Audiophile’s Handbook: Advanced iMovie Audio Editing Mastery

All You Need to Know About iMovie Audio Editing

Marion Dubois

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

iMovie offers a fantastic platform for video editing where you can merge multiple video clips to create something very phenomenal. Plus, it’s simply here to navigate between different scenes, edit video clips and save results directly to the digital format without making any videotape transformations.

It provides lots of things to beginners and professionals with its easy-to-use interface without any quality loss for your results even after adding lots of transitions, changes, and effects.

However, it is not accessible to master software, precisely when you’re not familiar with it, or you’re not its professional user. So today, we’d like to explore or pay attention to iMovie’s audio editing steps, tips, and tricks to help you become an iMovie master quickly.

What’s more, a practical yet professional iMovie alternative software is also advisable in this guide. So when the iMovie cannot fulfil your editing requirements, why don’t you hop on an iMovie alternative software?

Now, let’s get started!

Part 1: How to Edit Audio Clips in iMovie?

To learn how to edit audio clips in iMovie, you can use actions in the menu along with the quick shortcuts to make adjustments to your audio clips in iMovie on Mac. It’s a tip for your convenience!

Trim Audio Clips

There are a couple of options to trim an audio clip in iMovie.

#1. Trim to Playhead

You can place the playhead in your timeline. Now, trim an audio clip to that exact spot. Next, start moving the playhead and do one from the following.

• Select Modify > Trim to Playhead option in the menu bar.
• Right-click the audio clip and select the option of Trim to Playhead in the shortcut menu.

#2. Use the Clip Trimmer

You can use the Clip Trimmer to trim an exact section of the clip.

Step 1. Right-click the audio clip and select Show Clip Trimmer in the shortcut menu.

Step 2. After the Clip Trimmer shows, select a section you wish to trim by dragging the arrows right and left while holding the white lines. The area within those lines is what will get entirely deleted.

Move the entire clip but keep the trim area in place if arrows turn to a film strip icon.

Step 3. Click Close Clip Trimmer after you finish this section.

Shorten or Lengthen Audio Clips

You can easily shorten or lengthen an audio clip in iMovie. Just choose the pin in the timeline and drag one of its edges. The duration of the clip change will change as you carry. And a new course will be displayed after you finish in the upper left menu.

You can also set the clip’s duration to an exact time. Select the clip in the timeline and hit the Clip Information (small letter “i”) tab located above the Viewer. Put the value of the time you want in seconds in the Duration box on the right.

Change the Speed of an Audio Clip

You may want to speed up or slow down an audio clip while editing music in iMovie. So, here’s what you need to do!

Method 1. Click the Speed button above the Viewer. Next, select Custom in the Speed drop-down box and enter a percentage next to it. You can also set a different speed in that box if you prefer.

Method 2. Right-click the clip and select Show Speed Editor from the shortcut menu. A slider will then display at the top of the clip that you can move to change the speed.

Adjust the Volume of an Audio Clip

You can set the audio clip’s volume at higher or lower, or even mute it. Just select the clip and then do one of the following.

• Select the Volume tab above the Viewer option and move the slider to the percentage of volume. Hit the Mute button to mute the audio clip.
• Tap inside the clip, and when the two-sided arrow appears, drag up or down to adjust the volume.

Fade an Audio Clip

While editing audio in iMovie, you can also fade in or out the clip. Choose a clip in the timeline and then drag the fade handle (small circle) at either the ending or the beginning of the clip to make a fade-out or a fade-in effect.

As you drag, you will see the arcs displaying the shadow for the clips fade in or fade out.

How to Edit Audio Clips in iMovie on iOS?

The iMovie timeline is where you sort or organize all your audio clips, such as the special effects and background music. Audio clips are always present below the video clips in the timeline. To edit audio clips in iMovie on your iPhones or iPads, you can follow the guide belo

Move an Audio Clip

You can transfer the whole audio clip, except the background music, to another location.

• Touch and hold the purple or blue audio clip with your project open in the timeline until it comes over the timeline bar.
• Drag the clip to another place and release.

Adjust the Audio Clip’s Duration

Step 1. While the project is launched in the timeline, tap the audio clip (in blue or purple) or the background music clip you wish to adjust.

Step 2. Now, you can see the display of yellow trim handles. Drag them either at the end of the clip to the points where you wish the audio to start and end. If a trim handle won’t move left or right, it simply indicates there is no additional audio to work with on that clip’s end.

Step 3. Tap outside the audio clip and let the trim handles disappear.

Split an Audio Clip

There are around two options to split audio clips in iMovie. You can remove unwanted parts or adjust each section’s duration, volume, or speed while you split a clip.

Step 1. With your launched project in the timeline, scroll the timeline to the playhead’s position where you want to split the audio.

Step 2. Click the audio clip to display the inspector at the screen’s bottom.

Step 3. Now, click the Actions button, and select the Split tab.

Or, you can tap the clip (it becomes outlined in yellow), then swipe above the playhead as if you were placing your finger to slide over it.

Detach the Audio Part from a Video

You can detach the video clip’s audio to remove or edit it as a separate video clip.

Step 1. When the project is open in the timeline, select a video clip and display the inspector at the screen’s bottom.

Step 2. Tap the Actions button, then tap Detach.

Step 3. A new blue-colored audio clip will then appear below the video project. You can now move, edit, or delete the audio clip separately from its parent video clip.

Move Audio to the Foreground or Background

To ensure the sound in your video clips can listen above the background music, iMovie implies audio “ducking”. Ducking lowers the background music clips’ volume whenever there’s a video clip whose sound is playing simultaneously.

You can select which audio clips are in the foreground or the background.

Step 1. Select the timeline’s audio clip to display the inspector at the screen’s bottom.

Step 2. Hit the Actions tab and proceed with selecting the Foreground or Background.

The clip color changes to indicate whether it’s the background music (green) or foreground audio (blue or purple).

Part 2: An Easier Way to Edit Audio Clips

Windows users might be wandering for an alternative to iMovie as this software tool is only compatible with Mac and iOS devices. You will be thrilled to know that Wondershare Filmora can serve you with all synonymous and extra features more than the iMovie, and it works significantly in the Windows environment.

This latest software tool also assists users with easy video editing tricks and the intuitive interface that best serves quality editing to beginners and professionals.

Despite the basic video editing features, such as trimming, splitting, merging, cutting, and cropping, Filmora also offers various advanced editing elements that are far better than iMovie. And, with its video editing features, you can make a green screen effect, stabilize your video footage, reverse your video clip, and more.

Moreover, you can enjoy royalty-free music tracks for different themes, such as Young and Bright, Tender and Sentimental, Rock, Folk, Electronic Rock, and Hipster Folk, for selection.

All this will be available with a single program called Wondershare Filmora to take advantage of them for free. You do not have to search the background music files like a needle in a haystack. The program has nicely organized the music themes into six different folders. You can apply it for your video and make advanced editing, such as split/trim the clip, adjust the playback speed, pitch, volume, etc.

How to Edit Audio with Wondershare Filmora?

In Wondershare Filmora, you can insert background music and other files from the audio library or your computer. You can even record your voiceover using it.

Add Background Music

Filmora provides a royalty-free music library you can access or import your music within the program. You can select a song from the royalty-free audio library and use it for free.

The audio library has categorized into: YOUNG & BRIGHT, TENDER & SENTIMENTAL, ROCK, FOLK, and ELECTRONIC. The different kinds of sound effects are also available under the Sound Effects tab.

Once you find a sound effect or a song, either right-click on it and go with the Apply or drag and drop it into an audio track in the timeline.

Or, you can click the Import button above the Media Library panel to browse for audio files in your PC system. Then, select and import it into the Media Library when you find the song or other audio files you wish to add.

Once you place the song in the timeline, double-click to edit it in the Audio editing panel. You can apply fade-in or fade-out effects or adjust the pitch and volume. Filmora lets you add up to 100 audio tracks.

Split Audio Clips

Choose your audio clip and place the playhead where you want to split it, then right-click on the clip and choose the Split tab or click the Split icon right above on the toolbar.

Adjust Audio Settings

Double click on the audio clip to make adjustments to your audio. Open a panel with adjustment sliders in the timeline for pitch and volume.

Another element that you’ll find in this panel is Denoise, which is a feature that can remove background noise from your audio clips.

For a more professional audio editing experience, you can also access the Audio Equalizer from this panel. Select from presets or make manual adjustments by hitting the Customize tab.

Play it when you are done and, if you’re not happy with the results, tap the Reset button to start over.

Audio Equalizer (EQ)

All videos have plenty of sounds like speech, music, or sound effects. Changing the strength of sound waves will help you to mix these sounds within a coherent soundtrack.

Locate your audio clip in an audio track and double-click on it to open the Audio settings menu window. A drop-down menu next to the Equalizer feature will display presets such as Classic, Default, Rock’n’Roll, Techno, Sparkle, Bass, Hard Rock, Pop, Ska, Blues, Folk, Acoustic, Custom, or Country. Choose the preset that best fits your current needs and hit the OK tab to apply it.

Now, hit the Customize tab next to the drop-down bar to adjust the Audio Equalizer manually. Drag the sliders up or down and make the adjustments until you find their ideal value. Finally, hit OK and save your settings.

Besides the included music tracks and sound effects in Filmora initially, you can also find more audio files from Filmora’s effects store – Filmstock, and even get some free music and sound.

Part 3: iMovie Audio Editing Tips & Tricks

iMovie is a great video editor for Mac computers. After understanding the best alternative of iMovie sound editin g, let’s check out some tips on editing audio in iMovie best.

The explanations and screenshots below are for iMovie 10 only. However, the steps are a bit similar to older versions.

So, here we go!

1. Use Waveforms to See What You Hear

To properly edit the audio track in iMovie, you need a good pair of headphones and speakers to hear the sound, but you also need to check the sound.

You can check the sound in iMovie by considering the waveforms on each clip. If the waveforms can’t be seen, go to the View drop-down menu and choose the Show Waveforms option. The clip size for your project can also adjust to get an even better appearance for each video clip.

The waveforms will display the volume level of a clip and give you a good idea of what sections will require to turn up or down. You can also check how the levels of different clips compare to one another.

2. Audio Adjustments

With the help of Adjust tab in the top right, you can access some basic audio editing tools for changing your selected clip’s volume or changing the volume of other relative clips in the project.

The adjustment window of audio also provides basic audio equalization and noise reduction tools, along with a range of effects - from echo to robot - that will change the way people in your video sound.

3. Edit Audio with the Timeline

iMovie assists you in adjusting the audio within the clips themselves. Each pin has a volume bar, moving up and down to decrease or increase the audio level. The clips also contain Fade In and Fade Out tabs at the beginning and end, dragging to adjust the fade’s length.

By adding a short fade effect, whether in or out, the sound becomes relatively smoother and less conflicting to the ear when a new clip begins.

4. Detach the Audio

By default, iMovie keeps the video and audio sections of clips together for convenience. Yet, you want to use the video and audio sections of a clip separately sometimes.

For this purpose, choose your clip in the timeline, visit the Modify drop-down menu, and hit the Detach Audio button. You’ll now have two clips - one with the images and another with the sound.

A lot you can do with the detached audio. For instance, you could extend the audio clip to begin before the video plays, or so that it plays for a few seconds even after the video fades out. You could also cut out pieces from the audio’s middle portion while leaving the video intact.

Conclusion

Coming towards the end of the discussion, after understanding iMovie audio editingand going through an elaborated alternative of iMovie application, we decided that Wondershare Filmora sounds the best out of it. It allows you to flawlessly edit video and audio files on your desktop, with various inbuilt royalty-free music tracks to select from that can further improve your project’s presence.

Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

iMovie offers a fantastic platform for video editing where you can merge multiple video clips to create something very phenomenal. Plus, it’s simply here to navigate between different scenes, edit video clips and save results directly to the digital format without making any videotape transformations.

It provides lots of things to beginners and professionals with its easy-to-use interface without any quality loss for your results even after adding lots of transitions, changes, and effects.

However, it is not accessible to master software, precisely when you’re not familiar with it, or you’re not its professional user. So today, we’d like to explore or pay attention to iMovie’s audio editing steps, tips, and tricks to help you become an iMovie master quickly.

What’s more, a practical yet professional iMovie alternative software is also advisable in this guide. So when the iMovie cannot fulfil your editing requirements, why don’t you hop on an iMovie alternative software?

Now, let’s get started!

Part 1: How to Edit Audio Clips in iMovie?

To learn how to edit audio clips in iMovie, you can use actions in the menu along with the quick shortcuts to make adjustments to your audio clips in iMovie on Mac. It’s a tip for your convenience!

Trim Audio Clips

There are a couple of options to trim an audio clip in iMovie.

#1. Trim to Playhead

You can place the playhead in your timeline. Now, trim an audio clip to that exact spot. Next, start moving the playhead and do one from the following.

• Select Modify > Trim to Playhead option in the menu bar.
• Right-click the audio clip and select the option of Trim to Playhead in the shortcut menu.

#2. Use the Clip Trimmer

You can use the Clip Trimmer to trim an exact section of the clip.

Step 1. Right-click the audio clip and select Show Clip Trimmer in the shortcut menu.

Step 2. After the Clip Trimmer shows, select a section you wish to trim by dragging the arrows right and left while holding the white lines. The area within those lines is what will get entirely deleted.

Move the entire clip but keep the trim area in place if arrows turn to a film strip icon.

Step 3. Click Close Clip Trimmer after you finish this section.

Shorten or Lengthen Audio Clips

You can easily shorten or lengthen an audio clip in iMovie. Just choose the pin in the timeline and drag one of its edges. The duration of the clip change will change as you carry. And a new course will be displayed after you finish in the upper left menu.

You can also set the clip’s duration to an exact time. Select the clip in the timeline and hit the Clip Information (small letter “i”) tab located above the Viewer. Put the value of the time you want in seconds in the Duration box on the right.

Change the Speed of an Audio Clip

You may want to speed up or slow down an audio clip while editing music in iMovie. So, here’s what you need to do!

Method 1. Click the Speed button above the Viewer. Next, select Custom in the Speed drop-down box and enter a percentage next to it. You can also set a different speed in that box if you prefer.

Method 2. Right-click the clip and select Show Speed Editor from the shortcut menu. A slider will then display at the top of the clip that you can move to change the speed.

Adjust the Volume of an Audio Clip

You can set the audio clip’s volume at higher or lower, or even mute it. Just select the clip and then do one of the following.

• Select the Volume tab above the Viewer option and move the slider to the percentage of volume. Hit the Mute button to mute the audio clip.
• Tap inside the clip, and when the two-sided arrow appears, drag up or down to adjust the volume.

Fade an Audio Clip

While editing audio in iMovie, you can also fade in or out the clip. Choose a clip in the timeline and then drag the fade handle (small circle) at either the ending or the beginning of the clip to make a fade-out or a fade-in effect.

As you drag, you will see the arcs displaying the shadow for the clips fade in or fade out.

How to Edit Audio Clips in iMovie on iOS?

The iMovie timeline is where you sort or organize all your audio clips, such as the special effects and background music. Audio clips are always present below the video clips in the timeline. To edit audio clips in iMovie on your iPhones or iPads, you can follow the guide belo

Move an Audio Clip

You can transfer the whole audio clip, except the background music, to another location.

• Touch and hold the purple or blue audio clip with your project open in the timeline until it comes over the timeline bar.
• Drag the clip to another place and release.

Adjust the Audio Clip’s Duration

Step 1. While the project is launched in the timeline, tap the audio clip (in blue or purple) or the background music clip you wish to adjust.

Step 2. Now, you can see the display of yellow trim handles. Drag them either at the end of the clip to the points where you wish the audio to start and end. If a trim handle won’t move left or right, it simply indicates there is no additional audio to work with on that clip’s end.

Step 3. Tap outside the audio clip and let the trim handles disappear.

Split an Audio Clip

There are around two options to split audio clips in iMovie. You can remove unwanted parts or adjust each section’s duration, volume, or speed while you split a clip.

Step 1. With your launched project in the timeline, scroll the timeline to the playhead’s position where you want to split the audio.

Step 2. Click the audio clip to display the inspector at the screen’s bottom.

Step 3. Now, click the Actions button, and select the Split tab.

Or, you can tap the clip (it becomes outlined in yellow), then swipe above the playhead as if you were placing your finger to slide over it.

Detach the Audio Part from a Video

You can detach the video clip’s audio to remove or edit it as a separate video clip.

Step 1. When the project is open in the timeline, select a video clip and display the inspector at the screen’s bottom.

Step 2. Tap the Actions button, then tap Detach.

Step 3. A new blue-colored audio clip will then appear below the video project. You can now move, edit, or delete the audio clip separately from its parent video clip.

Move Audio to the Foreground or Background

To ensure the sound in your video clips can listen above the background music, iMovie implies audio “ducking”. Ducking lowers the background music clips’ volume whenever there’s a video clip whose sound is playing simultaneously.

You can select which audio clips are in the foreground or the background.

Step 1. Select the timeline’s audio clip to display the inspector at the screen’s bottom.

Step 2. Hit the Actions tab and proceed with selecting the Foreground or Background.

The clip color changes to indicate whether it’s the background music (green) or foreground audio (blue or purple).

Part 2: An Easier Way to Edit Audio Clips

Windows users might be wandering for an alternative to iMovie as this software tool is only compatible with Mac and iOS devices. You will be thrilled to know that Wondershare Filmora can serve you with all synonymous and extra features more than the iMovie, and it works significantly in the Windows environment.

This latest software tool also assists users with easy video editing tricks and the intuitive interface that best serves quality editing to beginners and professionals.

Despite the basic video editing features, such as trimming, splitting, merging, cutting, and cropping, Filmora also offers various advanced editing elements that are far better than iMovie. And, with its video editing features, you can make a green screen effect, stabilize your video footage, reverse your video clip, and more.

Moreover, you can enjoy royalty-free music tracks for different themes, such as Young and Bright, Tender and Sentimental, Rock, Folk, Electronic Rock, and Hipster Folk, for selection.

All this will be available with a single program called Wondershare Filmora to take advantage of them for free. You do not have to search the background music files like a needle in a haystack. The program has nicely organized the music themes into six different folders. You can apply it for your video and make advanced editing, such as split/trim the clip, adjust the playback speed, pitch, volume, etc.

How to Edit Audio with Wondershare Filmora?

In Wondershare Filmora, you can insert background music and other files from the audio library or your computer. You can even record your voiceover using it.

Add Background Music

Filmora provides a royalty-free music library you can access or import your music within the program. You can select a song from the royalty-free audio library and use it for free.

The audio library has categorized into: YOUNG & BRIGHT, TENDER & SENTIMENTAL, ROCK, FOLK, and ELECTRONIC. The different kinds of sound effects are also available under the Sound Effects tab.

Once you find a sound effect or a song, either right-click on it and go with the Apply or drag and drop it into an audio track in the timeline.

Or, you can click the Import button above the Media Library panel to browse for audio files in your PC system. Then, select and import it into the Media Library when you find the song or other audio files you wish to add.

Once you place the song in the timeline, double-click to edit it in the Audio editing panel. You can apply fade-in or fade-out effects or adjust the pitch and volume. Filmora lets you add up to 100 audio tracks.

Split Audio Clips

Choose your audio clip and place the playhead where you want to split it, then right-click on the clip and choose the Split tab or click the Split icon right above on the toolbar.

Adjust Audio Settings

Double click on the audio clip to make adjustments to your audio. Open a panel with adjustment sliders in the timeline for pitch and volume.

Another element that you’ll find in this panel is Denoise, which is a feature that can remove background noise from your audio clips.

For a more professional audio editing experience, you can also access the Audio Equalizer from this panel. Select from presets or make manual adjustments by hitting the Customize tab.

Play it when you are done and, if you’re not happy with the results, tap the Reset button to start over.

Audio Equalizer (EQ)

All videos have plenty of sounds like speech, music, or sound effects. Changing the strength of sound waves will help you to mix these sounds within a coherent soundtrack.

Locate your audio clip in an audio track and double-click on it to open the Audio settings menu window. A drop-down menu next to the Equalizer feature will display presets such as Classic, Default, Rock’n’Roll, Techno, Sparkle, Bass, Hard Rock, Pop, Ska, Blues, Folk, Acoustic, Custom, or Country. Choose the preset that best fits your current needs and hit the OK tab to apply it.

Now, hit the Customize tab next to the drop-down bar to adjust the Audio Equalizer manually. Drag the sliders up or down and make the adjustments until you find their ideal value. Finally, hit OK and save your settings.

Besides the included music tracks and sound effects in Filmora initially, you can also find more audio files from Filmora’s effects store – Filmstock, and even get some free music and sound.

Part 3: iMovie Audio Editing Tips & Tricks

iMovie is a great video editor for Mac computers. After understanding the best alternative of iMovie sound editin g, let’s check out some tips on editing audio in iMovie best.

The explanations and screenshots below are for iMovie 10 only. However, the steps are a bit similar to older versions.

So, here we go!

1. Use Waveforms to See What You Hear

To properly edit the audio track in iMovie, you need a good pair of headphones and speakers to hear the sound, but you also need to check the sound.

You can check the sound in iMovie by considering the waveforms on each clip. If the waveforms can’t be seen, go to the View drop-down menu and choose the Show Waveforms option. The clip size for your project can also adjust to get an even better appearance for each video clip.

The waveforms will display the volume level of a clip and give you a good idea of what sections will require to turn up or down. You can also check how the levels of different clips compare to one another.

2. Audio Adjustments

With the help of Adjust tab in the top right, you can access some basic audio editing tools for changing your selected clip’s volume or changing the volume of other relative clips in the project.

The adjustment window of audio also provides basic audio equalization and noise reduction tools, along with a range of effects - from echo to robot - that will change the way people in your video sound.

3. Edit Audio with the Timeline

iMovie assists you in adjusting the audio within the clips themselves. Each pin has a volume bar, moving up and down to decrease or increase the audio level. The clips also contain Fade In and Fade Out tabs at the beginning and end, dragging to adjust the fade’s length.

By adding a short fade effect, whether in or out, the sound becomes relatively smoother and less conflicting to the ear when a new clip begins.

4. Detach the Audio

By default, iMovie keeps the video and audio sections of clips together for convenience. Yet, you want to use the video and audio sections of a clip separately sometimes.

For this purpose, choose your clip in the timeline, visit the Modify drop-down menu, and hit the Detach Audio button. You’ll now have two clips - one with the images and another with the sound.

A lot you can do with the detached audio. For instance, you could extend the audio clip to begin before the video plays, or so that it plays for a few seconds even after the video fades out. You could also cut out pieces from the audio’s middle portion while leaving the video intact.

Conclusion

Coming towards the end of the discussion, after understanding iMovie audio editingand going through an elaborated alternative of iMovie application, we decided that Wondershare Filmora sounds the best out of it. It allows you to flawlessly edit video and audio files on your desktop, with various inbuilt royalty-free music tracks to select from that can further improve your project’s presence.

Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

iMovie offers a fantastic platform for video editing where you can merge multiple video clips to create something very phenomenal. Plus, it’s simply here to navigate between different scenes, edit video clips and save results directly to the digital format without making any videotape transformations.

It provides lots of things to beginners and professionals with its easy-to-use interface without any quality loss for your results even after adding lots of transitions, changes, and effects.

However, it is not accessible to master software, precisely when you’re not familiar with it, or you’re not its professional user. So today, we’d like to explore or pay attention to iMovie’s audio editing steps, tips, and tricks to help you become an iMovie master quickly.

What’s more, a practical yet professional iMovie alternative software is also advisable in this guide. So when the iMovie cannot fulfil your editing requirements, why don’t you hop on an iMovie alternative software?

Now, let’s get started!

Part 1: How to Edit Audio Clips in iMovie?

To learn how to edit audio clips in iMovie, you can use actions in the menu along with the quick shortcuts to make adjustments to your audio clips in iMovie on Mac. It’s a tip for your convenience!

Trim Audio Clips

There are a couple of options to trim an audio clip in iMovie.

#1. Trim to Playhead

You can place the playhead in your timeline. Now, trim an audio clip to that exact spot. Next, start moving the playhead and do one from the following.

• Select Modify > Trim to Playhead option in the menu bar.
• Right-click the audio clip and select the option of Trim to Playhead in the shortcut menu.

#2. Use the Clip Trimmer

You can use the Clip Trimmer to trim an exact section of the clip.

Step 1. Right-click the audio clip and select Show Clip Trimmer in the shortcut menu.

Step 2. After the Clip Trimmer shows, select a section you wish to trim by dragging the arrows right and left while holding the white lines. The area within those lines is what will get entirely deleted.

Move the entire clip but keep the trim area in place if arrows turn to a film strip icon.

Step 3. Click Close Clip Trimmer after you finish this section.

Shorten or Lengthen Audio Clips

You can easily shorten or lengthen an audio clip in iMovie. Just choose the pin in the timeline and drag one of its edges. The duration of the clip change will change as you carry. And a new course will be displayed after you finish in the upper left menu.

You can also set the clip’s duration to an exact time. Select the clip in the timeline and hit the Clip Information (small letter “i”) tab located above the Viewer. Put the value of the time you want in seconds in the Duration box on the right.

Change the Speed of an Audio Clip

You may want to speed up or slow down an audio clip while editing music in iMovie. So, here’s what you need to do!

Method 1. Click the Speed button above the Viewer. Next, select Custom in the Speed drop-down box and enter a percentage next to it. You can also set a different speed in that box if you prefer.

Method 2. Right-click the clip and select Show Speed Editor from the shortcut menu. A slider will then display at the top of the clip that you can move to change the speed.

Adjust the Volume of an Audio Clip

You can set the audio clip’s volume at higher or lower, or even mute it. Just select the clip and then do one of the following.

• Select the Volume tab above the Viewer option and move the slider to the percentage of volume. Hit the Mute button to mute the audio clip.
• Tap inside the clip, and when the two-sided arrow appears, drag up or down to adjust the volume.

Fade an Audio Clip

While editing audio in iMovie, you can also fade in or out the clip. Choose a clip in the timeline and then drag the fade handle (small circle) at either the ending or the beginning of the clip to make a fade-out or a fade-in effect.

As you drag, you will see the arcs displaying the shadow for the clips fade in or fade out.

How to Edit Audio Clips in iMovie on iOS?

The iMovie timeline is where you sort or organize all your audio clips, such as the special effects and background music. Audio clips are always present below the video clips in the timeline. To edit audio clips in iMovie on your iPhones or iPads, you can follow the guide belo

Move an Audio Clip

You can transfer the whole audio clip, except the background music, to another location.

• Touch and hold the purple or blue audio clip with your project open in the timeline until it comes over the timeline bar.
• Drag the clip to another place and release.

Adjust the Audio Clip’s Duration

Step 1. While the project is launched in the timeline, tap the audio clip (in blue or purple) or the background music clip you wish to adjust.

Step 2. Now, you can see the display of yellow trim handles. Drag them either at the end of the clip to the points where you wish the audio to start and end. If a trim handle won’t move left or right, it simply indicates there is no additional audio to work with on that clip’s end.

Step 3. Tap outside the audio clip and let the trim handles disappear.

Split an Audio Clip

There are around two options to split audio clips in iMovie. You can remove unwanted parts or adjust each section’s duration, volume, or speed while you split a clip.

Step 1. With your launched project in the timeline, scroll the timeline to the playhead’s position where you want to split the audio.

Step 2. Click the audio clip to display the inspector at the screen’s bottom.

Step 3. Now, click the Actions button, and select the Split tab.

Or, you can tap the clip (it becomes outlined in yellow), then swipe above the playhead as if you were placing your finger to slide over it.

Detach the Audio Part from a Video

You can detach the video clip’s audio to remove or edit it as a separate video clip.

Step 1. When the project is open in the timeline, select a video clip and display the inspector at the screen’s bottom.

Step 2. Tap the Actions button, then tap Detach.

Step 3. A new blue-colored audio clip will then appear below the video project. You can now move, edit, or delete the audio clip separately from its parent video clip.

Move Audio to the Foreground or Background

To ensure the sound in your video clips can listen above the background music, iMovie implies audio “ducking”. Ducking lowers the background music clips’ volume whenever there’s a video clip whose sound is playing simultaneously.

You can select which audio clips are in the foreground or the background.

Step 1. Select the timeline’s audio clip to display the inspector at the screen’s bottom.

Step 2. Hit the Actions tab and proceed with selecting the Foreground or Background.

The clip color changes to indicate whether it’s the background music (green) or foreground audio (blue or purple).

Part 2: An Easier Way to Edit Audio Clips

Windows users might be wandering for an alternative to iMovie as this software tool is only compatible with Mac and iOS devices. You will be thrilled to know that Wondershare Filmora can serve you with all synonymous and extra features more than the iMovie, and it works significantly in the Windows environment.

This latest software tool also assists users with easy video editing tricks and the intuitive interface that best serves quality editing to beginners and professionals.

Despite the basic video editing features, such as trimming, splitting, merging, cutting, and cropping, Filmora also offers various advanced editing elements that are far better than iMovie. And, with its video editing features, you can make a green screen effect, stabilize your video footage, reverse your video clip, and more.

Moreover, you can enjoy royalty-free music tracks for different themes, such as Young and Bright, Tender and Sentimental, Rock, Folk, Electronic Rock, and Hipster Folk, for selection.

All this will be available with a single program called Wondershare Filmora to take advantage of them for free. You do not have to search the background music files like a needle in a haystack. The program has nicely organized the music themes into six different folders. You can apply it for your video and make advanced editing, such as split/trim the clip, adjust the playback speed, pitch, volume, etc.

How to Edit Audio with Wondershare Filmora?

In Wondershare Filmora, you can insert background music and other files from the audio library or your computer. You can even record your voiceover using it.

Add Background Music

Filmora provides a royalty-free music library you can access or import your music within the program. You can select a song from the royalty-free audio library and use it for free.

The audio library has categorized into: YOUNG & BRIGHT, TENDER & SENTIMENTAL, ROCK, FOLK, and ELECTRONIC. The different kinds of sound effects are also available under the Sound Effects tab.

Once you find a sound effect or a song, either right-click on it and go with the Apply or drag and drop it into an audio track in the timeline.

Or, you can click the Import button above the Media Library panel to browse for audio files in your PC system. Then, select and import it into the Media Library when you find the song or other audio files you wish to add.

Once you place the song in the timeline, double-click to edit it in the Audio editing panel. You can apply fade-in or fade-out effects or adjust the pitch and volume. Filmora lets you add up to 100 audio tracks.

Split Audio Clips

Choose your audio clip and place the playhead where you want to split it, then right-click on the clip and choose the Split tab or click the Split icon right above on the toolbar.

Adjust Audio Settings

Double click on the audio clip to make adjustments to your audio. Open a panel with adjustment sliders in the timeline for pitch and volume.

Another element that you’ll find in this panel is Denoise, which is a feature that can remove background noise from your audio clips.

For a more professional audio editing experience, you can also access the Audio Equalizer from this panel. Select from presets or make manual adjustments by hitting the Customize tab.

Play it when you are done and, if you’re not happy with the results, tap the Reset button to start over.

Audio Equalizer (EQ)

All videos have plenty of sounds like speech, music, or sound effects. Changing the strength of sound waves will help you to mix these sounds within a coherent soundtrack.

Locate your audio clip in an audio track and double-click on it to open the Audio settings menu window. A drop-down menu next to the Equalizer feature will display presets such as Classic, Default, Rock’n’Roll, Techno, Sparkle, Bass, Hard Rock, Pop, Ska, Blues, Folk, Acoustic, Custom, or Country. Choose the preset that best fits your current needs and hit the OK tab to apply it.

Now, hit the Customize tab next to the drop-down bar to adjust the Audio Equalizer manually. Drag the sliders up or down and make the adjustments until you find their ideal value. Finally, hit OK and save your settings.

Besides the included music tracks and sound effects in Filmora initially, you can also find more audio files from Filmora’s effects store – Filmstock, and even get some free music and sound.

Part 3: iMovie Audio Editing Tips & Tricks

iMovie is a great video editor for Mac computers. After understanding the best alternative of iMovie sound editin g, let’s check out some tips on editing audio in iMovie best.

The explanations and screenshots below are for iMovie 10 only. However, the steps are a bit similar to older versions.

So, here we go!

1. Use Waveforms to See What You Hear

To properly edit the audio track in iMovie, you need a good pair of headphones and speakers to hear the sound, but you also need to check the sound.

You can check the sound in iMovie by considering the waveforms on each clip. If the waveforms can’t be seen, go to the View drop-down menu and choose the Show Waveforms option. The clip size for your project can also adjust to get an even better appearance for each video clip.

The waveforms will display the volume level of a clip and give you a good idea of what sections will require to turn up or down. You can also check how the levels of different clips compare to one another.

2. Audio Adjustments

With the help of Adjust tab in the top right, you can access some basic audio editing tools for changing your selected clip’s volume or changing the volume of other relative clips in the project.

The adjustment window of audio also provides basic audio equalization and noise reduction tools, along with a range of effects - from echo to robot - that will change the way people in your video sound.

3. Edit Audio with the Timeline

iMovie assists you in adjusting the audio within the clips themselves. Each pin has a volume bar, moving up and down to decrease or increase the audio level. The clips also contain Fade In and Fade Out tabs at the beginning and end, dragging to adjust the fade’s length.

By adding a short fade effect, whether in or out, the sound becomes relatively smoother and less conflicting to the ear when a new clip begins.

4. Detach the Audio

By default, iMovie keeps the video and audio sections of clips together for convenience. Yet, you want to use the video and audio sections of a clip separately sometimes.

For this purpose, choose your clip in the timeline, visit the Modify drop-down menu, and hit the Detach Audio button. You’ll now have two clips - one with the images and another with the sound.

A lot you can do with the detached audio. For instance, you could extend the audio clip to begin before the video plays, or so that it plays for a few seconds even after the video fades out. You could also cut out pieces from the audio’s middle portion while leaving the video intact.

Conclusion

Coming towards the end of the discussion, after understanding iMovie audio editingand going through an elaborated alternative of iMovie application, we decided that Wondershare Filmora sounds the best out of it. It allows you to flawlessly edit video and audio files on your desktop, with various inbuilt royalty-free music tracks to select from that can further improve your project’s presence.

Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

iMovie offers a fantastic platform for video editing where you can merge multiple video clips to create something very phenomenal. Plus, it’s simply here to navigate between different scenes, edit video clips and save results directly to the digital format without making any videotape transformations.

It provides lots of things to beginners and professionals with its easy-to-use interface without any quality loss for your results even after adding lots of transitions, changes, and effects.

However, it is not accessible to master software, precisely when you’re not familiar with it, or you’re not its professional user. So today, we’d like to explore or pay attention to iMovie’s audio editing steps, tips, and tricks to help you become an iMovie master quickly.

What’s more, a practical yet professional iMovie alternative software is also advisable in this guide. So when the iMovie cannot fulfil your editing requirements, why don’t you hop on an iMovie alternative software?

Now, let’s get started!

Part 1: How to Edit Audio Clips in iMovie?

To learn how to edit audio clips in iMovie, you can use actions in the menu along with the quick shortcuts to make adjustments to your audio clips in iMovie on Mac. It’s a tip for your convenience!

Trim Audio Clips

There are a couple of options to trim an audio clip in iMovie.

#1. Trim to Playhead

You can place the playhead in your timeline. Now, trim an audio clip to that exact spot. Next, start moving the playhead and do one from the following.

• Select Modify > Trim to Playhead option in the menu bar.
• Right-click the audio clip and select the option of Trim to Playhead in the shortcut menu.

#2. Use the Clip Trimmer

You can use the Clip Trimmer to trim an exact section of the clip.

Step 1. Right-click the audio clip and select Show Clip Trimmer in the shortcut menu.

Step 2. After the Clip Trimmer shows, select a section you wish to trim by dragging the arrows right and left while holding the white lines. The area within those lines is what will get entirely deleted.

Move the entire clip but keep the trim area in place if arrows turn to a film strip icon.

Step 3. Click Close Clip Trimmer after you finish this section.

Shorten or Lengthen Audio Clips

You can easily shorten or lengthen an audio clip in iMovie. Just choose the pin in the timeline and drag one of its edges. The duration of the clip change will change as you carry. And a new course will be displayed after you finish in the upper left menu.

You can also set the clip’s duration to an exact time. Select the clip in the timeline and hit the Clip Information (small letter “i”) tab located above the Viewer. Put the value of the time you want in seconds in the Duration box on the right.

Change the Speed of an Audio Clip

You may want to speed up or slow down an audio clip while editing music in iMovie. So, here’s what you need to do!

Method 1. Click the Speed button above the Viewer. Next, select Custom in the Speed drop-down box and enter a percentage next to it. You can also set a different speed in that box if you prefer.

Method 2. Right-click the clip and select Show Speed Editor from the shortcut menu. A slider will then display at the top of the clip that you can move to change the speed.

Adjust the Volume of an Audio Clip

You can set the audio clip’s volume at higher or lower, or even mute it. Just select the clip and then do one of the following.

• Select the Volume tab above the Viewer option and move the slider to the percentage of volume. Hit the Mute button to mute the audio clip.
• Tap inside the clip, and when the two-sided arrow appears, drag up or down to adjust the volume.

Fade an Audio Clip

While editing audio in iMovie, you can also fade in or out the clip. Choose a clip in the timeline and then drag the fade handle (small circle) at either the ending or the beginning of the clip to make a fade-out or a fade-in effect.

As you drag, you will see the arcs displaying the shadow for the clips fade in or fade out.

How to Edit Audio Clips in iMovie on iOS?

The iMovie timeline is where you sort or organize all your audio clips, such as the special effects and background music. Audio clips are always present below the video clips in the timeline. To edit audio clips in iMovie on your iPhones or iPads, you can follow the guide belo

Move an Audio Clip

You can transfer the whole audio clip, except the background music, to another location.

• Touch and hold the purple or blue audio clip with your project open in the timeline until it comes over the timeline bar.
• Drag the clip to another place and release.

Adjust the Audio Clip’s Duration

Step 1. While the project is launched in the timeline, tap the audio clip (in blue or purple) or the background music clip you wish to adjust.

Step 2. Now, you can see the display of yellow trim handles. Drag them either at the end of the clip to the points where you wish the audio to start and end. If a trim handle won’t move left or right, it simply indicates there is no additional audio to work with on that clip’s end.

Step 3. Tap outside the audio clip and let the trim handles disappear.

Split an Audio Clip

There are around two options to split audio clips in iMovie. You can remove unwanted parts or adjust each section’s duration, volume, or speed while you split a clip.

Step 1. With your launched project in the timeline, scroll the timeline to the playhead’s position where you want to split the audio.

Step 2. Click the audio clip to display the inspector at the screen’s bottom.

Step 3. Now, click the Actions button, and select the Split tab.

Or, you can tap the clip (it becomes outlined in yellow), then swipe above the playhead as if you were placing your finger to slide over it.

Detach the Audio Part from a Video

You can detach the video clip’s audio to remove or edit it as a separate video clip.

Step 1. When the project is open in the timeline, select a video clip and display the inspector at the screen’s bottom.

Step 2. Tap the Actions button, then tap Detach.

Step 3. A new blue-colored audio clip will then appear below the video project. You can now move, edit, or delete the audio clip separately from its parent video clip.

Move Audio to the Foreground or Background

To ensure the sound in your video clips can listen above the background music, iMovie implies audio “ducking”. Ducking lowers the background music clips’ volume whenever there’s a video clip whose sound is playing simultaneously.

You can select which audio clips are in the foreground or the background.

Step 1. Select the timeline’s audio clip to display the inspector at the screen’s bottom.

Step 2. Hit the Actions tab and proceed with selecting the Foreground or Background.

The clip color changes to indicate whether it’s the background music (green) or foreground audio (blue or purple).

Part 2: An Easier Way to Edit Audio Clips

Windows users might be wandering for an alternative to iMovie as this software tool is only compatible with Mac and iOS devices. You will be thrilled to know that Wondershare Filmora can serve you with all synonymous and extra features more than the iMovie, and it works significantly in the Windows environment.

This latest software tool also assists users with easy video editing tricks and the intuitive interface that best serves quality editing to beginners and professionals.

Despite the basic video editing features, such as trimming, splitting, merging, cutting, and cropping, Filmora also offers various advanced editing elements that are far better than iMovie. And, with its video editing features, you can make a green screen effect, stabilize your video footage, reverse your video clip, and more.

Moreover, you can enjoy royalty-free music tracks for different themes, such as Young and Bright, Tender and Sentimental, Rock, Folk, Electronic Rock, and Hipster Folk, for selection.

All this will be available with a single program called Wondershare Filmora to take advantage of them for free. You do not have to search the background music files like a needle in a haystack. The program has nicely organized the music themes into six different folders. You can apply it for your video and make advanced editing, such as split/trim the clip, adjust the playback speed, pitch, volume, etc.

How to Edit Audio with Wondershare Filmora?

In Wondershare Filmora, you can insert background music and other files from the audio library or your computer. You can even record your voiceover using it.

Add Background Music

Filmora provides a royalty-free music library you can access or import your music within the program. You can select a song from the royalty-free audio library and use it for free.

The audio library has categorized into: YOUNG & BRIGHT, TENDER & SENTIMENTAL, ROCK, FOLK, and ELECTRONIC. The different kinds of sound effects are also available under the Sound Effects tab.

Once you find a sound effect or a song, either right-click on it and go with the Apply or drag and drop it into an audio track in the timeline.

Or, you can click the Import button above the Media Library panel to browse for audio files in your PC system. Then, select and import it into the Media Library when you find the song or other audio files you wish to add.

Once you place the song in the timeline, double-click to edit it in the Audio editing panel. You can apply fade-in or fade-out effects or adjust the pitch and volume. Filmora lets you add up to 100 audio tracks.

Split Audio Clips

Choose your audio clip and place the playhead where you want to split it, then right-click on the clip and choose the Split tab or click the Split icon right above on the toolbar.

Adjust Audio Settings

Double click on the audio clip to make adjustments to your audio. Open a panel with adjustment sliders in the timeline for pitch and volume.

Another element that you’ll find in this panel is Denoise, which is a feature that can remove background noise from your audio clips.

For a more professional audio editing experience, you can also access the Audio Equalizer from this panel. Select from presets or make manual adjustments by hitting the Customize tab.

Play it when you are done and, if you’re not happy with the results, tap the Reset button to start over.

Audio Equalizer (EQ)

All videos have plenty of sounds like speech, music, or sound effects. Changing the strength of sound waves will help you to mix these sounds within a coherent soundtrack.

Locate your audio clip in an audio track and double-click on it to open the Audio settings menu window. A drop-down menu next to the Equalizer feature will display presets such as Classic, Default, Rock’n’Roll, Techno, Sparkle, Bass, Hard Rock, Pop, Ska, Blues, Folk, Acoustic, Custom, or Country. Choose the preset that best fits your current needs and hit the OK tab to apply it.

Now, hit the Customize tab next to the drop-down bar to adjust the Audio Equalizer manually. Drag the sliders up or down and make the adjustments until you find their ideal value. Finally, hit OK and save your settings.

Besides the included music tracks and sound effects in Filmora initially, you can also find more audio files from Filmora’s effects store – Filmstock, and even get some free music and sound.

Part 3: iMovie Audio Editing Tips & Tricks

iMovie is a great video editor for Mac computers. After understanding the best alternative of iMovie sound editin g, let’s check out some tips on editing audio in iMovie best.

The explanations and screenshots below are for iMovie 10 only. However, the steps are a bit similar to older versions.

So, here we go!

1. Use Waveforms to See What You Hear

To properly edit the audio track in iMovie, you need a good pair of headphones and speakers to hear the sound, but you also need to check the sound.

You can check the sound in iMovie by considering the waveforms on each clip. If the waveforms can’t be seen, go to the View drop-down menu and choose the Show Waveforms option. The clip size for your project can also adjust to get an even better appearance for each video clip.

The waveforms will display the volume level of a clip and give you a good idea of what sections will require to turn up or down. You can also check how the levels of different clips compare to one another.

2. Audio Adjustments

With the help of Adjust tab in the top right, you can access some basic audio editing tools for changing your selected clip’s volume or changing the volume of other relative clips in the project.

The adjustment window of audio also provides basic audio equalization and noise reduction tools, along with a range of effects - from echo to robot - that will change the way people in your video sound.

3. Edit Audio with the Timeline

iMovie assists you in adjusting the audio within the clips themselves. Each pin has a volume bar, moving up and down to decrease or increase the audio level. The clips also contain Fade In and Fade Out tabs at the beginning and end, dragging to adjust the fade’s length.

By adding a short fade effect, whether in or out, the sound becomes relatively smoother and less conflicting to the ear when a new clip begins.

4. Detach the Audio

By default, iMovie keeps the video and audio sections of clips together for convenience. Yet, you want to use the video and audio sections of a clip separately sometimes.

For this purpose, choose your clip in the timeline, visit the Modify drop-down menu, and hit the Detach Audio button. You’ll now have two clips - one with the images and another with the sound.

A lot you can do with the detached audio. For instance, you could extend the audio clip to begin before the video plays, or so that it plays for a few seconds even after the video fades out. You could also cut out pieces from the audio’s middle portion while leaving the video intact.

Conclusion

Coming towards the end of the discussion, after understanding iMovie audio editingand going through an elaborated alternative of iMovie application, we decided that Wondershare Filmora sounds the best out of it. It allows you to flawlessly edit video and audio files on your desktop, with various inbuilt royalty-free music tracks to select from that can further improve your project’s presence.

Marion Dubois

Marion Dubois is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Marion Dubois

Best Value Volume Scaling Software: 5 Top Gratis Options

When you are listening to music, or to podcast, or some other type of audio files, would it make it enjoyable if the volume was so low at some point that you couldn’t understand anything? Now add another possibility to this very unpleasant imagination – what if the volume was so high at another point that your ears can’t handle it? – Of course, you would stop listening, and you would also not think high of the creator of this content. In other words, this will become the reason why this creator might lose their audiences. Well, sad story for the creator, isn’t it? And, what if YOU were the creator? A little laziness or a failure in paying attention to detail and your content goes to waste!

So, what is the solution? Of course, a little editing! Even if your voice doesn’t sound like it’s worth listening, you can make it happen by normalizing the volume. This actually is the process when a constant amount of gain is applied to the audio recording, bringing the amplitude to a desirable level, which is “the norm” for the project. When this tool is applied to the volume, the whole recording has the same amount of gain across it, every piece is affected the same way, and the relative dynamics are not changed.

With this tool, you have an extra guarantor that people will want to convert to being loyal subscribers, viewers and listeners, because simply, their user experience is now favored, they enjoy a good, edited content.

Actually, we might use audio normalizing when we need to get the maximum volume, but another reason is is when we need to match different volumes.

As in most cases, there is not only one type of audio normalization, so let’s explain what each of them represents: one is a so-called peak normalization, helping adjust the recording based on the highest signal level present in the recording; another is called loudness normalization and it adjusts the recording based on perceived loudness. RMS (Root-Mean-Square), changes the value of all the samples, where their average electrical volume overall is a specified level.

With this knowledge in mind, let’s now move to the topic we are going to cover in this article: let’s discuss 5 best free MP3 volume normalizers. Knowing about them will save you time and equip you with the right ways so that when you are going to need audio normalization, you will choose one of them, bypass exhausting process of the research, and find the free, easy-to-use programs that will help you master your sounds!

So, we chose the following programs as 5 best free MP3 normalizers: Wondershare Filmora X, Adobe Premiere Pro, VLC Media Player, MP3 Gain and Movavi.

Wondershare Filmora X

Now, even though we already know how to normalize audio in VLC in the simplest, as well as in the more advanced way, it might be even better if we know some more about normalizing audios in different programs. Something worth discussing is a software called Wondershare Filmora X , which carries out the same task wonderfully. Although, unlike VLC Media Player, it is a real video editor, but don’t panic if you have never laid your hand on editing – it is one of the easiest to use ini the word, operating also both on Mac and Windows, and its interface is utterly understandable for beginners right away. And, actually, it is a qhile that Wondershare Filmora X introduced the feature to normalize the audio for the first time. What to say more - you might want to stop now and download the latest version of Filmora X because now we are about to learn how to normalize audio from the video there – so, tune in!

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

When it is done installing, open the software. Now, click and drag the video of which the audio you want to normalize. Now you can select the clip you have chosen – if there are multiple, select all of them, then right-click and choose Detach Audio.

Now if you have this kind of graphic before your eyes, you can be pretty sure without even listening, that the noises are really, really different from each other, which highlights once again how useful audio normalization can be:

Select these files, right-click and choose Adjust Audio. New panel will be opened on left top and there, you will see Audio Normalization – check the box there.

After you have clicked on it, wait until the normalization completes.

Soon, all audio will be normalized, and you will already be able to see on the graphics that the volumes are almost on the same level and when you listen to it, you will make sure that there is no longer apparent difference between how they sound. And from there on, you can save the file you just normalized!

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is the industry-leading video editing software, and it is a timeline-based. Premiere Pro always tries to make its use easier and easier, as new features are rolling out regularly to simplify steps and save time. The very same can be said about normalizing audio files, which is actually pretty easy once mastered in a very short time. That is actually why it used by beginners and professionals alike.

To normalize audio Adobe Premiere Pro, first, import your MP3 there. In the timeline, you will see your files in the sequence, in the sound section. Now, the best way to work on them is increase the track height – for that, you need to double-click on the empty space there, next to the little microphone icon.

Now, the track is high, and you can see more of your track. So, say that one of your MP3’s seems very loud, and another is much quieter. Speaking of the loud one, if you can see on the right that there is some red light, it is not a good sign – meaning that audio went above zero (so-called clipping), so you need to avoid it.

(If you can not see your audio meters, just go to Window menu and choose Audio Meters).

So, here, our goal is to bring our audio clips around -3 – and for it, it’s possible to bring up and down the white line on the track, but it can be pretty time-consuming actually.

So a better way to do it would be next: click on the track and then right-click, find Audio Gain, and choose Normalize Max Peak to…:

Max Peak is basically the loudest, highest peak in the audio clip. So, you can write in -3 and click OK, which will ensure the entire audio waveform will have the gain of it adjusted so that the max peak is at -3. You can proceed to the next track and carry out the exact same process on it too. Then, on Audio Meters on the right again, you will be able to see that both tracks (or more, if you have them) peak at -3. In case you have a lot of clips on the timeline, you can select them all, then go to Audio Gain and normalize all of their max peaks simultaneously, which will save you so much time and help you enormously!

VLC Media Player

VLC is a well-known media player, it is a free-to-use, robust, and feature-packed software that plays a wide range of audio, image, and video files. It is worth noting that it can also play multimedia files directly from extractable devices or the PC and can stream from the most successful websites such as Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and so on.

But there is another magic a simple media player can actually do - we can also normalize volume in VLC Media Player. It is a very handy feature and it works on Windows as well as on Mac. It is very simple, so follow these steps:

You need to have VLC Media Player installed on your device. Once you have it installed, open VLC. Go to the Tools and Preferences and there, check the single box which is next to Normalize volume in Effects. Now, set the level to the one that works best for you. Then, when you are happy with the result, click on Save.

What VLC does is just let adjust the general volume, leaving the specifics out of our control.

If you are not so satisfied with the simple editing and want a little more to get from the editing process on VLC, you can do more with the Audio Effects menu:

Find Tools and in the menu, go to Preferences. The window will open, and you need to select All in Show settings – on the bottom left corner of the window. Then, navigate to Audio, and a little below, click on Filters and highlight it. You also need to check the checkbox next to the Dynamic range compressor.

In the left panel, find Compressor and select it. From now, you can make the changes to the levels as you wish.

Here, concentrate the most on Makeup gain, Threshold, and Ratio. The first one is by which you adjust in quiet sequences to raise the volume, the second will help you reduce louder sequences to even things out, and ratio is the maximum level of all audio within a movie, let’s say.

Attack time and release time can also be very helpful. You can play around with them set them to your liking, and see if it’s better sounding, because actually this will ensure that you have a fluid transition in and out of the scene and there are less sudden, unexpected volume changes.

MP3Gain

MP3Gain is actually the only one in this list which is developed exactly for the task we are discussing in this article. It is an audio normalization software tool. The tool is available on multiple platforms and is free software. It analyzes the MP3 and reversibly changes its volume. The volume can be adjusted for single files or as album where all files would have the same perceived loudness. When applying the tool, there is no quality lost in the change because the program adjusts the mp3 file directly, without decoding and re-encoding.

So, to use this software, go and download MP3Gain. Install and open it when it is ready. You will see that your program is absolutely empty and it has a lot of space inside, waiting for you to upload some file(s)…

Now, you can either choose adding files manually, with you choosing each of them, but let’s say you have an album (which would be more comfortable, needless to say) in which you want to change the volume of all MP3’s. So, in this case, you can choose Add Folder, and when the window opens, choose the folder full of your MP3’s – all your files will be added in the program.

Now, find the Target “Normal” Volume above the files, and fill in the gap, if you will, or just use default dB. Then, click Album Analysis, and the process will start.

The software will show you the volume of each of the file, and then you will need to just click on Track Gain.

Now, wait for the process to be completed, and then you will see that the volumes changed for each of your files – so, it’s done!

Movavi

Powerful multimedia software for creating and editing videos – this is Movavi. It packs lots of video and audio editing power into a simple interface. On their official web-site, the program is described as: “An all-in-one video maker: an editor, converter, screen recorder, and more. Perfect for remote work and distance learning.” So, you can go and download the program, and learn audio normalization there very easily!

Install and open the program and then proceed directly to Adding Files. After having chosen your file, you drag and drop it in the timeline sequence.

If the audio is uneven, now double-click on the audio track, which will open the Clip Properties window. You will see the Normalize box, which you need to check. Doing this will even out the sound level for the whole track.

To save the result, click Export, choose the format, folder and name for your file, and then click Start, so your file can be exported.

So, it’s done – now you know a whole lot more about audio normalization, its types, why and when should we use it, and which are the 5 best free MP3 normalizers, along with the detailed guidelines on how to work with those tools to have your desired results. Let’s hope that you will be able to choose from Wondershare Filmora X, Adobe Premiere Pro, VLC Media Player, MP3 Gain and Movavi, and make your user experience so wonderful, and shareable!

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

When it is done installing, open the software. Now, click and drag the video of which the audio you want to normalize. Now you can select the clip you have chosen – if there are multiple, select all of them, then right-click and choose Detach Audio.

Now if you have this kind of graphic before your eyes, you can be pretty sure without even listening, that the noises are really, really different from each other, which highlights once again how useful audio normalization can be:

Select these files, right-click and choose Adjust Audio. New panel will be opened on left top and there, you will see Audio Normalization – check the box there.

After you have clicked on it, wait until the normalization completes.

Soon, all audio will be normalized, and you will already be able to see on the graphics that the volumes are almost on the same level and when you listen to it, you will make sure that there is no longer apparent difference between how they sound. And from there on, you can save the file you just normalized!

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is the industry-leading video editing software, and it is a timeline-based. Premiere Pro always tries to make its use easier and easier, as new features are rolling out regularly to simplify steps and save time. The very same can be said about normalizing audio files, which is actually pretty easy once mastered in a very short time. That is actually why it used by beginners and professionals alike.

To normalize audio Adobe Premiere Pro, first, import your MP3 there. In the timeline, you will see your files in the sequence, in the sound section. Now, the best way to work on them is increase the track height – for that, you need to double-click on the empty space there, next to the little microphone icon.

Now, the track is high, and you can see more of your track. So, say that one of your MP3’s seems very loud, and another is much quieter. Speaking of the loud one, if you can see on the right that there is some red light, it is not a good sign – meaning that audio went above zero (so-called clipping), so you need to avoid it.

(If you can not see your audio meters, just go to Window menu and choose Audio Meters).

So, here, our goal is to bring our audio clips around -3 – and for it, it’s possible to bring up and down the white line on the track, but it can be pretty time-consuming actually.

So a better way to do it would be next: click on the track and then right-click, find Audio Gain, and choose Normalize Max Peak to…:

Max Peak is basically the loudest, highest peak in the audio clip. So, you can write in -3 and click OK, which will ensure the entire audio waveform will have the gain of it adjusted so that the max peak is at -3. You can proceed to the next track and carry out the exact same process on it too. Then, on Audio Meters on the right again, you will be able to see that both tracks (or more, if you have them) peak at -3. In case you have a lot of clips on the timeline, you can select them all, then go to Audio Gain and normalize all of their max peaks simultaneously, which will save you so much time and help you enormously!

VLC Media Player

VLC is a well-known media player, it is a free-to-use, robust, and feature-packed software that plays a wide range of audio, image, and video files. It is worth noting that it can also play multimedia files directly from extractable devices or the PC and can stream from the most successful websites such as Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and so on.

But there is another magic a simple media player can actually do - we can also normalize volume in VLC Media Player. It is a very handy feature and it works on Windows as well as on Mac. It is very simple, so follow these steps:

You need to have VLC Media Player installed on your device. Once you have it installed, open VLC. Go to the Tools and Preferences and there, check the single box which is next to Normalize volume in Effects. Now, set the level to the one that works best for you. Then, when you are happy with the result, click on Save.

What VLC does is just let adjust the general volume, leaving the specifics out of our control.

If you are not so satisfied with the simple editing and want a little more to get from the editing process on VLC, you can do more with the Audio Effects menu:

Find Tools and in the menu, go to Preferences. The window will open, and you need to select All in Show settings – on the bottom left corner of the window. Then, navigate to Audio, and a little below, click on Filters and highlight it. You also need to check the checkbox next to the Dynamic range compressor.

In the left panel, find Compressor and select it. From now, you can make the changes to the levels as you wish.

Here, concentrate the most on Makeup gain, Threshold, and Ratio. The first one is by which you adjust in quiet sequences to raise the volume, the second will help you reduce louder sequences to even things out, and ratio is the maximum level of all audio within a movie, let’s say.

Attack time and release time can also be very helpful. You can play around with them set them to your liking, and see if it’s better sounding, because actually this will ensure that you have a fluid transition in and out of the scene and there are less sudden, unexpected volume changes.

MP3Gain

MP3Gain is actually the only one in this list which is developed exactly for the task we are discussing in this article. It is an audio normalization software tool. The tool is available on multiple platforms and is free software. It analyzes the MP3 and reversibly changes its volume. The volume can be adjusted for single files or as album where all files would have the same perceived loudness. When applying the tool, there is no quality lost in the change because the program adjusts the mp3 file directly, without decoding and re-encoding.

So, to use this software, go and download MP3Gain. Install and open it when it is ready. You will see that your program is absolutely empty and it has a lot of space inside, waiting for you to upload some file(s)…

Now, you can either choose adding files manually, with you choosing each of them, but let’s say you have an album (which would be more comfortable, needless to say) in which you want to change the volume of all MP3’s. So, in this case, you can choose Add Folder, and when the window opens, choose the folder full of your MP3’s – all your files will be added in the program.

Now, find the Target “Normal” Volume above the files, and fill in the gap, if you will, or just use default dB. Then, click Album Analysis, and the process will start.

The software will show you the volume of each of the file, and then you will need to just click on Track Gain.

Now, wait for the process to be completed, and then you will see that the volumes changed for each of your files – so, it’s done!

Movavi

Powerful multimedia software for creating and editing videos – this is Movavi. It packs lots of video and audio editing power into a simple interface. On their official web-site, the program is described as: “An all-in-one video maker: an editor, converter, screen recorder, and more. Perfect for remote work and distance learning.” So, you can go and download the program, and learn audio normalization there very easily!

Install and open the program and then proceed directly to Adding Files. After having chosen your file, you drag and drop it in the timeline sequence.

If the audio is uneven, now double-click on the audio track, which will open the Clip Properties window. You will see the Normalize box, which you need to check. Doing this will even out the sound level for the whole track.

To save the result, click Export, choose the format, folder and name for your file, and then click Start, so your file can be exported.

So, it’s done – now you know a whole lot more about audio normalization, its types, why and when should we use it, and which are the 5 best free MP3 normalizers, along with the detailed guidelines on how to work with those tools to have your desired results. Let’s hope that you will be able to choose from Wondershare Filmora X, Adobe Premiere Pro, VLC Media Player, MP3 Gain and Movavi, and make your user experience so wonderful, and shareable!

Essential Guide to Podcast Submission Portals

Submitting your podcast show on different platforms is essential to get the right audiences. As we all know, the more podcast directories you publish your show, the more listeners you get.

Yet, finding the ideal choices can take time and effort with many podcast directories available online. Worry less. We’ve compiled a list of the best podcast directories you can always count on to publish your podcast show anytime.

1. YouTube
2. Spotify
3. Apple Podcasts
4. Google Podcasts
5. Pandora
6. Audible
7. NPR One
8. Tune In
9. Podcast Addict
10. RadioPublic
11. Overcast
12. Pocket Casts
13. CastBox
14. Stitcher

• More choices to submit your podcast shows
• How to submit a show to podcast directories?
• Hot FAQs on Podcast Directories

Part 1. What are podcast directories?

A podcast directory is a listening app. It’s the place where podcasts and their listeners meet. Podcast listeners search for, subscribe to, and listen to your Podcast using their podcast directory of choice. Popular podcast directories include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

Part 2. 15 Top podcast directories to focus on in 2024

Thankfully, research conducted by EdisonResearch shows the weekly audience reach of top podcast directories. So this list will help us locate the best podcasting directories. And it can multiply your audience size and quickly reach a more extensive user base.

According to Edison Research, the top 15 Podcast Networks are:

You must retain that Edison’s research only analyzes the US podcast services. Yet, our guide has compiled the best podcasting directories to connect with users worldwide.

Below you will find the list of top podcast directories and their reviews. But keep in mind that when it comes to podcast directories, there is no such thing as best or worse. Instead, it’s all about the user base and audience reach. So, it is best to submit your podcasts to multiple podcasting directories.

1. YouTube

With a monthly active user base of 2.5 billion, YouTube should be the top choice of any podcast creator. According to a recent survey by Statista, YouTube took over Spotify to become the largest platform for podcast consumption worldwide. Additionally, 47.7% of the US audience prefers YouTube over other platforms for listening to podcasts.

Not to forget, YouTube comes pre-installed on all smartphones and is also accessible via the Web to users worldwide. Another benefit of YouTube is that it is free for creators and users. Plus, once you grow your user base, it also allows you to get surplus revenue.

Of course, YouTube is a video-only platform. Still, you can use tools like Wondershare Filmora to create video-based podcasts seamlessly. You can simply convert the video podcasts into an audio format using Filmora itself and then reupload the same Podcast to even audio-based podcast directories.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Tools like Fimora also allow you to directly publish the created Podcast on YouTube (so you do not have to worry about video requirements mandatory for YouTube).

• User Review of YouTube on G2: “YouTube is one of those sites that you can’t live without for a business. Everyone knows what YouTube is, and users (globally) use the platform daily.”
• Monthly User Base: Over 2.5 billion active users.
• Supported OS: All major OS and web browsers.

2. Spotify

Spotify has over 389 million listeners across 187 markets worldwide. Available on all major OS and its web presence makes it one of the best directories of podcasts on the internet.

Aside from its audience base, Spotify also provides real-time insights, like who your audience is, what they like, which episodes they prefer, and even what songs they want. All these insights will also help you plan your future content according to the audience.

Spotify’s personalized recommendations and algorithms are another pluses, given you can get discovered easily/ Like YouTube, Spotify allows you to upload even video podcasts. While you can also create and upload podcasts in audio format only.

• User Review of Spotify on G2: “I can find any song, artist, album, and even podcasts at any time and no commercials.”
• Monthly User Base: Over 360 million active users.
• Supported OS: All major OS and web browsers.

3. Apple Podcasts

Apple Podcast is another top directory for a podcast that creators cannot ignore. Given it is an exclusive-podcast platform, its 28.5 million active user base in more than 170 countries and regions is enough to tell its greatness.

It is essential to understand that YouTube and Spotify are not exclusive podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts. And while Spotify and YouTube are best for connecting novice podcast listeners, Apple Podcast is the way to go if you want to connect with a dedicated podcast community.

The best thing about the Apple Podcast directory is it allows you to create a podcast (via Apple Podcast Connect), but you must be an Apple user. However, you can submit your podcasts to Apple Podcast via RSS feed even if you are not an Apple user.

In all, given Apple Podcast is available for Apple users and is known by default on all Apple devices (the most prominent smartphone company in the world), Apple Podcast is a must-use podcast directory.

• User Review of Apple Podcast: “Apple once again nails with simplicity, millions of shows of my interest, and freemium service.”
• Monthly User Base: Over 28.5 million active users.
• Supported OS: All Apple devices.

4. Google Podcasts

Google Podcasts has over 100 million downloads on Play Store alone and is also available on the web, App Store, Blackberry, and ChromeOS users. A completely subscription-free and ad-free platform, Google Podcasts is one of the top podcasting directories among users.

However, unlike the Apple Podcast directory, it does not have a studio, so you can only submit your podcasts via RSS feeds. Still, its user base and the advanced algorithms are an opportunity to connect with users who like the subjects you discuss.

Like Spotify and Apple Podcast directories, Google Podcasts also show you real-time analytics and guide you about users so that you can plan your content accordingly. Given that it only requires a Google account to start, it is another top podcast directory you cannot ignore.

• User Review of Google Podcast

“Google Podcast includes everything that a podcast listener wants. It’s simple, free, and includes valuable options like Sleep Timer, Playback speed, and more.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 30 million active users.
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

5. Pandora

Pandora has over 64 million monthly active users, with a listener spending up to 24 hours/monthly on the platform. It explains that users spend up to 45 minutes on the Pandora platform tuning in to their favorite podcasts. Again, its search-based algorithms allow you to get discovered by users that like subjects and topics on which you’re creating podcasts, meaning it is simple to connect with a large user base conveniently.

Pandora only accepts podcasts via RSS feed, which should be in MP3 format. But recent notifications have shown more audio formats will be added.

However, it is vital to retain that Pandora Podcast’s team critically analyzes all submissions manually. So, it might take up to 4-6 weeks for your first Podcast to appear on the platform.

• User Review of Pandora Podcast

“Pandora Podcasts recommendations are a blessing for me, who always finds it confusing to locate the right episode to spend my time on.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 64 million active users.
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

6. Audible

Although popular among audiobook lovers, Audible has a considerable podcast following too. Its monthly active user base is around 41 million. The biggest benefit of registering your Podcast on the Audible directory of podcasts is that it connects with users who use Alexa to discover new podcasts.

Besides Audible, the Podcast will also be available for users of the Amazon Music app. That means you can connect with even more users via one submission only. Not to forget, Amazon Prime Video (a massive following) users get a free subscription to Amazon Music, so there’s a perfect chance that you will connect with users conveniently.

It is important to note that both Amazon Music and Audible offer podcasts for entirely free to users, so a more extensive user base prefers these platforms over paid platforms.

• User Review of Pandora Podcast

“You get to listen to any audiobook in the “included” library no matter which subscription you purchase..”

• Monthly User Base: Over 64 million active users.
• Supported OS: Android, iOS,

7. NPR One

With an average listener spending up to 145 minutes weekly, the NPR One podcast directory is one of the best podcast directories you can trust to submit your show online. The podcast directory has a userbase of over 500 thousand users globally, and

• User Review of NPR One Podcast

“I’ve been using this app for years now. It’s been my trusty companion to give me the news. I primarily use it with the sleep timer. I’m not a super picky consumer, especially when I don’t pay for the app!

But for many months now, the sleep timer will frequently think the time is up and shut off the player well before it should. The player will often shut off within 5 minutes of using the 30 min sleep timer. It’s annoying to open the player hit resume, and reset the sleep timer.”

• Monthly User Base: 500 thousand
• Supported OS: Android, iOS

8. Tune In

Technically, TuneIn is a radio. But lately, it has become prevalent amongst podcast listeners to find their favorite shows and also listen to music. The podcast directory has a global user base of over 75 million and a monthly visit of 7million+, which makes it a great spot for any podcaster to publish their show.

• User Review of Tune In Podcast

“I’ve been using the app for 4 years. I like it, but there are some annoying “features.”

1. the screen won’t time out when the app is active.

2. the developers must have recently made a change. I used to search through my list of “recent” (there were about 20) to look for new episodes of my favorite podcasts.

Now, the app only allows me to see the last four podcasts or stations I have listened to. So it is not helpful.’

• Monthly User Base: Over 7 million active users
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

9. Podcast Addict

With over 10 million downloads on Google Playstore, Podcast Addict is one of Android’s most popular podcast apps. You can publish your podcast show, as it allows you to connect with the ideal audience quickly and easily.

Also, Podcast Addict is one of the few podcast directories available in various languages, including French and German. So it’s a perfect choice non-English podcasters.

• User Review of PodcastAddit

**”**Been using this for years. It does everything I could ever want when listening/ referencing/ re-listening to my favorite podcasts and a lot more.

I’ve suffered through having to use other podcast players (e.g., listening to something “exclusive”), but I couldn’t stand the inane simplicity of other players long enough to finish their content.

Also, it takes a bit to get used to (especially if you’re coming from other stripped-down players), but very worth the small effort for a powerful app.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 750 thousand active users.
• Supported OS: Dedicated Android App and web presence.

10. RadioPublic

Having been in the game for over 15 years, RadioPublic is another excellent podcast directory you can count on to submit your show. Although the platform does not have a massive user base compared to its competitors, it will help you grow your listeners and business by getting your podcast show to the right audience.

On RadioPublic, an average listener spends up to 72 minutes every day finding new podcast shows and listening to new episodes from their favorite podcasts. And given that the platform offers many robust features, listeners can enjoy a seamless listening experience on any device.

Overall, the RadioPublic podcast directory offers you a smart way to publish your show and grow your audience without going through stress.

• User Review of RadioPublic

“Glad I waited a while to find a podcast website provider. Starting from scratch in WordPress seemed too much hassle. Luckily the site came along while I was dithering about what to do.

The RadioPublic team onboarded the other 5 billion podcasts as one of the first examples, and I’m delighted to have chosen this option. Already, my pod site feels “complete” to look at, and more features are coming soon that will help with marketing, understanding listeners, and building a podcast brand.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 300 Thousand active users
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

11. Overcast

Overcast is a dedicated podcast app for Apple devices, and what makes it a great podcast directory is that it offers unique features that attract many listeners.

On this platform, you’ll be allowed to display advertising slots, enabling listeners to subscribe to your podcast show within a few clicks. Plus, unlike many of its competitors, listeners have control over what podcast show is displayed in the featured podcast section. It is helpful as it lets listeners quickly discover every new episode you publish.

Overall, many incredible features make Overcast a good choice, and chances are your Podcast will get to real listeners when you publish them here.

• User Review of Overcast

**”**Nice alternative to Apple’s. I’ve been well pleased so far. It isn’t always the most intuitive, but I’ve eventually figured out how to achieve almost everything I’ve wanted to. The benefits of adding a show via RSS have become immediately clear.

Being a subscriber to a show and getting early access episodes and bonus material right in my podcast manager makes it easy to stay up with all my shows.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 70 Thousand active users.
• Supported OS: Dedicated app for iOS and web presence.

12. Pocket Casts

If you’re looking for a free podcast directory to publish your Podcast show, Pocket Casts is the ideal one for you. This podcast directory is packed with many rich features that podcasters will find very helpful. In addition, thanks to its beautifully designed website interface, you won’t find the platform difficult to use.

Besides, many listeners love Pocket Podcasts as it offers them incredible features—for example, improved discovery options, playback speed options, and lots more. In addition, they’ve enhanced how they find and listen to podcasts on the platform. You can’t go wrong publishing your show on a platform like this one.

• User Review of Pocket Casts

“Wonderful app, the most reliable one I’ve found. Even with accounts, most others lose all your progress data which hasn’t happened once with this, and I’ve switched phones 3 times. The progress tracker is so accurate you can pause on one device, open the same account and continue listening. Most apps can’t even keep things downloaded. Search does take a minute but finds stuff no other app does.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 1 Million active users.
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

13. CastBox

CastBox is another unique podcast directory that podcasters trust to publish their show online. The platform boasts an optimized SEO and artificial intelligence that lets listeners find new podcast shows. Thanks to its massive user base of up to 20 Million users, your Podcast could reach a wide range of audiences quickly and easily.

Also, CastBox offers social media features that allow listeners to comment and share your podcast show on their social media page, thus helping you get your show to more listeners and potentially increase your fanbase.

• User Review of CastBox

“I’ve been a podcaster for years and an avid podcast listener for a while. So I searched high and low for the best podcast app and distribution service, Castbox. They have a great app and website, a huge content library, and a superb feature set. Also, their app allows offline listening, as I can download my favorite podcast show.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 1 million active users
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

14. Stitcher

Last but not least podcast directory on our list is Stitcher. The platform boasts more than 14.5 Million active listeners, with an average listener having up to 25 hours of listening duration per month.

Stitcher helps you alleviate the stress of getting your show to the right audience, and thanks to the platform’s easy podcast submission requirements, you only need to have at least one podcast episode on your RSS Feed to get approved.

Also, Stitcher offers a unique analytic tool that allows you to track the performance of your show on the platform, and what more impressive is that it’s integrated into more than fifty car models. In addition, it works with any vehicle that supports Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto, which makes it a great choice for podcasters who believe their audience loves to listen to their show while driving.

• User Review of Stitcher

“So glad I switched! I have my podcasts but didn’t listen to them much - partially because Apple Podcasts is so hard to use. I switched to Stitcher to listen to The Magnus Archives, and I love it!”

• Monthly User Base: Over 1.5 million active users.
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

Part 3. More choices to submit your podcast shows

The above Podcast directories are great choices you can always count on any day. However, if you’re looking for more options, the following are reliable podcasting directories to choose from;

• Castro
• Deezer
• PlayerFM
• Learning Out Loud
• iPodder
• Acast
• Podcast Gang

Part 4. How to submit a show to podcast directories?

Submitting a podcast show to podcast directories is pretty simple. Here, we used Spotify as an example to show you how you can easily submit your podcast show within a few clicks. The steps are as follows;

Step1 Create a Spotify account using the email attached to your podcast host.

Step2 Open Spotify for Podcasters in your browser and login into your account. Then, click Get Started on the new screen.

Step3 Provide your Podcast’s RSS Feed and click Next to proceed.

Step4 You’ll be asked to add information about your Podcast, from its description to the title, artwork, etc.

Step5 Verify the Podcast by submitting the code sent to your email.

Step6 Review the information you’ve provided so far and submit it to Spotify for review.

Once you complete the steps, keep an eye on the submitted Podcast, as Spotify won’t message you even if your Podcast has been published.

Hot FAQs on Podcast Directories

1. Are podcast directories free?

Almost all top podcast directories are entirely free for creators. All you have to do is sign up on the platforms. Then, check the platform’s requirements to submit your podcast episodes, like the format, cover photos, and description. Of course, the requirements vary depending on the platform.

2. Can any podcast be on a directory of podcasts?

Yes, you can choose from any podcast directory to publish your Podcast. There’s no limitation. When submitting, you must select the ideal category for your podcast show so it can be displayed to the right audience.

3. Does it cost to join a podcast directory?

Yes, and the cost of joining a podcast directory varies depending on your platform.

Conclusion

The podcast directories introduced above are reliable for submitting podcast shows. So, chances are there, no matter what your podcast show is about. It’ll help you connect with the right audience. However, one thing is vital you need to make sure you choose the podcast directory that suits you.

Part 1. What are podcast directories?

A podcast directory is a listening app. It’s the place where podcasts and their listeners meet. Podcast listeners search for, subscribe to, and listen to your Podcast using their podcast directory of choice. Popular podcast directories include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

Part 2. 15 Top podcast directories to focus on in 2024

Thankfully, research conducted by EdisonResearch shows the weekly audience reach of top podcast directories. So this list will help us locate the best podcasting directories. And it can multiply your audience size and quickly reach a more extensive user base.

According to Edison Research, the top 15 Podcast Networks are:

You must retain that Edison’s research only analyzes the US podcast services. Yet, our guide has compiled the best podcasting directories to connect with users worldwide.

Below you will find the list of top podcast directories and their reviews. But keep in mind that when it comes to podcast directories, there is no such thing as best or worse. Instead, it’s all about the user base and audience reach. So, it is best to submit your podcasts to multiple podcasting directories.

1. YouTube

With a monthly active user base of 2.5 billion, YouTube should be the top choice of any podcast creator. According to a recent survey by Statista, YouTube took over Spotify to become the largest platform for podcast consumption worldwide. Additionally, 47.7% of the US audience prefers YouTube over other platforms for listening to podcasts.

Not to forget, YouTube comes pre-installed on all smartphones and is also accessible via the Web to users worldwide. Another benefit of YouTube is that it is free for creators and users. Plus, once you grow your user base, it also allows you to get surplus revenue.

Of course, YouTube is a video-only platform. Still, you can use tools like Wondershare Filmora to create video-based podcasts seamlessly. You can simply convert the video podcasts into an audio format using Filmora itself and then reupload the same Podcast to even audio-based podcast directories.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Tools like Fimora also allow you to directly publish the created Podcast on YouTube (so you do not have to worry about video requirements mandatory for YouTube).

• User Review of YouTube on G2: “YouTube is one of those sites that you can’t live without for a business. Everyone knows what YouTube is, and users (globally) use the platform daily.”
• Monthly User Base: Over 2.5 billion active users.
• Supported OS: All major OS and web browsers.

2. Spotify

Spotify has over 389 million listeners across 187 markets worldwide. Available on all major OS and its web presence makes it one of the best directories of podcasts on the internet.

Aside from its audience base, Spotify also provides real-time insights, like who your audience is, what they like, which episodes they prefer, and even what songs they want. All these insights will also help you plan your future content according to the audience.

Spotify’s personalized recommendations and algorithms are another pluses, given you can get discovered easily/ Like YouTube, Spotify allows you to upload even video podcasts. While you can also create and upload podcasts in audio format only.

• User Review of Spotify on G2: “I can find any song, artist, album, and even podcasts at any time and no commercials.”
• Monthly User Base: Over 360 million active users.
• Supported OS: All major OS and web browsers.

3. Apple Podcasts

Apple Podcast is another top directory for a podcast that creators cannot ignore. Given it is an exclusive-podcast platform, its 28.5 million active user base in more than 170 countries and regions is enough to tell its greatness.

It is essential to understand that YouTube and Spotify are not exclusive podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts. And while Spotify and YouTube are best for connecting novice podcast listeners, Apple Podcast is the way to go if you want to connect with a dedicated podcast community.

The best thing about the Apple Podcast directory is it allows you to create a podcast (via Apple Podcast Connect), but you must be an Apple user. However, you can submit your podcasts to Apple Podcast via RSS feed even if you are not an Apple user.

In all, given Apple Podcast is available for Apple users and is known by default on all Apple devices (the most prominent smartphone company in the world), Apple Podcast is a must-use podcast directory.

• User Review of Apple Podcast: “Apple once again nails with simplicity, millions of shows of my interest, and freemium service.”
• Monthly User Base: Over 28.5 million active users.
• Supported OS: All Apple devices.

4. Google Podcasts

Google Podcasts has over 100 million downloads on Play Store alone and is also available on the web, App Store, Blackberry, and ChromeOS users. A completely subscription-free and ad-free platform, Google Podcasts is one of the top podcasting directories among users.

However, unlike the Apple Podcast directory, it does not have a studio, so you can only submit your podcasts via RSS feeds. Still, its user base and the advanced algorithms are an opportunity to connect with users who like the subjects you discuss.

Like Spotify and Apple Podcast directories, Google Podcasts also show you real-time analytics and guide you about users so that you can plan your content accordingly. Given that it only requires a Google account to start, it is another top podcast directory you cannot ignore.

• User Review of Google Podcast

“Google Podcast includes everything that a podcast listener wants. It’s simple, free, and includes valuable options like Sleep Timer, Playback speed, and more.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 30 million active users.
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

5. Pandora

Pandora has over 64 million monthly active users, with a listener spending up to 24 hours/monthly on the platform. It explains that users spend up to 45 minutes on the Pandora platform tuning in to their favorite podcasts. Again, its search-based algorithms allow you to get discovered by users that like subjects and topics on which you’re creating podcasts, meaning it is simple to connect with a large user base conveniently.

Pandora only accepts podcasts via RSS feed, which should be in MP3 format. But recent notifications have shown more audio formats will be added.

However, it is vital to retain that Pandora Podcast’s team critically analyzes all submissions manually. So, it might take up to 4-6 weeks for your first Podcast to appear on the platform.

• User Review of Pandora Podcast

“Pandora Podcasts recommendations are a blessing for me, who always finds it confusing to locate the right episode to spend my time on.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 64 million active users.
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

6. Audible

Although popular among audiobook lovers, Audible has a considerable podcast following too. Its monthly active user base is around 41 million. The biggest benefit of registering your Podcast on the Audible directory of podcasts is that it connects with users who use Alexa to discover new podcasts.

Besides Audible, the Podcast will also be available for users of the Amazon Music app. That means you can connect with even more users via one submission only. Not to forget, Amazon Prime Video (a massive following) users get a free subscription to Amazon Music, so there’s a perfect chance that you will connect with users conveniently.

It is important to note that both Amazon Music and Audible offer podcasts for entirely free to users, so a more extensive user base prefers these platforms over paid platforms.

• User Review of Pandora Podcast

“You get to listen to any audiobook in the “included” library no matter which subscription you purchase..”

• Monthly User Base: Over 64 million active users.
• Supported OS: Android, iOS,

7. NPR One

With an average listener spending up to 145 minutes weekly, the NPR One podcast directory is one of the best podcast directories you can trust to submit your show online. The podcast directory has a userbase of over 500 thousand users globally, and

• User Review of NPR One Podcast

“I’ve been using this app for years now. It’s been my trusty companion to give me the news. I primarily use it with the sleep timer. I’m not a super picky consumer, especially when I don’t pay for the app!

But for many months now, the sleep timer will frequently think the time is up and shut off the player well before it should. The player will often shut off within 5 minutes of using the 30 min sleep timer. It’s annoying to open the player hit resume, and reset the sleep timer.”

• Monthly User Base: 500 thousand
• Supported OS: Android, iOS

8. Tune In

Technically, TuneIn is a radio. But lately, it has become prevalent amongst podcast listeners to find their favorite shows and also listen to music. The podcast directory has a global user base of over 75 million and a monthly visit of 7million+, which makes it a great spot for any podcaster to publish their show.

• User Review of Tune In Podcast

“I’ve been using the app for 4 years. I like it, but there are some annoying “features.”

1. the screen won’t time out when the app is active.

2. the developers must have recently made a change. I used to search through my list of “recent” (there were about 20) to look for new episodes of my favorite podcasts.

Now, the app only allows me to see the last four podcasts or stations I have listened to. So it is not helpful.’

• Monthly User Base: Over 7 million active users
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

9. Podcast Addict

With over 10 million downloads on Google Playstore, Podcast Addict is one of Android’s most popular podcast apps. You can publish your podcast show, as it allows you to connect with the ideal audience quickly and easily.

Also, Podcast Addict is one of the few podcast directories available in various languages, including French and German. So it’s a perfect choice non-English podcasters.

• User Review of PodcastAddit

**”**Been using this for years. It does everything I could ever want when listening/ referencing/ re-listening to my favorite podcasts and a lot more.

I’ve suffered through having to use other podcast players (e.g., listening to something “exclusive”), but I couldn’t stand the inane simplicity of other players long enough to finish their content.

Also, it takes a bit to get used to (especially if you’re coming from other stripped-down players), but very worth the small effort for a powerful app.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 750 thousand active users.
• Supported OS: Dedicated Android App and web presence.

10. RadioPublic

Having been in the game for over 15 years, RadioPublic is another excellent podcast directory you can count on to submit your show. Although the platform does not have a massive user base compared to its competitors, it will help you grow your listeners and business by getting your podcast show to the right audience.

On RadioPublic, an average listener spends up to 72 minutes every day finding new podcast shows and listening to new episodes from their favorite podcasts. And given that the platform offers many robust features, listeners can enjoy a seamless listening experience on any device.

Overall, the RadioPublic podcast directory offers you a smart way to publish your show and grow your audience without going through stress.

• User Review of RadioPublic

“Glad I waited a while to find a podcast website provider. Starting from scratch in WordPress seemed too much hassle. Luckily the site came along while I was dithering about what to do.

The RadioPublic team onboarded the other 5 billion podcasts as one of the first examples, and I’m delighted to have chosen this option. Already, my pod site feels “complete” to look at, and more features are coming soon that will help with marketing, understanding listeners, and building a podcast brand.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 300 Thousand active users
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

11. Overcast

Overcast is a dedicated podcast app for Apple devices, and what makes it a great podcast directory is that it offers unique features that attract many listeners.

On this platform, you’ll be allowed to display advertising slots, enabling listeners to subscribe to your podcast show within a few clicks. Plus, unlike many of its competitors, listeners have control over what podcast show is displayed in the featured podcast section. It is helpful as it lets listeners quickly discover every new episode you publish.

Overall, many incredible features make Overcast a good choice, and chances are your Podcast will get to real listeners when you publish them here.

• User Review of Overcast

**”**Nice alternative to Apple’s. I’ve been well pleased so far. It isn’t always the most intuitive, but I’ve eventually figured out how to achieve almost everything I’ve wanted to. The benefits of adding a show via RSS have become immediately clear.

Being a subscriber to a show and getting early access episodes and bonus material right in my podcast manager makes it easy to stay up with all my shows.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 70 Thousand active users.
• Supported OS: Dedicated app for iOS and web presence.

12. Pocket Casts

If you’re looking for a free podcast directory to publish your Podcast show, Pocket Casts is the ideal one for you. This podcast directory is packed with many rich features that podcasters will find very helpful. In addition, thanks to its beautifully designed website interface, you won’t find the platform difficult to use.

Besides, many listeners love Pocket Podcasts as it offers them incredible features—for example, improved discovery options, playback speed options, and lots more. In addition, they’ve enhanced how they find and listen to podcasts on the platform. You can’t go wrong publishing your show on a platform like this one.

• User Review of Pocket Casts

“Wonderful app, the most reliable one I’ve found. Even with accounts, most others lose all your progress data which hasn’t happened once with this, and I’ve switched phones 3 times. The progress tracker is so accurate you can pause on one device, open the same account and continue listening. Most apps can’t even keep things downloaded. Search does take a minute but finds stuff no other app does.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 1 Million active users.
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

13. CastBox

CastBox is another unique podcast directory that podcasters trust to publish their show online. The platform boasts an optimized SEO and artificial intelligence that lets listeners find new podcast shows. Thanks to its massive user base of up to 20 Million users, your Podcast could reach a wide range of audiences quickly and easily.

Also, CastBox offers social media features that allow listeners to comment and share your podcast show on their social media page, thus helping you get your show to more listeners and potentially increase your fanbase.

• User Review of CastBox

“I’ve been a podcaster for years and an avid podcast listener for a while. So I searched high and low for the best podcast app and distribution service, Castbox. They have a great app and website, a huge content library, and a superb feature set. Also, their app allows offline listening, as I can download my favorite podcast show.”

• Monthly User Base: Over 1 million active users
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

14. Stitcher

Last but not least podcast directory on our list is Stitcher. The platform boasts more than 14.5 Million active listeners, with an average listener having up to 25 hours of listening duration per month.

Stitcher helps you alleviate the stress of getting your show to the right audience, and thanks to the platform’s easy podcast submission requirements, you only need to have at least one podcast episode on your RSS Feed to get approved.

Also, Stitcher offers a unique analytic tool that allows you to track the performance of your show on the platform, and what more impressive is that it’s integrated into more than fifty car models. In addition, it works with any vehicle that supports Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto, which makes it a great choice for podcasters who believe their audience loves to listen to their show while driving.

• User Review of Stitcher

“So glad I switched! I have my podcasts but didn’t listen to them much - partially because Apple Podcasts is so hard to use. I switched to Stitcher to listen to The Magnus Archives, and I love it!”

• Monthly User Base: Over 1.5 million active users.
• Supported OS: Dedicated apps for all major OS and web presence.

Part 3. More choices to submit your podcast shows

The above Podcast directories are great choices you can always count on any day. However, if you’re looking for more options, the following are reliable podcasting directories to choose from;

• Castro
• Deezer
• PlayerFM
• Learning Out Loud
• iPodder
• Acast
• Podcast Gang

Part 4. How to submit a show to podcast directories?

Submitting a podcast show to podcast directories is pretty simple. Here, we used Spotify as an example to show you how you can easily submit your podcast show within a few clicks. The steps are as follows;

Step1 Create a Spotify account using the email attached to your podcast host.

Step2 Open Spotify for Podcasters in your browser and login into your account. Then, click Get Started on the new screen.

Step3 Provide your Podcast’s RSS Feed and click Next to proceed.

Step4 You’ll be asked to add information about your Podcast, from its description to the title, artwork, etc.

Step5 Verify the Podcast by submitting the code sent to your email.

Step6 Review the information you’ve provided so far and submit it to Spotify for review.

Once you complete the steps, keep an eye on the submitted Podcast, as Spotify won’t message you even if your Podcast has been published.

Hot FAQs on Podcast Directories

1. Are podcast directories free?

Almost all top podcast directories are entirely free for creators. All you have to do is sign up on the platforms. Then, check the platform’s requirements to submit your podcast episodes, like the format, cover photos, and description. Of course, the requirements vary depending on the platform.

2. Can any podcast be on a directory of podcasts?

Yes, you can choose from any podcast directory to publish your Podcast. There’s no limitation. When submitting, you must select the ideal category for your podcast show so it can be displayed to the right audience.

3. Does it cost to join a podcast directory?

Yes, and the cost of joining a podcast directory varies depending on your platform.

Conclusion

The podcast directories introduced above are reliable for submitting podcast shows. So, chances are there, no matter what your podcast show is about. It’ll help you connect with the right audience. However, one thing is vital you need to make sure you choose the podcast directory that suits you.

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