AI podcast editing software has taken the world by storm — including browser-based platforms like Adobe Podcast. While its AI tools didn’t debut until 2022, it’s already made an impact on the podcasting scene.
But is Adobe AI the right choice for your podcast?
Picking the right podcast editing software can be stressful, which is why good research is essential. Here, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you: we discuss the ins and outs of Adobe Podcast: AI, including what it is and how to use it. We also examine potential alternatives if it doesn’t offer what you need.
But first, let’s look at some background on AI so we can set the scene for Adobe Podcast’s AI tools.
- Podcasts and AI: does it make sense?
- What is Adobe Podcast: AI?
- Using Adobe Podcast’s AI tools
- Adobe Podcast: AI tools paid vs free plans
- When to use Adobe Podcast
- Alternatives to Adobe Podcast: Enhance Speech
- Alternatives to Adobe Podcast: Mic Check
- Alternatives to Adobe Podcast: Studio
- The bottom line on Adobe Podcast: AI tools
Podcasts and AI: does it make sense?
Audio AI is a new frontier for business podcasters.
There have been several developments in the last few years, with new AI tools for:
The biggest benefit of podcasts and AI is the ability to streamline repetitive tasks. They take the stress out of recording remotely since you can reduce background noise and boost lower-quality mics.
That said, podcast AI cannot do the work of an audio engineer.
Some people don’t even like the way it sounds.
Just check out these user reviews for Adobe Podcast:
- “I tried it and thought it made me sound like AI.” — Reddit
- “If you want a more natural and true-to-the-source sound, you need to use stuff like Acon DeVerberate and voice isolate or the equivalents from iZotope.” — Gearspace
- “It ends up making your voice sound robotic. . . like you are a bad text to speech voice. It no longer sounds natural.” — YouTube
To summarize, Podcast AI can help with basic editing tasks like removing background audio and reducing room tone. But more complex tasks require a trained ear, which is why they’re best left to podcast production companies.
So is Adobe Podcast AI a good fit for your needs?
Let’s start with a high-level overview.
What is Adobe Podcast: AI?
Adobe Podcast AI is a suite of editing tools for fine-tuning podcast audio. It’s free for anyone with an Adobe account, although there’s a paid plan for additional features (more on this later).
There are three different tools in the Adobe Podcast suite:
- Enhance Speech: Remove background noise and clean up voice tracks.
- Mic Check: Determine mic settings and fix problems before recording.
- Studio: Record audio in 16-bit 48k WAV, then edit or enhance with AI.
Keep reading for a breakdown of how to use each one.
Using Adobe Podcast’s AI tools
The Adobe Podcast suite is relatively intuitive to use.
Still, we’ll guide you through each tool step by step.
Keep in mind you need an Adobe account before getting started. If you don’t already have one, go to account.adobe.com and sign up for free.
Enhance Speech
If your audio files are under 30 minutes long, you can use Adobe’s Enhance Speech for free.
Here’s how to get started with Adobe Podcast: Enhance:
- Go to podcast.adobe.com/enhance.
- Upload an audio file under 500 MB and under 30 minutes long. Compatible file formats include .wav, .mp3, .aac, .flac, .ogg, .oga, and .m4a.
- Click ‘enhance’ and wait up to 10 minutes for the audio to process. If you have an Express Premium plan, you can also upload video files, enhance audio files in batches, or adjust the strength of the AI effect.
- Once your audio has finished processing, listen to the enhanced and unenhanced versions to compare the differences.
- Click ‘download’ to download the enhanced .wav file(s).
- With the basic plan, you can only enhance one hour of audio per day. With the Express Premium plan, you can enhance up to four hours of audio per day.
You can learn more about Adobe Podcast: Enhance in our complete guide.
Mic Check
Adobe: Mic Check is exactly what it sounds like: an AI tool designed to evaluate your mic setup. You can use this to catch problems in advance and make subtle adjustments before recording audio.
It takes six steps to use Adobe Podcast: Mic Check:
- Visit podcast.adobe.com/miccheck.
- Click ‘start.’
- If you haven’t already, plug in your podcast microphone. This could be your native computer microphone, a podcast mixer, or a podcast audio interface.
- Click ‘test mic’ and say: “how is my microphone setup and placement?” Be sure to speak for at least five seconds so the AI has time to evaluate your audio quality.
- You should now see four metrics with sliding scales: Distance to microphone, gain, background noise, and echo. The AI lists an acceptable range and shows where your setup falls on the scale.
- On the left, you should see personalized recommendations and links to more information. You can also listen back to your recording to reevaluate the quality.
Keep in mind Adobe Podcast: Mic Check can’t fix your mic setup for you. The AI is only for identifying problems; not necessarily solving them.
Studio
Adobe Podcast: Studio is a browser-based tool designed for recording, editing, and enhancing podcast audio. Unlike Mic Check or Enhance, you need to get an invite before getting started. You can fill out this webform and wait for a link.
Assuming you get invited, this is how to use Adobe Podcast: Studio:
- Go to podcast.adobe.com.
- Click ‘new project.’
- Start recording directly in Chrome or upload an audio file. You can also use Mic Check directly in the editor.
- If you want to add a remote guest, click ‘invite guest’ on the top right and enter their email. This allows them to join you inside Adobe Podcast without connecting via Zoom or Skype.
- Once you stop recording, you can split your track, add fades, or transcribe your audio into text.
- To edit your podcast, click ‘transcribe’ and wait for the transcription. Then, look for areas you want to edit.
- Next, highlight the text you want to remove and press delete. Adobe Podcast will automatically remove these deleted sections from your audio file.
- You can use Speech Enhance directly inside Adobe Studio to sweeten your audio.
- Add background music from the Adobe stock library or upload a .wav file of your own. You can set the track as an intro/outro or turn it into background music.
- You can download your finished podcast episode or use the ‘share’ button to send it to a friend, boss, or colleague.
Note that Adobe Podcast: Studio is only available in English (and only for those using Chrome).
Adobe Podcast: AI tools paid vs free plans
As mentioned, there’s a free plan and a paid plan for Adobe Podcast: AI.
With the free plan, you can freely access Mic Check and Enhance Speech.
With the paid plan (aka Express Premium), you can unlock expanded features for both tools. Prices start at $9.99 USD. You can also test the plan with a 30-day free trial.
Here’s how the two compare side by side:
So: should you purchase Adobe’s Express Premium?
If you publish weekly audio or video podcasts, it may be a wise investment.
But if you have a less predictable podcast schedule, or if your episodes are less than a half-hour each, you may want to stick with the free plan.
When to use Adobe Podcast
Adobe Podcast’s AI tools are a good fit for podcasters unfamiliar with traditional DAWs. You can also edit podcasts directly from your browser, which means there’s no need to pay for (or download) large editing programs.
You may want to use Adobe Podcast if:
- You’re new to podcasting
- You’re not recording in a podcast studio
- You’re working with a tight budget
You may not want to use Adobe Podcast if:
- You’re recording longer podcasts
- You don’t have time to wait on an invite to Studio
- You’re looking for more hands-on editing tools
If you fall into the latter category, you may want to look at the Adobe AI alternatives below.
Alternatives to Adobe Podcast: Enhance Speech
Adobe Podcast: AI tools are a good starting point for podcasters, but they may not have much staying power as you grow your show.
Here are a few other platforms to consider, starting with alternatives to Adobe Enhance Speech:
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition is a traditional DAW you can use to enhance audio files. Unlike Adobe Podcast, it isn’t free to use. It does, however, come with tools to remove background noise.
With Adobe Audition, you can use AI to:
- Automatically repair damaged files
- Reduce background noise
- Enhance speech
Just keep in mind Adobe Audition is a more complex DAW than Adobe Enhance. If you’re uncomfortable navigating traditional audio software, this may not be an alternative for you.
Audacity
Audacity is an open-source DAW for experienced audio engineers. It’s compatible with all major operating systems (including Windows, MacOS and Linux), and integrates with hundreds of third-party plugins — including some for enhancing audio.
Some of the most popular AI plugins you can use to enhance speech in Audacity are:
- Noise Suppression
- NVIDIA Broadcast
- Whisper Transcription
Because Audacity is more complex than Adobe Enhance, it may take time to learn effectively.
Descript Podcast Software
Descript offers podcast editing software with support for audio enhancement. There are two different tools you can use to do this quickly: the Free Voice Enhancer, or Studio Sound.
You can use Descript’s free plan to enhance podcast audio, although keep in mind your options are limited at best. If you want to edit audio more than 10 minutes long, you need to upgrade to the next tier up (starting at $12 per user per month).
Alternatives to Adobe Mic Check
Looking for another way to check your mics before recording?
Descript is once again an option:
Descript Podcast Software
In addition to its tools for enhancing audio, Descript provides some built-in features for checking your microphone setup. Clicking the ‘record’ button allows you to select or deselect equipment, choose microphones and headsets, and test audio before going live.
Just keep in mind Descript doesn’t provide a range of acceptable inputs like Adobe Mic Check. If you really want to know if your audio sounds good, you should look for an alternative (like professional podcast editors).
Alternatives to Adobe Studio
If Adobe Studio doesn’t meet your needs, you’re better off with a full DAW.
Here are two options you may want to consider, including a platform you’re already familiar with:
Descript Podcast Software
You already know Descript is a strong alternative to Adobe Enhance and Mic Check. However, it also provides several additional features you can’t find in Adobe Studio.
You can use Descript to build AI voice clones, generate text-to-speech, and create green screen effects for podcast videos.
Just keep in mind this is going to cost you. If you’re not at that stage of podcast production, you may want to look at a simpler (more cost-effective) alternative.
Hindenburg PRO
Hindenburg PRO is an audio editor specifically for the spoken word. It’s primarily used for audiobooks and narration, although it’s also a favorite among B2B podcasters.
You won’t get any AI tools with Hindenburg PRO, but you can still edit audio from a transcript like Adobe Podcast. It also offers video support if you’re publishing to distribution platforms like YouTube.
The drawbacks? Some users feel Hindenburg PRO isn’t a fit for granular editing, but this largely depends on your workflow and use case. There’s a 30-day free trial available so you can test it for yourself.
Check out our full guide to the Hindenburg PRO here.
The bottom line on Adobe Podcast: AI tools
Adobe Podcast’s AI tools sit at a rare intersection between accessibility and functionality. Even if you don’t have much knowledge of audio editing, you can still accomplish basic tasks with the help of AI.
That said, please remember that podcast AI isn’t a silver bullet for successful podcasts. Complex edits require the work of a professional. Plus, podcast AI can’t audit, promote, or publish your podcast on hosting platforms.
But The Podcast Consultant can.
We are a full-service podcast production company serving both new and established podcasts. We offer a holistic approach to podcasting so you can spend more time creating and less time editing.
If you’d like to learn more about our approach to podcast production, or if you’re interested in past case studies for our clients, we invite you to book a discovery call today.