Recording a podcast is only the halfway point.
What listeners hear on Tuesday is the result of hours of editing designed to make the conversation sound as natural as possible. In many ways, editing is where a Now Playing Podcast episode truly comes together.
Built on Audacity
Since the very beginning of Now Playing Podcast, we’ve edited every episode using Audacity.
It’s free, open source, and remarkably powerful. Over nearly two decades of producing the show, we’ve developed a workflow that allows multiple editors to produce a consistent sound regardless of who is editing a particular episode.
To make that possible, Arnie created what the team affectionately calls the Editor’s Bible: a detailed, step-by-step guide that every editor follows to ensure every episode meets the same standards.
Every Episode Starts the Same Way
Before a single joke, tangent, or pause is removed, every episode goes through the same technical preparation.
Each editor begins by:
- Aligning every host’s recording.
- Removing background noise.
- Trimming unnecessary silence.
- Applying equalization to create a consistent sound.
- Compressing and leveling the audio so everyone can be heard comfortably.
Only after those steps are complete does the creative editing begin.
Editing the Conversation
Every review receives at least two complete editing passes.
During those passes, editors remove long pauses, verbal stumbles, repeated thoughts, unnecessary tangents, interruptions, barking dogs, buzzing phones, and countless little distractions that can pull listeners out of the conversation.
The goal isn’t to rewrite what happened. It’s to present the discussion as clearly and naturally as possible while preserving the personalities of the hosts.
Sometimes We Need Another Take
Occasionally, after recording, we realize we’ve forgotten an important fact, discovered new information, or need to replace a sentence because of an unexpected interruption during recording.
In those cases, a host records a brief “pickup” to fill the gap.
We do everything possible to match the original recording conditions, microphone placement, and vocal tone. If you’ve ever noticed a sentence that sounds just a tiny bit different, congratulations…you’ve got a very good ear.
If You Notice the Edit…
…we probably didn’t do our job.
Our guiding philosophy is simple:
The podcast should never sound edited.
Good editing doesn’t call attention to itself. It simply lets the conversation flow naturally, allowing listeners to focus on the discussion rather than the mechanics behind it.
A Team Effort
Now Playing Podcast has been fortunate to work with an outstanding editing team over the years. Their dedication, patience, and attention to detail have made it possible for us to produce the volume of reviews we’ve released while maintaining a consistent level of quality.
Every episode also receives a final review from Arnie before publication. That last pass catches anything that may have slipped through earlier edits and ensures each review meets the standards listeners have come to expect.
While the hosts are the voices you hear each week, the editors are every bit as important to making Now Playing Podcast what it is. Without their work behind the scenes, the show simply wouldn’t exist in its current form.
Editors Past and Present:
Every episode of Now Playing Podcast represents far more than the voices you hear on the microphone. Behind the scenes, our editors have collectively devoted hundreds upon hundreds of hours to listening, trimming, polishing, and perfecting each review.
Editing this show isn’t just about cutting mistakes. It requires patience, technical skill, good comedic instincts, and an understanding of the rhythm of conversation. Those abilities weren’t learned overnight. They were developed over years of editing episode after episode, refining a craft that most listeners never notice, precisely because it is done so well.
We are incredibly grateful to every member of our editing team, past and present. Their dedication, talent, and attention to detail have helped shape the sound of Now Playing Podcast and made it possible to produce the volume and quality of reviews we’ve released over nearly two decades.
Quite simply, without them, there would be no Now Playing Podcast as you know it.
So thank you to:
Heath
Santiago
Drew
Stephen
David
Casper
Phil
Dylan
Raymond
Jeff
Alex
Nik
Brian
Brock
Carlos