Importing Audio
So the first thing you need to do is import your audio. You can do this by going to the top left window and either clicking Open File, or right click and select Import.
Then you can select the audio files you want to Import and they will appear in this box, ready for you to edit!
Multitrack Setup
Next you'll want to open up a Multitrack area by clicking Multitrack at the top of your window. This will open up an area that looks like this:
In here, you can drag in each of your files onto a separate track so you can edit multiple mic recordings together easily, and so you can pop in a cool music track at the beginning of your podcast.
Trimming Audio
This is super easy to do! There's a little tool up on the top bar that looks like a little razor blade and is actually called, Razor Tool! This is what you'll use to chop up your audio and get rid of any bloopers and awkward silences.
If you select that tool, then find the bit of audio you want to chop out and click to make a cut either side of the piece of audio. Then simply select the chunk of bad stuff and delete it from your life!
Volume Control
Now if one of your mic recordings is simple too quiet or too loud, you can boost or lower that volume in the Waveform editor. There's a little dial in the middle of the window which you can click and drag up and down to change the overall volume.
But if you need things to fade in or out, or even play some music quietly under someone talking, there's a better way than fiddling with this. In Multitrack, you'll notice a yellow line going through your audio files. This is the Volume line.
You can click anywhere on this line to apply a Key Point. This is similar to pinning the line in position wherever you pop the Point. You can then click and drag these points to adjust the volume of the track.
So on this example above, the line is down at the beginning, making the audio quieter there. Then it goes back up again, so during the diagonal line between point 1 and 2 it will gradually get louder, and then continue playing at that volume for the rest of the clip.
Exporting Audio
When you're ready to export your amazing creation, this is also a pretty easy process! Highlight the area of your entire podcast episode by pressing 'i' at the start and 'o' at the end. Then, head up to File and then Multitrack Mixdown, then click Time Selection.
It will then come up with the Export window where you can change the name of the file, the file format, and where you want to save the file. We always recommend exporting as an MP3 if it is your finished episode that you're uploading to your hosting platform!