Audacity is a free sound-editing program that we highly recommend for podcasters. It will record your audio, edit it, and create an MP3 file. And did we mention, it’s free?

Once you get comfortable using Audacity to create your podcasts, you might want to learn some of the special tricks in this series.

Tip#1: Compressor, for Better Sound Quality

If you don’t have access to professional studio recording equipment, you can still make clean-sounding podcasts with simple settings in Audacity. For example:

Compressor: You can find the Compressor tool in the “Effects” menu. It’s the single most effective way to improve the sound of your podcast.

How does it work? Well, in any sound recording, there will be portions that are too loud and portions that are too quiet. The Compressor tool evens these out, toning down the louder bits and bringing up the quieter ones. You end up with a much fuller, richer sound.

To use the Compressor, just follow these steps:

1. Select all of your recording. You can highlight it by clicking and dragging, or you can choose the “Select” option from the “Edit” menu, and then choosing “All.”

2. In the “Effects” menu, select “Compressor.”

3. A dialog box will appear. The default settings will be fine for 99% of all podcasts. So just click OK.