Podcasting is incredibly popular these days—just like back in 2004 to 2005, after Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code podcast hit it big. But he was a former MTV VJ, after all. We can’t all have such amazing credentials that will propel us to podcasting stardom.
So how exactly did podcasting make a comeback a decade later? When public radio darling “This American Life” launched its “Serial” podcast last year. People everywhere were mesmerized with this interesting new form of content that had sound, but no picture. Now, there are so many podcasts that Apple launched its own podcast app, and Google Play is working on its own version of that.
Are you ready to dabble in podcasting too? Here are four pretty terrific apps for sound editing or podcasting on the fly.
1. Audacity
Audacity gets props from n00bs and experts alike for its simplicity. The open source audio editing tool works on Mac, Windows, and Linux, but sadly does not have a mobile app yet.
It’s not super-pretty, but it gets the job done and has some pretty solid tools, such as multi-track editing, changing sound or pitch, and vocal reduction or isolation.
But we promised to bring you some great platforms that were mobile, too. Admittedly, it’s a little hard to do hardcore sound editing on a tiny smartphone screen (even if that’s one of those phablet smartphones), but there are some making a go of it.
2. HT Professional Recorder
This one is available only on iOS and costs $14.99. But if you need to record high-quality audio of varying lengths and basic editing tools, this is one of the best options. And that price is a one-time deal.
HT Professional Recorder has a built-in iTunes export and import, and its library is easy to navigate and organize. It’s a pretty sparse, but simple interface and allows you to slice out snippets of a longer recording. Its editing tools are basic—but that’s not its primary purpose. It’s built to record, and the recording quality is excellent, even without a special microphone attached to your iPhone.
3. Lexis Audio Editor
The Lexis Audio Editor on Android and Windows is like the Lexus of audio editors. Hahahaha. I slay myself. Sorry. I promise not to do that again.
Anyway, a common theme among audio editing apps in both Google Play and Apple’s App Store is that they don’t tend to have exceptionally high ratings. That’s because proper audio editing takes a bit more than swiping a few things on a tiny smartphone screen. Editing apps are not going to be as robust as you can get on desktop.
Lexis does pretty well and has a free trial version. After that, it costs $6.99.
4. The Podcast Source
Libsyn is one of the most popular podcast hosting platforms out there. Everyone I know who podcasts (I apparently know a lot of people who are podcasting) mentioned Libsyn to me as an important tool.
The Podcast Source allows you to follow all your favorite Libsyn podcasts through one app. If you follow a lot of shows—and I know some of you do—this could is a great way to keep up to date with little effort. And it’s in the iOS, Android, and Windows app stores.