Podstars Tech Stack: These Tools Support Successful Podcasts

1. Local recordings always possible
2. Taking the Cut to the Next Level
3. The last steps to publication
4. This is the toolkit of the Podstars team

If you really want to get started with podcasts, you will now find what you are looking for on our software review platform OMR Reviews. Because there we recently released the category for Podcast software .We'll show you how to successfully use the tools using the example of the Podstars - our direct colleagues and Germany's leading podcast company.

In our 'Tech Stack' series, we show which tools digital companies use and have them explain why they chose these software solutions. Do you want more information about suitable tools? Then check out our software review platform OMR Reviews.

To get an initial overview of the many tools from the podcast world, it’s important to understand the exact process of a production. No software is used twice for the steps of recording, editing, and hosting, but the team around the Podstars uses a comprehensive tool stack.

Particularly frequently used are the softwares Adobe Audition, Podigee and Riverside. Audio Producer Dennis Deben, who records and manages more than 5 podcasts daily, explains how these tools, among others, make his work easier.

Local recordings always possible

A big game changer for Dennis has been the tool Riverside. “With it we found a way to record remote recordings locally without the guests' internet connection being decisive for the quality”, explains Dennis. With Riverside, podcast conversations can also be recorded with video if needed. “Another advantage for us is that Riverside records the soundtracks of the participants locally and later uploads them in the tool itself. This way we get a seamless audio recording.” In addition to the uploaded files, Riverside offers various backup options: “With it, a recording can hardly ever be lost if something goes wrong”, Dennis is convinced.

Teamlead Audio Production Dennis Deben from Podstars

Taking the Cut to the Next Level

Once a podcast recording is done, the tasks of editing and mixing are next. For this, the audio producers at the Podstars use the tool Adobe Audition. “Tracks can be easily recorded, cut, and mixed”, explains Dennis. ”The internal Effect Library covers all important effects, and it also includes automatic features for voice editing, noise reduction, and loudness normalization that are particularly useful for beginners.” Minor snag: Adobe Audition is not suitable for music production, for which the team primarily uses Ableton Live, as well as Logic Pro and . “The differences between these softwares is minimal at first glance and can be mostly found in their design and handling. Here it simply depends on which one you felt most comfortable with from the start,” Dennis thinks.

The team recently discovered the plugin Acon Digital DeVerberate which can remove the often annoying reverberation during sound editing. “Especially for recordings that guests make in old buildings for example, the plugin is a very reliable and precise tool,” says Dennis. “DeVerberate takes our production to the next level!”

The last steps to publication

Before a podcast can be listened to, an important intermediate step is necessary: With the help of a hosting platform, like Podigee, podcast channels (so-called RSS feeds) can be created and then distributed on various channels, like Spotify or Apple Podcasts. On the tool Podigee, the colleagues from Podstars also set the cover, the podcast title, and the corresponding audio files. “We also integrate ads directly via it,” says Dennis. A recommendable alternative to Podigee is Anchor, which is Spotify's own hosting platform. “However, it does not support an ad server, but does offer the option to turn a podcast into a paid podcast exclusively on Spotify.”

This is the toolkit of the Podstars team

You use these tools and software actively? Then please rate the respective providers on our OMR Reviews platform in the category Podcast.