Few podcast editing tools are as versatile as Hindenburg PRO. Hindenburg PRO is a well-established editing platform specifically designed for the human voice.
But is Hindenburg PRO the best fit for your podcast? This comprehensive guide can help you decide. We cover the pros, cons, features, and limitations below, as well as a few alternatives in case you don’t see what you’re looking for.
Now, let’s take a closer look at Hindenburg PRO, starting with a list of key features.
- Introduction to Hindenburg PRO
- Why Choose Hindenburg PRO for Podcast Editing?
- Hindenburg PRO features
- Hindenburg PRO: pros and cons
- Editing your podcast with Hindenburg PRO
- Alternatives to Hindenburg PRO
- The bottom line on Hindenburg PRO
Introduction to Hindenburg PRO
Here’s what you should know about Hindenburg PRO at a glance:
| Audio Tracks | Sound Effects | Instruments | Mixer compatible | Remote recording | Free plan |
| Only your audio interface limits how many you can record simultaneously | Access to Soundly (built-in sound effect library) | Third-party plugins only | ✔️ (audio interface only, specifically the Focusrite Vocaster) | ✔️ (Field Recorder costs $4.99) | ❌ (30-day trial only) |
Keep reading to get a more comprehensive breakdown.
Why Choose Hindenburg PRO for Podcast Editing?
Hindenburg PRO is a Danish audio editing platform designed for journalists, podcasters, and voice-over artists. This all-in-one tool was initially released in 2009 and remains a staple of podcast editing and production.
You can do all the basics with Hindenburg PRO:
- Transcribe and edit recordings like a text document
- Plug-and-play your USB hardware (including mics and audio interfaces)
- Unlimited tracks to import or record audio files to
There are several advanced features offered at additional cost:
- Audiobook narration
- Remote recording
- Basic video editing
We’ll take a closer look at these features below.
Hindenburg PRO pricing
Hindenburg PRO may offer some easy-to-understand features, but its prices are anything but straightforward. Not only does it split many features between multiple products, but you must also consider its personal, business, and educational licenses.
Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of each plan and pricing tier:
Hindenburg PRO Personal plan
You may qualify for the Hindenburg PRO Personal plan if:
- You are a ‘private’ individual (you don’t own a business)
- You manage a one-person business (you’re a solopreneur)
- You are not a ‘legal entity’ (a large business, organization, or institution)
Depending on your expected use case, you may choose from one of three tiers. Prices start at $12 per user per month, but if you choose a yearly contract, you’ll pay $8.25 per user per month ($99 per year).
Here are the basic pricing options for a month-to-month Personal plan:
- Standard: $12 per user per month for basic access to Soundly and no transcription hours
- Plus: $15 per user per month for all previous features plus 20 transcription hours
- Premium: $30 per user per month for 50 transcription hours and premium access to Soundly
You also get the following editing features:
- Story-focused workspace
- Clipboard for organization
- Video track editing
- Manuscript editing
The Personal plan may not offer many business-focused features, but it’s an excellent fit for beginner podcasters who don’t need many (if any) transcription hours.
Hindenburg PRO Business plan
The Business version of Hindenburg PRO is designed for two or more users. Any purchase including 21 or more users will receive a proportional volume discount between 10% and 15%.
There are three licenses to choose from on the Business plan:
- Bronze: $20 per user per month for basic Soundly access, manuscript editing, and video track editing (no access to audio transcriptions)
- Silver: $35 per user per month for premium Soundly access and 75 hours of audio transcriptions per month
- Gold: $45 per user per month for 100 transcription hours per month
You’ll also unlock the following tools:
- Magic Levels (audio leveling)
- Music Report (list of all music used in a project)
- Loudness normalization (set to radio and broadcast standards)
- Priority tech support (via email, phone, or hindenburg.com/support)
You may notice that these plans offer additional transcription hours—this might be your best option if you plan to transcribe and edit multiple long podcasts per month.
Hindenburg PRO Educator plan
If you’re a student or educator looking to leverage Hindenburg PRO, you can sign up for an educational license instead of a business tier—this offers the same features as the Hindenburg for Business plan, although you also get a 50% discount on your first full-year annual subscription.
Prices for an educational license include:
- Bronze: $10 per user per month (at 50% off) for basic Soundly access, manuscript editing, and video track editing (no access to audio transcriptions)
- Silver: $17.50 per user per month (at 50% off) for premium Soundly access and 75 hours of audio transcriptions per month
- Gold: $22.50 per user per month (at 50% off) for all previous features plus 100 transcription hours per month
Be prepared to fill out an online form with your photo ID, student or staff verification number, and country of origin.
Narrator Studio
If you want to tap into Hindenburg PRO’s voiceover features, you’ll need to purchase a license to Narrator Studio. This platform offers all the tools you need to create voice-over audio for narrated podcasts, including time tracking, automatic noise reduction, and a structure display mode when reading on-screen text.
All three plans for Narrator Studio offer the same eight features. The prices depend on the level of access you want, including monthly, yearly, or perpetual licenses.
Costs include:
- Monthly license: $15 per user per month
- Yearly license: $150 per user per month
- Perpetual license: $499 per user per month
Not sure if Narrator Studio makes sense for your workflow? You may want to start with their 30-day free trial — no credit card info required.
Field Recorder
If you want to use Hindenburg’s remote recording tools, you must pay for a separate product called Hindenburg Field Recorder. This mobile app is only available for iPhones and can help you record, edit, and share audio remotely from your device.
The full version of Field Recorder costs $4.99 USD on the App Store.
Just be prepared for a few limitations:
- It doesn’t support MP3 file formats
- It cannot recognize or use Bluetooth mics
- It is not compatible with Android devices
If you don’t want to pay extra, try Hindenburg Field Recorder Lite. This version offers the same basic features as the paid version of Field Recorder — although it automatically stops recordings exceeding 60 seconds.
Hindenburg PRO features
Podcast editing doesn’t need to be complicated. Hindenburg PRO provides everything you need to get started.
Here are a few of Hindenburg PRO’s most popular features:
Multitrack recording
So long as you have an audio interface or podcast mixer, you can record multiple tracks simultaneously with Hindenburg PRO. The company recommends using the Focusrite Vocaster One or Two, although you can use another audio interface or podcast equipment bundle.
There are several different ways you can edit your multitrack sequence:
- Cut, paste, and insert audio files
- Split files into segments or clear a track
- Undo and redo to either reverse or reinstate an edit
- Zoom in to audio tracks and detail edit specific parts of the sequence
When you drag and drop files (or record) in Hindenburg PRO, the program automatically levels each piece to industry-standard loudness. Then, you can use tools like Magic Levels and Voice Profile to create a single, consistent sound across every podcast episode.
Offline transcriptions
Hindenburg PRO allows you to transcribe, manipulate, and edit audio like in a Word Document. You can delete filler words, capture sound bites, and rearrange your show order without knowing your way around the DAW.
You also don’t need an internet connection to transcribe audio. It’s easy to take your work on the go — just get a Hindenburg PRO license and grab your laptop or iPhone.
Sound Library
Each Hindenburg PRO plan comes with access to Soundly, an online sound effect platform with thousands of preloaded audio clips. You may not have access to traditional instrument files, but you can still use their AI search feature to find:
- Ambience
- Stingers
- Foley
- And more
Keep in mind that the basic Hindenburg PRO license only gives you basic Soundly access. A premium license unlocks additional features like free shop add-ons and 10 GB of cloud storage.
Video Track
Very few DAWs offer both audio editing and video editing, but Hindenburg PRO is one of them. You can easily upload existing .MP4 files and view, edit, and master them on-platform.
You’ll have additional tools to work with here:
- Transcribe video audio to create subtitles
- Set YouTube timestamps directly in your video
- Split by Speakers (which automatically places different voices on different tracks)
If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your podcast from audio to video, Hindenburg PRO may help with your transition.
Clipboard Tool
With Hindenburg PRO, you can cut and store audio clips for future use. You can also organize sound bites or highlights for social media marketing purposes.
Using the clipboard tool is easy:
- With your File Explorer open, upload audio into the Hindenburg PRO clipboard tool
- Create separate groups for separate audio groups. You can name these groups whatever you wish.
- In the audio editing screen, drag your cursor across the audio segment you wish to save. Click and drag it into the clipboard to save for later. You can also click and drag some manuscript ‘audio bites.’
- Add (and name) subgroups to organize your audio. That way, you can use the built-in search tool to find keywords, names, and bits of text later.
Hindenburg PRO: pros and cons
Hindenburg PRO offers a lot of versatility. However, it’s not necessarily a perfect audio editing platform.
Below are the biggest pros and cons of using Hindenburg PRO’s software:
Hindenburg PRO pros
- Hindenburg PRO offers an intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface. You don’t need to spend hours onboarding — most people get started within an hour.
- Not all audio platforms were designed specifically for the human voice. Hindenburg PRO, however, was made explicitly for the spoken word.
- If you want to try before you buy, Hindenburg PRO offers a 30-day free trial. You don’t have to provide your credit card information to get started, so you don’t need to worry about getting locked into a plan before you’re ready.
- Hindenburg stores an extensive database of resources and tutorials. There are plenty of tools and walkthroughs available for recording, editing, or sharing your show.
Hindenburg PRO cons
- Hindenburg PRO has confusing pricing tiers. In addition to different plans, you also have to consider different license types. Workspaces, additional tools, and transcription hours also cost extra.
- Hindenburg’s Field Recording tool isn’t built into the DAW. Instead, you must purchase a separate mobile app that is only available for iPhones. You can’t use the app on a laptop or Android device, and you won’t have the option to record remotely directly in the DAW.
- Transcription hours with Hindenburg PRO aren’t free. Even if you pay for a perpetual license, you’ll still have to purchase monthly transcription hours.
- Getting a license with Hindenburg PRO comes with several caveats. For example, you cannot share a single license — every user needs a separate one. You also can’t have Hindenburg PRO on more than two computers simultaneously. This may be frustrating if you edit in multiple locations or need to take your DAW on the road.
Editing your podcast with Hindenburg PRO
Hindenburg PRO has a large following of journalists, educators, and business podcasters. This means there are plenty of resources and video guides to help you edit your show.
The most popular ones include:
- Hindenburg Academy. You’ll find step-by-step tutorials covering everything you need to get started, including help docs, video guides, webinars, and more.
- YouTube videos. You can find dedicated video guides on the official Hindenburg Systems YouTube channel, as well as individual creators such as Pete McPherson DYEB and Buzzsprout.
- Hindenburg blog posts. This page contains interviews with current Hindenburg users and detailed guides to starting, maintaining, and directing a show.
Want to learn the basics of audio editing? You’re welcome to download our free podcast editing resource below.
Alternatives to Hindenburg PRO
Although highly regarded in the audio world, Hindenburg PRO isn’t the best fit for every podcaster.
Below are five alternative podcast editing tools you may want to use instead:
REAPER
REAPER is an audio workstation with a simple MIDI sequencer. It allows you to edit audio and video files and apply simple video effects such as wipes, fades, and cross-fades.
REAPER stands out with its plugin compatibility. In addition to plug-ins and a VST FX Suite, you can use tools like JSFX plug-ins. Just keep in mind that REAPER is not compatible with third-party tools—and it doesn’t have the most straightforward learning curve, either.
Learn more about the details in our guide to REAPER.
Adobe Podcast AI and Enhance
Are you unfamiliar with podcast editing software? Adobe Podcast AI may be a perfect fit. This simple AI tool lets you edit podcasts in your browser with the help of AI adjustments and transcription tools.
Like Hindenburg PRO, you can use Adobe Podcast AI to generate podcast transcripts. Then, you can use Adobe Enhance to remove background noise and voice echo. Just keep in mind you won’t already receive ready-to-publish results. Some Adobe AI users say the sound has room for improvement.
We cover Adobe Enhance and Adobe Podcast AI in their own separate guides.
Adobe Audition
If you already own a Creative Cloud license, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with Adobe Audition. Unlike Adobe Podcast AI, this program does not include any built-in AI features.
There are a few similarities between Audition and Hindenburg PRO: they both require monthly subscriptions, for example. However, Adobe Audition is a far more expensive option. Your annual costs will run between $413.88 to $719.88 per year per user.
Our dedicated guide can help you learn more about Adobe Audition.
Descript Podcast Software
Descript has some similarity to the features found in Hindenburg PRO: both offer transcriptions, video editing, and automatic adjustments. Descript stands out with richer AI tools, including ‘regenerate text’ and ‘overdub speech.’
Perhaps the biggest differentiator is the price—Descript offers a free tier, while Hindenburg PRO does not. Just keep in mind that the free tier is quite limited. You won’t have access to unlimited recording time, batch file export, or more than 5 GB of cloud storage.
GarageBand
If you own a Macbook, iPhone, or iPad, you likely have access to GarageBand. This Apple-exclusive tool was specifically designed for music producers, although many successful podcasters also use the tool.
GarageBand offers features you can’t get with Hindenburg PRO, including built-in instruments and a free basic plan. However, GarageBand wasn’t expressly designed for the human voice like Hindenburg, and its features are fairly limited. You’ll have to upgrade to Logic Pro if you want the maximum capabilities and features.
We cover all this and more in our guide to GarageBand.
The bottom line on Hindenburg PRO
Hindenburg PRO is a powerful tool for podcasters at any level of ability. Whether you’re a personal user, a university educator, or an experienced business owner, it’s bound to offer a little something to transform your creative process.
If you’re looking for more ways to uplevel your podcast, it may be time to delegate to a professional team like The Podcast Consultant. We specialize in offloading tedious processes so you can spend more time creating meaningful content. From social media services to remote recording and beyond, we’re a trusted team for hundreds of leading shows.
Confirm if The Podcast Consultant is a fit for your needs by scheduling a Discovery Call today.