The Two Extremes of Editing Philosophy

There are many ways to edit a podcast episode and many techniques, too.

Regarding general editing philosophies there are basically two extremes and then, of course, everything in between.

One extreme: The not-even-edited audio which is left to sound exactly the same as it was recorded, which usually means lots of umms, lipsmacks, long pauses, flubs, noises, etc. Some podcasters like this philosophy because it takes zero work and they want their audio to be “real.” To me this philosophy can work if the host and guest(s) move the show along at a good pace, but if not then the episode will drag way too much and be painful to endure.

The other extreme: Heavily edited to remove every umm, lipsmack, flub, noise, repeated statements, etc. – and also removing every natural pause and authentically timed moments – oh, and removing every single breath that the host and guest takes. Some podcasters like this philosophy because their audio doesn’t contain a wasted second and the pacing is quicker. To me this philosophy sounds too inhuman and unnatural.

What’s your editing philosophy?

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