audio matters more than video in a podcast. Level the voices, cut background noise, remove long silences and the worst filler. Good sound is what keeps people listening — do this before you touch the picture.
Sync the cameras (if it's video)
A video podcast has several angles that need to line up to the frame. By hand that means a clap or timecode; with Orcast you skip it — it aligns every camera by the sound they all heard, automatically.
Cut to whoever's speaking
This is the slow one: through the whole episode, the camera should be on the person talking, with a wide shot for crosstalk. Orcast does this switching automatically — each speaker's mic drives their camera — and lands it on a timeline you can adjust.
Add subtitles and export
Subtitles help clips travel and keep viewers who watch on mute. Orcast can recognise the speech in the same project and save the subtitles as a separate SRT file next to the recording they were recognised from — it cannot burn them into the picture. Speech recognition runs over the internet only: the audio of the recording you picked goes to a cloud service — never the video. Then export a finished mp4, or a layered timeline XML (FCP7 XML): Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve open it directly.
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, phone cams and audio recorders all start at different times. Lining them up by hand is fiddly; Orcast matches them by their shared sound, so sync stops being a step you think about.
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 audio: level the voices and cut the obvious mistakes and dead air. If it's a video podcast, the fastest path is to let a tool sync the cameras and do the speaker-switching for you, then just trim for length. Orcast does that part so beginners get a clean edit without learning a full NLE first.
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
Edit your next podcast in a fraction of the time
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